Week 139 · Mexico City, Mexico · Labor Day
Mexico
Been a while since I travelled outside the USA. Had a business trip to Mexico City and was able to bring Sharon along for the long Labor Day weekend, work for a week, and then fly directly to Atlanta to see Annelise.
I had been to Mexico City several times but hadn't spent much time in Reforma nor been on excursions just outside of town. Of course, since we arrived two days after another American, many people were interested in our view of Mr. Trump — only one person was less popular than Trump: President Peña Nieto. The business view from Mexico is mixed — they had just passed energy reform which will allow USA companies to invest directly in oil and gas, but with the drop in prices exploration is delayed. Separately, the talk of NAFTA renegotiation is causing delayed investment from Asian companies.
The Paseo de la Reforma is the main boulevard running from near the historical centre of Zocalo to the main parks containing the various national museums. It is tree-lined and very much patterned after a European capital. Most of Mexico City seemed very safe and with Uber the transportation is now much safer than just grabbing a taxi — big fan of Uber in Mexico City. My energy levels still weren't great so we didn't get out much at night, but I found out after Sharon left that many great restaurants were on the streets just a couple of blocks off Paseo de la Reforma, where I had my first "Mexican Caviar" with a former work colleague from Samsung.
Escamole is a pre-Hispanic Mexican delicacy made from the larvae and pupae of giant black ants (Liometopum apiculatum), harvested from the roots of agave plants. It has a buttery, slightly nutty flavour with a texture resembling cottage cheese. It has been eaten in Mexico since Aztec times and remains a seasonal specialty — available primarily in spring when the larvae are harvested. The preparation shown in these photos — flamed in tequila and served on a corn tortilla — is a traditional method.
First day we hit the main tourist sites in town, Palacio de Bellas Artes, and Zocalo at the other end of Paseo de la Reforma. One interesting observation — college football on TVs was non-existent in the hotels and restaurants and hard to even find a channel with a game. But come Thursday night NFL kickoff it was on every TV in every place I walked by. NFL is big in Mexico City.
"College football on TVs was non-existent — but come Thursday night NFL kickoff it was on every TV in every place I walked by."
On Sunday we headed out early to the Teotihuacan pyramids. An interesting trip — we had a good guide who explained a lot of the science and a lot of the theories. It was different than I expected as I had pictured a desert but it was green with many trees. And at an elevation of about 7,000 feet, I was pretty worn out after a day of climbing around. Afterward we "got" to go to a tequila factory and a handicraft shop — partook in about a quarter shot, which was still too much for me.
Teotihuacan, located about 50 km northeast of Mexico City, was once the largest city in the pre-Columbian Americas, with a peak population estimated at 125,000 to 200,000 around 450 CE. The name means "birthplace of the gods" in Nahuatl. The Pyramid of the Sun is the third-largest pyramid in the world by volume. Who actually built Teotihuacan remains one of archaeology's great mysteries — it predates the Aztecs by centuries and the builders left no clear writing system to identify themselves.
On Sharon's last day, we went to another tourist site just outside of town — Xochimilco. Not quite the Venice of Mexico. Because it was a Monday, very few people, but it seems like the type of place that would be more fun with more people. In addition to the tourist boats there were other boats selling food, beer, knick-knacks, and Mariachi bands ready to board your boat for a song or two. We didn't do the full three-hour tour so we didn't get to see the full floating flower gardens, but it was definitely a good distraction for a morning. Glad Sharon was there to drag me out to see it — I would have just stayed in bed without her there to push me along.
