Mexico City, Mexico

I completed a life goal by entering the streets of Mexico City....

First impression: Mexico is humongous. It is not so much overpowering as it is never-ending. The former home of the Aztecs was like the last frontier of Mexico for me. I had never been to the city in all my travels throughout the country. It was an accomplishment of a lifetime.

We arrived late on a Saturday night so we quickly showered and took a taxi straight to the Zona Rosa bar section of town. The bar scene was not as impressive as I expected it to be. After a brief stop at a bar with live rock music we decided to liven things up a bit - so we headed to a place called ¨Foxys.¨ It was a waste of time and money, but not effort I promise. At the end of the display I was surprised with the collective $300 bill. Turns out, this fine establishment chages $13 for a corona and $30 for our ¨friends¨ drinks. I bit my lip and we walked out feeling collectively hustled. Welcome to the big city I guess.


The following day, in order to redeem myself, I set out to find the true essence of D.F. Leaving the younger cousins behind to shop, I bussed myself to Teotihuacan - the location of the Aztec pyramids. As this was the most important moment of the trip for me I would like to explain its siginificance...



Imagine the feeling that most people have upon their college graduation - mixed nostalgia, combined with exhiliration, upon excitement of the unknown. Some might also feel relief or for some a sense of accomplishment; I truly felt none of the previously mentioned emotions. The sentiment of completion for which I yearned had alluded me.

My true graduation occurred while walking at the summit of the Aztec pyramid. My bedtime stories included the names of the Aztec kings Cuahtemoc and Montezuma. Raised with the confidence of an heir to their ancient thrones, I have carried within me a strength and spirit derived from another era. The ruins were part of a mythology to me and representative of something divine. As if that was not sufficient to give them greater meaning, these pyramids had come to represent a relationship that is no more. Near the heavens, surrounded by blue sky, with the strong wind pushing against my skin, I could only feel whole. In my life that experience has marked a termination. It was truly the completion for which I had been searching.



I descended and would meet a couple new friends on their way back to the metropolis as well. I would spend the entire rest of the day running around the city with them. They gave me the underground guided tour of the non-tourist sections of town. I hung out in an apartment, rode the subway, and ate a famous taqueria. It was the pefect ending to a life-changing day.



If I described everything I saw in Mexico City it would bore all readers and myself. Therefore, I will let this post mostly be a tribute to my experience at Teotihuacan.



Mexico City was the pinnacle to my trip and catalyst for a new period of my life.