When I travel on my own I oft want most to discover a place by getting lost in it.
I love wandering aimlessly down streets into the unknown & exciting sights, alluring smells, and serendipitous strangers I happen upon.
I’ve held this conviction that I can best experience a local like a local if I avoid tourist traps & tours & cheesy conglomerations of vendors persuading me to buy junk I don’t need to remember a place by.
But this trip started shifting that paradigm.
A group of ten lovely ladies & I gathered to celebrate our dear friends wedding.
We ventured to one of the largest cities on earth, holding nearly 9 million people & spanning 573 square miles across rolling green hills. The bride (an experienced traveler & former resident of Mexico) planned our activities & was keen to include a hot air balloon ride over rural countryside & pyramid ruins, a trajineras boat ride on a crowded & colorful canal, and a downtown street food tour by local foodie & author.
UP
I was most excited for the hot air balloon ride as it had long been on my pseudo bucket list.
It far exceeded my anticipatory imaginings!
The balloons themselves are a sight to revel in – they are huge! And so colorful & unique & stunningly contrast golden morning light (they only fly first thing in the morning when air currents are still mellow).
The basket packed nearly 20 of us standing in one spot. We lifted off & I realized it’s a float more than a flight & we would go wherever the air carried us. We traveled smoothly over cactus fields & neighborhoods, people who waved joyfully, and ruins both ancient & currently dwelled in.
When we landed, we were greeted by a strong crew who placed us gently on the trailer as we ducked & braced. They immediately began to tackle the massive feat of packing up the balloon. Meanwhile, our pilot popped open a couple bottles of Lambrusco & passed around real glasses while explaining how the act of having a drink upon landing is a tradition that dates back to the first flights in France. Pilots would carry booze with them to share with curious onlookers to quell the fear of them being supernatural or alien – just humans who can fly.
They packed us up as we turned down every friendly knickknack salesperson that rushed to the landing site. Still in the basket, we drove through rural red dirt road country and back to the launch site for the next adventures.
We ate an outrageous breakfast buffet while watching authentic dancing. Got schooled on traditional art, learned how to decipher real from fake silver & obsidian, witnessed the many uses of agave, sampled local liquor & then moved on to the pyramids.
RUINS
Before leaving the states, I was given a book based in lore & wisdom found in the ancient sacred sites around Mexico. It talks of Teotihuacan visions & the Toltec teachings of Don Miguel Ruiz.
Such things as *flips to a random page* :
“Through our breathing, we make an invitation to the sun and to the earth to join in our body. We unite the two energies of the sun and the earth. Our nerves have direct contact with every cell in our body. Our breathing energizes and revitalizes every cell of our body. It takes healing to each cell. As you breathe, you can feel the flow of energy moving throughout the body.”
I knew Teotihuacan would be a powerful place. I found peace once I broke free of the crowds, the human-made jaguar roars & eagle screams, and the scatterings of goods sold on tapestries & in stalls. I laid in the sun, reveling in how this site is an homage to the great center of our solar system & giver of life. I closed my eyes to embrace visions of jaguars & of sunlight pouring in to the pyramid & then being reflected back out in a prominent ray of light.
Then I wandered more & found a tree I knew I had to sit with. When I moved closer, I saw the bodies tucked into deep grass – at least seven street dogs curled up in the shade. I sat with my back against the trunk & my face to the pyramid & soaked in such potent energy I actually began to shake. I lost time & made our tour group run late, but it was worth the breaking free & connecting deeply with sun, earth, breath & spirit.
FLOAT
Trajineras take boat parties to a whole other level.
The put-in is an endless line of long, wooden, canopy-covered boats with different names & fluorescent designs. We boarded “Carlita” with our lady group, our captain, our coolers, and a stray dog who was looking for (and found) some lovin.
The next several hours are lost in a sea (okay, canal) of colorful boats, flower crowns, mariachi bands, margaritas, eloté, laughter, dancing, and banter with endless passing crews.
And I only had to pee in a cup once.
FOOOOOD
Ay Dios mio. Mexican comida is beyyondddd foodgasm worthy.
We enjoyed a poshy meal out at Contramar for a family-style share of flavorful grilled fish, perfect ceviche, yum yum tacos, hella hot condiments & mezcal margaritas. Then a few take-home meals from nearby restaurants I don’t remember the names of (turns out Mexicans even make really delicious pizza).
And well worth a mention – coffee here is perfectly strong & “done right”.
The last day we feasted on a city center walking tour with Club Tengo Hambre.
Our beautiful guide took us to all the hot spots :
a perfect Sunday hangover cure cart serving lamb birria & tacos with all toppings,
a street corner joint slinging blue corn quesadillas with cuitliacoche,
a well-established hole in the wall that only serves up bomb tacos al pastor,
a churrería order of extra chocolate & dulce de leche dipping sauce for the freshly fried dough,
a couple local state-sponsored markets with everything imaginable & beyond
(beef, pork, poultry, fish, crickets, scorpions, sweet treats, salty crunchy snacks, jugos & aquas frescas, mezcal shots, fruits I know well & have never heard of, veggies so bright & fresh, and condiments upon condiments — special thanks to the vendor who kindly spooned mouthfuls of rose jam & chocolate sauce into my mouth as the group left me behind!).
We ended food-coma dazed & stuffed to full-term food baby status at an old bar & bullfighter museum for cheap cervesa, salted peanuts & all the churros.
TRAVEL & SAFETY
I visited Mexico in perhaps a perfect window before all things Delta erupted & outbreaks swept through. I commend how well Mexicans are attempting to keep people safe. Almost every entry to stores or restaurants has an attendant who will give you hand sanitizer, make sure you’re wearing a mask, and often check temp before you enter. Police may stop you if you’re not wearing a mask & could even charge a fine if they felt like it.
A negative test is required to return to the U.S. but you can tackle that quickly at the airport entrance. If you don’t speak Spanish at all & want smooth travel, I suggest learning basics & being comfortable speaking it. Mexico City has a big airport with endless shops, cafes, money exchange, places in the terminals to sleep uncomfortably & for free, and hotels onsite for a luxury stay.
Transport by Uber over a taxi for cheaper fare & plan to be in the car a while to get anywhere.
And be sure to walk around a bit to really catch the flavor!
¡Buen Viaje!
Wild Altar 