Mexico City frequently becomes the subject of international news regarding the necessity of being careful when traveling to that city, especially for solo travelers. Tales about crime, drug trafficking, and dangerous neighborhoods may affect the perception of this capital city even before an individual gets there, but walking around the city proves that the reality is different.
For one traveler, spending his first day in Mexico City included not remaining in the well-known tourist zone. Instead, he took public transport and went to local marketplaces and tasted street food, talked to people, visited various districts of the city, and ended his day at a restaurant in Roma. His experience provided him with a view of daily life in the capital and raised a question about whether Mexico City is really as dangerous as it is commonly stated.
Getting to Know Mexico City Outside the Tourist Zone
His day began at Plaza de la Constitución, or Zócalo as it is called, where he found many tents because there was a big protest. Speaking with a local he learned that teachers were protesting for a law to retire earlier.
Instead of remaining in the highly frequented tourist area, the traveler chose to look for a place where not many international visitors could be found. His first destination was a market, and the traveler decided to use the Mexico City Metro.
Upon reaching the station, the tourist found the situation somewhat bewildering at first since one of the entrances was closed, most likely due to an ongoing protest, and the traveler made a mistake with the spelling of salida as it is used in Spanish. Nevertheless, after approaching local people and asking for help as well as directions, the traveler finally found the right entrance to the station.
This little incident also illustrated the attitude of the local population toward strangers. Despite the fact that the traveler had a limited understanding of Spanish, the local people were very willing to assist him.
How Is It to Experience the Mexico City Metro as a Traveler?
For someone who has visited the Metro for the first time, the whole experience seems to be a little bit puzzling. There were no visible ticket machines at the entrance he used, and therefore, he had to ask where to buy tickets from one of the
In the end, he managed to get a transport card that can be recharged. After he put some money in the card, he could go through the turnstile and board a train.
The Metro was exceedingly busy too. As soon as he missed the train, the very next train came in just a minute, but it was still fully packed with people. The police were present all around the station grounds, including near the entrance.
The tourist thought that the Metro system was quite simple to use, even if you were new to the city, but he realized that the passengers still had to pay attention to get off the train as there were no announcements about the stations.
At the same time, the station had several small stores that were selling drinks and snacks, which made some stations feel like small markets.
Mexico City Is Different From Hollywood’s Representation
One point that struck him was how different Mexico City is in real life from the way it is presented in movies and shows in Hollywood.
The author drew attention to the well-known yellow tint commonly associated with scenes that are filmed in Mexico and referred to Breaking Bad as an example of it; however, he realized that the reality of Mexico City seemed nothing like the yellowish images the viewers are accustomed to seeing from the TV shows.
Indeed, upon arrival there, the traveler was met by the bustling streets of the city that were full of people, shops, vendors, and any sort of public transport.
This development marked the beginning of one of the recurring ideas of the journey – a difference between images created by the film industry and reality felt by someone who is actually walking the streets of such cities.
After leaving the historical city center, the traveler’s vlogger had a chance to see the less touristic area. He claimed to have seen no other foreigners nearby and started looking for a large local market.
After some time, he suddenly stumbled upon a huge market with numerous food booths and stands. The market seemed to go on forever, with every seller offering different goods from clothes to batteries, cables and mirrors.
Nonetheless, the traveler realized the importance of taking sensible precautions when visiting busy markets. Pickpocketing is an issue in all busy places around the globe, especially when travelers become the victims of distractions. In this case, because some stalls were placed right next to the road with cars traveling right beside them, customers had to stand next to vehicles while shopping.
The Traveler’s Experience with Authentic Mexican Street Food
Eventually, the traveler found himself hungry and decided to buy a snack from a food stall. He tried a taco made of beef and rice.
Despite being quite simple, the meal turned out to be one of his best experiences of that day. He squeezed some lime over the taco to enjoy the freshness of flavors accompanying the meat and rice.
The traveler especially liked the combination of the thin tortilla, beef, rice, and lime. After the taco tasting, he even suggested that tacos might become his favorite food in Mexico.
However, he also found the transaction with the seller indicative of the language barrier that he had faced during the trip. He had limited proficiency in Spanish.
Searching for a Mexican Football Jersey
One of the traveler’s personal traditions is getting a local football jersey every time he visits a new country, and Mexico was no exception.
He managed to discover a market where merchants sold football jerseys. Football is a significant trend of Mexico, and the traveler remembered that Mexico beat Germany at the World Cup in 2018, 1–0.
Some of the available jerseys came from various clubs and national teams of different countries. The famous teams like Real Madrid, Barcelona, AC Milan, Chelsea, etc., were present, and for German football, there was the German national team, instead of the clubs he wanted.
In the end, he picked a green jersey of the Mexican national team. Its price was 170 Mexican pesos. He decided that there is no point in bargaining because he was unsure if haggling is acceptable in this particular marketplace.
The purchase was a successful ending of his search for a football shirt.
Is Mexico City Safe for Solo Travelers?
Safety was one of the main motivations of the trip. Before visiting Mexico City, the traveler had heard plenty of warnings that the city might be dangerous, especially for a solo traveler.
However, his experience was different from what he thought it would be.
He stated many times that he had never been in a situation where he felt threatened in any way. He saw police officers in many places, including public transport stations and busy places.
He had a conversation with his Uber driver regarding safety. The driver stated that some places are connected to drugs, but it is possible for tourists to be safe if they do not look for trouble.
The explanation given to the traveler supported his idea that safety in Mexico City depends on the place and situation.
Taking an Uber in The City
When the traveler wanted to get to his next destination, he was going to use an Uber service because it would be safer than taking a street taxi.
However, he could not find a driver easily. The first driver did not seem to be driving toward him so he had to cancel the ride. Finally, after my traveler’s waiting for about 15 minutes, another driver had come.
The situation was an example of how ride-hailing systems may not be conveniently available in all places of a big city. The person believed that utilizing Uber might have been less complex in more touristy districts.
The traveler asked the driver if the city is safe, and although a language barrier was in place, the driver generally characterized the city as a safe place for tourists who are savvy enough to avoid unsafe situations.
The street shoe-cleaning service
While exploring another busy district within Mexico City, the traveler noticed that different people on the street were offering a shoe-cleaning service to passers-by.
Since he needed to treat his shoes, he decided to try this service.
For 30 pesos, the older man cleaned the traveler’s shoes with the help of various materials, such as special foam, cleaning fluid, a towel, and a device similar to a toothbrush.
The outcome was astonishing. The shoe was cleaned first, which enabled the person to compare it with the untreated one.
This was yet another tiny but unforgettable event, this time with the locals.
The trip went on to Alameda Park, which the voyager referred to as one of the oldest public parks in the locality- it was established back in 1592.
The park made for a completely different experience than the busy marketplaces, but nevertheless, there were still police officers present in the vicinity which helped the traveler feel secure.
Nonetheless, he stated that he could only talk about the experience he had during the day. He had not seen that part of the town after sunset yet, and as a result, he could not tell if the atmosphere changed much in the dark.
This was important for his overall judgment of the situation, since it is not always safe in every neighborhood during the night even if it is so during the day.
Suddenly the weather changed over the city as well.
Finally, he came across an electric three-wheeled car that resembled a local tuk-tuk vehicle. The car had a canopy and came with side curtains, thus letting him stay dry even when it rained.
Furthermore, this compact electric vehicle was surprisingly silent. Being electric in nature, this vehicle gave little sound when it drove through the streets.
The trip proved once again how varied the ways of transport may be in Mexico City.
Roma is known to have a more sophisticated atmosphere.
The next stop was Roma, a district that the traveller heard was supposed to be one of the nicer high-end places in the city.
Roma was in stark contrast to the previous markets the traveller visited. Fewer street vendors, fewer stalls, less number of people. Roma is famous for restaurants, rooftop bars, and a more luxurious style.
Regrettably, the weather would not let the traveller explore this area much. Rather than stroll for hours in this area, he decided to go to a restaurant that had been recommended to him.
On his way, he saw street entertainers who performed near the traffic lights, which reminded him of street entertainment in Indonesia.
An Authentic Mexican Dish Featuring Grasshoppers
In the restaurant setting, the globetrotter was finally in a position to have his first authentic Mexican meal instead of just sampling yet another street food or snack.
However, after looking at the menu, he discovered that he accidentally ordered an item featuring grasshoppers in it (a quesadilla).
The Travelling nomad was not at all prepared for the grasshoppers, which are known in Spanish as chapulines. The last time he had eaten insects was many years back when he was in Thailand, but he had very little recollection of that event.
While he could have rejected the dish and requested something else, he was keen to broaden his culinary horizons.
The quesadilla was wonderful, particularly the cheese. The grasshoppers had no exceptional flavor on them, but eating them was surprising for he had an accurate idea of what he was eating.
Eventually, he managed to finish the quesadilla, having removed a number of grasshoppers from his plate. He found it a good dish but was not inclined to order another grasshopper quesadilla any time soon.
His additional culinary experience involved tasting salsa verde, or green sauce. The dish was considered spicy, but the traveler
The meal was rounded off with a drink made from cinnamon.
The traveler was given a drink that appeared to be thin milk and had a strong flavor of cinnamon.
He assumed it was made of water, milk, and cinnamon. The drink was tasty and different from his usual drinks.
Cinnamon made the drink interesting, and it was one of the best parts of the restaurant experience.
The total cost of the food and drink was 273 pesos.
How Did the Traveler Feel about Mexico City?
After spending the day moving from markets to public transport to restaurants to parks to neighborhoods, the traveler was left with a good first impression.
He felt safe and reported that most of the people he met were friendly and welcoming.
His expedition was not only a way to capture Mexico City; it also provided critical insights into aspects of life in the capital that would never make it to a newspaper headline. Rather than focusing on the risks that travelers typically hear about through news channels, he discovered the incredible markets, delicious street food, hospitable people, reliable transport system, local businesses, street artists, and other elements of a rich city culture.
At the same time, he noted an important issue: two days in Mexico City cannot allow anyone to make conclusions about the entire Mexico.
His observations were only a first introduction but not an accurate message about security throughout Mexico.
Comparing news reports and real life in Mexico City, it is apparent that the major lesson of the trip is that the traveler does not claim Mexico City to be a fully secure place nor encourages people to ignore all alerts. Instead, the answer of this travel is to make people more cautious about generalizing opinions about a country solely based on its headlines.
On the other hand, the very first full day of the traveler revealed that the city of Mexico can also be friendly, lively, full of culture, and fun.
The experience on site was definitely far more complicated than the traveler had imagined.
The main lesson he learned is very simple: observe a place with your own eyes, make your own conclusions, and do not forget about the limitations of your personal experience.
Mexico City did not remove all the concerns regarding the safety of the respective city, at the same time, the city did change the simplified perception the traveler had before visiting it.
