We’re attending my annual college reunion (the BrewDogs), hosted this year in the Wisconsin Dells. Our trip got off to a sputtering start courtesy of AeroMexico airlines and an unannounced, last minute flight change.
We had reserved a non-stop flight from Guadalajara to Chicago O’ Hare, a four hour trip arriving just after midnight. We were going to clear customs & immigration and stay at the airport Hilton, which is adjacent to the terminal. Three days before the flight, I checked our seat assignments and noticed most of the plane was empty. Judy asked me “they wouldn’t cancel the flight, would they?” “No,” I opined, “they probably have connections to make, and this flight does not show a history of being cancelled.” Just by chance (or the intervention of the Holy Spirit), Judy checked the next day, and informed me we now had a morning flight, twelve hours earlier!
No e-mail, no notice of change on the Delta App (their partner). A Delta rep on the phone tried to tell me they sent both of us e-mails on June 30th (neither of us received such an e-mail), and oh-by-the-way, why did the App still show the original flight on July 29th? What can you do?
We were able to make the necessary changes to take the earlier flight, and make lemonade out of the lemons by staying the day at the airport Hilton, enjoying the gym and the pool and turning a hectic travel day into something more pacific.
Panoramic view of ORD from the top floor of the Hilton
While we enjoyed ourselves, the costs were shocking. Now I know we’re talking airport prices, but $77 USD for a shrimp Caesar salad, a bolognese pasta bowl, and two glasses of house wine? Not to mention service with an attitude. The waiter approached, stood facing away from our table, and asked “what can I get you?” We weren’t sure he was even talking to us!
But that’s travel now, especially in overcrowded US airports. The better portion was spending time with old friends (a term I mean literally these days) in the picturesque Wisconsin Dells, catching up on life and just enjoying each other’s company. Yes, there was too much bacon and too much custard (a Wisconsin specialty), too much wine and too much beer, too much loud music and too much raucous laughter. How else would a gathering of BrewDogs be?
Catching up means hearing of bad news as well as good. There were stories of friends and family passing, illnesses discovered and jobs lost, all the things that inevitably confront us as the years and decades pile up. And the stories were related in the frank manner only possible among good friends, who have shared hardship in the past, and can quickly revert to a level of intimacy only reserved for those you trust absolutely.
As the tally of empty beer bottles mounted, conversation veered to the deep end of the pool, and more than one time we confronted the same question: “what the h#&*! is going on out there?” Liberal & conservative, politically active and un-involved, all agreed that there is something fundamentally wrong in the country. We didn’t come to any brilliant conclusions; there simply wasn’t enough to beer to reach that level of performance!
Yet we noted that while the world we grew up in was fundamentally flawed in many ways, it was collectively far superior to today’s environment. Furthermore, those past failings hadn’t been resolved or even traded for new ones: many were still in place, adding to our woes.
Was it the inevitable finale of the age of Aquarius, since doing you own thing usually ends in destructive individualism? Was it unfettered commercialism, turning citizens into consumers and changing all human relationships into a contractual zero-sum game? Did we get too tired and cynical to believe in self-sacrifice and the common good? Or were we led on by politicians, manipulated into warring camps more interested in power and might than in duty and right.
We have to face it: America has always been a violent, individualistic place. But once upon a time, other peoples looked on that as something a touch quaint, a little odd, perhaps even useful. We seem to have passed from character to caricature. Maybe I’m just ruminating in a virtually empty O’Hare airport at midnight, waiting for a flight home. But my college friends come from all over the country, from backgrounds as different as can be. We all seem to be ruminating alone at midnight.
After our recent excursion back to the States, I realized a deadline is upon us, and more importantly, few ‘Muricans are aware of its implications! I speak of the Real ID act, set to take full effect in October 2020. Most Americans would be forgiven for ignoring this law until now, as it was first passed in 2005 and was slated to take effect in 2013, but was continually delayed due to the cost and political opposition. But it is here, now, and will take effect next year, so you probably need to know about it.
Why “probably?’ If you never fly, visit a secured government building or military base, or are under the age of 18, then no, you don’t need a Real ID. Most people (God-willing) will be over 18 years old at some point. Many will never visit a military base or secured federal building (but you would be surprised). But most people will fly–at least domestically–at some point in your life. Yes, you will need a Real ID to fly even from San Francisco to Santa Rosa, California (16 minutes, the shortest domestic air route according to Travel & Leisure).
Why? Blame the legacy of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, which showed that America’s lack of a national ID and disparate rules on State IDs were a vulnerability. Since most Americans viscerally oppose a national ID, Congress enacted (and the President signed into law) rules to make all State IDs (meaning State driver’s licenses) equally secure.
Why now, when that was so 2001? Well many States vigorously opposed and refused to comply with this new federal intrusion into their affairs, but the feds eventually won. Nearly all States have agreed to comply now, but some have only just begun to issue Real ID-compliant licenses. Some have made it an option you must request (and potentially pay more)!
Do you already have one? Perhaps. They are readily identifiable by a solid black or gold star in the upper right-hand corner of the license. But this is tricky: Ohio is a State in compliance, and my Ohio license has a gold star on it, but it is NOT a Real-ID. Here’s a fail-safe way to check: when you got your license (whenever it was) did you just routinely fill out an online form or visit a DMV office? Or did they ask you to show certified documents proving your name, SSN, and current residence? If the former, no Real ID; if the latter, then you are good-to-go. The whole point of Real ID was to ensure the card-carrier had proven his/her identity.
Do you really need one? If you have other federal ID (US Passport, DHS TTP card, etc.) and want to carry that even for domestic flights, then no. Do you visit military bases or secure federal facilities? If not, probably no, but what if your local Social Security Office is in a federal office building? Buzzzz, no entry without a Real ID-compliant card (or substitute), so think hard about it!
Lessons learned: Real ID is not just for international travelers, or DC types who constantly flit between federal office buildings. It is not automatic, like otherwise renewing your driver’s license: you need documents, you may need to “opt into” it and pay more, and just because your State is NOW in compliance, your previously-issued license may NOT be.
It’s not a catastrophe, and there are easy work-arounds, especially if you have a US Passport. Here’s a website with more info and links to each State’s DMV for specific help. It’s coming, and I wouldn’t bet on any further delays.
As an expat, you’ll undoubtedly engage in the ritual pilgrimage to visit family back NOB. Even those who don’t retire out of the country face the challenge of juggling multiple family work and vacation schedules, holidays, birthdays, and special events to gather as a family. For expats there are the additional complications of extended air travel, customs and immigration, and the ever-so-difficult question of how to spend scarce quality time with family.
Grandpa’s 90th birthday with our daughters, sons-in-law & grandkids.
Even an expat with unlimited means is going to be forced by the rigors of travel to limit the number and length of visits back NOB. Then you arrive, jet-lagged and dehydrated from 30,000 ft, and the visit countdown clock starts ticking away! Do you take a nap and recover, or catch up on life with your daughter? The next morning, do you complete morning prayers or play video games with your grandson? Tick, tick,tick…
There is a powerful impulse to “do” things, accomplish something, since how often will a family gather? And there are family activities which all (or at least most) can join in, so why not? Yet there is also great value in just being present, listening and talking and remembering as only a family can do. Hearing Dad tell that same joke for the thousandth time, for example. Tick, tick, tick…
The Queen city
at the sign museum
and the aquarium
It is not a challenge unique to expats, but one of the human condition, exacerbated by modern technology. Parents working outside the home face it as they end a busy day and pick up children from day care. Those crowds of teens sitting-together-alone, glued to screens, are trying desperately to avoid it. Long ago, when a family member emigrated to America, the farewell took on the airs of a funeral, since the parting was most likely forever. Tick, tick,tick…
Not only do we all have a limited time on this Earth, we don’t know how limited it is. We can self-medicate with social media or a nice drink, chasing the demons out of sight for a while, but the big hand keeps sweeping. We can be fully present in the moment and enjoy the best parts of the best relationships, yet the aftertaste remains bittersweet, because . . . tick, tick, tick.
While it is a good thing to be mindful of that constantly ticking clock, it is counterproductive to dwell on it. Time is meant to be spent together with the ones we love. You can’t make up for lost moments, only savor those we have. Me, I’m savoring some family time!
We’re getting ready to go traveling, so I thought I would give some flying tips as a Public Service Announcement. Travel back to the States is a staple of expat life: even Canadians often have to through-transit the US on the way home, although I know some who go to great lengths to never experience US airports again. Let’s see if we can make those experiences a little less challenging, shall we?
I’ll assume the basics: you have a Passport. I know there are special circumstances where a passport is not needed, but they are truly exceptional, so we’ll ignore them here. At the first place you land in the States, you’ll need to pass through two screens: immigration and customs. The first is to establish your right to enter the country. The second is to determine whether what you are bringing in with you is permissible. These two things are unrelated, by the way.
As a US citizen with a valid passport, you have the right to return to the United States. So the normal process at immigration is to get in line with all the other “US persons” (citizens, resident aliens and the like), wait your turn, hand over your passport, answer (sometimes) a perfunctory question like “how long were you gone?”, get your passport stamped and move along.
There are several ways to go faster. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is the US government agency responsible for border crossing. One program they have is called Automated Passport Control (all the titles are hyperlinks for additional information). It is essentially a kiosk in the secure arrivals part of the airport where you scan your passport, answer questions on a touchscreen, take a photo, get a printout and go to the CBP officer to have it all checked. People with the same home address in the States can process together. This program is free but only available in the 50 largest airports. You still get in line, but your data will be correct and easily reviewed.
Another CBP program is called Mobile Passport. Mobile Passport is a free app that automates the forms and questions you encounter entering the States. You download it and enter your personal data, and when your plane lands, you send the arrival data securely to CBP, who returns a receipt to you. You get to use different lanes at the arrival area in the airport, so the lines are shorter (big plus). There is a $15 annual upgrade called Mobile Passport Plus, which also stores your passport data and automates the data entry. Mobile Passport is available at 26 major airports and three cruise ports.
The gold standard of CBP programs is Global Entry. It is, in effect, an honors program for re-entering the US. Global Entry costs $100 for five years, but note this: the $100 is an application fee, so if you are denied, you are out the money. Global Entry requires a background check AND an interview,which can be scheduled at CBP offices or in airports. There is a questionnaire (used to start the background check, and of course you’ll face more questions in the interview. With Global Entry, you access a different sets of kiosks (available at 75 US airports and 16 international ones), which again automate the answering of those same CBP questions. You scan your passport and get a receipt, then go to a separate CBP officer who checks your receipt and moves you along. One additional benefit to Global Entry is a separate line for the post baggage-pickup customs check.
The what? Everything I mentioned above is part of immigration, and happens before you get your checked bags. Customs can do a final check after that, but there is no set rule: sometimes they have an inspection, oftentimes they don’t. If they are inspecting, long lines can form, and Global Entry lets you (literally) walk to the front of the line and go first. It is one of those benefits you may never need, but when you do, it is a real game-changer.
The main reason NOT to apply for Global Entry is if you are fairly certain you’ll be denied (remember, you lose the application fee). Reasons for denial include a history of felonies, drug convictions, or anything related to smuggling or illegal border crossing. Otherwise, you should be approved.
What about Pre✓® and Clear? Pre-Check is a TSA program. The Transportation Security Agency (TSA) is just responsible for the safety of the traveler at ports (air and sea). TSA Pre-Check cost $85 for five years, and it requires an online application, a background check, and a short interview. Pre-Check allows you to access less rigorous screening at 200 airports, but it has nothing to do with immigration or customs. Global Entry member ship gives you complimentary TSA Pre-Check membership. So the extra $15 dollars for Global Entry is a bargain over Pre-Check, if you travel more than once outside the US every five years. However, many credit cards and travel groups will reimburse your TSA Pre-check fee (not so for Global Entry).
Clear is a private. bio-metric program done in conjunction with airline security. It is available in over 20 airports (and some stadiums) and costs $179 annually. Once you give Clear your fingerprints and retinal scan, they store it. At the airport, the first TSA check you face is for your ID and boarding pass. With Clear, you go straight to the Clear station, which lets you skip the long lines that form for the boarding pass/ID check, although you still go through the TSA physical inspection. Given the cost, Clear is mainly for seasoned road warriors who also use either Pre-Check or Global Entry.
There are a host of other CBP Trusted Traveler Programs which cover driving or walking across the border. I won’t cover them here, but just say that if you routinely drive across the US border with Mexico or Canada, one or more of these programs will get you out of the long lines and into a secure, fast transit: check them out! Sometimes they cross-apply, as Global Entry does with TSA Pre✓®.
What about our Canadian, Mexican, and other foreign friends? Each of the programs above have different criteria for eligibility of non-US citizens. However, Global Entry benefits are available to Canadians who have NEXUS (another program) and Mexicans are eligible for Global Entry, along with Indian, UK, German, Dutch, Korean, Swiss, Panamanian, Singaporean, Colombian and Argentine nationals. Expats in Mexico should also know that Mexico has a Global Entry equivalent program called Viajero Confiable. I can’t tell if there is a cost associated with application, and the kiosks are only available at Cancun, Mexico City, and Los Cabos (Guadalajara has had a “coming soon” banner for two years, so mañana!).
Finally (yes there is an end here somewhere), whatever program you choose, remember that crossing the border at an airport may seem routine to you, but it is a deadly serious affair. All kinds of people try to use international air travel for all the wrong reasons (terror, drug-trafficking, human trafficking, illegal immigration). So treat the exercise with an adult, business-like demeanor. Security lines are not an appropriate place for humor. Long before 9/11, I tried to make a joke about a security sign saying it was illegal to bring marijuana into the US, and I barely avoided a body-cavity search!
Smile but don’t initiate small talk. Answer questions with yes or no or the minimum number of facts: no “in the beginning” type stories. This may seem obvious, but never lie or dissemble. You may have a right to enter the US, but under current law, the CBP officers have the authority to detain you for questioning (sorry about that connecting flight) and to search everything you bring, including your media devices, even your beloved iphone (yes, they can ask you for your password; if you refuse they can retain your device for “processing” for several days)!
The most common problems for travelers are bringing in prohibited goods, or goods beyond the customs limits (hence taxable). Duty-free shops at the airport just mean nontaxable at the source: Absinthe may be legal in the US, but only certain types may be brought in legally. That fruit they give you on the airplane is considered from a foreign source; don’t forget to consume it before leaving the plane. And you can bring in Cuban cigars for personal use (defined as 50 or less). Forget about ivory souvenirs, animal skins, and almost any form of meat. There is an up-to-date CBP website to help you determine what you can bring in legally.
Which is not to say you don’t know someone (not not you, a friend, of course) who has brought in a turtle, or cannabis brownies, or whatever prohibited item. Most of the customs work is aimed at detecting smugglers, not the otherwise law-abiding travelers who happen to bring in something. Such people rarely get caught. But they do incur a risk: the closest thing to a permanent record anyone has is the file kept by the various Department of Homeland Security agencies (TSA, ICE, CBP, USCG, USSS, CIS and CISA). Get on the list and it may take years to get back off (if you know anyone whose name appeared on the No-fly list, ask them how long the nightmare lasted, even if they were quite obviously not a threat). Much of airport and customs security is random (which is why the old lady in the wheelchair gets searched…her number came up). You never know who’s next. So even though you won’t get caught, just don’t (do it).
Lastly, a processional from Jimi. Why Jimi? “goin’ way down south…way down to Mexico!”
Little vampires, but not to worry, they are the delicious kind, one might even say…succulent. Sorry, couldn’t resist.
We ended our series of local day trips by driving home along Lake Chapala’s south shore, through the village of San Luis Soyatlán. It is a tiny strip along the main highway with a few parallel streets both lakeside and mountainside, not unlike Ajijic. However, it is a pueblo real, not a mestizo gringo comunidad like Ajijic. In my experience, San Luis Soyatlán is mostly known for being a place with a carretera that is barely two cars wide, so when trucks navigate it, or when anybody stops to shop on the main street, a “one-way-at-a-time” backup ensues.
But why would anybody stop on the narrow main street, knowing what happens? And what are they stopping for, anyway? Well we found out.
Not quite drive through, but roadside!
Vampiritos. Little vampires, as it were. It seems San Luis Soyatlán is the birthplace of a refreshing Mexican cocktail that is now famous across the country: the Vampirito. The Vampirito begins with sangrita (itself a mix of OJ, tomato juice, chile, salt, and lime) poured on ice. Then they add a custom mix of grapefruit soda (called Squirt), more fresh-squeezed OJ, and of course, your personal selection of tequila. The result is a fruity, slightly sweet, slightly salty, carbonated drink with a little zing (remember the chile?) and a little (or a lot of) kick. The special signature of this drink is that it is often served in a large plastic bag with a straw, because regular customers complained that plastic cups spilled in their cars when driving over Mexico’s many topes!
So you see people walking around with gold-fish bags filled with blood red fluid and a straw, happily sipping away; no one would ever think of driving while drinking one, apparently.
You can get an 80 or 100 peso bag…more if you choose a better tequila.
Since it was 12:01, we caused the required traffic back up and pulled over on the wrong side of the street in front of one of the many stands which sell Vampiritos in San Luis Soyatlán.
Judy caused the line to back up because this was our first vampirito…
But she returned with two-fisted success!
Judy opted for cups, because the bags seemed too precarious while driving (for her, not me…no vampirito until I got home). The drinks are as advertised: refreshing and delicious, but dangerous, as there is no tequila taste despite watching the shots poured into the drink. One of the more enjoyable aspects of being an expat is trying flavor combinations that would have made me retch back home, only to learn those people aren’t crazy, this really does taste good!
José Sánchez del Río was a young boy growing up in the small town of Sahuayo, Michoacán, during the early 20th century. This made him an unremarkable character, but for the Cristero rebellion which broke out in 1926, and that’s where his story gets interesting.
The rebellion known in Mexico as La Christiada began when Presidente Plutarco Elías Calles sought to enforce the strong anti-religious (and specifically in 20th century Mexico, anti-Catholic Church) provisions of the 1917 constitution. The Church had been a vocal opponent of the revolution, and the victorious socialist government wrote provisions into that constitution basically separating Church and State. In 1926 however, Presidente Calles took this a step further, instituting fines for wearing a Roman collar in public, sentencing priests who criticized the government to prison for five years, seizing all Church property, closing all religious institutions, and dramatically limiting the number of priests allowed in the country in an attempt to eliminate the Church as a competing power center.
Religiously conservative states like Jalisco and Michoacán went into open revolt against the government, and a guerrilla war went on for three years. Total battle deaths topped 100,000 during the war, a proportional rate about half that of the US civil war. As is often the case in insurgencies both sides engaged in atrocities, and one of the victims was young Josélito.
He repeatedly sought to join his older brothers in the Cristero cause, but he was refused due to only being twelve years old. Eventually he was permitted to join as a flag bearer, then eventually a fighter. During a losing battle near his hometown of Sahuayo, he gave his horse to General Guizar Morfin, who escaped the battlefield while Josélito fought on and was captured.
Side chapel shrine in the Church where he was baptized and held prisoner
Josélito was held in his own village Church, which the government had turned into its military headquarters/prison. For two weeks, he was beaten, forced to watch an execution, and encouraged to renounce his faith. When this failed, his captors tortured him with a machete, then skinned the soles of his feet and forced him to walk to his own execution site, all the while encouraging his apostasy. Next to a shallow grave, he was repeatedly stabbed as he shouted “¡Viva Cristo Rey!” until he was shot in the head.
The way from the Church to where he was executed is memorialized with small silver footprints
The Cristero rebellion ended after a settlement negotiated under the auspices of the US Ambassador to Mexico, Dwight Whitney. Presidente Calles’ stringent laws remained on the books, but were largely unenforced. The Catholic Church and the Mexican federal government came to a modus vivendi which went through periods of resistance and repression that lasted all the way to 1992. In 2016, Pope Francis canonized Josélito.
The memorial where he was exeucted. The plaque has the words he told his mother why he wanted to join the Christeros: “Never before now has it been so easy to win Heaven for yourself!”
Since we were on the south side of the lake near the Jalisco-Michoacán border, it was a short drive to Sahuayo, where we were blest to see San Josélito’s Church/prison, and the site of his execution.
Heavy traffic on the way into town…these guys would NOT yield
That’s the name (in Nahuatl) for the town where we’re making a short visit: Mazamitla (Mah-zah-meet-lah). The locals must have been good at arrow-making, because we haven’t seen many (any) deer. Mazamitla is a tiny pueblo of 12,000+ souls, nestled high in the mountains above the south side of Lake Chapala. When I say high, I mean it: it’s another 2000 ft above mile-high Ajijic, our home.
Sundown from our cabaña
The federal government designated Mazamitla a Pueblo Magico or “magic town” in 2005. This is a special designation for the most interesting natural or tourist destinations. What is so special about a tiny mountain village that it warrants such a status?
Lotsa wood
indoors too
and in the courtyard
evevry pueblo has one of these
Pines. Buildings with wood frames and ornamentation. A climate even milder than lakeside, with averages around 70/50 degrees F. And its nickname is la suiza mexicana, Mexico’s Switzerland. Tapatios from Guadalajara flock here on the weekends to escape the heat and the noise of the big city: they turn the cabins and campgrounds into non-stop parties. We also wanted to take a break from the tropical sun, but we wanted peace and quiet, so we’re visiting during the week.
Nothing says “you’re out in nature” like animal heads on the walls
The amount of wood, especially pine, used in construction and decoration is conspicuous in Mazamitla. Then there is their early 20th century church, which has a vaguely Asian style.
Anybody else see pagodas?
Fairly modern interior
One of the local delicacies is Platillo de Sopa, or big-honking bowl of soup. With large cuts of beef, pork, chicken, corn, potatoes, carrots, a zuchini and a jalapeno, topped off with fresh limes, diced onions and cubed avocados. Probably a hearty stew for the nights when the temperature drops below 50!
I couldn’t wait while Judy took a picture
hearty breakfast
hearty dinner
There are a variety of eco-themed adventure parks, but for the less adventurous (us), we just walked down to the waterfall. Going mid-week at the end of the dry season meant we had the waterfall pretty much to ourselves. You can get a all-terrain vehicle for the day at several locations, all using standard Mexico rules of the road (“helmets? we don’t need no stinkin’ helmets!”).
Los Saltos waterfall
Up close & beneath
the walk back up gave me camino flashbacks
Everything we heard and saw indicates this small town has a split personality. The restaurants were very large and numerous. There were small “typically-tourist” souvenir shops, and many tourist-themed tours. And we heard from friends about the legendary parties on weekends. Yet here we were mid-week in a quiet little town populated almost entirely by locals who seemed genuinely surprised to see us show up in their restaurants and shops.
So if you’re looking for an eco-adventure tour and party, visit on the weekend. During the week, it’s only for the introverted at heart. The weather is always great.
Obviously, we enjoyed our week-long visit to Mexico City. There is so much to do there, we look forward to heading back for at least another week. Here are some summary impressions:
Symbol of Mexico, city, state, and nation
Christmas is a great time to visit, as the exodus of Chilangos to visit family elsewhere combined with the extended holiday to reduce traffic and crowds. We noticed regular people were uniformly friendly; more experienced visitors tell us that varies with the time of year and the size of the crowds. On the downside, smog is more likely in the winter, and no doubt you noticed the haze in any of my panoramic pictures!
“Purple haze, all in my brain”
Need more left turn lanes?
The most glaring fact about Mexico City is its sheer size. You drive from the city center for a half hour in any direction and you pass one cluster of skyscrapers after another; you change direction and it’s more of the same. The only thing masking its size is the number of hills, but as you pass them, you notice how urban sprawl is gradually colonizing even the steepest slopes. Traffic can still confound. Despite the sprawl, there are good bus and subway systems, Uber is incredibly cheap, and even the taxis are reasonable. I finally broke the code on the taxi service: private taxis are unmarked cars which may be cheaper, but could be perilous. The city taxis, labelled with “CDMX taxi” are very solid and economical.
Plenty of space
Guess the cliffs were too steep
Architecture is all over the map. The occasional original Meso-american site, Spanish colonial, French (from Maximillian I’s brief reign), post-modern, you name it. The main Cathedral took 300 years to complete, so its a mixture of neo-Gothic, Romanesque and Baroque, for example. And oftentimes things sit at weird angles, due to a combination of lake-bed footings and earthquakes.
So much history and public art that it takes a longer, more leisurely visit to digest. Likewise for museums and galleries. There are statues and monuments and plaques everywhere, and whenever they dig, they uncover more.
UNAM library: no Touchdown Jesus, but still
Site of ballet folklorico
Olympic stadium
Monument to the revolution, in reflection
Mexico City has become a culinary destination with several of the world’s top restaurants. Our schedule (and the need for reservations far in advance) didn’t allow us to visit them, but there are thousands of good restaurants. I would suggest that any visit include a stop at two (gasp!) local chains: La Casa de Toño and El Moro Churrería. The first is a Chilango tradition, and when we went the lines of locals were long, but seating was fast. It serves Mexican comfort food, cheap and very quick. The second serves churros, fried dough in a long strand, much like a doughnut shaped as a stick. With dipping sauces. And ice cream and hot chocolate and milk shakes. Again, long lines, quick service, incredibly delicious.
Ground beef as the plate
(L-R) flautas, pozole, quesadilla
Pozole & Sopa Azteca
Tacos & flautas
You know what I mean!
Which brings me to the subject of quesadillas, and superiority. Now even if you know only a little Spanish, you know a quesadilla is a grilled, cheese-filled bite of tortilla heaven. Everywhere, except Mexico City. There, they ask whether you want queso (cheese) in your quesadilla. They explain there are many things you could put in a quesadilla, so they don’t assume you want queso. Except this is true everywhere else, but when you order a quesadilla anywhere else, they know you want queso! When we pointed this little discrepancy out to our chilanga guide, she brushed it off as a provincial lack of understanding of the city’s cosmopolitan style. Every once in a while, she would provide an off-hand comment about how Guadalajara (or wherever) didn’t really understand the politics, or the cuisine, or the art of México (the city). It was good-natured, but very reminiscent of the way New Yorkers think and talk.
Street vendors left their goods out overnight
We never felt unsafe or at any risk. Our hotel was adjacent to the US embassy, so there was a constant security presence in the neighborhood. Yet we were also across the street from the Zone Rosa, or pink zone, an area full of free-wheeling bars, clubs, and night life with an anything goes attitude. As gray-haired gringos, we wandered through it to go to a restaurant and didn’t garner any attention.
While mom was marketing stuff, these little guys were alongside a busy, fast-moving highway
Probably the biggest negative aspect of our visit was the poverty. Nearly every block has a beggar or two, but they are in no way aggressive, just persistent. We oftentimes saw whole families on the street, selling trinkets or candy, and they were in the same place all day (and probably all night). It is a sad fact of life here, and many folks carry some small change and drop a coin here and there. We had one episode at El Moro, when the family sitting next to us (obviously not dressed as living on the street), eating churros as we were, then sent their small child around with a cup looking for change! She moved away from most of the others quickly enough, but stayed at our end of the table, saying please and holding out a cup with one hand as she ate a churro with the other. Even after we said “lo siento” (sorry), she continued. One tip: after the third “lo siento” I wagged my finger back and forth, which is a strong signal in Mexico for “enough”, and she moved on.
Costs for Mexico City were on a par with Guadalajara and well above our small town, but most everything was still a bargain compared to US rates, especially big-city US rates. While English is not ubiquitous, many people have at least a few words, and are willing to help you even if they don’t. Probably my strongest impression was one of a friendly city with much to offer, and not much in the way of drawbacks. Highly recommend it even for a short visit!
On our last day in Mexico City, we were free to choose what else to see, so we took our own little “lifestyles of the rich and famous” tour.
First stop was a little place known as Los Pinos, or the Pines. From 1934 until, oh, last month, Los Pinos was the home and office of the Presidente of Mexico. On December 1st, newly inaugurated Presidente Andrés Manuel López Obrador announced he was not moving in, and instead Los Pinos would become a museum. AMLO had hinted he was going to do this, but when he finally did it, it changed everything all at once. Imagine if President Trump had tweeted, “The White House is a dump!!! I’m working out of Trump Tower. They can sell it to Disney!!!”
Front entrance
Grand Hall
So now anyone can wander around the complex for free, and all the military personnel that used to guard it are all-of-a-sudden tour guides. We got there shortly after it opened, and the crowds were already building.
Last month, this was the hot seat
To put Los Pinos in perspective, imagine the White House set in a much larger park, let’s say Arlington National Cemetery (without the graves, of course). The complex originated under Presidente Lázaro Cárdenas, who thought the existing offices in Chapultepec castle were too grandiose (sound familiar?) and decided to build a small working house/office lower down in Chapultepec park. As other Presidents came and went, some built new houses, so now there are at least three (which we could visit).
This looks familiar
Even moreso
We did notice that large meeting rooms in each house had been updated with modern communications gear, indicating that in the Mexican government, as in the American one, you never have enough conference rooms.
Outside one President’s office was this picture showing the American attack on Chapultepec castle…interesting choice!
The families we saw seemed to be enjoying the chance to see the compound, and the military and others working there looked uncomfortable, but were very friendly when we engaged them.
Soumaya museum from below the front entrance
After Los Pinos, we went to the Soumaya, a non-profit museum holding an eclectic collection of art belonging to Carlos Slim, a Mexican businessman who is perennially one of the richest people in the world. The museum is named for his wife, who died in 1999. The collection is fantastic, and even the architecture of the structure itself is memorable. Inside, a winding marble stairway takes you around the outside of the central displays, leading up to a massive sculpture display area at the top.
Among the highlights, a huge number of pieces by Rodin, including:
Gates of Hell
The Thinker
Why not a Faberge Egg?
Where should I put those spare Van Gogh?
Too many Renoir to count!
If you visit Mexico City, and you should, Los Pinos and the Soumaya are not to be missed!
Of course, we have had several opportunities to take to the streets during this trip to Mexico City.
Street crowds &
Vendors
We toured the Zócalo, the great main square of first Tenochtitlan and now CDMX. Since we are in the Chrstmas season, the crowds were still large on a Thursday morning and afternoon.
When walking round the city, it is easy to get a sense of vertigo, as there always seems to be a large building, usually a church, leaning at an odd angle. No matter how many times I saw one, it still challenged my balance, and walking in them was even worse.
Not exaggerated!
sinking forward
what’s with that tower
is it just me?
In the cathedral at the Zócalo, the leaning got so bad they installed a pendulum to measure it. By injecting cement, they have gradually moved it back toward level, but its not there yet.
Pendulum measures lean
injects cement under the floor
A quintessential chilango (nickname for CDMX natives) thing to do is to ride the boats in Xochimilco, a canal among some of the remaining man-made islands from the original lake Texcoco. It is highly touristic, but still fun, even when there are more boats than waterway in the canal.
Pole power
a rare tranquil moment
Our flotilla was boarded by a group of Pirate Mariachis
We didn’t attend a bullfight, but we did visit the bullfighting ring, said to be the world’s largest.
Famous Mexican matador
Look, no guardrail!
We saw these guys all dressed up near the Plaza Mayor. While it’s all fun and games now, there are reminders of how things used to be.
Anybody want a picture?
All we wanted was a selfie!
Two more posts coming, one on our last day in CDMX and another with some general impressions!
