Landing in Mexico City, some say the largest city in the world, is quite spectacular - a long approach takes you right over the city (the airport is only a few kilometers out of the centre) with amazing views over the two volcanoes that sort of define the edge of the basin in which Mexico City lies. But don't be fooled by the term 'basin' - at over 2,000 meters it is one of the highest capitals in the world (as we soon would find out being slightly short of breath at times during the first few days).
A quick taxi-ride brought us to our hotel, which was located right next to the Zocalo (the main square). It being Good Friday when we arrived, the city was relatively quiet, with people making their way to the churches to fulfil their religious duties - Mexico is very catholic.
So, jet-lagged (by now we had had 11 hours of sleep in more than 60 hours), we wondered around the centre, lapping up the new atmosphere and impressions: people lighting candles in garish churches, people having a leisurely lunch at 4 o'clock in the afternoon, the traffic being spurred on by many police blowing their whistles and waving their hands, soldiers ceremonially taking the national flag down at 18.00 precisely (or at least, as precisely as Mexican standards allow), vendors selling tacos, tortillas, fruit covered with spicy sauces and so on. It was clear - we had left Asia and Oceania behind, we were now in a completely new environment. And with the expectation that this realisation brought, we fell asleep for a long time......
Sort of revitalised we woke up the next morning and went off to the museum that is for many people reason enough to visit Mexico City - the National Anthropologic Museum. Although the name doesn't immediately show it, this is one of the most beautiful museums around. It gives a very well laid-out and fascinating overview of the cultural development of Mexico, from the pre-historic times via the civilisations we've all heard off (but as it turns out, know so little about) - Olmecs, Toltecs, Aztecs, Mayas) to the ruthless colonisation by the Spanish. For us, as newcomers, a great way to learn an awful lot more about this country and provide us with the background for the trip we had in mind, which would lead us along examples of most of these periods.
As Mexico City is vast, it took us quite some time to see all the sites we had in mind, from the south-american pilgrim's destination Basilica de Santa Maria de Guadeloupe to the tourist area Zona Rosa (an area not related to Amsterdam's namesake), from the ruins of the pre-hispanic Templo Mayor just off the Zocalo to the majestic Avenida Reforma and from the murals in the National Palace that reflect Mexico's history to the relative peace of Alameda park. And all the while adapting to Mexico's pace, which is frantic on the one hand (traffic and noise), but leisurely on the other (long lunches and nice evenings on the terrace outside). As you can imagine, especially the latter was to our liking, so very quickly we became used to the three-or more course lunch ('comida corrida'), which takes the better part of the afternoon. And with delicacies as mole poblano (a chocolate-based chili-sauce) on the menu this was no punishment at all.....
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