Yes, she's strange and different...but not THAT different.

27 October 2006

Impressions of Mexico

I’ve been back from Mexico not quite 2 weeks and am just now getting around to putting up some pictures and impressions of Mexico after spending a month there. My bad. But I’m getting ready to leave again on Sunday for another week – this time to Merida in Yucatan – and figured I’d better get this batch posted before I go.

General stuff about Mexico (in no particular order) from my point of view:

Despite all the negative reports of kidnapping and murder and corrupt police, I’ve never felt unsafe in Mexico.

Mexican beer and tequila in Mexico taste better than Mexican beer and tequila in the United States.

I love Mexican food – REAL Mexican food. That’s not to say I don’t love Tex-Mex food, too.

I’ve never gotten sick in Mexico.

Mexican people are very friendly. Everyone greets everyone else when they come in to work - the men all shake hands or even hug each other and the women hug and kiss everyone.

I like Mexico a lot. I like the people in Mexico even more.

Traffic lights, signs, lane dividers, etc. are just suggestions in Mexico, and just about every other place I've ever been in Latin America. Guts driving at its best!

Despite all the time I’ve spent dealing with technically knowledgeable people in Mexico and other countries in Latin America, it still is a little jarring to me that they have sophisticated computerized systems. That’s a prejudice I have that I don’t like at all, and that I’m working very hard at getting rid of.

I try very hard to get by with my limited Spanish and not force the folks there to try and speak English. I don’t always succeed. I’ll admit to reading Spanish a lot better than I speak or hear it.

And now, the pictures. Please keep in mind that these were all taken with my cell phone, so forgive the crappiness of the shots. These pictures are all from Mexico City because my cell phone / camera died while I was in Torreon.

Lots of monuments in the city – good ones – and plenty of big buildings. It surprises me to see buildings this tall in places that have earthquakes. Here and Tokyo and LA and San Francisco, for instance.

This is a four-lane one-way street and it’s not filled with moving traffic. All these cars are parked, leaving one lane for moving traffic to get through. I never did get to see how they untied this big knot of cars.

One of the control rooms I worked in. It’s kind of deliberately out of focus to avoid security problems.

View out my hotel window looking down on a statue of Cristobol Colon (aka Christopher Columbus). I was there on Columbus Day but had evidently left the hotel before the big annual native protest at this monument on that day against his opening up this hemisphere to the Europeans.

Across the street from my hotel was this building, damaged in the big ’85 earthquake, that was being demolished in order to build new luxury condos. They were tearing it down with big pneumatic hammers and drills and cutting torches and pry bars and a whole lot of noise. They started every morning at 6:30.

Mexico City skyline. The city runs out as far as the hills in the distance … and beyond. It's a REALLY big place.

A man and his mom … or maybe his grandmom or aunt, I don’t know for sure. They were waiting for a bus as we headed past on the way to work and looked so sweet that I had to take their picture.

  • On 11/01/2006 9:10 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    I always thought I'd like Mexico.

     
  • On 11/01/2006 2:00 PM, Blogger Friðvin said…

    Hi Jami,
    I really enjoyed this. I would love to go to Oaxaca once things calm down.

     
  • On 11/02/2006 8:18 PM, Blogger DeniseUMLaw said…

    Pretty freakin' cool, girlfriend! Thanks so much for sharing your trip with us! My honey and I are thinking of a trip to Latin America next spring.

     
  • On 11/04/2006 4:41 PM, Blogger Jami said…

    T - I think you'd love it here, especially in the southern part.

    K - I've heard that Oaxaca is very nice, too, but I've got a lot of nice things to say about Yucatan and Merida. Oh, and I bought you and Txrad a present but I need your address to send it to you.

    D - I really think you'll like it. Swing through Merida if you're heading to other parts or just stay here. It's a beautiful city, very laid back, low crime rate, perfect climate, not TOO touristy and close to the beaches and the Mayan ruins (which ARE touristy).

     
  • On 11/08/2006 11:42 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    How cool to share these! I'm surprised at the level of friendly you mentioned in the work place - wow.

     
  • On 11/08/2006 12:26 PM, Blogger Jami said…

    Mexico is a friendly place, that's for sure. I bought a necklace at a store and the saleslady - who spent time trying to find exactly what I wanted - kissed me (on the cheek) and gave me a big hug when I left.

    Merida pix coming as soon as I can get my life back in order ... before I leave again next week.

     

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