Mexico City

Not unlike Los Angeles, Mexico has an air about it that can be seen for quite a distance in advance. I've been told that ideas, such as a giant exhaust system, have been thrown around to curb the smog problem. For now, the many will have to survive walking around with surgical masks.

The blow of my arrival into the city (something I had been fearing) was softened largely by Jon, who drove some distance into the outskirts to pick me up on a Sunday morning. He then graciously housed me in his condominium in Cuajimalpa (a peripheral borough) for three nights while I toured the city daily by bus and on foot.

Out of necessity, I visited an incredible suburban shopping mall; one that capably dwarfed Toronto's Eaton Centre. I felt rather uncomfortable in a facility that elsewhere I'd have felt entirely natural. The following day, prior to a visit to the National Anthropological Museum, I bussed an hour North of the city to the magnificent, ancient ruins of Teotihuacan. I marvelled at its vastness, trying to picture the site inhabiting up to 250,000 citizens.

After another day of markets, galleries and Metro train rides from point to point in the chaotic capital, I decided to spend my final night in the heart of downtown. Navigationally, my bike ride in was a success. A well concealed pot-hole, however, managed to claim the lives of two of my spokes. Once again, I was blessed by the presence of a highly skilled mechanic who, free of charge, solved my problems and then some.

I proceeded to the Hostel Moneda; a 3 minute walk from the Zocalo, Mexico's enormous civic square. I was contented for a full day just to wander aimlessly through the hoards of pedestrians filling the streets. I elevated to the top of the 42 story Torre Latinoamericana (once the tallest building south of Miami) from where I witnessed the sun doze off behind a mountain and the city evolve into a sea of incandescent lights - disgusting, but marvelous. After a complementary and surprisingly tasty hostel dinner, I was joined by an Italiana and an Americano in attending the Orchestra Camará performance at the brilliantly designed theatre at Bella Artes. Our threesome then indulged in a healthy dose of youth hostel atmosphere on the residence's rooftop terrace/servery.