Day 10: Stick, Rock, Leaf

It’s traditional in Guiding to reflect on your experiences. As we leave Mexico City, we’re sharing three things:

– Something that rocked

– Something we’d change or leaf behind

– Something that will stick with us.

Rock:

Esmé: Street vendors and inexpensive purchases. And hanging out together.

Naomi: A lot of the activities and street vendors with interesting items. Also talking with everyone and being away from family.

Audrey: The small size of the group meant we could make decisions on the fly and really get to know each other. Becoming good friends.

Elizabeth: The dance with the flowy dresses.

Lizzie: Sharing special occasions like Elizabeth’s birthdays and Audrey’s Canada Cord.

Pam: Sharing everything she already knew about Mexico City and seeing everyone being excited about it.

Kathryn: Impromptu moments that just worked out. We managed things well when problems came up.

Leaf:

Esmé: The restaurant that made us wear sombreros and ponchos.

Naomi: Late lunches and public washrooms we had to pay for.

Audrey: The painful post she walked into.

Elizabeth: The insistent vendors in your face.

Lizzie: Wish we’d been able to share this experience with even more youth. A small group was special, but there are so many other youth who could have benefited too.

Pam: Our cell phones that sometimes interfere with communication and group cohesion.

Kathryn: Also the vendors and other people who constantly came up trying to sell us things.

Stick:

Esmé: The folk dance show.

Naomi: Inside jokes. Also being able to communicate with locals and gaining confidence to figure things out as we went along.

Audrey: Being able to communicate in a foreign country, learning some Spanish and making it work. Also meeting other Canadians.

Elizabeth: Audrey’s laugh/honking that made everyone else laugh.

Lizzie: The value of WAGGGS and international Guiding. We knew we had somewhere to stay where they would take good care of us and it would be safe. We were the first international group since COVID! We really appreciated Sabina!

Pam: The value of international travel. Also, our driver and tour guide who took great care of us. Everyone wanted to make sure we had a great experience,

Kathryn: How well we were able to interact with each other (unless we were hangry). Everyone got along!

Day 9: Congratulations Audrey!!

We began our day in a van with our good friend Jose Luis (our tour guide from the pyramids ) whose wife was apparently very happy to hear that Trudeau and his wife have separated.

We went to Xochimilco, where we got on a very colourful wooden boat and were poled through the canals. We enjoyed the sights, we’re serenaded by a mariachi band and Audrey was awarded her Canada Cord (which included axolotl stickers, s’mores earrings and two Ranger patches).

We looked at the market for a little bit, then got in the van to go to the Frida Kahlo museum (the Casa Azul) in the beautiful Coyoacan neighbourhood. The museum was the house where she was born and lived for most of her life. We learned about her life, her artwork and saw an interesting exhibit about her clothing. Once we were finished at the museum, we went and had tostadas for lunch at a food counter in the market around the corner. We went (successfully) shopping at a few other markets in the area.

After being dropped off back at Ticalli, we relaxed for a bit before rushing to a clothing store where Naomi wanted to go to buy a skirt. We were all very hungry, so we went to a restaurant called Le Pain Quotidien for wraps, pancakes and sandwiches. Of course, we had to finish the evening at our favourite gelato place!

Day 8: Don’t bash your knee on a post!

We started our day by taking the bus to our first museum of the day. We saw the mural entitled A Sunday In The Park, by Diego Rivera. Everyone found it super cool and had fun identifying the different historical figures (and the artist himself) in the mural. We told the lady at the ticket counter that we didn’t need a guide because we are Guides! There was a bit of language confusion.

After that, we visited the Folk Art museum, where we looked at skeletons, colourful painted fantastical creatures called alebrijes, a porcupine mask, many very, very small things, traditional Mexican fashion, mermaid art and beaded items including an entire car!

From there we made our way to the Bellas Artes building. Audrey bashed her knee on a post on the way there, and we passed Chinatown which we planned to visit after lunch. We unfortunately discovered that admission into the Bellas Artes was not free, and we had already seen most of the murals Pam wanted to show us the evening we were there for the folk dance show, so we decided to give it a pass and went to get lunch at a very traditional Mexican restaurant, the Cafe de Tacuba, which has been there since 1912.

On the way there we stopped by the Post Office, which looked very pretty and impressive, and took the elevator up to the 8th floor of the Sears building to see the view of the top of the Bellas Artes. More bad luck, once we got to lunch, we filled up on bread and guacamole and our food wasn’t as appealing when it arrived.

After lunch we visited the Bank of Mexico museum (a very impressive old building), where we saw a giant Peso, played some pinball, voted on our favorite historical bill, and designed our own currency. After the bank, we decided we were too tired for Chinatown, Audrey’s knee was hurting, and the rain was about to drench us. Final bit of bad luck, there was another demonstration and the buses couldn’t get through, so we had to walk about an hour all the way back to Ticalli. We were exhausted, and we hung out for quite a while before going right next door for a delicious dinner.

Day 7: This chocolate cafe better be worth it (spoiler alert: it was!)

We took the bus to the zoo this morning, with a quick pitstop by a playground.

Once at the zoo, we visited two sections of the enormous property (tropical and temperate). Our favorite animals included: pandas, white tigers, primates, lemurs, hyenas, jaguars, leopards, and humans!

We had a picnic lunch in the park and then went to see the Voladores, the flying men.

We planned to take the bus to the chocolate museum, but found out that it was out of service due to some sort of demonstration. We walked to the metro and got into the women and children only section – a part of most of their buses and metros.

We walked from the metro through the pleasant Roma neighbourhood all the way to the chocolate museum. We got to taste cocoa beans, draw in cocoa powder, smell different scents and see beautiful and detailed chocolate sculptures. We learned how chocolate was made and that cocoa beans were used as currency by prehispanic people. Then we visited the shop and the cafe, where we had hot chocolate, coffee, brownies and chocolate tamales!

We made it back before the rain, relaxed a bit at Ticalli before leaving for dinner: Shake Shack and then gelato (again!). Once back, we played some card games including Cheat, where Elizabeth ended up with the entire deck.

Day 6: Oooh! Big Fishies and Axolotl at the Aquariums

After a fairly long walk, we hopped on an older, more rickety, purple bus that took us almost all the way to our first aquarium. Unfortunately, we arrived at the same time as a huge daycare group, but fortunately we got there right before opening and got to go in quickly.

We were all amazed by the big fish, little fish, corals, turtles, sharks, jellyfish, penguins, stingrays, and more. Hundreds (maybe thousands) of pictures were taken.

We then crossed the street past the impressive modern Soumaya art museum, went into a mall and found the second aquarium, with more interactive exhibits. It was a great hit, with axolotl and creatures we could touch like turtles and nibbly fish.

We tried to go to a Hello Kitty cafe for lunch but there was a 45-minute wait, so we headed to a food court and each found something we wanted.

We wandered the mall for a little while and then headed out for a lovely walk in the sun through the ritzy Polanco neighbourhood to a local metro station with musical piano stairs. We walked up and down, playing tunes.

We took two subway lines and made it out in search of a playground. Unfortunately, the PlayGround on the map was headquarters for a corporation rather than an actual playground :(. We were all a bit too tired to keep looking for another one, so we headed back to Ticalli instead. There was a huge thunderstorm and some of us even felt the building move from a tiny earthquake – or maybe a lightning strike.

After a quiet early evening we went back to our favourite Italian restaurant for dinner and then out for churros.

Day 5: What On Earth Is Sweet Rubber?

We’re already halfway through our trip! Today was a shopping day. We had a late start and then visited the Mexican Girl Guide shop for some souvenirs and then headed towards an indoor market in our neighbourhood, the Mercado Insurgentes.

On the way there, we found a fun chocolate shop where we each got to choose a piece to taste.

Many of us got things we wanted at the market. The vendors were welcoming but also pushy and very insistant. The goods on offer included jewelry, hats, magnets, pottery, bags, figurines, and clothing. All the teens bought rings, either for themselves or as gifts.

We had planned to spend most of our day at the market, but it wasn’t quite what we expected so we went window and street stall shopping and into actual stores in the afternoon.

We split up for lunch and had either McDonald’s or Ramen – classic Mexican fare, obviously. We did find a small fruit and vegetable market, where Pam picked up some yummy mangoes.

We spent some time back at Ticalli decompressing in the afternoon and gathered in the lounge to play card and party games both before and after dinner.

We have had our eye on a sushi place for a few days and we finally went there on a 2 for 1 day. For some reason, 90% of the rolls had cream cheese in them. For dessert, we split some Mochi. The waiter tried to explain what one of the flavour options was. According to Google Translate, it was “sweet rubber.” We were not brave enough to try it but are now regretting that decision. Our best guess is bubblegum.

Very free pictures were taken today, so here are a few from previous days to supplement them.

Day 4: Photogenic Curious Feral Colourful Underfed Squirrels

The teens’ alarm didn’t go off this morning, so the day started with breakfast in pyjamas.

Our main street, the Paseo de la Reforma, is closed to vehicles on Sundays and was filled with joggers, rollerbladers and cyclists. We stuck to the sidewalks, as they felt safer.

We walked to Chapultepec Park, pet a giant panda statue and stopped at some funky swings. There were so many squirrels around that wanted us to take their pictures. They looked a bit aggressive and we worried that they were going to jump at us!

We continued on to the Castillo de Chapultepec, also known as the National History Museum. We got stuck not listening to our own advice from our 2019 blog and made it all the way up to the top of a hill, far away from lockers, before they insisted we dump our water and throw out our food. Pam was kind enough to stay outside with our belongings instead. Grumble!

It was a beautiful and large castle with many visitors. We learned that it had been, at different times and at the same time, used as a presidential palace and a military school. There were pretty views from the balconies.

We tried to get lunch at the contemporary art museum that no longer had a restaurant. We then headed to the modern art museum, but it was closed altogether. Finally we walked to the Anthropology Museum, where we had a very fancy lunch. The restaurant specializes in dishes from the different regions in Mexico. Kathryn’s sandwich was so saucy that it came with a glove. What a lot of walking!

We split up to tour the different rooms at the museum and explored a number of cultures. The Mayan room was particularly enjoyed.

We raced back to Ticalli to get changed into our fancy clothes and raced on to the Palacio de Bellas Artes for our folk dance show. Ticketmaster messed up our tickets and cancelled 3/7 l, so the teens got to go on a solo adventure to find their seats at the very very top of the theatre.

The show was incredible. It was mesmerizing. It was hard to know what to focus on with so much going on at the same time. It was so beautiful and hard to describe. The dresses were wonderfully special and colourful. The music great too! Nothing but rave reviews.

Tomorrow will be a quieter day, as we’ve had two big days of go-go-go!

Day 3: Elizabeth’s Birthday

We went to the Teotihuacan pyramids today. We were picked up at 9am by our tour guide, Jose Luis, who had a Canadian cap given him by Trudeau Sr., who he said was very nice.

On the way, we stopped at the Plaza de las Tres culturas – Tlatelolco – where Aztec, Spanish and modern Mexican architecture/archaeology rub shoulders. Our guide told us about many sights, including hills outside the city with thousands of colourful houses crammed together.

Once we got to the pyramids, we were disappointed to learn that they no longer let tourists climb the Sun or Moon pyramids, in order to protect them (the pyramids, not the tourists). Perhaps this was better for our lungs and legs. We got to climb a smaller one instead. To get there we had to walk down what the Spanish called the Avenue of the Dead because they thought the pyramids were tombs. Turns out they were wrong! They were altars for gods instead. The steps was very steep and we were amazed to see a dog at the top!

Many vendors had neat instruments imitating animals like jaguars and hummingbirds, but the sounds got annoying extremely quickly. We met a Girl Scout from Houston who was excited to recognize our logo on our clothes.

After the pyramids, Jose Luis took us to lunch. They served us many dishes of both Mexican and Western food. We were made quite uncomfortable when they brought out sombreros and ponchos for us to try on. We’re not a fan of stereotypes!

On the way out we got to try some prickly pears. They were quite seedy but had the texture of crispy kiwis and tasted like pears.

We stopped at the 2nd most visited Roman Catholic church in the world (after the Vatican). There was both an old Spanish church and a new one (from the 1970s) , and the new basilica holds mass every hour until 8 pm every day! The wood on the roof was donated by Canadians.

It started hailing and raining on the ride home. We got back into the van just in time! We relaxed back at Ticcali for a while and then headed out to Elizabeth’s choice of restaurant – Italian – where we ordered way too much pizza that we look forward to continuing to snack on.

Birthday wishes must be honoured even in the rain, so we continued on to a delicious gelateria. Everybody thought they had the best flavours! We sang happy birthday to Elizabeth and she got a special birthday macaron.

Tonight’s blog writing is a little more sleepy. What a long day!

New Spanish vocabulary includes: cuanto cuesta, leche, buen provecho, and de nada.

Day 2: Kidlets, Cross with Purpose

We woke up early and had breakfast at the hostel and it was much more substantial than we expected – they even made us quesadillas! The teens have requested to be called people or kidlets as a group. Youth, Pathfinders and Girls are so passé.

After breakfast we walked to the Angel of Independence statue and tried to recreate the figures. It is in the middle of a roundabout with no crosswalks, so crossing the street was “interesting.”

We boarded our Hop On Hop Off bus (Turibus) and pointed out interesting buildings, sights, and murals to each other, including a gorilla playing a banjo.

We hopped off at the Zocalo and wandered around street vendors and into The Basilica. Our quote of the day was “cross with purpose,” as there were a lot of distracting sights drawing our attention as we tried to cross streets. We also tried to see murals at the Palacio Nacional, but the timing didn’t work out for us. We almost bought a kitten for the week (you would have too, had you seen the cuteness) and watched a purification ceremony.

On the way to lunch we found a Mini Sou and spent ages looking through the cuteness. It seemed funny next to all kinds of old buildings. Lunch was at a traditional Mexican restaurant (El Cardenal) where they served us pastries before our meal – kind of weird – and warm French bread!

After lunch, we visited a Coca Cola store (who knew this was a thing?) and then hopped back on the bus for a rainy rest of the two hour loop. We saw a person carrying a rack with at least 20 bright coloured wigs that they were selling in the middle of the street. There was also the biggest Mexican flag we have ever seen. We got off at a very boring mall and then wandered through what might have been Mexico’s Gay street (all the rainbows!).

One of the cow statues had sections people could sign/fill in, so we added to it. We took a bit of a break back at Ticalli before finding a Chinese Buffet, as Mexican food for every meal is not everyone’s cup of tea.

Blog writing tonight was no less chaotic. Maybe tomorrow?

PS. We saw 14 Starbucks today!

Day 1: The Best Caramel Esmé Has Ever Had

It is only 8:15 but we are exhausted with the 2 hour time difference. We all met at the airport at 7am and made it through check in and security. On the plane the movies were all in Spanish, so we had to entertain ourselves instead (or practise some Spanish). Lunch was included on the plane but reviews vary. Good thing we have many snacks. After going through customs, all our luggage arrived and a very cute sniffer dog got interested in our peanut butter. Luckily we got to keep it (the PB, not the dog).

Ticalli (our hostel run by the Mexican Girl Guides) is empty except for us, so everyone gets two beds and lockers! We unpacked and went out for dinner. Some of us were more adventurous than others but all found something tasty.

After dinner we found great cow statues and CHURROS (with the best caramel Esmé has ever had). We spent the first bit of our churro budget (yes, a real section of our budget). It seems only fitting with our churro mascot on our trip clothes.

It’s much colder than we expected so we’ll be making great use of our trip sweaters! They only have small amount of churro evidence on them so far. We ended today with this very chaotic group blog writing that took far longer than normal. More tomorrow!