On entering Mexico City, I was forced off the Autopista onto a side road. Although I objected at first, there was no one on this road and I flew downhill into the downtown area only to merge with the Autopista again and ended up in a Mexican traffic jam. The heat and exhaust from all this slow moving traffic was unbearable as I slowly made my way to the youth hostel.

         The youth hostel was a pleasant place with 15 beds distributed over five rooms. It had a kitchen, laundry and internet service, all for 90 pesos a night. After settling in, I walked down the main street and found a restaurant where I ordered soup and rice, about the only choice for a vegetarian. When I finished that, the waiter offered me a plate of beef and vegetables free because someone had ordered it by mistake. Not being able to waste food, I cobbled it down as well. After dinner, I went to see the movie, Hart's War with Bruce Willis.

         After a day of rest, I decided to try the subway system to find the historical district of downtown. Even in the subway, people were trying to sell things or entertain you for money. My first stop was the Torre Latino Americano, a tall building with an observatory on top. My view was limited to five miles in all directions due to the smog but, I had a sense of how large Mexico City was. Next was Palacio de Bellas Artes and the Plaza de la Constitucion. There were many police officers in riot gear and a couple of protest groups were camped out in the plaza under tarps. I continued to explore the downtown area before heading back to the hostel to make supper.

         At the youth hostel, there were people from Australia, Switzerland, Estonia, Bulgaria, Argentina and the United States. Mark who was from California but had been living in Baja, Mexico for 20 years, was in Mexico City on business. He was a wealth of information about the Mexican way of life. Gustabo had come from Argentina looking for work due to the latest financial problems in his country. If he finds work, his wife will move to Mexico as well.

         On April 20, after being in Mexico City for three days, I was starting to find that the thin air and the pollution was making me very tired. I packed up my camera gear and took the local transportation to the Anthropology Museum famous for Mexico's pre-Hispanic history. The museum was very large and covered all the cultures that have been in Mexico. After seeing most of the museum, I headed back to the hostel exhausted.

         The next day I planned on going to the pyramids north of the city but instead of taking the expensive tour, I decided to use the local bus service. Israel, at the front desk of the hostel, told me what buses to take. The trip went well and there was no admission charge because it was Sunday. After touring the Temple of Serpents and remnants of homes from that period, I then joined the throngs at the Pyramid of the Sun. Everyone was struggling up about 15 stories of very steep stairs to get to the top in the oppressive heat. At the top we were rewarded with a spectacular view of all the ruins and the country side all around. After descending the Sun Pyramid, I made my way to the top of the Moon Pyramid for another great view. When I finished touring the ruins, I caught the bus back to Mexico City. The trip back was on an older bus that took a different route back and stopped at all the little towns along the way. Every town had a speed bump and it was a painfully slow trip back to Mexico City.

         The next two days were spent searching for video film and other supplies. On April 24, I decided to visit the University of Mexico that had been seen in so many pictures. I took the subway to the university and endured the usual people hassling for money. On the way back, a down-and-out street person came on the subway and removed his shirt to reveal scars all over his back. He then placed his shirt on the floor, poured broken glass on it and proceeded to tumble back and forth over the glass on his back. He put his hand out to collect money and then proceeded to the next car to horrify some more passengers!

         On April 25, I decided to make a visit to the Guatemala and Belize Embassies but I arrived too late as they closed after lunch. On the way back to the hostel, I passed through a park where I had to zig zag around the heavily-guarded Presidential Palace. I spent the rest of the day doing laundry, practicing Spanish and working on my diary. That evening there was a new arrival at the hostel from Estonia. The next day, I went to the embassies earlier and found that all I needed was my passport to get into Belize and Guatemala. The Guatemalan Embassy gave me a map of the country with a very detailed map of Guatemala City. That evening I went out for supper with the Estonian. During the night I awoke with stomach cramps and diarrhea so I was obliged to spend the next day resting.

         On Sunday, April 28, my last day in Mexico City, I decided to visit the Plaza of Three Cultures. Later, I headed downtown and bought some more video film as I figured it would be my last chance to buy the film I needed.

         The next morning I bid farewell to everyone and made my way over to Paseo de Reforma where I had hoped to shoot some video. I arrived there only to find the street was closed due to some protest. I decided to shoot some video anyway but I was soon told to stop. I then made my way to the bank where an older couple approached me and said that their son built recumbent bikes. They wanted him to see my bike so they invited me over for dinner that evening. I realized that I would not be leaving Mexico City that day. I finished some errands, left my bike at the couples house and then went shopping and to a movie for the afternoon. I then returned to Eric and Ady List's house for dinner. They seem fascinated with long-distant bike trips. When their son arrived with his wife and daughter, we went down stairs to see the recumbent bike he had built. We all had supper and I was invited to stay for the night. I spent some time talking to another son and then retired for the night in the living room with the cat. The next morning, I had breakfast with the family then started my journey out of Mexico City.

Mexico - Puebla