Colors

Colors

Colors

Colors

Colors

A sign of the times

Colors

Colors

Candy for sale in the street

Colors

Colors

Colors

A painting titled "Marxism will give health and peace to the sick"

After I sneakily snapped this photo at the Frida Kahlo Museum, I was politely warned that photography was not allowed.

Colors (a sax player in the street)

Colors

Colors

Colors - Museo Friday Kahlo

The city's vibrant colors are a huge inspiration and they are the
theme of most photos I took on Sunday.

The house where Frida Kahlo was born, lived and died is now a museum.

Day 2

I am not sure when I will find a wifi hotspot, but I am queueing up
photos from day 2 in Mexico City. Blogspot makes it easy - each post
is an email sitting in my outbox.

Sunday was a fantastic. Sunny and warm (I looked for shade at times),
millions who took to the streets. This picture shows Paseo de la
Reforma in front of the hotel. The boulevard was blocked off for
recreation.

Technical difficulties

The SIM card I have been using (from my work phone) to blog from my iPhone was disabled this morning, probably by the telephone carrier as a security measure. I will try to blog my best from the computer in the hotel's business center, but it will not be real time.

El Ángel

It is night out and I'm catching up on photos from earlier today
before I go out.

The Monumento a la Independencia (el Ángel) is the symbol of Mexico
City and it is a minute's walk from the hotel. Paseo de la Reforma
links a series of such monumental glorietas (traffic circles).

Emperor Maximilian of Hapsburg laid out the boulevard to connect his
castle on Chapultec Hill (a posh area I hope to visit tomorrow) with
the old city center.

My great-grandfather was a seaman who sailed with Maximilian from
Europe to Mexico! I remember this from my grandpa's telling.

The angel monument bears a resemblance to the Victory Column in
Berlin. The 6.7-m statue is made of bronze and covered with 24-karat
gold.

Paseo de la Reforma

Getting up at 4 am for a trip like this but then a siesta can't be
avoided. After a long nap, I am on Day 1, Wind 2 and ready to explore
more.

Luckily I am in Zona Rosa, a glitzy shopping, hotel and nightlife
district which never sleeps.

My hotel is on Paseo de la Reforma, Mexico City's grandest boulevard
which is tree lined and feels as safe as NYC (so you are fine as long
as you don't do anything stupid).

"Besame Mucho" in the hotel's lobby

Glad I already knew Korean cuisine

They understood me very well here when I asked for kimchi and bulgogi.
And una cerveza. The menus are in Korean and Spanish.

My feast

This meal is going to be huge.

Koreatown

According to the Lonely Planet guide to Mexico City (which I
downloaded to my iPhone via Kindle app), there is a large Korean
population in this part of town and many Korean restaurants but one of
them stands out. My first proper meal in Mexico will be Korean. The
place doesn't look like much but I love the funny Asian videos they
are playing on the big screen.

If doors could speak, this one would have some stories to tell

Potato chips

The vendor added salt, hot salsa and freshly squeezed lime juice. I
will be back for more!

Street vendor

Street names

Nearby streets are also named after European cities.

Serbian influence

Belgrade street!! Way to make me feel at home.

New York influence

Globalization

I came across a street with a Starbucks, a McDonalds, a Wendys, a KFC,
and a 7-11 all in a row. I ran away fast even though I'm starving at
this point.

marionetas

Marionetas

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A perfect day

It is 70&lsqauo;F/20&lsqauo;C and sunny.

Outside the hotel

This is my first time in Mexico and I'm ready to explore. Following
the bellhop's recommendation, I'm looking for a nearby street taco
vendor. Must eat soon!

Water

One complimentary small bottle of water per day. Tap water is not
recommended.

Hotel lobby

Arrived at the hotel

Street protest

At a traffic light

First cab ride

Driving here reminds me of streets of Belgrade. Stop and go, smaller
cars, quick lane changes.

The fare from the airport to my hotel is 225 pesetas (US$21) with the
official taxi company (I have been warned on multiple occasions that
taxi kidnappings are frequent).

The young taxi driver is wearing a shirt with a tie and doesn't speak
a word of íngles.

On appreciating cold temperature and time

I was warned about the Mexican "slower pace of life" but the line for
passport control is worse than in Serbia or the Caribbean and forget
about climate control. I've been waiting for an hour and a half
already; at least I'm having quality blogging time. Some of the
overhead monitors have Windows error messages on them. (Taking
pictures is not allowed here so I can't show this mob scene.) I am
glad that the phone I am writing this on was made by Apple.

One of the tall buildings in the background is the tallest in Latin
America. More about that later.

Mexico City from the air before the final descent

Bigger than New York City by headcount (both if comparing just the
cities or entire metropolitan areas). Air pollution is visible.

Continental 1736 from Newark to Mexico City

The aeropuerto is absolutely packed. My excitement is rising as I wait
for takeoff in my window seat.

I am "armed" (oops, I won't say that word out loud around here) with
an iPhone + 2 external battery packs, an iPod nano, a MacBook Pro, a
book of stories by Haruki Murakami and a magazine.

Test - Newark Airport

I've been up for more than two hours and it's still pitch black outside.