My name is Pat.  I’m Matt’s Mom

and Mother of 3 other grown children.  Matt is my youngest.   I grew up in Southern Arkansas on a small 100-acre farm.  We didn’t have money but we had land to grow food and lived in a small wood frame house.  By the time I graduated from high school I had traveled not more than 60 miles from our house.  I attended a small rural school with 12 classmates from 1st to 12th grade

After being married for 25 years and being Mother to four children, at age 50 I found myself single and having to earn a living for me and my 10-year-old son, Matthew.  I was able to get a stable job that I’ve had for 20 plus years.

So, what made me want to travel with Matt?   Why Not?  For 20 years I worked hard, saved my money, and I get to have 7 to 10 days with my son. 

Matt plans the trips.  He knows the value of a dollar and he plans each day of the trip around sites we must see, considers my age and how much I can walk daily.  He always plans for a balance of museums, history, local culture and trying something new.  [Our rules for travel:  Our first trip abroad was to Rome and Florence.  The first day in Rome, I noticed Matt had a walking map.  I said, “I want a map”.   He said, “No, you can’t have a map.  You just need to keep up.”  I was aggravated with him.  Then, I thought, he’s right.  He has researched and planned this trip for 6 months.  He knows 100 times more than me.  Why would I argue about a map?  It’s true.  One person needs to be in charge for the daily travel plans.  When we were in Mexico City and getting ready to tour the Castle, we met a family of 7 from California, all adult children.  I asked the parents, “Do you have one person who is in charge?”  Immediately they all pointed to a son, who was designated by the family to be the person in charge.  This works – to have some order while traveling and touring, otherwise, you will get off track, be late for tours, dinners and flights.]

When Matt talked with me about a trip to Mexico City, I was not excited.  I was afraid.  Asking myself what’s in Mexico City that I really want to see.  I knew nothing about Mexico City or Mexico.  But I trusted Matt to make good decisions on our behalf. I agreed to go.

I flew form Arkansas to Atlanta, met up with Matt at the airport to start our Mexico City Adventure.

When we arrived at the airport in Mexico City, that was an anxious time for me.  We had troubles with our iPhones.  Finally, that connection problem was solved and Matt called for an Uber.  The passenger pick-up area was maddening.  It was nighttime, so many people, so many cars.  The car ride to the Arbb was kind of unnerving.  No AC in the car and the windows were down.  The traffic sounds were deafening.  The driver spoke no English and we were lost for 30 minutes.   We arrived at the ARbb which had a Security Guard and cameras.  We got settled in and I was upset the first night.  I was tearful. We did manage to go to dinner, which was nice.  The next day, we had a one on one tour in our neighborhood and that was very reassuring for me.  After the first night, I was okay and ready to see the city. 

The Mexico City highlights for me were:

1.     The people:  They are gentle and nice; a reflection of hundreds of years of struggles, oppressions and poverty.  The taller lighter skin Mexicans seems to be the ones with better jobs.  The darker skin and shorter Mexicans appear to be those who have been historically oppressed and work day to day at any job where they can find. Dark skin and light skin- they were all courteous helpful and happy to have tourists.  No one was rude.

2.     The Food – Matt is more knowledgeable than me about the food and dining.  We went to a couple of the resutrants 2 times. (Contramar and MeroToro).  We like to order different items from the menu and share.  Sharing food was acceptable and taking home left overs was next day’s lunch. 

3.     Xochimilco – A great experience to learn about the Aztec farming.  Ricardo was our guide for the boat tour.  He provided our lunch on the boat.  The food was from his farm, cooked by his wife and was delicious.  Ricardo has a farm on the canals.  He has about 6 workers there.  We got to see the vegetables in different stages of growth. They can raise 6-7 crops of vegetable annually!

4.     San Angel Inn- This was by far my most favorite place to eat.  We sat in the courtyard. The flowers and plants were beautiful.  Birds were looking for crumbs but not annoying. Seems as though there were 5 people waiting each table.  The Mimosas were wonderful. 

Health Hints:  

Bring all the over-the-counter meds you might use.  Bring your prescription drugs in 2 different bags.   I brought 14 days of prescription medications in one of my carry-ons.  And I brought another 14 supply in another bag, just in case the first bag was lost.  

 Hand wipes are essential.  Bring enough to share with others at the table. In the airports, wipe off chair handle and table tops with disinfectant wipes. This includes your seating area on airplane. I’ve done this for years!

The air is very dry in Mexico City.  When we were in the Airbnb, we kept water boiling on the stove.  Each morning I would put Vicks in my nose to keep it from drying out.

We kept Coca Cola in the fridge to drink to settle our digestive systems.

 Wear your most comfortable shoes. Try to wear sneakers that don’t have laces.   This is not a fashion show.  Lots of walking and you don’t want to get blisters. 

Wear a broad brim hat that has a chin tie.  

Put sunscreen on your face, back of neck and arms.

Stay together with your traveling partner.  Don’t chose to sit by yourself in a park.

Do not take public transportation.  Take an Uber. The cost is minimal to be picked up at your door, and very comfortable.