mexico :: general

[Ahlvahroe]

if you have a strong stomach i recommend street vendor tacos, just ask for carnaza, cheek meat, the best. if there is like a 20 min. wait you are in for a treat.

one of my really close friends is from mexico city but he just took off to italy a couple days ago so i cant get much insight about mexico city.

finally the bus systems, remember try not to be the last person getting on to the bus, as soon as they see your hand on the door, even before you put a single foot in, they start to drive, so you gotta jump in as soon as you can.

[napoleon]

alright. bumping this thread.

i'll be in mexico for 2 weeks. flying into mexico city

thinking about taking the bus, taking stops along the way to end up in the yucatan and then take the bus back to mexico city.

so things that are on the way look like:

puebla

veracruz

palenque

ciudad del carmen

uxmal

merida

tulum

anyone have any tips, recommendations on what to see, what to skip, any other cities/towns i should see instead, places to find cheaper hotels (online or not)... etc?

oh yeah. and what i should definitely eat.

Did a quick two week trip through the yucatan and it felt it wasn't enough time so good luck getting all the way across mexico in that time. If you want to do it really cheap use the local buses, but even the first class busses are fairly cheap. Another option are minivans that run around between cities that pick up and drop of people around the place, never got to figure out exactly how they work. Did a quick overnight stop over in Mexico City on the way out but really only looked around the main central plaza and surrounding streets (packed with really cheap and nasty market stalls) and lots of different food stalls. Didn't dare try anything there but if you do i'd like to know of sideffects. Tulum looks like a bit of a dive from the main road running through the town but running in parallel is a gorgeous beach with the beachside ruins. Lots of expats there from many countries, mainly cave divers and backpackers. Tourist savy and seedy locals all the way from Cancun through Playa del carmen and Tulum, but some genuin nice people too. Playa del carmen is a massive tourist trap, but a ferry trip to kozumel might be a go if you're there anyway for more touristy goodness. Didn't have time to get to Merida but a few locals said appart from the colonial buildings there isn't much there. Uxmal or Chichen Itza, don't know which is nicer but I always wanted to see Chichen Itza, its huge. Exxy hotels in that area.

For breakfast rapido (eggs + beans + toast + OJ) kept me going most of the day. If you're going to eat like a real local at cheap places for the locals prepare yourself for no choice and blandness. Otherwise every place was decent for their standard mexican food. Might as well try everything.

Oh and talking to someone originally out of Mexico City, we were warned not to wear jewelry or anything valuable while walking around and to dress down. Apparently many pickpockets, and not to use the local cabs unless you want to get robbed. Didn't see any of that myself though.

[xcoldricex]

thanks. i'm going to be in mexico city for about 4 days - travelling for about 3 days and staying in the yucatan for about 4 days. should give a good taste of each place at least i think

[kiya]

Going to San Jose del Cabo next month..

Any suggestions on shit i shouldn't miss?

Don't go on about how touristy it is.. i know. I got a completely free trip (flight & hotel) so i took it... Just as long as they have wifi in my hotel, which i think they do, i'm set. I know, that's terrible.

[jackierose]

I stayed at Dreams Tulum last year,

and one of my favourite spots to got was Xel-Ha an outdoor water park .Very beautiful and safe swimming without having to worry.

[kiya]

Bump for Mexico?

[kallun]

Hi,

Going to Mexico City pover New Years this year. Never been before. We´d like to stay in Condesa preferably at a Boutique hotel or a local hotel at a decent price. After 1 week we´re going to La Ventana to Kite surf and I know nothing of hotels or other things there either.

All lodging and other tips for what to do in Mexico are much appreciated!

/K

[TheIntelligentHoodwinker]

I went a couple of years back for a few days. Had a great time.

The best thing I did by far was the street food tour.

http://www.eatmexico.com/tours/mexico-city/#streetfood

[jichan]

Hi,

Going to Mexico City pover New Years this year. Never been before. We´d like to stay in Condesa preferably at a Boutique hotel or a local hotel at a decent price. After 1 week we´re going to La Ventana to Kite surf and I know nothing of hotels or other things there either.

All lodging and other tips for what to do in Mexico are much appreciated!

/K

condessa would be a good place to stay. it has a more european expat vibe to it, as far as restaurant choices go, and i think its known as a hipster art gallery area. theres a cafe there called mog (i think) which has a legit cup of coffee, some decent bastardized sushi eats, and theres always some local/expat cuties up in there. plus they have wifi. i had a car while i was there so i cant really speak on transportation, but however you get around, id try and at least hit up coyoacan for the ceviche. theres a ton of museums in df but one of my favorites was MUJAM which is a mexican toy museum.

https://vimeo.com/9725415

dont know anything about la ventana, but i did stay at careyes in jalisco for a week which is awesome if you can afford it. i cant but i was lucky enough to do a little work there and got to stay for free.

[kallun]

Thanks jichan!

More advice also appreciated!

[jichan]

if i were you, id really consider going to oaxaca instead. sure its more touristy than df, but not "touristy" in the rockports and fannypacks sense. nor does it seem to attract the cabo wabo tequila poppers set. i cant really put my finger on it but to say its like hipster tourist friendly. also, i think the only reason mexico city doesnt have a lot of tourism is because most white folks are scared shitless of all that narco stuff, which is great if you want to really get away from americans and the likes. but all in all, oaxaca is more interesting in terms of food, culture, and handmade goods.

[Gavroche]

agreed with jichan. i spent four months in san cristobal de las casas (just south of oaxaca, in chiapas) and a few weeks in oaxaca. you'll meet very interesting tourists, usually from south america, and the food and bar scene is ten times better than the coasts. if you like the beach, then fine, but there's a real beauty to the mountains and jungle. both cities have incredible farmer's markets with local cheeses, moles, and things that you'll never get to try elsewhere.

[kallun]

Thanks for the pointers. However Mexico City is to meet some friends and the La Ventana for Kite Surfing. Oaxaca maybe next time!

[violetlaurent]

Heading to mexico city in May for a few weeks before traveling elsewhere. I'm staying with my friends for a bit but I also want to do my own thing. Can anyone give me advice on where to find vegan and vegetarian places, arts hubs, cool clubs/art galleries etc. I want to see all the wonderful local niches.

thanks~

[jichan]

im a firm believer in the fact that it aint a real vacation unless you break a few rules. drink a lil too much, carelessly flirt with a stranger, and for god sakes eat some meat!

that being said, i had the unfortunate task of traveling in df with a fairly devout vegan last i went. its not impossible to eat, but i wouldnt count on doing as the locals do if you stick to that vegan bit. youll want to stay in those white mexican areas like napoles, roma, or polanco if youre hardcore about it. otherwise its a lot of fruit cocktail and street peanuts for you. which isnt a bad thing, per se, the fruit there is way better cuz its not some genetically enhanced high yield frankenstein fruit, its actual fruit how dirtmother gaia intended. you can slip by with street tacos made from cacti, or bean tacos de canasta but youll get some residual animal fat mixed in there if not outright dipped in drippings. and the person i went with swore the vegetarian pozole wasnt made from animal broth, i highly doubt it tho.

museum-wise, there seems to be museums everywhere you go. siqueros polyforum in napoles is dope and theres a lot of hipster galleries in roma. personally i think mexico city gets more interesting the further outside of city center you get, but you gotta be kinda daring, and fluent in chilango.

[EG562]

Thinking of going to tulum next month has anyone been lately?