What an amazing first day in Mexico! Things did not go as planned but despite a few delays the day ended great. First thing on our agenda was lunch with the family. We had about 15 minutes in our room before my aunt called from the lobby. She took at least an hour long ride on the metro just to take us 3o minutes by taxi to my other aunt’s house. When we arrived at the house, my other aunt broke down and sobbed. I don’t think she ever thought she would meet the kids. It was pretty emotional! We had a traditional Mexican feast of freshly made mole, arroz, taquitos, soup, and more. Delicious! The kids played with my cousin’s son D. who spoke as much English as my kids spoke Spanish. Maybe five words each between the four of them? It didn’t take them long to figure out that motioning and pointing with a few one or two word sentences was the best form of communication. My daughter was too busy to play with the boys because she was enjoying her first pair of “dangly earings” and matching hand knit poncho. A gift from my aunt. She was beside herself!
Before I knew it our “two hour quick visit” with the family turned into three hours and it was time to get moving. Plenty to see and do in 36 hours! I began apologizing for having to leave so quickly but we had to visit this place and that place and it was getting late. My cousin called her friend who had offered to give us a lift back into town and when she called he said he was ” just five minutes.” Knowing that the Mexican five minutes could mean anything from 30 minutes to several hours, I still couldn’t say no. So we waited. And waited. And waited. I tried to relax despite knowing that that the rest of our day would not go as planned. Finally, more than an hour later, we our ride was there and we headed 30 minutes back to Polanco where we were staying.
When we got back to the hotel we were all exhausted but there was “no time to sit, time to explore!” The Bosque de Chapultapec, where we were supposed to leisurely visit the zoo, castle, and other fun activities planned for the day, was set to close in less than an hour. We left the room anyhow, me set on exploring. After walking around in a few circles, I had no idea where to go. Everything kid friendly was getting ready to close or was too far to go that late in the afternoon. The kids were getting restless and were tired. Everyone was looking at me for answers and I had nada! Not sure how this was happening since I had a well planned vacation, right? Luckily Mr. Jonesie saw one of the Touribuses, a double-decker tour buses, so we hopped on set to explore and relax. Perfecto!
The Touribus was a great combo of sightseeing and relaxation. The kids loved being on the “bus with no ceiling” and between getting hit in the face by a few branches and getting a chance to sit down, they had a blast. The Touribus stopped at the Zocalo, the area I had planned on seeing on our second day. Even though we didn’t have as much time as planned, it all worked out. We saw the oldest and largest church of Latin America, the Metropolitan Cathedral, and several other historic monuments and buildings.
Sitting on the bus I thought about the journey we took just to get to Mexico City, the adventure the kids were having and going to have, and how happy I was to be in Mexico City with the family. Bringing the kids here was so important for me. I know the little ones may not remember everything (or anything) but I know that Oldest will. I remember my first trip back to Mexico as a child and I was about seven years old. To bring my kids here was my proud, I’m all grown up moment.
We are on day three of our trip already and have arrived safely to San Miguel de Allende – 180 miles away from Mexico City and thousands of miles away from Florida, our friends and family, and the comforts of our home. We had a few minor hiccups when we arrived but thankfully everything worked out, as planned. I had a moment (or two) where I was highly embarrassed (and then ashamed) at how much stuff I had packed. Kind of felt like Alexis Bellino in the episode where she was gone a few days and had 11 pieces of luggage We were quite the scene at the bus station both leaving and arriving. That story is for another post. Until then, enjoy some of my favorite pics from day one.
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