I must have heard this phrase several times the other day as I made my way through three different airports en route to Mexico City. Apparently if you are a girl travelling alone not for the purpose of business, you must be crazy to go “such a long way”.
This phrase surprised and confused me in equal measure. People fly to Singapore, Australia and New Zealand in one long journey, so why was this sojourn considered so crazy? I enjoy travelling and the flights weren’t that long, so I was dumbfounded.
And then it came to me. It wasn’t my travelling time that seemed so insane to people. It was my destination.
Before I had even left England I had people asking me if my travel insurance was up to date and to “be careful” while I was there. Reading the regular bad press that Mexico gets, it is easy to see why people throw out such words of caution. And yet, what has surprised me more since I have been here has been the fact that the locals also seem to subscribe to this way of thinking. I have lost count of how many people have already told Scott and I that we should be taking taxis everywhere, never eating on the street and avoiding certain neighbourhoods altogether. Needless to say, after our first night of arrival we have ignored all such advice. Not because we are reckless, but simply because such scaremongering has seemingly been so far from the truth that it is almost amusing.
Is it because the locals see so few “tourists” coming to the city (since we left the airport I could perhaps count on one hand the number of gringos I have spotted) that they want to make sure that they have the best time possible by wrapping them in cotton wool the whole time?
Let me tell you, there is no need. Ever since we touched down two nights ago, we have yet to encounter a local who has not been the friendliest and most helpful we have have ever met, often with a language barrier between us. I have never once felt unsafe or threatened, even when walking at night or taking the metro. With us being in town during Dia de Los Muertos, we have even seen parents taking their children as young as 2 years old out ‘trick or treat-ing’ as late as midnight. Would they really do that if they actually believed their own tales of danger?
Mexico City is a little gem which has often been overlooked by a reputation which has proceeded it for far too long. As with anywhere foreign and new, take time to scratch beneath the surface and you will discover the delights of a fascinating and lively city.
And the tacos aren’t half bad either.
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