Not me writing this the day England knocked Mexico out of the World Cup, (and posting it well after the World Cup has finished). Anyways, it’s over a year since I was away and it’s really taking the piss that I still haven’t finished these posts. Let’s reminisce…

Everyone I had met along my travels had said that Mexico City was incredible. They said, how ever long you think you need, double it. I questioned the advice, like, ‘it’s a city… how great could it be?’

Very great. Fantastic. Sensational actually. If someone asked me if I wanted to move to Mexico City tomorrow, trust me, I’d be on that plane tonight.

Like I said, it’s been over a year since I was there so I can’t do my usual day by day retelling of my time there so I’ll stick to some highlights:

Lucha Libre fight – it gives kinda shit WWE, which is the best kind of WWE in my opinion. They put the best fighters towards the end so hang in there and it really is just a fun evening out. There’s hella merch sold around the Arena Mexico stadium, like the masks, etc. Hostels tend to do evenings out to it and the tickets are reasonable. Otherwise, you can just buy them on Ticketmaster, they should be 80-100mxn depending on how close to the ring you are, (approx. £3.50-£4.50).

Museo Nacional de Antropología – the building itself is stunning and is home to the Aztec Sun which is probably one of the most recognisable Aztec artefacts. The museum has the entirety of Mexican history within it, spanning pre-Hispanic times and including all the indigenous peoples, (it’s not just the Aztecs and the Mayans). The history in that one building is extensive, let me tell you. There’s so much info to take in, I feel like you need a solid two days to get the whole way around the museum and absorb it all. (Sidenote, it also has one of the best museum gift shops!).

Xochimilco – the Venice of Mexico City. The canals, built by the Aztecs, are home to the axolotl, trajinera boats and a bunch of drunk tourists shaking a leg. It takes about an hour to drive out from the city centre so defo one to recruit a group for, to split the cost of return taxis and hiring the boat itself. There are laws on what they’re allowed to charge you so look that up before you head to avoid getting scammed and haggle as much as you can. We ended up getting a far better deal than others I know that did it for the same length of time. The canals are like a mini city. You can hire mariachi to play for you, buy food, souvenirs, drinks, you can even hire speakers, but I would recommend bringing your own as well as food and drink, (with enough for your gondola driver!). One of my core memories now is listening to Raingurl whilst dancing on this boat in the middle of the CDMX, being punted along these canals by a G named Javier.

Teotihuacán – about 1hour from the city centre, you’ll find the pyramids to Teotihuacán. To put into perspective just how old these pyramids are, by the time the Aztecs came along, this ancient city had already been abandoned for centuries… mad. One of the pyramids was shut to visitors to walk on when we visited but you could still climb another one of them. The height gives you a good view over the other ruins and it’s truly one of those classic, ‘how in the flying fig roll did they build this?!’ type situation. The site itself is HUGE and was once a buzzing, busy metropol city. You can pay for a guide but we skipped that, we just used the Smart Guide app which is free. You definitely cannot skip on water, sun protection and comfy shoes though – there is no respite at all from the Mexican sun.

Jenni’s/Elenita’s Quesadillas – we have been sold a lie in the UK about tacos. An authentic Mexican taco is a tortilla, some meat slapped in with sauce if you really fancy it. I definitely struggled more than I imagined I would trying to find pescatarian friendly options but Jenni’s/Elena’s Quesadillas had so many veggie options, it quickly became my personal fave. They have the blue corn tortillas and fillings like courgette flower, cheese, beans and spinach. Other veggie friendly options are:

• Gracias Madre Taqueria Vegana – extensive menu with vegan versions of the classics. Best vegan cheese I’ve ever had!
• El Rincon Tapatio, Centro – mainly quesadillas that are veggie.
• Tacos de Canasta Los Especiales – I love me some refried beans.
• El Pescadito – various locations across CDMX.

Shaking some – with CDMX being so huge, there were a tonne load of options for wiggling. We ended up at an event hosted by Diaspora CDMX and it was givingggg. This was defo one of my favourite nights out of the entirety of the big trip.

Taxco & Puebla – I didn’t visit either of these, but I hear they’re good for day trips outside of the city if you have time and want to explore further.

Honorable mentions – The Frida Kahlo museum; Bueno Bonito y Barato Bazar; Horchata and especially an Horchata Matcha; Pastelería Ideal, (prepare for chaos but it’s worth it); the metro system, 10/10.