6 Things I Have Learnt About Mexico

I am now in Mexico City or in Spanish Ciudad de Mexico and this then gets shortened to CDMX. It's a very modern vibrant city of 23 million people. I'm not sure what I expected, indeed I am not sure what I expected of Mexico full stop but it definitely isn't what I have seen.

It's time therefore for 6 things I have learnt about Mexico

It's clean - The streets here are spotless, there is no litter - sure labour is cheap so there is an army of people sweeping the streets but Mexicans simply don't drop litter. When on the coach or train I have been through some areas that are pretty run down but generally the street environment here puts the UK to shame.

Hardly anyone smokes - Smoking has been really noticeable by its absence. I queried this with my hosts who told me that the government has almost eradicated smoking by making the price of a packet of cigarettes to be around a days wages for someone on the minimum wage. This means that people (especially the poor) simply can't afford to smoke. A similar policy in the UK would put the price to around £65 per packet!

The traffic is civilised - I expected the roads to be a seething mass of beeping horns and traffic going in all directions at the same time. In fact there are loads of cars on the road (air quality is a big problem) but the whole thing is very normal and organised. It's not as difficult to cross the road here as it is in somewhere like Naples.

The altitude - As I have said previously Mexico City is very high up. I know that international footballers always have to acclimatise before a match here. I feel a little more tired at the end of the day than usual but that's all. However, this thing with the UV rays being stronger at this altitude has caught me right by surprise. Factor 50 suncream, all day, everyday and my head still looks like a tomato.

The metro - The metro at 5 pesos (20p) a go is even cheaper than Kyiv. It really does provide transport for the masses. When it was designed a large part of the population was illiterate so the signage even today reflects that. Each station has a symbol as well as a name and the symbols are actually more prominent than the written text. In London for instance Knightsbridge might have a suit of armour, Green Park a tree, Trafalgar Square Nelsons Column etc. It makes the whole thing very easy to navigate for a stupid foreigner like me!

It's normal - I am not going to sit here and try and make out that Mexico doesn't have any problems. It has loads of problems and they are big problems but it also has millions of ordinary people, living ordinary lives, doing ordinary things day after day. I think the thing my hosts have successfully tried to convey while I have been here is that in this day and age you can not believe everything you see and hear in the media (or what comes out of the White House!)

Today's pictures are a couple of the Mexico City skyline and some night time pics of the city from the top of the Latin American Tower.

Full sightseeing report to come tomorrow!