DON'T GO TO MEXICO THEY SAID BUT I DID

 The Pandemic caught me locked down or sheltered in place in Trinidad. I had just finished a 4-year contract consulting in the Bahamas. My plan for the end of 2019 was to do some traveling and schooling ( I had started a graduate program in Biomedical Informatics in August) and then planned to pick up another contract job at the end of 2020. But the universe had other plans.

For 18 months Trinidad and Tobago borders were closed, you could not leave and could not enter and my nightmare started. I love Optometry, but enjoy traveling to practice it around the world more! The worst thing you can do to me is stop me from traveling and that is exactly what happened to me from March 2020 to July 2021.

Finally, the borders opened and Mexico, Beloved Mexico was open, no PCR test was needed, and no vaccination was mandated. (I am fully vaccinated though, I don't play like that). I had never been to Mexico although I had lived in the Americas for almost twenty years. The bad press got to me, the biggest mistake of my adult life!

I used the lockdown time to learn some Spanish and watched countless youtube videos about Mexico. Everyone warned me, "Don't travel there alone, especially as a female" but I am an experienced solo female traveler, I have the best time when I travel solo. I do things my way and do not have to debate with girlfriends or partners or even my son, the times I used to travel with him. 

First I had to run out of Trinidad to Miami to exhale the traumatic stress of the lockdown, then I said to myself, "Fuck it" I'm going to Mexico alone. The best decision I made in 2021. As soon as I arrived in Mexico City, I was swooned off my feet by the trees, wow! I had never seen a city with so many trees. 

I stayed in the la Condesa neighborhood and as someone who enjoys walking, it was the best place to do that, also Roma Norte. I love to visit museums and chase history and Mexico City had that and much more to offer. Mexico City has more museums than Paris. I was smitten.

Learning about Aztec history firsthand and visiting the ruins of their great temple, Templo Mayor was paradise, I even participated in a ritual cleansing ceremony by an Aztec priest.

After 2 weeks in CDMX, I took a road trip to Puebla, yes! I traveled by bus-ADO bus and enjoyed the experience all by myself. Puebla has history, designed to be the Capital of New Spain by the Spanish invaders, I was thrilled with the history and stayed in a 16th-century house steeped in so much past. I enjoyed every minute I stayed in this city, trying out the famous Mole Poblano. 

I walked to the Zocalo literally every day and toured the 16th-century cathedral that has the highest bell towers in Mexico, I really do not care for churches, but the Baroque-style architecture was something. You know with the Spanish it was all about the churches, that was the modus operandi to convert the natives from their beloved belief system. And of course, I visited the first Public library in the Americas! Yes, it is located in Puebla

My next stop was Oaxaca and Si, I traveled by bus from Puebla to Oaxaca City, the gastronomic, cultural, and artistic center of Mexico. I got to learn about the civilization and empires of the Zapotecs and the Mixtecs and enjoyed visiting the many markets of Oaxaca, a contrast to Puebla. 

In Oaxaca, my senses were in overdrive, chocolate city! OMG! I love, love the chocolate, the seven different Moles, sauces made from chocolate, and different chillis. And the street art, took me to heaven and back and asked "Girl do you want a repeat? and I shook my head in the affirmative. I love the simple life of this semi-arid city, its mountains, kind of remind me of El Paso Texas.

My plan to visit Chiapas the natural wonder in Mexico did not happen, but that means, I will definitely visit this beautiful country another time.

But, let me tell you what I loved most about Mexico.

1. There is always a Mercado a walking distance away, where you can get fresh fruits and vegetables. When I say fresh, I ate the freshest fruits and vegetables and they were cheap, cheaper than any in Caribean island, the United States, and Canada

2. You can get freshly baked bread from a Panaderia (bakery)

3. The country has a wide range of geography; from Majestic mountains, deserts, and pristine beaches along the Caribbean coast and Pacific, you can find any type of landscape in this beautiful country. 

Unfortunately, there is also violence, violence against women, journalists, and many people, although a beautiful country the drug trade is alive and well. So, long as you are not planning on getting involved with the dark side. You are safe and can enjoy this beautiful country.

A street in Oaxaca

Zapotec warriors celebrating the Patroness Saint Day, on December 18, at Basilica de Nuestra Senora de la Soledad