Diarrhea – No, gracias

Since some of my readers are non-Swedish speakers this blog will from now on be written in English.

I haven’t been able to post anything for a couple of days. There’s no internet in the house and I’ve haven’t had any opportunity to go the any Internet cafés for a while. Been too busy sightseeing. There are so many have-to’s in this place, so many things you should see and do. For instance, it would be criminal to come here without going to any of the local museums, Teotihuacan (the pyramids), or the house of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera.

We used the first day here to visit the national museums of history and anthropology. Well… we ended up there more or less by accident. See, we were really out looking for one of the main shopping streets, but Bere, the Mexican, managed to get ourselves completely lost and suddenly we found ourselves standing outside on of the museums, even though according to Bere, they should be on the other side of town. But I don’t blame her. It’s really difficult to find your way around when all you have is a detailed map.

The museums where amazing. Though the history museum didn’t have any information in English what so ever (apparently they don’t want any foreigners to come), it was still worth the while with its beautiful and impressive artworks . The museum itself was housed in an old castle on a hill with an amazing view over the city. Well, at least it would have been amazing if it hadn’t been for the smog. The air here is pretty filthy, but I guess that’s something you just have to accept when coming to a place like this. Another you have to accept when coming to a big city city is the chaotic traffic and Mexico City is no exception. If you want to cross the street you’ll need at least two sets of eyes: two in your face and two in your neck – at least. The key words when crossing a street is RUN RUN RUN! And don’t look back.

Yesterday (read Thursday) I and Bere went to see the pyramids at Teotihucan. To get there take the bus for about an hour, an extremely hot bus full of tourists. It didn’t exactly help that I was starting to feel a bit queasy. Something was definitely wrong with my stomach. But not going was not an option, so all I could do was to buck up and pretend I was feeling great.

Sitting on the bus I realized how insanely huge this place is. The city never ends. There are no trees or anything in between, just houses and more houses. It’s insane.

When we finally arrived to the pyramids I was feeling even worse and Bere was in a bad mood. She hadn’t been sleeping very well so she was and extremely cranky, and she blamed me for dragging her there. I was far from being Mr. Popular. And for a while there I thought she would throw me off one of the pyramids.

The pyramids were incredible. To say that they are amazing would be an understatement. They are utterly breathtaking. So huge and so impressive I was completely awestruck. The pictures don’t do them justice but at least you’ll get an idea of their sheer size. Of course we couldn’t leave the place without climbing them, no matter how bad we felt, so slightly intimidated by the steep stairs we started ascending to the top of the tallest one, the pyramid of the sun. More than one time I thought I would fall and plummet to my death, either by stumbling on the undersized stairs or by collapsing from exhaustion. See, this was in high noon and the sun was scorching hot. Samuel had warned us about this and urged us to apply plenty of sun-screen and wear hats, an advice both of us had quickly forgotten. Well, I was at least wearing a hat, but Bere, the Mexican, was walking around in a sleeve-less tank top sort of thing. I didn’t say anything to her. I thought she knew what she was doing. I mean, she’s Mexican, she’s used to the sun. So we climbed and climbed and walked around for hours under the hot sun, constantly repeating the Teotihuacan mantra that all tourists quickly learn when they go there: “No, gracias. No, gracias.” Everywhere and anywhere a sea of sombreros are trying to sell you something. “Hola, Amigo!” they say and try fool you into buying whistles, figurines of gods, rugs, silver jewelry, and all kind of crap nobody really needs. And yes… I too crumbled under the pressure and bought a piece of crap I really don’t need. Damnit.

Standing on the pyramid of the moon I realized that Bere’s shoulders had taken on a worryingly deep red tone, reminding me of a red hot chili pepper. She was badly burned by the sun but stubbornly resisted to accept my shirt to protect her from the sun. Crazy Mexican. Who would have though that hours in the sun could be bad for naked skin? I burnt my underarms a bit as well, but not as badly as Bere’s shoulders and neck. But later that night my slightly troubled stomach turned into a highly explosive diarrhea. I guess it was just a matter of time…

In the evening we went to mass with Karla and Samuel, the two incredibly nice friends of Bere. I think this might have been the first church mass I’ve ever been to. For sure it was the first catholic one and the most crowded. I’ve never seen so much people in a church before. The mass itself was a bit of a mystery for me. I didn’t understand much of what was going on. For me it was just a lot of kneeling, standing up, kneeling again, shaking people’s hands, sitting down, standing up, and then kneeling yet again. But the church was impressive, the music was beautiful, and I felt truly honored that Karla and Sam invited me to come with them. It was a great experience, even though I was squeezing my ass cheeks during the whole thing. Wherever you go – diarrhea always follows.

All in all, Mexico City is a pretty fantastic place to be. The city has plenty to offer and can cater to almost any needs. The people are very open (like Samuel and Karla whom have both been incredibly nice and welcoming) and will always make the effort to talk to you (not like us shy and silent Swedes). Sure, you see a lot of poverty here, but even though the outlook may be grim, they never give up and they always stay positive. In their minds, anything is possible. In many ways, Mexico City is like Mexico’s New York – it has a piece of everything: really lively beautiful parks, an infinite number of restaurants and street vendors, innovative architecture and a wonderful culture. And on top of that, it has an awesome nightlife. You don’t ever have to feel bored here in Mexico. There’s always something to do. Mexico City – the city that never sleeps.