When it's come up, people have often been surprised that I'd never been to Mexico, having grown up relatively close to the border. I explain to them that in 1980s/1990s Las Vegas, going to Mexico wasn't really considered aspirational, and I tell them an anecdote that demonstrates my ignorance - and possibly the general level of ignorance amongst my peers at the time - when I was a teenager:
In my Freshman year of high school, I was put into Spanish, like most students. But I wanted to take German, so I went to my guidance counsellor and asked to switch; I explained to her 'I want to learn a European language'. I don't recall her rolling her eyes, but perhaps she did. It didn't occur to me that Spanish was a European language because it was solely associated with Mexico in my mind. When I was in the Spanish class, before I was transferred, halfway through the textbook I remember seeing a map of Spain and thinking, slightly surprised, 'Oh yeah, I guess they do speak Spanish over there too.'
Fortunately adult Shaun is more aware of and open to the world than teenage Shaun was, so, undeterred by our South American adventure, Sushil and I went to Mexico for a birthday/pre-nursing-start holiday. And, despite an expensive comedy of errors at the start, delayed flights and missed connections, it was a much more successful visit to Latin America.
We started off in Mexico City. Unfortunately, I had about a day and a half less there than planned, so I really only felt like we skimmed the surface, but I liked what I saw. Mexico City has a lot more going on and a lot more character than I had supposed. We stayed in Zona Rosa but checked out several other inner neighbourhoods, and each was distinct and interesting - a lot more than the developing world urban sprawl I had expected from my upbringing in American media. The city certainly does sprawl, but it felt like more of a collection of neighbourhoods than neverending, indistinct urbania. I particularly liked Roma Norte, just to our South, which buzzed with streetlife, tacos and mezcal; it felt distinctly Mexican, but familiar in a European, human-scale way at the same time.
Having our first drinks - and overeating - together after the much-delayed start to the holiday. The food throughout Mexico was fantastic, especially at the cheap local places. We tried some high-end stuff as well, but it didn't compare with the local haunts.
CDMX - la ciudad that loves you back.
From Mexico City we went to San Miguel de Allende to see smaller-scale Mexico. The city has a large, mostly American, expat community, so it might not be the most authentic experience of a Mexican town, but it's certainly an enjoyable one. The expatriate migration began when foreign artists 'discovered' the town and set up art and cultural institutes, and the town has a notable artsy and hippie bent with a relaxed foodie culture. While it's too small (and too American retiree) for me, I can see its appeal, and I imagine it must be a bit like Santa Fe was 20 or 30 years ago.
Last up was a long weekend by the sea, in Puerto Vallarta, the 'San Francisco of Mexico'. I knew about the town as a gay travel hotspot, but I didn't realise just how very gay it was. It felt like a gay cruise on a beach - almost everyone on the streets was gay, and all the businesses catered to the gay population. I was shocked to learn there were 53 gay bars in the Zona Romantica - far more than London - and that, while the sidewalks were mostly thronged with tourists, there is a sizeable permanent gay community as well. We were fortunate enough to have Argie connect us with a friend who lives there, so we got to see it a bit more from a local's perspective, which was great - it'd be easy to lose sight of the city behind the drag queens, massage boys and margaritas if someone weren't taking you away from the bars and showing you where to look.
Slightly different approaches to the beach.
