If I were to make a comment based on my very first experience in Mexico City, I´d have to say "get your filthy hands off me, you pervert!!" Yes, that´s right, my very first Mexican experience was having my arse grabbed by a passer-by outside the hostel. Viva Mexico! Things have been getting better ever since :-)

Mexico City... what endless energy it has! The sound of MC is the sound of hundreds of street vendors peddling their wares, everything from household wares to g-strings, DVDs, designer rip-offs and pork skin. The smell of MC is the smell of tacos, tamales, tostadas and boiled corn sold from the always-busy street carts that crowd every corner and every plaza. The ancient market culture is still very much alive in Mexico, with vendors getting most of the space on the plazas and streets, sometimes leaving just enough room for a small car to snail its way past.

Despite Mexico City´s dangerous reputation, I´m happy to say that we were not hassled by anyone, nor did we at any time feel threatened or unsafe. People minded their own business as we minded ours. When we looked confused and lost, people offered directions. When we said no thanks to vendors, that was enough to get them off our case. Even the Metro, which we had heard nothing but bad things about, turned out to be ultra efficient and comfortable, way superior to the Metro in, for example, London or Los Angeles. I´ll admit that my friend Silje did get her butt grabbed on the Metro, which put us at an even score in the butt-grabbing competition.

My overall impression of Mexico City is that of an efficient and highly civilized modern metropolis (luxury dog grooming, anyone?), which retains a lot of its cultural heritage. If its cultural heritage is grabbing unsuspecting gringas´arses, then so be it!

More to come later :-)