# Skyprince's fabulous trip to Mexico - April 20th-24th, 2013- covering Mexico City, Ameca-meca & Santiago de Queretaro



## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Finally my dream to visit American continent came true . 
Thanks to Mexican forumers for giving important tips & suggestions in SSC Mexico forum :cheers: Though, the route I took was different than what most of you suggested. 

I had great 5 days spent in Mexico with following itinerary :

*My route to Mexico:* 
Kuala Lumpur--> Colombo --> Doha --> Rome --> Madrid --> Mexico City
Total flight time of approximately 30 hrs  

*Day 1* : arrival in Mexico City. 

*Day 2* : Tour in & nearby Mexico City ( Xochimilco )

*Day 3*: Day tour to Ameca-meca city in the foothill of famous volcano Mt. Popocatepetl . Back to Mexico at night.

*Day 4 *: Day tour to Santiago de Queretaro . Back to Mexico at night.

*Day 5* : tour around Mexico City. Flying to Madrid at night.

Many interesting observations I had in daily living , infrastructure, food and weather in Mexico .


This is my flight ticket for Madrid- Mexico , by Iberia Airlines. Overall good service and was satisfied- the flight crews are very friendly & accommodating ( sorry all Asian airlines which I traveled , I found Spaniard crews in Iberia are more genuinely friendly & more casual , which I prefer ) , food was really good , seat pitch is non-issue for small Asian like me , though maybe the only complaint being no personal TV for long 11 hour flight.


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Boarding Iberia flight at Madrid Barajas airport. I think the flight was full. 
I was seated next to a Spanish lady from Valencia. Very friendly lady, she shared a lot of stories especially about Spain and her past visits to Latin America. 




I was flying with this plane- Airbus A340


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

My seat. Window seat, though the whole flight was throughout the night- leaving MAD at 00:50 hrs and arrival in Mexico at 05:40 hrs





Mexico entry card was distributed in the middle of flight. Many things to be filled up. 
Mexico abolished pre-arrival tourist visa for Malaysia nationals effective November 2012 :cheers:


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Another form to be filled




Landed in Mexico, disembarking.


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

I suffered ( or positively effected ) from the mixed feeling of nervousness, excitement and pride ( for having stepped my foot for first time in the Americas ) . 
At first glance Mexico City International Airport is looking average for a city of such size . Overall so-so facility .


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Entry immigration was smooth . 




After passing immigration , voila Mexico here I am! My first surprise was- wow, how could there be several 24-hour convenience stores inside an airport ? Which later I discovered that Mexico is a country of 24-hour shops !


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Now I had to find out the way to city centre. I already booked a mid-range hotel in advance- " Hotel Marlove"- and as I looked at maps it is located nearby Juarez station, so I gotta make my way there by metro.

Mexico City International airport is built along that long stretch ! There is metro station at the Northern end of the stretch .

I exchanged money in one of the Forex counters. I got 11.50 Pesos per each USD 1 




The passage connecting Airport and "Terminal Aerea" metro station


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

*Mexico City metro system*

My God, Mexico City has user-friendly metro network with excellent coverage ( nearly 190 stations ? ) and very cheap price- 3 Mexican pesos ( about USD 0.30 ) for any single ride, regardless of distance ! There are 12 or 13 lines altogether with brilliantly-planned interchanges . The main airport, all inter-city bus stations and almost all main tourist sites in Mexico City have metro station attached or located within short walking distance. That makes Mexico City a very easy city to discover , at low budget. 

And unlike in most other world cities I visited, many of Mexico City's metro stations are very bustling with activities - some of them have 24-hour convenience stores, Domino Pizza outlets, even McDonalds dessert & beverage counters. There are shops selling tacos, tortas and other Mexican takeaway food at really cheap price. A Domino's personal pizza ( 6' )with meat is sold at 20 pesos ( around USD 2 )

In other way around, most stations look old and without electronic ticketing machine . You have to buy ticket in the counter. There is no signage in English. The font on boards look inattractive. There are many sort of business happening inside metro trains- got many sellers selling chocolates, watches, toys, etc while there are many who carry small radio on their back transmitting Mexican classical (?) music quite loudly before asking passengers to buy their CDs. 

This is the metro station for Mexico City International Airport- called "Terminal Aerea" 




"Taquilla"/ ticket counter for my first ride in Mexico City metro :cheers:


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Free metro map is given at counter




Airport metro station


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Finally I reached my destination Juarez station. From there I walked about 10 minutes to Marlowe Hotel . 




My first encounter with downtown Mexico after exiting Juarez Station


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

walking into Independencia Street


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## Yellow Fever (Jan 3, 2008)

Thanks for sharing and keep the photos coming!


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

^^ Thank you. Continuing

Walking in Independencia St. , Mexico City


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

In early morning around 6:40 am in Independnencia St. Mexico City 




While walking to hotel I felt very hungry and found this roadside cafe . I bought "Tortas" - Mexican sandwich filled with fillet meat @ 20 peso ( USD 2.00 ) . The owners ( husband & wife ) are friendly and accommodating.


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

This is the Tortas I had. Mexican sandwich filled with chicken fillet and vegetables. Really tasty :drool: Tortas is hugely popular dish in Mexico.


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

also bought this Chocolate drink for 10 pesos ( USD 1 ) .. Very, very delicious I believe they add barley or maize juice into it , that brings perfect flavour :drool:




I found that hotel is still occupied and they can only allow check-in from 10 am. So I left my bags and wandered around Independencia St. and Eje Central Lazaro Cardenas St.


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## eklips (Mar 29, 2005)

Thanks for the pictures, keep them coming.


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## Fotostatica (Nov 6, 2007)

Great to hear you had a nice time in Mexico City, I used to go every 6 months or so when I was in my last year of high school and starting university to go and visit friends a party. Even so, I know I still have a bunch of things to do there.


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Nice guyzz. I will continue updating tonight. Have been super busy with job and study in same time !!


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## Yellow Fever (Jan 3, 2008)

no problem, take your time!


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Continuing 

While waiting for check-in time around 10 am, I walked down nearby areas. I had been abit nervous of high crime rate statistics of Mexico, and abit scared to imagine being shot to dead anytime, but that feeling vanished after I had extensive walk that morning. 

I was impressed by the density of restaurants , 24-hour convenience stores , pharmacies in the neighborhood ( and whole of Mexico City in general ) I never knew it's very convenient to buy stuff in Mexico :cheers:


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

walking in Mexico City's narrow streets adjacent to Eje Central Lazaro Cardenas St


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Mexican kebab shop ?


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Finally I checked-in into my hotel. Marlowe Hotel is 3-star hotel in Independencia St. 
I pre-booked this hotel via booking.com considering its excellent reviews by previous guests. I paid 550 Mexican pesos ( USD 55 ) a night, without breakfast. 

Overall I am satisfied with Marlowe Hotel , with excellent quality-to-price value. Room is decently spacious at 25 sqm , the bathroom comes with hot shower , the television is okay ( nothing so good about it ) with CNN and rest are all local Mexican channels. There is no balcony and the view isn't good at all, even though my room is located in 6th floor. I heard that view must be well if you stay in Suites. The Cafe restaurant is good with various international & Mexican menus . The staff I encountered were friendly and so kind - and I noticed that Mexicans use greetings so frequently ( "gracias" , permiso, and other daily greetings ) which is a shock coming from my part of Asia :cheers:


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

My bathroom . Satisfied ! :cheers:


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

My room 




In-room dining menu card in my room .


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## QroGtoMex (May 12, 2008)

About the kebab, In Mexico they're used in tacos and called tacos al pastor or shepherd style tacos, also known as Tacos Arabes. It's a culinary adaptation by Middle Eastern immigrants who escaped Ottoman Turkish rule, especially in the Levant region but the meat used is pork, not lamb.


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

QroGtoMex said:


> About the kebab, In Mexico they're used in tacos and called tacos al pastor or shepherd style tacos, also known as Tacos Arabes. It's a culinary adaptation by Middle Eastern immigrants who escaped Ottoman Turkish rule, especially in the Levant region but the meat used is pork, not lamb.


Thnaks for this info, Qro. Yeah, I suspected that such kebab dish has its origin in Middle East. I know there are many Mexicans of Middle Eastern background, including the richest man in Mexico.


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## mexico15 (Jan 21, 2009)

Skyprince said:


> Continuing
> 
> While waiting for check-in time around 10 am, I walked down nearby areas.* I had been abit nervous of high crime rate statistics of Mexico, and abit scared to imagine being shot to dead anytime, * but that feeling vanished after I had extensive walk that morning.
> 
> I was impressed by the density of restaurants , 24-hour convenience stores , pharmacies in the neighborhood ( and whole of Mexico City in general ) I never knew it's very convenient to buy stuff in Mexico :cheers:


México is a huge country, hard violence right now is only in 3 states; Chihuahua, Tamaulipas and Guerrero, and only in certain areas, because you guys see in the news that are violence that doesn't mean that all the country is like that, you have a very morbid perspective of Mexico, the Mayan zone ( Campeche, Yucatan and Quintana Roo, where Cancun is) is the safest region of the country, so stop believing all the thing you see in tv or American movies ( poverty, slums, sombreros , drugs, people trying to jump the border, tequila, chihuahuas) my country is more than that, please stop!


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## Linguine (Aug 10, 2009)

nice thread, that Mexican kebab shop looks interesting.


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## mexico15 (Jan 21, 2009)

boy we want more pics


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## skysky99 (Jun 1, 2012)

yes, continue, you haven't finished your initiary


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## mexico15 (Jan 21, 2009)

Hhhhhey


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Sorry guys, give me some time, will start posting tonight. 
Super busy with job and stuff


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## A380B747A340B777 (Jul 27, 2010)

We are still waiting for the next part of your trip in Mexico. Anyway, thanks for sharing.

Is Mexico a popular travel destination in your country?

Regards


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## mexico15 (Jan 21, 2009)

Guuuuuuuurl where da photos at?


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## andyvia (Oct 21, 2011)

Wait for more.


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## Leuvoynshka (Feb 25, 2009)

Nice thread skyprince... i'm waiting for photos :cheers:


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## Linguine (Aug 10, 2009)

more photos please.


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## desiyogi (Mar 4, 2011)

Nice pictures and even better description of your experience there.
You should really consider writing for travel magazines.


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## mexico15 (Jan 21, 2009)

Where da new pics at??!!


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## mexico15 (Jan 21, 2009)

Where the pics at!


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## rafark (May 6, 2011)

No pics?


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## IThomas (Feb 11, 2011)

You haven't pics about monuments and historical/artistic/natural heritage of the city?


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