I’m back! Actually I’ve been back since Monday but swamped with school. It’s like all my profs have suddenly snuck in final projects/papers/exams/etc for the last two weeks of classes. Either that or I need to start looking at my syllabus’ more often!
Mexico was great! Our schedule was VERY packed - we did a ton in 3 days! Rundown after the jump:
Which Way to Mexico???
Note: I’m going to preface this by saying I’ve never been to Mexico. I didn’t know a ton about their politics, industry, geography or environment other than what I’ve been exposed to by US mainstream media. And if Jon Stewart’s taught me anything, it’s not to trust the mainstream media!
Day 1: To get to Mexico we had to fly from New Orleans to Houston, wait an hour or so and then fly on to Monterrey. Upon landing we went through customs. One kid lost his passport, likely due to too much time at Houston Intl’s Red Robin airport bar. So it took us an extra 30 mins for the flight staff to find it on the plane and we were off!
The Airport Bar…in Mexico (yeah, right after we landed).
Two buses took us to the Raddison Monterrey, a pretty swanky hotel on what I’m guessing is an endcap of the main downtown area. We all had single rooms (nice King size bed, TV/Internet and the all-important minibar). After checking in we were on our own.
A group of us went to what I’ll term the “Chevy’s of Mexico.” A pretty basic tourist trap place right on the outskirts of a big tourist quarter filled with bars, restaurants and clubs. The food was decent, the 2for1 Tecate’s were excellent!
Where we ate: The Chevy’s of Mexico!
After dinner I explored some other clubs and bars. The biggest surprise for me was the language barrier. I’ve traveled in non-english Europe a little (France, Germany, Austria, Italy) and never had a problem with my beginner French and intermediate-advanced English. Not so in Mexico: almost no one spoke English. This was surprising as Monterrey is the industrial capital of the country as well as the second largest city. Even simple words and phrases like, “Another beer please.” had to be relearned, “Una cerveza, por favor.” The locals were welcoming and did a very good job at separating me from my freshly ATM-minted Pesos (1 dollar = 10.98 pesos). There was a high police presence - I was obviously in an area for tourists and safety was never an issue. On the whole, the residents were better behaved than what you’d find on Bourbon St on a Friday night, and the streets were better too! Dinner and drinks cost me less than 20 bucks, it was a great way to spend my first night in Mexico. Knowing the buses were leaving for EGADE at 8am, I turned in early - about 3am!
Takeaway’s from Day 1:
1. Don’t lose your passport.
2. Unlike in New Orleans, drinking on the streets is discouraged, and unlawful.
3. Getting more than 4 hours of sleep is a must.
4. You can sleep when you’re dead.
Stay tuned for Day 2!
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