el df

after a few fun-filled weeks with the good people of kansas city and lawrence, i arrived in mexico city two nights ago. the in-flight film was LAST HOLIDAY. a curious movie about christmas and cancer, starring queen latifah, ll cool j, and guest-starring none other than gerard depardieu. an unheralded classic, no doubt. upon arriving at the airport, i breezed through customs and was put into a suburban taxi with another american. his destination: a hotel called FIESTAMERICANA.

i checked in to my spot, HOTEL ISABEL, close to the city´s historic center. the elevator smelled of cinnamon. a few rooms down from me i noticed that 2 american dudes were drinking tequila drinks outside of their room. after dropping off my gear, i walked down to introduce myself and see what they were on about. turns out they had just graduated from occidental college in california two days earlier and were on a graduation trip. one spoke spanish very well, the other knew only a few words and phrases. they invited me to join them for a drink and i accepted. as we walked the empty streets, however, we quickly realized that we weren´t exactly in the social district. nevertheless, this did not stop the one dude from using one of his well-practiced phrases wherever we went: ´¿dónde está la mota?´ (´where is the weed?´) oh, americans - i feel that i feel a strange love for you all!

back at the hotel, i struggled for slumber. the bed felt more like a board, the pillow a styrofoam block. luckily, though, the modest room contained another bed and another pillow for your humble narrator.

yesterday started with a big breakfast: bread, sweet bread, scrambled eggs, beans, tea, orange juice. along with my 2 american counterparts, i then traversed the metropolis´ underbelly via the steamy metro. our main afternoon stop: the universidad nacional autónoma de méxico (unam), the country´s largest university. 260,000 estudiantes, according to the guidebook. it´s main attraction: the central library whose facades present the makings of mexico in mosaic on all sides (as seen above).

i left my compadres later that evening. they had switched hotels, looking for more exciting nighttime activities. i went back to ISABEL. in my room by 9pm. tired through and through, but, once again, finding little sleep. here i am today, though, armed with a few mild tourist trappings, about to make my way to the city´s main plaza, el zócalo.