Ola!

Ola from Mexico...After another chaotic week at work, I stumbled out of the office at 3pm, made it to Dulles, survived 3hrs of check-in and security procedures (note: Dulles is, quite possibly, the worst airport in the world) and collapsed on the plane before arriving in Mexico City. I paid a horrendous amount for a taxi to the central square (Zocalo) to avoid being robbed/mugged, and then passed out again.

I awoke to the sounds of football cheers as the Zocalo filled with spectators for Saturday's morning league match, and went out to explore. Believing that no plan is often the best, I walked around for a while, unknowingly meandering through what is apparently one of the most dangerous areas of the Distrito Federales - but the market was alive, and I felt as though I were at the beating heart of the beastly city. I saw colonial cathedrals, ruins of the original Mexica, ate tortas and jugos, and vegetables covered with chili (the Mexicans put it on everything). Fortunately I have not yet contracted Montezuma's revenge, but it's quite possible I have eaten dog.

On Sunday, I met up with a friend of Jin's (Jenny) and we went to the pyramids together. Crowded, but definitely worth the visit. It's something of a unique experience to be struggling your way to the top of an ancient monument to forgotten gods, and to be stuck in a traffic jam while peddlers advertise their wares with shrill shouts and whistles that create an eerie cacophony of noise that echoes throughout the temple complex. At the top of the Temple of the Moon, I wrote a message to Jin as Jenny opened the present she had sent along with me. I miss her. We left the pyramid complex happy with what we had seen, but tired from the hiking and the dusty, dirty air of Mexico. Too tired for cerveza, we said our goodbyes at the bus station and I made my way to the W Hotel.

Where I am now. The holiday is over, and I am getting ready for my first business meeting, and taking a break to drink some coffee and reflect. I feel out of place - everything around me is at a level of sophistication to which I am completely unaccustomed. I think I can hack it until I return to DC. I'll try my best.