Trip Report VLog: Mexico City - Culture

There is a richness in Mexican culture that is palpable. You can almost taste it. It is diverse, varied, colorful, and at times alarming to the uninitiated. The appreciation for creativity and aesthetics can be seen in elaborate works of art, as well as the most humble of handicrafts.

Visitors who go beyond their Mayan past will benefit from the understanding that culture in the country isn't made up of a single influence.

There is no one take on anything. Not their national dress, not their pottery and handicraft, not their music. I liken it to a really good curry. It takes a whole lot of ingredients that can be conflicting and unusual, but they all form one great dish.

I was visiting a weekend market with my host. I told her I watched The Book of Life on the plane into Mexico. We had an interesting conversation about the icon of the Day of the Dead, La Calavera Catrina. She said that Mexicans find her beautiful and elegant. I told her all I saw was a skeleton in a gorgeous dress and a big floppy hat. It took me a while to see her from another point of view.

Like in most cultures, death isn't the end. In Mexican pagan belief, the departed carry on in a different world. But they can disappear if those left behind don't keep their memories alive. It is a beautiful thought, personified by a skeleton of a beautiful lady. She is as vital in the nether world as she must have been in this one.

Metaphysical concepts here belie the nature of the people. I learned that prior to Christianity's entry into the country, there was no concept of the devil or evil incarnations. The devil depicted in scenes from the Tree of Life was usually just a playful demon, a character that if anything is like a naughty kid who played pranks. Does it not tell you something about the indigenous population?

Unlike some societies today that rape their own land, Mexicans use and replenish their resources. I was amazed to see how the cactus could be a source of water, drink, food, shelter, handicraft and even clothes. I was given a needle that was made from its root. And believe me is IS sharp.

Each territory within Mexico is famous for a certain product. Whether silver production or intricate embroideries, they are all of very high standards. A shop keeper in a market commented how sharp my eye was in noticing which of her embroidered blouses were the best of the lot. I had no clue that the ones I was appreciating costed hundreds of dollars and took months to make. It was very hard to leave her store with nothing in my hand. It is worth noting that purchasing a locally made product (I did end up buying a hand crafted leather bag), means giving a sustainable livelihood to very talented artisans living in some of the poorest regions in the country.

I was surprised to hear that the richest man in the world is Mexican. Even more surprised that, perhaps either as an act of love and/or ego, he gifted a magnificent museum to his wife. She is a well known lover of art, and she just needed a place to store them. So they figured, why not share it with the people. And while they were at it, they decided to design the museum like something out of a sci-fi movie. Gorgeous modern architecture.

Like many museums, the Museo Soumaya is free for Mexicans. And fortunately for everyone else too. I noticed that unlike many prestigious museums around the world, there weren't so many security guards or glass cases to protect the work. And just from my observations, they didn't need them. Mexican visitors were so respectful of the work that there was no fooling around or brash behavior.

I started to understand how art and culture was in their blood.

It is easy to get inspired in this city. There is so much originality and depth, founded on centuries of evolution, that it carries its own voice. Yet, if the Kpop craze in Mexico is anything to go by, the people are still evolving and accepting of global influences.

I think that is my takeaway about Mexican culture.

It has a vibrant energy that at once is deeply rooted in its past, yet open enough to welcome the future.

Trip Report VLog: Mexico City 2015

It was an unexpected trip.

But one I will cherish for as long as I live.

I never prepped for it. Wanted to let the place reveal itself to me. So I didn't know the baggage that Mexico carried in the eyes of some Americans.

Donald Trump's recent rants about Mexicans is very telling. There is a perception about Mexico generally being a crime infested backward country.  Much later I got a lot of "whyyyyy" and "wasn't it dangerous???"

Why? Duty. Wasn't it dangerous? No.

At least not in the city itself. All I knew was Mexico City was not on a Singaporean's travel radar. So I was quite happy to be an ambassador.

The city constantly surprised me.

From the back alleys that had little gems. To the realization that the world's richest man, Carlos Sim is himself a Mexican and his influence was everywhere. I also learned that Mexico City was bursting with museums. All world class. And that art was everywhere. And so were the weekend markets.  And free wifi.

Mexico City had so much to offer that the problem you would have was deciding what to do in a day. Like New York City where it would not be likely to exhaust all dining options in a lifetime, it would be impossible to not have something to do at any single moment in this city.

Mexico City had activities that not only was seasonal, they were also geographical. Each suburb had its own character and pull. Each had its own flavor and type of people (read: one suburb was known to be full of self entitled uber rich White Jews whose kids literally ran the malls). You could spend a day just doing one thing in one suburb, just because the city was that big.

In one suburb, dog walking was another thing to do. Mexicans love their pets. And that was even represented on street markings! Some of the best clubs, surprise surprise, were apparently in the gay neighborhood. It was like walking down Chelsea. It was that open.

Mexico City is incredibly LGBT friendly. And if memory does not fail me, it is legal there as well. I saw so many gay and lesbian couples walking hand in hand, some kissing in public, and NO ONE batted an eyelid. It was liberating to feel that sense of freedom and equality that does not exist in other places like the GCC countries, parts of the US and even Singapore.

Bike riding was a big deal. Like NYC and other European cities, they had eco bikes for rent. And in the weekend, Sundays I believe, the entire stretch of Avenue Juarez all the way to the Zocalo was closed for cyclists and rollerbladers. The weekend was an opportunity to check out young and uber fit Mexicans do their thing and show off their beauty. And there were lots. It was like going to Central Park in summer.  Hot bods galore!

For history buffs, parts of Mexico City was built on top of an actual ancient Mayan city. You literally could either go into a museum to experience it, or just look down beneath the glass sidewalks in the Zocalo to see pyramid blocks. Amazing.

For anyone who fanned fear into my face, there was no need. Security forces were everywhere at all times. You could not miss them. There was something comforting about it. Mexico City seemed kinda welcoming to foreigners, although it would help a lot to speak Spanish. I even found a street with Korean restaurants. Koreans were setting up shop and home there in a big way.

There will be more to talk about, and I will as accompanying text to other videos. But I will say this.

I always travel to experience a different lifestyle from ground up. I thought since Mexico was SO far from Asia, I could avoid meeting another Singaporean, and hearing Singlish and seeing them expect the level of efficiency that we have taken for granted at home, in the countries they visit.

Can you imagine how I felt when I bumped into 30 of them in the city, complaining about theater tickets?

OMG.

That's another story for later.