Marcol, happy new year!!!
All this happen in 1 day? Theoretically speaking, yes! This morning, I was in Christchurch, tonight I’ll be in Mexico city!
The constant hours lost heading to the east are finally caught up. 10497 Km covered in 11h30min. About 21 hours difference between both places. I go back in time!
How do I do this? I take the plane from Christchurch to Auckland at 15h on the 9th and land in LA at 10h25... on the 9th!!! All right! Thinking about this, give me the “chicken skin”! So, it’s definitely celebrate new year’s eve twice in the same year. Imagine you leave at 6 am on the 1st January, you take the plane to the other side of the pacific and you’ll arrive17h30 NZ time, in LA it would just be 20h30, 31st (17h30-21h = -3h30=20h30)! That gives me other experience to achieve in this life!
Putting aside the “einsteinly theories” (without traveling at the light speed), the morning was faster than fast in Christchurch, around 8, I’m awaked by Amy, Jaci and Maya. They go to Akaroa to swim with the dolphins!!! The say bye to me and about 2 hours later, I’m awaked by Arnon wondering when is my flight. “I have still time, at 15h”. This time was used to take a shower, pack, have breakfast and finally find the bus driving to the airport (5 NZ$).
At the check-in, the lady wants just to book the journey Christchurch-LA. “When are you leaving Mexco?”, “I don’t know, I’m heading to the south”, “You better ask on the other side, if you get into troubles, we get into troubles.”.
The flight is rather quite and we have a personal console where we can choose the films!!! Helas, the US influence is too big and the quality of the movies is rather poor. I manage to find a German-French-Uk production about the truce on Christmas 1914 in the front during the WWI. It was entertaining but not as touching as “Opal Dream”. Finally in LA, it’s sunny and the sky is blue. We flight right over the city and far a conglomeration of big buildings rises abruptly from the flat landscape formed by the houses. I have to pass the customs and check-in again. The paranoia control starts. The official asks me: “Why do you want to travel around the world?” while I pose my left and right indexes on his fingerprint device, a picture of me is taken by his webcam.
At the check-in, the lady asks me the same question as in New Zealand “When do you leave Mexico?”, I explain her my plans, she hesitates and says “ah, it’s ok I think!”. This place is surrounded by Hispanics, why don’t we speak Spanish instead? I say “Gracias” and she answers smiling “De nada”.
Before taking the plane, I already feel in Mexico, it’s full of Mexicans and I can definitely be taken by one of them. In the plane, I sit besides a guy that looks rather Chinese. Oh man, I’m not in China anymore! I want a local, specially when I don’t know where to sleep tonight . Suddenly one of the waitresses asks for someone who would like to sit at the emergency exit row, the only condition is being able to speak English... well, I think I can deal with it. I’m “upgraded” to a place with big space in front of me, where I can spread my legs as in first class. As a bonus, I sit besides 2 Belgium girls. They maybe don’t know much about Mexico DF as a local would know but for sure they’re better documented than me, I just remember an address of a hostel I checked in a book guide at the airport in NZ.
One of them, Eva, is a nurse and has started a project 2 years ago with Belgium funds. As result, they have now a clinic in a lost place in Guatemala where they can offer health care. “Vivir en amor” is the name of the clinic and she’s looking for volunteers to come over there. If someone is interested, have a look on the website “http://www.vivirenamor.be”.
Finally in Mexico!!! I hear “Orale”, “Mande”? It sounds to me so, so, so... Mexican! The music! Those faces! The smells! When I’m ready to face the custom questions like “Where are you going?”, “When do you think to leave and how?”... I think the check-in staff show more interest on that than the officers. They stamp my pass and let me through... yuhuuuuiii!
We end up in the YHA in the center of the city, a few meters from “el Zocalo”, where this giant Mexican flag waves!
Before going to sleep after this extraordinary long day, I have to go to one of those places where you can eat delicious Mexican foot. It’s about 22h and all looks closed. I’m pretty surprise to find such a huge city that hasn’t fallen yet to the crazy race to consumption! I finally find “Café Popular”, which apparently has annexed a brand new local to its 30 years old main one, not even one month ago. I eat as if I hadn’t eaten in days... pechuga asada and an extra portion of guacamole and beans, mmm! |
Photos Mexique
Carnets de voyage Mexique
Vidéos Mexique
Carte Mexique
Guide de voyage Mexique
Santé Mexique
Billets d'avion Mexique
