3/5 Shikder Mahmud S. 3 years ago on Google
Once
upon
a
time,
I
expected
Mexico
City
to
be
a
big,
ugly,
poor,
and
potentially
dangerous
city.
What
I
discovered
was
that,
like
any
large
city
—
Detroit,
Chicago,
Indianapolis,
Boston,
Portland,
or
San
Francisco
—
it
has
some
of
those
elements.
But
it
is
also
historic,
cultured,
and
inspiring.
As
an
avid
traveler,
and
despite
high
expectations,
I
am
always
amazed
by
how
diverse,
fascinating,
and
colorful
Mexico
is.
Just
imagine
a
typical
student
arriving
on
one
of
our
interactive
educational
trips
for
a
first
voyage
outside
the
United
States!
A
friend,
when
asked
about
whether
one
should
include
Mexico
City
on
a
trip
to
the
country,
responded,
“Would
you
go
to
France
and
not
go
to
Paris?”
Like
Paris,
Mexico
City
resonates
long
after
you
depart.
There
were
many
things
in
Mexico
City
that
surprised
me.
I
knew
the
Lonely
Planet
guides
considered
the
Museum
of
Anthropology
to
be
among
the
best
in
the
world.
But,
not
a
fan
of
every
museum
I
visit,
I
did
not
expect
to
be
riveted
for
hours.
Before
you
enter,
there
are
typically
Skydancers
putting
on
a
show
for
tips,
spinning
their
way
upside
down
from
the
top
of
a
frighteningly
tall
pole.
A
huge
crowd
gathers
each
time
this
group
reenacts
the
ritual
from
Veracruz.
On
entering
the
museum,
there
is
the
structure
itself,
with
a
courtyard
and
beautiful
marsh
topped
by
a
large
and
heavy
roof
balanced
at
the
top
of
a
single
sculptured
pole
at
the
center.
The
world-famous
design
is
not
only
stunning
and
clever,
but
absolutely
ingenious
to
somehow
balance
during
construction.
Inside,
the
museum
turns
out
to
be
an
indoor
and
outdoor
display
of
many
things
Mexican,
with
the
Mayans,
Aztecs,
and
Olmecs
featured
prominently
throughout.
Visitors
weave
indoors
and
out,
with
Mayan
and
Aztec
ruins
in
the
lush
gardens.
There
is
also
a
large
and
amazing
section
on
the
anthropological
history
of
humanity.
If
you
stopped
there,
it
would
be
one
of
my
favorite
museums
—
yet
there
is
the
second
floor,
with
exhibits
featuring
the
varied
cultures
and
histories
of
Mexico’s
regions.
Another
thing
that
surprised
me
about
my
visit
to
Mexico
was
how
safe
I
felt.
On
a
recent
weekend
voyage,
we
went
out
to
find
food
in
the
evening,
past
outdoor
cafes
and
beautiful
restaurants
in
an
area
I
wasn’t
familiar
with.
Then
the
streetlights
went
out.
It
was
some
sort
of
not-so-common
outage
of
the
entire
zone
we
were
passing
through.
Within
a
few
minutes
I
realized
we
could
continue
on
with
less
tension
than
in
many
of
those
U.S.
cities
I
mentioned
before.
Families
with
small
children
were
out
and
about.
At
the
magic
fountains
by
the
Monumento
a
la
Revolution,
they
ran
in
and
out
of
the
spraying
and
oscillating
water,
colored
by
underground
lights
that
dance
along
with
the
water,
laughing
and
enjoying
themselves
—
well
after
10
at
night!
Did
they
look
frightened?
Soaked,
perhaps,
but
not
a
bit
frightened!
Great
food,
the
wonderful
late
night
walk,
and
views
of
Ciudad
Mexico
charmed
me
even
more.
Passing
a
large
statue
of
the
David
(yes,
like
the
one
in
Florence)
in
a
lush
square
only
added
to
that
impression.
What
else
might
surprise
you
about
Mexico?
How
about
the
fact
it
has
the
largest
pyramids
in
the
world,
Aztec,
at
Teotihuacon!
Many
people
know
of
them,
though,
to
me,
the
miracle
is
in
the
details.
Fewer
people
know
of
Xochimilco,
the
area
of
what
is
left
of
the
old
Aztec
canals.
Once
about
400-plus
miles
long,
now
there
are
about
40
miles
that
can
be
traversed
by
boat,
with
the
main
area
being
where
locals
celebrate
quinceaneras
and
graduations
and
tourists
like
me
come
to
gawk
at
the
hand-painted
skiffs.
Once
on
the
water,
a
smaller
boat
with
a
Mariachi
band
may
pull
up
to
offer
its
musical
services,
or
what
I
call
the
7-Eleven
boat
—
full
of
snacks
and
drinks
and
assorted
supplies
all
spread
out
for
the
passing
eye
—
or
a
flower
stand
boat,
beautiful
even
if
you
purchase
nothing.
I
could
go
on
and
on,
but
I
will
end
with
one
last
surprise
rather
dear
to
my
heart.
My
first
visit
with
a
student
group
included
a
bus
tour
that
passed
through
Chapultepec
Park.
This
huge
park,
which
dwarfs
even
New
York
City
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