I feel like I start all of these posts with, “I have no idea where this past month went,” so I’m not going to do that, although I typed that at first and then promptly deleted it.
It’s been a really fun month. I’ve been busy with work, but we still managed to get out of the city to explore a new place and I’m getting out of the house a lot more during the week to keep from going cray-cray.
Highlights of Life as an Expat in Mexico City
1. San Miguel de Allende
This trip was amazing! San Miguel de Allende is a seriously beautiful town. It’s colorful and vibrant and busy. We headed there for Mexican Independence Day which was a great decision. There were fireworks and street stalls, mariachi bands and salsa dancing. It was alive with action at every hour of the day (and night).
It also made me realize that I seriously can’t be cooped up in the house all day. The week previous to our trip I didn’t leave the house for almost four straight days. Even saying that makes me feel kind of embarrassed. So now I’m making sure I head to a cafe to work a few times a week, I get out and do some grocery shopping or just get some “fresh” air (there’s nothing fresh about the air in Mexico City), or a take the morning off and head into the city to do some exploring. It’s made a huge difference in not only my moods, but my productivity.
2. The Tuesday Market in Condesa
I’ve heard a lot about this market, tons of bloggers and locals rave about it, but with it being on a Tuesday, I’ve found a few too many excuses to call it a miss. This week I finally went and I’m so glad I did. It’s not a huge market, only the length of one city block, but it’s packed with color and fresh fruit smells. I wrote a bit about it in this week’s post about What to do in Condesa. It’s definitely a must if you’re visiting Mexico City.
3. Work is Booming
I’ll write more about it next week in my monthly How I Make Money as a Digital Nomad post, but it’s been an amazing month. I’ve made contact with tons of really fantastic brands; I’m finally starting to balance both websites as well as my freelance work, and all this effort I’m putting into these sites is really paying off. I’m so happy with how things are going.
Lowlights of Life as an Expat in Mexico City
1. Missing Nature
The other things I realized in San Miguel de Allende, as we walked around the Botanical Gardens and took in the canyon and couldn’t hear the sound of the road or any honking cars, was how much I missed the great outdoors. Even when we lived in Korea, we were only a short bus ride away from nature paths, river walks, and a few hiking trails, never mind the abundance of outdoor activities at our fingertips in rural England and sunny Sydney.
Mexico City is different. I can’t just walk outside my house and go for a jog (and at 7,000ft I might have a heart attack tbh). I’m a 30 minute taxi ride from the nearest park where I can actually get away from the hustle and bustle. Hiking? Hours away and the logistics of even setting out on a hike without a car at my disposal is a total nightmare.
I’ve decided to look into a few tours that take you out on hikes from the city center as well as hiking groups that go together to mountains around the area. I’m hoping to get out before it starts getting a bit too chilly and enjoying a bit of actual fresh air.
Best Reads
I’ve been really getting into books, videos and documentaries about food lately. Where it comes from, how it’s produced, why it’s all so messed up. This month I’m reading Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer
Yes, You Can Tell That Creep You’re Married – Free Candie
This post shouldn’t have to exist. The thousands of posts that have been written about women’s harassment and shame and fear shouldn’t exist. The hundreds of thousands of women who haven’t written about it but have felt those same feelings, felt scared and alone and shed tears in empty hotel rooms, they should never have had those feelings, shed those tears. It’s a sad reality not only of travel, but of daily life for most women in cities and towns and desolate wooded paths around the world. When I’m not with Luke, I always slip one of my rings on my ring finger to avoid unwanted attention and I’ve tried not to think about how depressing it is that we have to do this simply to be left alone.
Taking Care of my 3.57LB Best Friend: Tips for Traveling With Your Laptop – Alex in Wanderland
My macbook has quickly become another appendage to my person. I never travel without it, even for a long weekend. It is the third wheel on most weekends and has become my only colleague. This post is super-duper helpful for anyone who works remotely/travels with a laptop. I learned a few things that I definitely need to sort out before my next long term trip!
Uluru: The Controversial Climb – Waking up Wild
Meg and Mike Jerrard of Mapping Megan strike again on this wild-life and nature focused website. I’m in love with the long form essays and the in-depth articles about different places I’ve never even heard of. This article about Uluru really struck a cord with me. When we visited the site a few years ago we knew immediately that we didn’t want to climb it, and not just because I’m a total chicken, but out of respect for the aboriginals. But the article does make a very good argument for the other side as well. A good read if you’re thinking of heading to the Red Center.
Best Eats
We tried our local taco place that does AMAZING tacos al Pastor and I want to eat them for every single meal, every day all day. Pastor is a pork dish that originates here in Mexico City, but actually came from Lebanese and Turkish immigrants. The pork is marinated in all kinds of deliciousness before being thinly sliced and layered onto a skewer. It then spins around a flame, much like a kebab shop shawarma, and is sliced to order. It’s magnificent.
Best Instagram Photo
I mostly shared photos from San Miguel de Allende over on Instagram this month (follow along with me here!) and it seemed you all loved the colorful buildings in this city as much as I did. I absolutely loved it there and even commented to Luke as we wandered the streets, “this place is an instagrammers dream!” (#sosad).
What’s Next for October?
Last month I said we weren’t going to be leaving Mexico City and then we did. I’m going to say the same thing for October, but I seriously think we’ll be firmly planted in the city for the next 30 days. I’ve got a few plans for day trips and local adventures, but otherwise, not major travel plans.
ALSO!!! Let there be videos! I’ve started a Youtube Channel (go ahead and subscribe here and I will love you FOREVER) and I’m going to be doing “vlogtober”, which I’m pretty sure means you’re supposed to do a vlog every day for the month of October, but LOL, that’s not going to happen. I’m going to try to post a new video at least twice a week, maybe three times, while still posting twice a week here on the blog. We’ll see how that works! I’m really excited to start making videos and to show you guys the nitty gritty of life here in Mexico City. It’s pretty awesome, in case I haven’t made that clear.
Where in the world are you spending October? Let me travel vicariously through you and share your adventures in the comments!