jsam / jennifer

I was only in Mexico City for a short time, but I had a lot of fun. We found a great hostel that was only $7.00 a night, and it was right off of the main plaza. We met lots of people from all around the world and that was great. Since we were there for only a couple of days, we didn’t plan much but just walked around a lot. We visited the beautiful parks and soaked in the architecture of the city. My friend did some great shopping at designer stores that can’t be found in the U.S., while I hung out at coffee shops practicing my Spanish and drinking amazing coffee. People always visit Mexico for the beaches, but this city truly has a lot to offer and is well worth adding a couple of days to your vacation. Also, it is reasonably priced and even if you speak no Spanish people are very friendly and will help you.

I did not have much fun in Caracas. It was way crowded, dirty, scary, and boring! We couldn’t find anything that was in the guidebook (restaurants, museums, etc.) Although the subway system there is extensive and reliable, it is also extremely overcrowded and people are very aggressive and unorganized about getting on and off. You get stuck in huge moving waves of people. Two people, one standing in front of me and one behind me, were fighting over who should move to let the other one on/off the train and they got in a fist fight with me in the middle! It was awful. It was also the most expensive place in Venezuela that we visited.