Alt Insider Tips to Mexico

I have often found that the most amazing moments in Mexico happen while I am at the store, walking down the street, or sitting in Metro Car. There are so many things to do, and once you are here, you feel like you have all the time in the world to do them in.

Quick Tips:

Don't look like a tourist. Develop a tourist style that is respectful in tone and style to this very rich and diverse culture. If you are an American, like myself, try and remember that to Mexicans we are all Americans. Use your head, and as they say in all the earthquake and fire signs here, "Reserva tus calma" (stay calm).

Best Way To Get Around:

I think this definitely depends on a number of factors. I will say more about this later. The Metro is a marvel. The paseros (microbuses) are small. The taxis can be cheap to pricey. Walking is a must, especially in el centro. Generally the public transportation could teach us gringos a thing or two. It's vast, extensive, but on the whole cheap.

I have never actually stayed here, but I always put my friends and colleagues up at this place. It's one of a kind. It's an old 4 or 5 story place in the heart of the Centro Historico. D.H. Lawrence used to slum around at the turn of the century here. You still see loads of artists, foreigners, bohemians, philosophers, writers, and creative types. The atmosphere is relaxed. The place is clean and very friendly. There is always someone who speaks english and the restaurant kind of knows what a vegetarian is. A true rarity in Mexico. It's very open minded. I could tell you some stories I have gone on down there, but I might need a lawyer first. The bar is great fun as well and open till around 2...or if there is a crowd they just stay open till whenever. You can get a room on the roof, the cheapest and most young people oriented and watch the sun rise and set over the mountains. And it's so cheap. It's truly amazing. They do have hot water, room safes, and a very sharp staff. Just a damn good place to stay. Oh yeah the best part is the prices range from something like 16 to 25 us dollars a night.

This is just a run down of the night life scene. Generally there are some places I will never go. Specifically, the snootier places with strict dress codes that cost 30 usd for guys and are free for girls with an open bar. I'm gay, so what's the point. There are lots of places to go around town that are cheaper and more fun. For the gay scene as well as the stripper bars, go to Metro Insurgentes, very cruisy, and go north to Zona Rosa or south down Insurgentes and guys will be falling over each other begging you to come to their respective clubs. The gay scene in Zona Rosa is very young, richer, typical gay disco-ee, but it's so much more fun to just go to one of the many cantinas around that sell the buckets, cubetazas, of beer (often 6 or 7 us dollars for 6 beers) and see what happens. I reccommend the Bull Pen. Very crowded, mixed, wild, and fun. It is down Insurgentes on Medallin (veer left at CANADA building). I will write more in detail on all of these and much more.

What can I say? Garibaldi is for the adventure oriented traveller. It is almost lawless. In fact the massive amount of police presence is not exactly a good thing. Remember, cops are only good here if you are running from a guy with a knife, and even then expect to have to bribe the cop to help you. The cops are obscenely crooked here...deserve their own journal entry. Just don't let them fleece you. ANYWAY. There are a huge number of clubs and discos here, but there are only a few I would ever recommend. One is now the sadly, hopefully temporarily, closed 33 at 33 Eje. Central. A good place to see everyday mexicans woo sexy transvestis. A real trip. [p] Also there is the Pulque Bar that closes earlier on the main plaza towards the back and to the left. They serve a very odd liquid that gets you kind of drunk and kind of high. It's an aztec drink. I recommend the lime or strawberry flavored ones. [p] Throughout the plaza there are roving bands of mariachis, which are there for the specific purpose of being hired for parties or events or to give serenades or what have you. There are many styles and it is a real experience. [p] There are people selling alcoholic streets all over the place. One of the many illegal, but allowed with the right bribe, things here. They are actually probably the best idea for asking directions. Buy a beer and ask them how to get to 15 or quince "Keen-say". That place used to be much wilder (live sex every night), but has toned down and gone gayer. It is still a very fun place to go with a group of buddies. If you are so inclined it's a good place to pick up an army guy or maybe just a regular jose, but even if you are straight it is still great fun and the crowd is definitely mixed with all flavors and types. Don't bother getting there before 12 unless you have loads of money to kill and want to get good and drunk before the first live show which starts I think at 1...then there is one at 3 and then 5. Strippers (male), dancers, and a female impersonation shows. (standard gay fare...but this place takes it up a notch). I think this place represents the best of the lowest in Mexico and would recommend it to any open minded person with a sense of adventure. 20 peso beer. [p] All in all Plaza Garibaldi can be a lot of fun. It is also dangerous, filled with thieves (not just the cops), prostitutes (be careful many of the best looking girls are guys), drug addicts, thugs and low lifes. You have been warned. Generally though, if you are not too high profile, don't bring expensive things, atm or credit cards, and stay in better lit areas and away from the cops you are o.k.

Ok so there are like a million taxis in this city...no really. I'd say that 98 per cent of them are totally safe. That leaves about 20,000 not so safe cabs around. Really it all depends on the money you are willing to spend/lose. There are taxi cab companies, TaxiMex for example, that you can even get a receipt for tax purposes after you pay with your credit card, that are honestly not that expensive by first world standards. I took one such cab half way across the city one night (about a 35 minute drive, no traffic) and it cost about 80 pesos. This is cheaper than a cab off the street late at night...which is the dangerous time. I have done that as well, and I have also refused cabs after a quick glance inside. There should ALWAYS be a taxi meter. It is always better if it is in use say "Taximetro" and if he nods his head it's gonna be a good deal. Other things. Don't get a ratty looking cab. Make sure to check that there is the cab drivers id clearly posted, and that the guys face is the same as the guy driving the care. If for whatever reason, your intuition is telling you something is wrong on the ride. DON'T PANIC. Calmly tell the man "Aqui, esta bien" and he should pull over right then and let you out. You can get another cab. Taxi stand cabs (Sitio) are generally safe, reliable, and only a bit more expensive. I use cabs whenever I can afford them. At night they are the fastest and sometimes only way to get around town. The Metro closes early. 12 midnight.

Ok. La Tira. The Cops. Call them "Oficial" when you have the generally unpleasant experience of talking to them. The police officer's job here definitely includes busting people illegally to get them to fork over cash. They will use any excuse to pull you over, or none at all, I have heard "for your protection". They love getting petty bribes for expired licenses, running red lights (ultra common practice here), parking violations, or if you seem drunk. Often and usually for good measure they procede to search you and your companions and the car if you are in one (which is totally illegal without a warrant or suspicion) and if they find anything wrong or something illegal then you have trouble. [p] If you are in the city, really it just means you just lost some money. In the countryside, god forbid you ever get caught with something by the army. I know two guys who they got 10000 dollars from his parents to release him for carrying weed on a bus to Oaxaca. The army has some place where they just stop people and search the ones with money. But in D.F. (Mexico City) you generally just have to deal with the sleazy cops who just want to get you for as much as your ATM card will allow. They take you from one ATM to the next, accompany you to them and see that you pull out all you can. Lots of fun. I see it happen regularly at the bank across the street from my apartment. [p] I have had a guy friend groped by cops...I mean handling the goods. You can imagine what would happen to a girl alone. I know a british guy who some cops decided to have some fun with and took him (kidnap style) on a 8 hour joy ride forcing tequila down his throat and more or less having some fun with him. Once there was a cop drunk and waving his gun wildly around in the street near where I live in the downtown. My friend called the cops to tell them, and they told him, "What do you expect us to do about that?", when he then told them that my friend who was with us worked for the PGR, Mexican FBI, we had an officer taking statements within 5 minutes at the house. There is a code of silence with the cops and no one can win against them in the court, unless they have a friend in the right governmental position or loads of money to fight protracted court battles. [p] The only time I like cops is when I am alone and with nothing illegal...although watch out...I had another friend who was almost robbed because he wasn't carrying his identification with him, but he was broke and a mexican, so they let him go (a totally random stop and search while he was walking down the street at night). But like I was saying, in the wrong parts of town, late at night the patrolling car and cop on the corner actually make me feel a little better. Bet really the best is just to keep people around you. Go in groups. Avoid empty streets. Go to the light. That is, stay around areas of higher activity at night and avoid side streets unless you really know where you are. [p] Oh yeah, Don't carry anything illicit on your person, if at all possible. If you are in a situation where you have no choice hide well and be very alert but calm for the cops. Don't worry though. If they catch you it's just a bribe and you keep whatever it was that got you into trouble. The basic truth is this. The rich here are free to do as they please, and the poor suffer for every infraction. [p] Oh yeah, the Judiciales...if a car says Policia Judicial, be on alert these guys are something between the cops and the army. They have their own turf and there was even a recent gun battle between the judiciales and the regular cops over territorial issues. They are mean, tough, and serious, and you can expect the bribe to devastating. Fortunately, they only strike when you piss them off. They don't bother with the random search stuff. They know who to hit, and typically it's rival drug groups who threaten their money making empire or stand up to them.