MEXICO CITY: DOES BIGGER NECESSARILY MEAN BETTER?

           

This year’s Global Scavenger Hunt has begun! As those of you who follow this blog know, every year (I’m now in my fourth consecutive) we travel to 10 countries in 23 days. Other than the initial and final destinations, we do not know where we’re going, typically, until four hours before we depart for the next locale. So, this year, we started in Mexico City. Yesterday was the first day of “scavenges” – tasks that each two-person team can perform for specified points. The winning team at the end of the trip receives various prizes including a waiver of all fees for the following year’s travel. There are certain mandatory scavenges (generally involving food items because the travel director is very concerned about nutrition—more on that later), bonus scavenges (tasks that involve a lot of points but generally require nearly half a day to complete) and garden variety scavenges (e.g., visiting a certain place and taking a photograph of your partner with the proprietor, taking a swim in a particular river, riding a particular kind of animal, visiting a certain museum or sporting venue, etc.)

I don’t compete. Don’t get me wrong. I love this trip. It’s the highlight of my year. It has to be, otherwise I wouldn’t take it when I have an appellate brief due during the trip along with several other work-related projects I must complete. I view this trip as a “survey course of the world.” Do you remember those classes in high school that were “survey” courses that helped you decide what you wanted to pursue? We had one in which you took six weeks of Spanish, French, German and Latin over the course of your freshman or sophomore year. You then decided which one you liked the most and pursued it. This trip is very much like that. You get a flavor of the culture, people, personalities and beauty of each country you visit, even if you’re only there for a day or two. You can then decide whether to go back to the country. Have I done the latter? Not yet. But I will.

The team destined to win this year has done precisely that. The team consists of Zoe Littlepage and Rainey Booth, known by their clever team name as “Lawyers Without Borders.” They fell in love with India and Nepal, among other countries, on this trip and have been back to visit both places repeatedly. I worked with Zoe and Rainey on litigation that lasted almost a decade and they introduced me to this event. Zoe and Rainey have won the competition countless times. It seems the only impediment to them winning is…well…them. In years in which they have not won, they had an ailing relative attending the event with them, stragglers who wanted to do things that did not involve a lot of points and myriad other issues. And this year, Rainey has already had his passport and other ID stolen (why he was walking around with his passport as a seasoned traveler is beyond me). When they’re determined to win, though, Zoe and Rainey win. And by a huge margin. I looked into their eyes yesterday morning when the trip director handed out the pamphlet of Mexico City scavenges and I could tell they’re determined. Assuming the trip director allows Zoe to compete in the next leg without Rainey (who will have to stay behind to get his passport issue resolved), I think they have this in the bag. I feel a bit sorry for the rest of the field, for they don’t have a snowball’s chance. And they have no idea. They’re going to garner what they view as enormous point totals, only to realize they have been completely outdone.

I wish I could say I love Mexico City, but I don’t. Not as compared to the other wonderful places we have been on this trip in year’s past. Sure, it’s big and has every type of place you could attend. But while it’s long on big, it’s rather short on personality. I got here a day early to explore the places people said you had to visit. I wasn’t impressed. Everyone said we had to go to the downtown post office where everything was gold. It turned out to be a plain vanilla post office where, decades ago, the trim was painted with gold-colored paint which is now peeling off. The fact that so many people recommended such a singularly uninspired location caused me pause right off the bat. I’ve been in a few castles here and seen good views of the city. But merely seeing a vast emptiness does not translate into something substantive. Is the city big? Sure. It’s the 2nd biggest city in the world. Are there lots of skyscrapers? Of course. More than any other major city possesses. Does all this vastness make it special? Well, not in my eyes. I will give the city this. I went to one of the “alternative lifestyle” sections of the city (don’t get angry with me, Brother Harry fans—I was there purely to witness). It was nice seeing guys holding hands and kissing in the open. We often view Mexico as a third world country, which it once was. It is actually quite the enlightened society, truth be told. But it remains poor. Outside each of the bars were numerous workers donning the t-shirt of the bar, begging potential patrons to enter. Once inside, they ordered your drink for you, and you paid them so they got a commission. I got the impression they worked for nothing else.

I had hoped that Mexico City would have some good, genuine, Mexican (not Tex-Mex but authentic Mexican) cuisine. I got none of that. The meals we had, including at restaurants recommended (e.g., Villa Marie), were wholly uninspiring. I just really don’t like this city. Now, bear in mind that I am typically THRILLED by the places we visit, so please do not get turned off by my rather negative review of this locale. Read on in the coming days and see whether the trip achieves different status.

As for the hotels that accompany this excursion – well – they are always fabulous. We’re staying at the St. Regis Mexico City which has every modern convenience imaginable. (I have yet to figure out how to use all the light switches in my room.) In addition to the gorgeous rooms (with incredibly comfortable beds and walk-in showers with lots of water pressure), the buffet breakfast, included in our package, is elaborate and delicious. Now, for that comment I made earlier about the trip director and his commitment to nutrition. Apparently, in the early years of this event, some people saving their money decided not to eat and therefore got sick. So now, the trip includes buffet breakfast at each locale to ensure every participant gets at least one good meal. Clever and compassionate. This shows how concerned Bill and Pamela Chalmers are with making sure everyone has a rewarding experience.

So, we met last night and were told that we would leave this morning for our next location. But Bill won’t reveal that place until we’re all on the bus around 7 a.m. I’ll keep you posted!

Adios.