Author: natemono

Travel Tutoring – Mexico City

Travel Tutoring – Mexico City, Mexico 🇲🇽

Hey friend! Like I said, Mexico City is one of my favorite places in the world, and I am constantly nudging people to check it out because of how accessible it is from the states. Shoot me an email if you want any more help planning out your trip.

General Tips

  • Use Uber! This will save you a lot of money, and make the city much easier to navigate. However, you will have to get a chip in your phone. Here is the process for that.
    • If you have an Iphone, you will see on the right side a little slot. Get a paperclip and push in the little hole. You chip will slide out.
    • Go to a tienda or anywhere you see advertising a chip. I got movistar last time, but you could get telcel or claro. I got mine in one of the subway stations, but you will see them being sold all over. 
    • After getting the chip, you will have to do a “recarga”. Just say “quiero hacer una recarga de cien”, and then they will hook you up. This will probably give you enough data to last the week and in turn, call Ubers. Let me know if you want more help when you are actually there. 
  • Use the subway! It’s the cheapest in the world at 5 pesos (20 cents) a ride. There is an app called Red Transporte DF that is really helpful for navigating. You can also use google map’s transit function, but only if you have international data or a sim card. 
  • Use the app Maps.me. If you download the Mexico City map to your phone, you can use it without any connection to wifi or anything. I still don’t know how the f it works, but it follows you everywhere and is the best offline map in my opinion. You can also download google maps and use it offline.
  • Use Airbnb! There are so many cool places to stay on Airbnb. I would recommend searching for rooms that are in a shared apartment. It’s a great way to meet people.
    • We stayed here and loved it! Luis and Cynthia have an incredible terrace on the top of their place.
    • If you don’t have an account, use our link to sign up! We will get travel credit if you book a place 🙂
  • Massiosare El Hostel is my favorite hostel in the city. It’s very centrally located, spacious, and has an awesome rooftop terrace. 
  • Bring your student ID! You can use it to get into places for free or cheaper than usual.
  • Haggle when buying souvenirs! The easiest way to do this is to buy multiple things from the same stand and ask how much the prices will lower if you buy both or in some cases, multiple things.

Places to see/ things to do

  • Roma Norte – This is my favorite neighborhood in the city. It’s hip, cheap, and has awesome places to stay.
  • Roma Sur – Similar to Roma Norte, but less hip and more local/ grungy. Highly recommend for longer stays. 
  • La Condesa – The trendiest part of the city. It’s super cool, but a bit more expensive.
  • Coyoacán – Make sure to spend a morning wandering around this part of the city. It’s absolutely beautiful and really rich in culture.
    • Frida Kahlo Museum – Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera’s story is super interesting, and this is their old house. Super cool museum! 
    • Coyoacan Artisan Market – There are a bunch of cool things to buy in here.
  • Teotihuacan – Reealllllyyyy big pyramids and ruins outside of the city.  
    • How to Visit Teotihuacán – people will try and swindle you into buying an expensive tour. Save money by getting there via public transportation!
  • The Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe – If you were raised Catholic, this place is awesome to see.
  • Lucha Libre – This is the classic Mexican wrestling that people love. Check out Arena Mexico on Friday or Arena Coliseo on Tuesday. (If you want a mask, haggle in the city center, don’t wait to get one outside the arena!
  • Markets – We could spend all day wandering around markets. They are the best places to eat authentic cuisine, and to also see things that make you go WTf?!?!
    • Mercado La Merced – This is one of the biggest and most centrally located markets in the city.
    • Mercado Sonora – This market is famous for having a section dedicated to witchcraft and magic.
    • Mercado San Juan – This market is famous for its food, and is a great place to wander around. The whole area around it is packed with things and people. Nate got his macbook here!
    • Mercado La Ciudadela – Get your souvenirs here! There are tons of cool crafts and things to buy. Be sure to haggle your prices. 
  • El Zocalo and Surroundings – a great place to people watch and wander around. From the Zocalo, walk east! The area to the west is a bit dodgy in the late afternoon and night.
  • Bosques de Chapultepec – a massive green space in the city with tons of stuff to do inside.
    • Chapultepec Castle – This is the old center for government in Mexico. Bring your student I.D. on Sunday and it’s free.
  • Paseo de la Reforma– This is one of the most important streets in the city, and it’s massive.  The entire strip shuts down every single Sunday so people can run, bike, walk their dogs, Zumba, and more.  We really recommend just checking this out.   
  • Xochimilco– known for its beautiful canals and floating gardens!

 

Things to eat – Alright now comes the fun part…

  • Street Tacos- This might seem obvious, but there are certain kinds you have to try.
    • 1. Al pastor- Pork with adobo seasoning, often with pineapple. Only eat this if you see one of these in the restaurant. It’s not the same without. 
    • 2. Suadero- A thin cut of meat between the leg and the stomach that’s popular in Mexico City. IT IS AMAZING.
    • 3. Try all the random kinds. Here is a little guide just in case you want to know what you are getting.
  • Arrachera – steak
  • Cabeza – cow head
  • Cachete – cheek
  • Campechano – beef & pork mix
  • Carnitas – shredded pork
  • Chorizo – spicy minced sausage
  • cochinita pibil – delicious pork 
  • Cueritos – pickled pig skin
  • Guisados- random!
  • Higado – liver
  • Lengua – tongue
  • Longaniza – less spicy sausage
  • Maciza – pork shoulder
  • Molleja – gizzard / stomach
  • Ojo – eye
  • Pescado fish
  • Riñon – kidney
  • Sesos or cesos – brain
  • Surtido – scraps of types of meat
  • Tripa – tripe
  • Trompa – snout
  • Gringas – These are a quesadilla with a flour tortilla, oaxaca cheese, and al pastor.
  • Costra – a taco in which the meat is wrapped in cheese.
  • Tortas – traditional mexican sandwiches. Be sure to try milanesa (breaded pork).
  • Pozole – a traditional mexican stew.
  • Tamales – In the mornings, you will see tons of people selling these on the street. So good and cheap.
  • Mole – This is a must-try! It’s a sort of spicy chocolate sauce that is BOMB with chicken.
  • Chilaquiles – Always different, but will have tortilla chips with sauce and cheese over them. Good for breakfast.
  • Elote – traditional mexican corn on the cob.
  • Sopes – Tacos with a deep fried, thicker tortilla.
  • Huaraches – Taco with beans, cheese, and a much longer tortilla
  • Arroz con leche – A warm dessert or breakfast treat with rice, milk, and cinnamon. 
  • Go to panaderĂ­as and sample some pastries! 

 

Places to eat – It’s a bit tough to recommend specific places in Mexico City because most places are sooooo good. Plus, they are all so cheap. If you have a good gut feeling about a place, try it!

Pujol on the expensive side, but 16th best restaurant in the world!

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Travel Tutoring – Guatemala

Travel Tutoring – Guatemala 🇬🇹

Woohoo! I’m happy as hell you have decided to visit one of my favorite countries — Guatemala. I’m sure you are going to have an incredible time.  Before you go, you must know that your trip will be 100x easier if you ask locals for help, especially when taking local busses or asking for directions somewhere. Also, pack a sweater! The nights here get quite chilly. ¡Buen viaje!

Places to Go

Guatemala City – Wild and chaotic! If you spend time here, check out Zona 4. It’s probably the coolest area of the city.
Antigua – The tourist hub of Guatemala. If you want to escape gringos, don’t come here. This is the best place to work though. Check out – Impact Hub.
Quetzaltenango (Xela) – 2nd largest city in Guatemala. Great cafĂ©s, food, and bakeries (Xela Pan).
Nebaj – Only come here if you want to hike from Nebaj to Todos Santos. Use GuĂ­as Ixiles!
LanquĂ­n/ Semuc Champey – Beautiful, chill place tucked into the jungle that serves as a base for visiting Semuc Champey. 
Chichicastenango – The best market in Guatemala hands-down. (Thursday & Sunday)
RĂ­o Dulce – A nice place to relax. An inlet off the caribbean with a fair amount of tourists.
Flores – A beautiful little village to spend a night on the way to or from Tikal.
Tikal – The most impressive Mayan ruins you will ever see.
Lake AtĂ­tlan – Home.
– San Marcos de la Laguna – “The Hippy Center of Central America”/
– San Pedro de la Laguna – More of a backpacker/ party vibe, but tons of coole places.
– Panajachel – The tourist center of the lake. Not much to see here.
– San Juan la Laguna – My favorite little village. Hike to the Indian Nose!
– Santiago AtĂ­tlan – The largest town on the lake and home to some awesome artisanry.

Hiking

I highly recommend asking around town to find local, affordable tour companies. Everything that you see online is going to be much more expensive and owned by foreigners.

Indian Nose – an awesome hike to see an incredible view of Lake AtĂ­tlan. Easy to do independently.
Volcano Santa MarĂ­a – A bit of a challenge, but the 3rd highest peak in Guatemala.
Acatenango (overnight) – Camp on this volcano for a spectacular view of active volcano Fuego at night.
Xela – Lago AtĂ­tlan – a 2-3 day trek that a few companies do. Super badass.
Volcano San Pedro – One of the easiest hikes to do with a tour group in San Pedro.

Foods to Try

PepĂ­an – The most traditional of Guatemalan foods. Sort of like mole, but there is no standard pepĂ­an.
Rellenitos – Sweet plantains filled with bean paste. 
Chuchitos – tamales!
Arroz con leche – a classic breakfast treat. Great during cold mornings.

Helpful Tools

AtĂ­tlan Living – A guide to events and living around Lake AtĂ­tlan.
Horario de Buses  – This site is the closest you will find to the correct bus times in Central America. Of course, it doesn’t hurt to ask at the market when certain busses leave.
Thorn Tree – Lonely Planet’s open travel forum that is packed with personal information.
R/Travel – Reddit’s “Destination of the Week – Guatemala” page.