My Driving Tour of Mexico City


Today I took an unintentional tour of southern Mexico City.  I saw parts of the city I had seen before and parts I had never seen.  I drove by Estadio Olimpico Universitario 4 times from a couple of different angles.  I was really intrigued by it…

All of this to say, today I got lost for the first time while driving by myself in Mexico City.

It all started out fine.  I was driving to a friend’s house for a book study group.  I have been there several times before.  Getting there isn’t a challenge any more, and I even got there fine today.  The problem was there was no parking on her street, and it’s a one a one way street.  The next street I turned onto was also a one way street, and the next showed no sign of any way to turn around.  It went down hill from there….

…for the next hour.

I don’t know who designed the street signs in Mexico City, but today I would like to give them a piece of my mind.  I would carefully follow the signs to get back on a major road I knew, only for that series of signs to suddenly disappear with no hint as to where the road I wanted might be.

I’m pretty sure that during that hour I went through the 5 stages of grief.

  1.  Denial – “I’m not actually lost.  I know what road I’m on; I just don’t know how to turn around.”
  2. Anger – “Seriously, who created these (explicative) signs?”
  3. Bargaining – “God, if you’ll just show me how to get home I promise to spend more time being thankful.”
  4. Depression – “I’m going to be lost for the rest of the day, what’s the point of even trying to follow these signs anymore.”
  5.  Acceptance – “Ok, I’m lost, but the world isn’t going to end.  I will find my way home.  I won’t be trapped on the roads of Mexico City forever.”


These were not my proudest moments.  However, I am proud of myself for the following:

  1. I made it through the whole ordeal without crying.  I admit the tears welled up, but I stand by the fact that there was no actual spillage.
  2. I didn’t call my husband in desperation and tell him that my world had ended and my day was ruined because I was lost.
  3. I finally found my way home.
  4. That’s the longest I have ever driven on my own here and I survived without any damage to the car and only minimal damage to my psyche.
  5. In the end I’m not any more scared to drive in Mexico City.  Somehow I actually feel slightly more confident knowing that I can find my way on my own and get myself home…eventually.

I        I think I actually ended the day feeling a bit more self sufficient.  Way to go me!  Maybe I’ll actually take myself on a purposeful driving tour of Mexico City one of these days.





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