Wasn't I just here?
It was less than three weeks ago that I was in Mexico City, but here I am again, making an unexpected trip to be with my friend Alejandro while he has an equally unexpected surgery.
My flights yesterday went smoothly. I was at Cleveland airport at the ridiculous hour of 3:30 A.M. to catch my 5:45 A.M. flight to Houston. We left right on time. The plane was half empty. I had my whole row of seats to myself, so I was able to stretch out comfortably. In Houston I had a layover of more than three hours. I am paranoid about flight delays (especially in the winter), so I always prefer to schedule a minimum of two hours for a layover. As it turned out, the flight from Cleveland arrived in Houston a half hour early, so I had plenty of time for a leisurely breakfast at the airport, snooze a little and read the book I had brought with me.
Unlike the flight from Cleveland, the flight to Mexico City was packed. There was not a single vacant seat. When I made the reservations I saw that all the flights to Mexico City this week are very full. It is still a bit early for holiday travelers, so I suspect that people are flying down to make a pilgrimage to the Basilica of Guadalupe. (The Day of the Virgin of Guadalupe is this Friday, and millions of pilgrims come to Mexico City annually from all over the world.) In spite of the full plane, the flight went smoothly. I always book an aisle seat so that I feel a bit less cramped. The flight left Houston and arrived in Mexico City on time.
After I passed through customs, Alejandro was there waiting for me. He drove me to my hotel, Hotel Eurostars in the Zona Rosa district of the city. For this last minute trip, I did not book an apartment as I usually do. The Hotel Eurostars is a Spanish chain of modern hotels that are generally moderately priced. I have stayed at this Eurostars in Mexico City a number of times, and the accommodations are very acceptable.
After Alejandro dropped me off at the hotel, he then returned to the office. However, in the evening he returned, and we went out for supper together. His operation is on Thursday, and, of course, he will have to fast the night before, so this was our only chance to go out to eat..
From the day after Thanksgiving until Christmas, all flights heading south are packed, usually. The Nationals come home for the whole month of December, if possible.
ReplyDeleteMost factories, such as meat packing and chicken processing close from Dec 15th til after Christmas. In Houston I know all construction jobs, if possible, shut down from the 15th on. I knew better then to ever think my Mexican crews would stay in Houston rather then head home for the holidays! It's very difficult to get a flight and some friends at the border on Sunday said it took them 3 hours to cross! OMG. I experienced that a couple of years ago on December 18th trying to cross. It was backed up for hours. NEVER again.
Well, the important thing is that I made it down here!!
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