Welcome to México! Vijaya Selvaraju here, your guide (and on camera host) to México.

This morning the ProjectExplorer team and I hopped on an early flight from New York City to Mexico City. With less than 6 hours in flight, I spend the majority of the trip discussing the production schedule with my fellow travellers. There’s so much to explore in such a short period of time, we have to be sure our schedule is as efficient as possible.

I land in Mexico City, collect my luggage, and proceed to immigration and passport control to get my passport stamped.

I’m immediately struck by how big Mexico City is. I mean massive, expansive, sprawling. Mexico City is home to approximately 21 million people, which is about 9 times the population of my hometown of Toronto, Canada. A city this large can be classified as a megalopolis.

México’s capital is in a valley surrounded by mountains, but the country as a whole is so vast and diverse that every one of its 31 states has a different landscape. México is home to rainforests, deserts, canyons, and large grasslands. In order to appreciate this geographic diversity, I will also be visiting the cities of Oaxaca and Mérida.

The streets in México are highlighted with billboards advertising everything from soft drinks to Spanish novellas (soap operas). There are also plenty of food stalls and craft stands to tempt me along the way. It’s a visual overload! There’s certainly plenty for me to explore.

At the hotel, I take time to brush up on some basic Spanish phrases, which will surely be of help over the next few weeks. There’s no doubt about it - I’m excited to be in México!

Next up: A quick Spanish Lesson.

© ProjectExplorer.org, 2010. All Rights Reserved.