First Day in Mexico

My first trip to Mexico. Monterrey to be precise. I wasn't quite sure what to expect. After one day my impressions are pretty much like most places...good and bad...beauty if you look for it.

My very first impression was not good. As I stepped off of the plane I was greeted by a really foul odor...smelled like a sewer. That was pretty much the smell in the whole area around the airport. Fortunately, as I approached the office and hotel area it was gone.

I began to look around, and I was struck with the beauty of this place. Monterrey is surrounded by mountains, very close jagged peaks, that form the horizen on all sides. The climate is tropical, lots of green, and also desert. Of course, this is not a rich country, and you can see run down buildings and poverty without looking too hard. As we were driving on the freeway we passed a horse drawn cart with people in it. Many cars passing them were BMW's. That is the dichomety of Mexico. Beauty, pollution, prosperity, poverty all rolled into one.

The people here are all very friendly and welcoming. Everyone smiles and makes an effort to speak English. I really like them. They are engaging and seem to care that you like Mexico and enjoy your stay.

Speaking with one of our employees here on assignment was intersting. She says that it is common to see things here that never quite get finished, that never quite get the final touches that make them high quality. After she said that, I notice it everywhere. The parking ramp at the office has cement floors that are so rough and bumpy you have to watch where you are walking...never got smoothed and leveled when they were poured. I am sitting in a high-rise office building, and the wall socket is hanging from from wires that just go through a jagged hole in the wall...never actually installed. I am in a new hotel with a very nice room...but seems they forgot to provide hot water, which made my shaving and shower experience into an ordeal this morning.

Oh well, most importantly the food here is outstanding, and since I absolutely love Mexican food I am in heaven. Waiting for chicken tacos with chilis and onions for lunch. MMMMM! Time for a pre-emptive antacid strike!