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After our delightful stay in
Tapachula,
Mexico, it was time to move on to the Nation's Capitol City, Mexico
City.
We have always heard
great things about this city, and even after all the years we have lived in
Mexico, we have never made a trip to stay in the city itself.
Billy and I are "big
town, little city" kind of people, and here is a good case of allowing one's
preferences to get in the way of a new experience. Well, enough of that kind
of thinking! Off we were to the Capitol.
The morning of our
flight, we awoke and caught a taxi right outside our hotel. We paid 200P
(about $10USD) for a taxi from Tapachula to the airport about 30 minutes
away.
Our flight was
non-eventful until the landing, which was one of the worst in our decades of
world travel. For some reason, as we were about 400-500 feet elevation,
below the high rise roof tops
and approaching the runway, the pilot HITS THE GAS (or whatever pilots do)
to lift the plane straight up to about 5,000 feet. The aborted landing had
already been a bumpy one, but now, we are smashed against the backs of our
seats and going through those same air currents again.
My face was drained of blood and white,
as I had reached my limits of being able to adapt to the motion of travel.
Billy was trying to remain calm as his mind was scrambling to figure out if
we were being hijacked or just what.
No explanation was ever given, but thirty
minutes later we did arrive safely and de-boarded the plane, collected our
luggage and searched for a taxi to take us to our hotel.
We paid 375Pesos + 50Peso tip (about
$22USD) for the taxi to go from airport to hotel Casa Gonzalez.

Map of the area where we stayed, and
our hotel is clearly marked in the middle
I am directionally challenged, so you
could show me this map upside down or backwards and it would speak to me in
almost the same way. As a world traveler, I consider this "talent" (or lack
of one) to be a
particularly unhelpful personal failing.
Sometimes it is hysterical the way I can
get lost in a paper bag, but other times, it is terrifying.
But I digress.
Here you see the area where we stayed in
Mexico City and our hotel is centrally located in the Embassy District and to
other various tourist
attractions.

The hotel at street level
We had received glowing recommendations
for this hotel, in
Panajachel, Guatemala, so we were eager to unpack and settle in.

Looking into the back area and the
check-in office is to the right
Check-in time was between 3pm and 4pm,
and we had arrived to the hotel at about 2:30 pm. So, we had to make
ourselves comfortable while we waited.
I checked in and paid cash for 3 nights
and received a 10% discount. The price was 1080Pesos per night (about
$56USD) and we paid 952Pesos (about $50USD). Some of the office personnel
speak English.

Outdoor restaurant seating
Fortunately, there was a restaurant on
site for us to have a beverage and something to eat.
But before we ordered any lunch, I did
request a glass of wine to settle my nerves and my stomach both over our
unusual plane landing and spending half an hour driving through 10 lanes of
city traffic to arrive at our hotel.
Sometimes I think I'm just kind of a
country girl.

Really cute hotel
Casa Gonzales is family owned and has
been serving hotel customers for decades.

Waiting for our room to become
available
We waited in the outside seating area for
our room to become available. It was a bit overcast this day and for me, a
little chilly.
Nothing seemed to be moving quickly, so
we ordered some lunch, the daily special.

Black bean soup
For $5USD each we get bread and tortilla chips,
the daily soup, breast of chicken, rice, salad, a pitcher of fruit juice and
flan.

Our grilled chicken breast lunch
special
Both of us were happy to find out that
the food was very tasty. Also, for being in the Capitol city, the prices
were reasonable. Of course the current Dollar to Peso exchange has been very
helpful, about 20Pesos to $1USD.

Flan for dessert
The flan was delicious also, and fresh.
It was included in the meal, or I might have skipped the dessert. Billy,
however, was thrilled!

The entranceway into our building
Finally it's time to go to our room and
for the $50USD a night we are paying, I'm hoping for something decent. Not
too small, not too funky... You know, it's the city where prices are higher
and we have a good rate. I don't know what to expect.
She takes us towards a driveway in the
back and my heart sinks, thinking "Oh great. A dark room in the corner..."
But NO!!
We go into this large lounge with
couches, chairs and furniture then up some stairs and into our room.

Our hotel room
I'm surprised. Our room has to be
at least 20 feet by 20 feet plus a walk-in closet and a huge bathroom. There
is a desk in the room with a couch on the other side and comfy chair in the
corner for a guest. There's a little balcony out to the street behind the
desk curtains.

The other side of our room
The door to the right of the chair is the
walk-in closet. A couple of complimentary bottles of drinking water are
provided and internet is very good.

Our bathroom
Marble sink, thick bath towels, hot water
with good pressure. Hair dryer and soaps/shampoo are included.

Community dining room
That evening and the next morning we ate
in the community dining room. It was a convenient way to meet other
travelers who were staying at the hotel. Jorge, the owner, came to visit
with us a couple of times. We learned about what to do in the city, and a
bit of history of the area.

Our room with balcony from the outside
Even though our room was on the street,
we had quiet evenings of sleep. Road noise seemed to be at a minimum.
Our hotel room was close to other
eateries, and we enjoyed walking the neighborhood and checking them out.

Our bill
Due to this and that, we decided to stay
another evening at Casa Gonzalez. However, since our initial reservation was
only for three nights, our room had already been booked for our additional
night. We had to move across the hall which was easier than we had
anticipated. The maid helped with our luggage.
In determining our bill, there was some
confusion. I had paid for the first three nights in order to receive the 10%
discount, but she made the bill out for the full four nights at the regular
price. Also, I had to look over the tab for our meals (which were
accumulating at the office instead of paying for them at the restaurant).
Be sure when you get ready to pay, that
you know what you have eaten and how long you have stayed. I'm convinced
this was an honest mistake, but have your "history" with you when you go to
finalize payment. It makes it so much easier.
All in all, and in every way, we would
recommend Casa Gonzalez as a place to stay if you were ever to visit Mexico
City. See their information below.