"Be careful. You probably don't want to take a cab at the airport. Don't leave your hotel at night. Avoid walking the streets in the dark." With this advice I arrived late at night in Mexico City, not sure if I should be scared or just follow my gut feeling like I always do.
I decided to go for the second option, met a fantastic cab driver who told me all about the good food and drinks I should try. Tamales! Tacos al pastor! Agua de Jamaica! I got excited so as soon as I got rid of my backpack in the tiny hotel, I wandered the midnight streets of my new neighbourhood. Taking in mouthwatering streetfood scents, dark mescal bars, rooftop jungle terraces. I fell in love within the first hour of being in the city.
Days were spent exploring, dancing in the rain, drinking mescal while writing poems, feeling inspired when seeing a fabulous flamenco concert, meeting the best funk DJ, walking with eyes and mouth wide open in Frida's house and the Palacio de Bellas Artes, hiding in cosy bars talking Spanish for hours on end and just as I planned to travel on, I stayed.
Of course I stayed. More romantic night time walks had to be made. Midnight in Paris on the other side of the world. Mexico City feels like the hug of a lifetime. Sweet, warm, a bit sticky, never wanting to let go.