First impressions of South America (Mexico)

After a quick stop in Luxembourg, I’m back on the road. This time it’s the other side of the continent, Mexico and later the rest of South America. As you can imagine, it’s again a different world compared with Europe and Asia. But after being such a long time in Asia and spending the rest of my life in Europe, it’s super interesting to compare the three continents to each other and give you some inside about my first thoughts about south America.

In between Asia and Europe

The first and most accurate image I got from Mexico is that nearly everything is in between the standards of Europe and Asia. What do I mean by that? Well, the streets, for example, are way less chaotic and cleaner and better maintained than in Asia. However, they don’t come close to European standards. So it’s in the middle of both continents. And that’s the case for nearly everything. Prices are way more expensive than in Asia but still no as high as in Europe. Cities are modern but not as connected and clean then in Europe. And public transportation is actually working, but some progress is needed to be as good as Europe. In Asia, there is barely any public transportation, and cities are often dirty and super chaotic. So, if you are from a western country and Asia is too chaotic for you, south America it is.

Food is as good as in Asia

I absolutely LOVE Asian food! And I just found out that South American food is as good! Different of course but good enough to make me think all day about what I’m eating next. Mexico has such a diverse cuisine as well, and everything tastes so good. Same as with Chinese food, Mexican restaurants in Europe don’t represent the cuisine. It’s just not accurate what they serve in Europe and so westernized. I can’t wait to try the cuisine in Bolivia and Brazil.

People are friendly

Also, the people are as friendly as in Asia. Until now, I only encountered friendly people and only had good experiences. Very good is that the vendors are way less aggressive and annoying than the one in Asia. They might ask you to have a look in their stores or buy a hat or whatever, but a simple no thanks is enough to get rid of them.

A small problem is the lack of English. Most people speak no English, even not in Cancun or Playa del Carmen, which is super touristy. But because I can speak French, I can get along. And worse than in China isn’t it for sure.

A cenote is basically a sink hole which appear all over Yucatan

A little concerning for me is the security and the warnings from criminal offenses, though. As most people would know, south America and especially Mexico isn’t famous for being the safest place in the world. Nothing happened yet, and it won’t repeat anything, hopefully. But a thing I noticed is that the precautions to prevent crimes are high, which means there are many crimes to be avoided. Houses are extremely secured, and, on the bus, we got told that we should keep our bag every second with us.

All in all, is South America, at least what I saw until now, amazing. I can’t wait to explore Cuba and the real Mexico in Mexico City and around.