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an iconic image of Palacio de Bellas Artes
in Mexico City's historic centre |
I'd be lying if I said the pickpocketing incident didn't shape my opinion of Mexico City in the days that followed. The very next morning, when I left for the mountain city of Guanajuato, I viewed my fellow metro commuters with suspicion: a thief could be in their midst. Simultaneously, I recognised my unwarranted paranoia. It was absurd: one pickpocket does not make an entire city dodgy. Plus, pickpockets strike in a lot of other major cities as well. Still, Mexico City made me feel a little uncomfortable. One good thing that came out of that episode though, is that it taught me to be extra vigilant (I also stopped carrying my wallet).
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| the remains of a day at Coyoacan, a district in Mexico City |
All the same though, I felt reluctant to leave. I had met some really amazing people, including my couchsurfing hosts. One spent an entire afternoon helping me get a new phone, the other followed me to the tourist police to lodge a report. It was people like them who made it difficult to fly out. But as Sufei (my ex-uni classmate who now lives in Mexico City) pointed out, such feelings would come back to assail me every time I have to end a particular leg. And she was right.
It was then I realized something else about myself. Inasmuch as I had believed I was able to emotionally detach myself from people/situations, I have yet a long way to go.
first written on 31st October 2017
