This is a story about our second attempt at getting Russian visas and it involves zero camping so bear with me.
I've done a few posts on flying with toddlers so I won't get into much of detail here. There is literally nothing you haven't seen.
Mexico City is big, to say the least, so with all of our bags and without a car it took us a while to get to the hotel.
It was the first time my daughter used the subway, so everything was so exciting! The tunnels, the trains, the noise. Everything that gives me intense anxiety and everything I try to avoid looks so wonderful through her eyes.
Looking at her and having a glimpse of how our world looks from her perspective is such a privilege. Those tiny humans possess such joy it puts every adult to shame. We had a stressful day and not a bite to eat, but none of it mattered at that moment. That experience was special for her and she was happy despite everything else.
If this post has any point whatsoever, let's make it learn from kids and try to be more like them. 👍
The hotel was a nice surprise. Normally we try to avoid them as much as possible. No particular reason for it, just camping and Couchsurfing has been so much fun that hotels seem like a missed opportunity. However, Mexico City is a bit tricky. Like any other capital, it's always busy, rapid and not necessarily friendly at any given time. The hotel seemed like the safest option, so we found one within walking distance from the consulate and settled there for 3 days.
Half a day without food and things start to get a bit crazy. This is how we made our way to the store.
The little one started fooling around and then we were all gone.
We got some sandwiches, some beer, fun rainbowy thingy made of jello and chips, which is not your ideal meal, but it was the quickest and frankly the most fun.
Side note: if you are potty training your kid and have one of those waterproof sheets, they could be used for so many things. Seriously, the most convenient thing ever. This one we got in a textile shop. They had dozens of rolls, Sofi picked the one she liked the most and we got about 8 cubic meters worth of it. So if you want to get a lot of it for as little money as possible, consider visiting such a store.
Moving on to day #2. We got up bright and early and were ready to conquer the day!
Stood in line for nearly 5 hours only to apply and get told that we need to pay for visas in the bank and come back the next day. 😥 But hey it was already better than San Francisco.
To redeem the 'not as productive as expected' day we had a quick lunch and went straight to the giant park we had near our hotel.
Simple things make all the difference.
And then that happened.
Being quite hungry we decided to go to a specific restaurant that could offer something healthy for both our tastes. Well, it took us about 2 hours to get there. But we got great exercise out of it.
I also got a sunburn on my lips after that walk. 😶 Didn't even know that was a thing. Mexico City is hot, so if you are considering going there, don't skip on that sunscreen.
The next two days were quite intense. We went back to the consulate early in the morning and got told that our visas will be ready in exactly 3 days. Except our flight was leaving the next day, so we had a little freakout. The tickets could not be returned and my husband couldn't really get off work for 3 more days. In desperation, I called the consulate and prepared myself to beg for their help, but everything turned out much better. They were super nice about it and said that considering our departure they can make visas extra urgent and all we needed to do is provide the proof of the flight.
The next morning we returned to pick up our passports and as we were standing in line outside, the earthquake alarm started to sound. People got out of all the surrounding buildings, ready for the worst. You must keep in mind that Mexico City is a very seismic place. They have big earthquakes almost every year that leave people without homes and sometimes have quite a few casualties, so when they turn on that alarm it's no joke.
And I know this situation can potentially be dangerous, but as we are standing in the middle of the road all I can think about is: "Really? The universe doesn't want us to go to Russia this much? First, they shut down the consulate in San Francisco, now there is this earthquake coming and they might close not only the consulate but the airport as well. What's next? The flood? Not even funny anymore."
Fortunately, nothing bad happened. The alarm sounded for about half an hour and then just turned off. The reason it went off was an earthquake in Guerrero, the neighbouring state. The year prior to that a similar earthquake there started a series of earthquakes that devastated Mexico City, so just as a precaution they had all the people safe outside of their houses. If I'm not wrong, the area is considered safe after about a day after an earthquake, so even after we successfully got our passports there was a slight chance the airport would shut down.
Here is us trying to be as far away from buildings as possible just in case.
We still had a good 5 hours until our flight, so there was no reason we couldn't stalk squirrels around the park for a while.
Coffee fix for parents and a sugar fix for the little one. 👌 If you want to know how we survive stressful potty-training travelling with a 'terrible two' child - this is exactly how.
Extra tip for flying with toddlers and small children: have them run as much as possible and get rid of their energy if that option is available for you.
Then we slowly walked towards the airport, not in any hurry, since our flight was leaving at 10-11 p.m.
The child passed out from all the running and strolling, which you really learn to appreciate. Trust me, quiet moments don't come around often before the bedtime.
Killed some time in the restaurant.
Killed some more in the waiting area.
You can guess how long that day was by the amount of suffering on my husband's face.
When the taking off part finally happened, our child was out cold. Didn't even care about the inclined seat.
And this is it for our Mexico City adventure. Somewhat stressful, somewhat successful, but just like anything with us - unreasonably crazy. Thank you for tuning in. See you next Thursday.
I've done a few posts on flying with toddlers so I won't get into much of detail here. There is literally nothing you haven't seen.
Mexico City is big, to say the least, so with all of our bags and without a car it took us a while to get to the hotel.
It was the first time my daughter used the subway, so everything was so exciting! The tunnels, the trains, the noise. Everything that gives me intense anxiety and everything I try to avoid looks so wonderful through her eyes.
Looking at her and having a glimpse of how our world looks from her perspective is such a privilege. Those tiny humans possess such joy it puts every adult to shame. We had a stressful day and not a bite to eat, but none of it mattered at that moment. That experience was special for her and she was happy despite everything else.
If this post has any point whatsoever, let's make it learn from kids and try to be more like them. 👍
The hotel was a nice surprise. Normally we try to avoid them as much as possible. No particular reason for it, just camping and Couchsurfing has been so much fun that hotels seem like a missed opportunity. However, Mexico City is a bit tricky. Like any other capital, it's always busy, rapid and not necessarily friendly at any given time. The hotel seemed like the safest option, so we found one within walking distance from the consulate and settled there for 3 days.
Half a day without food and things start to get a bit crazy. This is how we made our way to the store.
The little one started fooling around and then we were all gone.
We got some sandwiches, some beer, fun rainbowy thingy made of jello and chips, which is not your ideal meal, but it was the quickest and frankly the most fun.
Side note: if you are potty training your kid and have one of those waterproof sheets, they could be used for so many things. Seriously, the most convenient thing ever. This one we got in a textile shop. They had dozens of rolls, Sofi picked the one she liked the most and we got about 8 cubic meters worth of it. So if you want to get a lot of it for as little money as possible, consider visiting such a store.
Moving on to day #2. We got up bright and early and were ready to conquer the day!
Stood in line for nearly 5 hours only to apply and get told that we need to pay for visas in the bank and come back the next day. 😥 But hey it was already better than San Francisco.
To redeem the 'not as productive as expected' day we had a quick lunch and went straight to the giant park we had near our hotel.
Simple things make all the difference.
And then that happened.
Being quite hungry we decided to go to a specific restaurant that could offer something healthy for both our tastes. Well, it took us about 2 hours to get there. But we got great exercise out of it.
I also got a sunburn on my lips after that walk. 😶 Didn't even know that was a thing. Mexico City is hot, so if you are considering going there, don't skip on that sunscreen.
The next two days were quite intense. We went back to the consulate early in the morning and got told that our visas will be ready in exactly 3 days. Except our flight was leaving the next day, so we had a little freakout. The tickets could not be returned and my husband couldn't really get off work for 3 more days. In desperation, I called the consulate and prepared myself to beg for their help, but everything turned out much better. They were super nice about it and said that considering our departure they can make visas extra urgent and all we needed to do is provide the proof of the flight.
The next morning we returned to pick up our passports and as we were standing in line outside, the earthquake alarm started to sound. People got out of all the surrounding buildings, ready for the worst. You must keep in mind that Mexico City is a very seismic place. They have big earthquakes almost every year that leave people without homes and sometimes have quite a few casualties, so when they turn on that alarm it's no joke.
And I know this situation can potentially be dangerous, but as we are standing in the middle of the road all I can think about is: "Really? The universe doesn't want us to go to Russia this much? First, they shut down the consulate in San Francisco, now there is this earthquake coming and they might close not only the consulate but the airport as well. What's next? The flood? Not even funny anymore."
Fortunately, nothing bad happened. The alarm sounded for about half an hour and then just turned off. The reason it went off was an earthquake in Guerrero, the neighbouring state. The year prior to that a similar earthquake there started a series of earthquakes that devastated Mexico City, so just as a precaution they had all the people safe outside of their houses. If I'm not wrong, the area is considered safe after about a day after an earthquake, so even after we successfully got our passports there was a slight chance the airport would shut down.
Here is us trying to be as far away from buildings as possible just in case.
We still had a good 5 hours until our flight, so there was no reason we couldn't stalk squirrels around the park for a while.
Coffee fix for parents and a sugar fix for the little one. 👌 If you want to know how we survive stressful potty-training travelling with a 'terrible two' child - this is exactly how.
Extra tip for flying with toddlers and small children: have them run as much as possible and get rid of their energy if that option is available for you.
Then we slowly walked towards the airport, not in any hurry, since our flight was leaving at 10-11 p.m.
The child passed out from all the running and strolling, which you really learn to appreciate. Trust me, quiet moments don't come around often before the bedtime.
Killed some time in the restaurant.
Killed some more in the waiting area.
You can guess how long that day was by the amount of suffering on my husband's face.
When the taking off part finally happened, our child was out cold. Didn't even care about the inclined seat.
And this is it for our Mexico City adventure. Somewhat stressful, somewhat successful, but just like anything with us - unreasonably crazy. Thank you for tuning in. See you next Thursday.
No comments:
Post a Comment