Hey all!
I’m travelling to Mexico City for work in a few days, and I’ve just been forewarned by another colleague about his experience on the metro. He advised me to avoid the metro outright, as he was pickpocketted there. He still had mostly nothing but praise for the city, but now I can’t help but be a little spooked. Any tips to avoid getting scammed or robbed?
Additionally, he assured me that I will, without a doubt, get sick. Any tips to avoid that as well? I know that I should stick to bottled water and avoid ice. He also suggested to avoid any produce that needed to be washed. Lettuce, tomato, etc.
How cautious do I need to be regarding the water?
Do NOT drink the water. It’s a good idea to pack some pepto or similar medicine, just in case. No matter what you do though, there’s a good chance that you will get sick. I ate at hole in the wall restaurants and was fine. Then on my last day in the city, I went to a fancy steakhouse and got sick. I suspect it was the salad, but who knows?
The taxis will rob you and the subways are a good place to get pick-pocketed. You’ll be better off if you speak Spanish. The best practice would be to have a friend who lives there drive you around. There are certain parts of the giant city that you don’t want to go to, but as a tourist you probably won’t be visiting those areas anyway. Be safe and have fun!