Embracing Adventure: My Curious Friends and I Gathered for an Eventful Weekend in Mexico City

From hot-air balloon rides to drunken days on the Xochimilco River, spending quality time with my friends is what life is all about.

It’s such a glorious feeling when the group chat finally gets together in real life. When those up-in-the-air travel plans come to fruition, everyone gathers to embrace one another's loving energy, and we all let go of the worries gifted to us from an occasional harsh and difficult reality. 

Recently, my group chat got together and joined me in Mexico City. I was quite surprised that I was able to convince some of my friends to fly to another country for the weekend, but you know what they say about the power of an ambitious woman. We spent 5 glorious days together and embarked on incredible adventures that have now graduated and become lifelong memories. Collectively, we practiced our Spanish, enjoyed delicious cuisine, drank way too much mezcal, and learned about some of Mexico’s history. 

Once the majority of my friends arrived, we headed over to Nico’s for what we assumed was going to be a cozy and satiating bite to eat. Satiating it was, cozy it was not. Based on the Google images, we assumed that our loungewear would suffice, but we stuck out like sore thumbs the moment we entered the building. It was more of an upscale restaurant, and we were not dressed for the occasion. Too late to turn back and with our stomachs growling, we sat down wearing basketball shorts, hoodies, and slides. Looking back, it was a comical way to start our holiday. However, we thoroughly enjoyed our food and had a magical time catching up with one another as we sipped on Mezcalitas and devoured our delicious Mole. 

Pollo Mole at Nico’s

Later that evening, once everyone had arrived, we went to grab drinks at Cafe de Nadie in Roma Norte. It’s one of my favorite bars in the city, with great food, service, and cocktails. As we enjoyed our cocktails, we played games, talked about the power of storytelling, and all 50+ parts of the Who TF Did I Marry series on TikTok, which I guiltfully admitted I haven’t watched. Time seemed to fly by that evening, and before we knew it the first day in Mexico City came to an end. As the bar began to close, we finished our crafted cocktails and made our way back to our Airbnbs to prepare for the other upcoming adventures that were on our itineraries. 

Hot-Air Balloon Ride & Pyramid Tours in Teotihuacan

Hot Air Balloon Experience in Teotihuacan

When I saw this excursion, I immediately posted the link in the group chat. Truthfully, I would have gone alone, but I was glad to get a unanimous YES from everyone. The thought of taking a hot-air balloon ride at sunrise over the Pyramids in Teotihuacan excited me and seemed like something that would remain etched in my mind forever. 

My friends and I were picked up at 5 am for our hour-long journey to Teotihuacan from Mexico City. Once we arrived, we checked in, got coffee, and were given instructions on what to do once we landed. After we loaded onto the balloon, we set sail and floated into the air along with what seemed to be hundreds of other hot air balloons. The experience took my breath away, and the higher we rose into the sky, the more grateful I became. Once we landed, we made our way to breakfast, which, honestly, I was not too fond of, and then we set off for our tours of the Sun and Moon Pyramids. Our gracious tour guide educated us about life in the city during ancient times as we explored the ruins. We even got the opportunity to test out the acoustics created by the surrounding buildings and played a game of Simon Says from across the marketplace.

Xochimilco Boat Ride 

Island of Dolls in Xochimilco

If you ever find yourself in Mexico City, the Xochimilco Boat ride is a must-do with your friends. Xochimilco is a culturally rich place where you are guaranteed to have a good time. Our host, Caesar, was welcoming, knowledgeable, and easy on the eyes. He taught us about the city’s rich history and shared that only those who were born in Xochomilico were allowed to own boats on the canal, which I thought was a wonderful way to keep the money circulating within the community. 

As we loaded onto the boat, we were greeted by the owner and were served Tequila shots to commence the tour. We learned a lot about the land, but in full transparency, I was a tad bit inebriated and can’t remember anything outside of the Island of Dolls with the terrifying No Pasar sign. Legend has it that a young girl drowned in the river, and people began placing the dolls there for her remembrance. A year after her death, her father drowned in the same river while mourning her. It is said that she called him and claimed his spirit so they could be reunited again in the afterlife. After we passed the shrine, we stopped by a store on the river to do some window shopping. I bought bubbles (the kind you blow, not the kind you drink) to allow my inner child some play time before stuffing my face with homemade guacamole and downing yet another shot of tequila. I hadn’t drunk that much in such a long time, and I felt like the girl who had one too many on her 21st birthday all those years ago.

Tattoos by Nico

I tried to convince everyone to get matching tattoos with me at the beginning of the trip. Although the matching tattoos pitch was unsuccessful, I was able to persuade everyone to get a tattoo while in the city. I was ink happy throughout my stay, and I was lucky enough to have met the most incredible artist named Nico. They had the kindest and most loving spirit. I have gotten a total of 6 tattoos while on this trip, and if Nico lived in LA, I would have a full sleeve by the end of the year. I like to think that whenever my friends gaze upon their fresh ink, the memory will be linked to when they came to explore the city with me. 

I deeply cherish the moments I spent with my friends on this trip. I am grateful to have people in my life who are willing to try new things and go on thrilling adventures. Getting the chance to spend quality time with them in such a remarkable city fills me with gratitude and reminds me how beautiful friendships are. I’m looking forward to the next time our group chat gathers, but until then, we will continue to shower one another with love through our text messages, social media posts, and hand-written letters.

Until next time!