Grandpa Poppers: Working In Mexico City

The first of a series of blogs on a working trip to Mexico City. I am sure you will all find this riveting in formation, and will look forward to the next day.

Traveling

Today, Sunday, I got up early at 5:00 am and quickly got dressed and finished packing for my trip to Mexico City. I tried to get breakfast, but remembered that I needed to drive fast, because this was an international flight. I left home at 6:02 am and arrived at the Airport at about 6:45 am. I quickly went to the ticket counter, and there was a long line. Fortunately, the started allowing international travelers to check in by a kiosk like national travelers, so I was not only able to print my ticket but to check my passport as well, so that I could quickly get to my gate. After passing security I arrived at the gate with about 10 minutes to spare before they loaded (7:30 am) for an 8:00 am flight. So I was able to buy an Egg McMuffin before I boarded my flight.

Arrived at Dallas Airport at 11:10 am. Took the train to a different Concourse arriving at my gate at 11:40 am just 10 minutes before the plane started loading for a 12:10 flight to Mexico City. I arrived in Mexico City at 2:40 PM. In the Airport in Mexico City, I had to wait with everyone else to go through Immigration and Customs. The line was really long. 1 and 1/2 hour later I had finally made it through customs. Outside, a driver was to be waiting for me with a sign with my name. I saw no one. After about 15 minutes, I received a call from the Hotel saying that the Driver had been waiting since 2:40 and was wondering if I had left. I told them where I was, at Gate E3 outside of Customs, as I was instructed to be. She then told me she would send him my way. After another 15 minutes of looking for him, I saw a new man with a folder looking around. I thought I saw Barrett on the folder written in pencil. He was not holding the folder up, so I went and asked him if he was looking for me. He then took me about 100 yards down the hall to where another place was marked E3, and introduced me to my driver. Finally, I was able to arrive at the hotel at 5:00 PM.

In Mexico, I called my work associate and we went out for dinner and discussed the training plans and other things we needed to accomplish on Monday and through the week.

Church

Since it was Sunday, and I did not get a chance to attend our church meetings, during the flights I listened to part of the New Testament on mp3 files I had downloaded from the church web site. I was able to listen and repeat as necessary, where I felt I did not hear or understand well, from Acts 11 through Romans 11. I had not read these parts of the New Testament in years. It was very good. I especially liked reading about Paul's travels, miracles, visions, imprisonment, angelic rescues and teachings. Reading some of this with the understand we also have from the Book of Mormon and other scriptures, it is hard to understand how other religions can not believe some of our doctrines. Especially when it comes to things like personal revelation, ordination by one with authority, baptism as an part of repentance rather than as infants, and other items.

The Hotel

The Hotel was a real surprise, it is very nice hotel in the best part of Mexico City, but it is very European/Scandinavian/Modernistic. All of the furnishings are very modern and cold looking. Halls are dark with strips of red lighting down the halls. The room is very comfortable, but again modern and cold. It has a huge shower area, with marble floors and walls and a complete wall of windows, with a large plantation shutter. There is one shower head from the ceiling to the side, with a marble post in front of it that has two additional shower heads that spray on your legs and your stomach or bottom. You can clean all of your body parts at once. Oh! I forgot to mention the large Mexican Hammock in my shower area as well. I guess we are supposed to shower then lay in the hammock while we dry off.

It does have a 32" HD TV and DVD player.

Having stayed up until 1:00 am the night before, woken at 5:00 am I decided it was time to go finish a few e-mails, update my blog and go to bed.

The pictures below are of the Hotel, and the view out of my shower window.