House-sit #9: We’re enjoying our last few days with these two fluffy city kitties! Giacomo “Big Fluff” and Penelope “Mini Fluff” have been really cuddly temporary companions, helping to keep us warm and cozy during our chilly holiday season in Mexico City. When they weren’t fighting to sit on our laps, or sleeping the day away, they were an endless source of entertainment, displaying all the stereotypical cat behaviors: making eye contact while knocking things over; watching birds and squirrels through the window; grooming us; cuddling each other briefly before exploding in hisses and running into the next room; trying to escape the fifth floor balcony to the building next door; and demanding dinner at exactly 5:00 pm. In all honesty, they were quite a treat.
One of the biggest perks of this house-sit (besides the fluffs) was the private rooftop balcony. Our host’s potted plant garden was so beautiful! It gave us a charming place to both work and relax, while enjoying the view overlooking Colonia Cuauhtémoc. Our hip little neighborhood was near the iconic statue El Ángel de Independencia, and within (long) walking distance of the large city park Bosque de Chapultepec to the west, and the Centro Histórico to the east.
Mexico City (CDMX for short) is incredibly huge. The population of Mexico is 130 million, and 22 million live in Mexico City alone. It’s both deeply historic and super modern, with all the amenities one could ever want: great public transportation, walkable neighborhoods, diverse global cuisine, and a perfect mix of both upscale restaurants and bafflingly affordable food carts. With so many options within such a short walking distance, we went out to eat more than I care to admit! Mexican food standards like taco carts, bicycle tamale carts, and fresh juice carts, along with all kinds of global cuisine. We enjoyed some over-the-top Mexican-style sushi, ramen, takoyaki, and okonomiyaki, but I kept reminding myself: while there are endless Japanese restaurants in Mexico, there are hardly any Mexican restaurants in Japan… so we made the taco carts a priority, because we know we’ll be missing soon!
December was a great time to be in Mexico City, when it’s decorated all sparkly for the holidays. We were able to feel festive, spending time with a Lutheran congregation, and attending our first Mexican Posada, Christmas Eve, and Christmas service. We met some new good friends, who took us for a walking tour all the way from Colonia Cuauhtemoc to Centro Histórico, and also invited us to their home for Christmas dinner (on Christmas Eve) which was absolutely wonderful; we had an interesting conversation long into the night!
As we’re enjoying our last few days with Giacomo and Penelope, we’re looking forward to January at House-sit #10 in San Miguel de Allende, and hope to enjoy every possible moment of our last month in Mexico, for now. It’s taking a lot of time and brain power to plan our very busy February, which will involve heading (as briefly as possible) to Texas, in order to tie up any remaining loose ends, in preparation for our journey to Japan! Who knew just planning our travels would be a full-time job. But it’s been an incredibly rewarding job, with lots of delightful temporary pets, and lots of new friends all over Mexico.
Our YouTube video covering House-Sit #9 ⌄
Thanks for reading,
Dani & Evan Benton
English 
日本語