One of these days, I was walking my dog in the Mexico de la Condesa park, when I saw a girl riding an original transport. And this is history.
After doing some research, I found out where these totally eco-friendly personal transporters rent. I was surprised to know that they are super organized and offer you tours where they promise culture and guaranteed fun on wheels.
Do not think that they give you the keys and you fly off, no! It takes you about 20 minutes to catch the wave when handling the segway. Although it is easy, it has its joke. It is maintained with your own balance, they call it self balance. You just lean your body back and forth to move forward and backward and the turns are done with a control located on the handlebars. The operation is through three colored keys that are used to change the speed. We beginners use the black one, which allows you to travel at 10 kilometers per hour. On the way back, and if you have mastered the segway, the guide uses his yellow key, which doubles the speed and responsiveness of the handlebar.
I decided on a more extensive tour that leaves from the Zona Rosa, the heart of the stock market and tourist center of Mexico City. After wandering around a bit and enjoying its relaxed and cosmopolitan atmosphere, we went straight to Paseo de la Reforma.
The most beautiful avenue in the world
I have been fortunate to be in many cities abroad and I affirm, without fear of being wrong, that Paseo de la Reforma is one of the most beautiful avenues in the world. In its central route you can find fine examples of architecture, numerous banks and offices, old residential areas transformed into fashionable places, embassies, luxury hotels, select art galleries and first-class restaurants.
And not to mention the monuments that adorn it! During the Porfiriato, a series related to the history of the country was ordered: that of Christopher Columbus (1876), the statues of heroes of the Republic, the one dedicated to Cuauhtémoc (1887), by the way 50 meters removed to facilitate the operation of the Metrobús And of course, my favorite, the monument to Independence, inaugurated in 1910. There we took the opportunity to take many photos. It was a totally different experience, since although we have passed through there countless times, it is not enjoyed in the same way on board the car, not even walking. It is also recently restored and looks with all its splendor.
We continued to the Historic Center and wherever it turned, we found something interesting, architectural styles with a French air, art deco, neocolonial, functionalist and postmodern. Of course, without neglecting the traffic or running over a pedestrian or hitting a sidewalk or planter. All our senses were busy, so we suddenly felt the need to stop for coffee.
Other “greats” of the metropolis
Already entering in confidence, we hurried our pace and took the also famous Avenida Juárez. We wanted to take some photos in the Hemicycle dedicated to Benito Juárez. It was Porfirio Díaz who laid the first stone, on October 15, 1909, and it is entirely made of white Carrara marble. There we came across an interesting photographic exhibition and the Mounted Police.
In no time we were in the Alameda Central, one of the oldest and most traditional places in the city. It was the first garden and promenade in the capital. The next stop was the Palacio Bellas Artes. Its esplanade is a great track for the segway! Of course, having due respect to the pedestrians who quietly enjoy this wonderful site that, 73 years after its construction, in addition to combining the preservation and dissemination of its cultural vocation, has been the subject of a constant restoration program respecting the original project. This summer has many special activities for youth and children.
Glancing ...
We crossed the street and decided to go to Plaza Tolsá, at the crossroads of Tacuba and Xicoténcatl streets. Unfortunately we could not admire it with its usual brightness, since there was a seedling. Anyway, we turned directly to Tepoznieves. Have you tried them? They are delicious. There we rested for a while to start the return, but not before asking Eduardo and Omar, our guides and hosts, to use their master key to increase the power of the segway. What we did in two hours, we traveled in about 15 minutes. It was really a lot of fun.
So we ended up one more day in the great metropolis, this same one that the press seems to insist on presenting as dangerous, but it is more than a red note, it is the glorious City of Palaces, the same one that we all enjoy through thick and thin 100% , now aboard a segway.
Source: Unknown Mexico No. 366 / August 2007
