Subway ride in CDMX

Yesterday I decided to go to a the North Face store to buy a new backpack. I looked up one of the many stores on Google Maps that wasn't too far away. 15 minutes by taxi, 28 minutes by subway, about 30 minutes by Metrobus.

Shouldn't be a problem.

The young man at the reception desk suggested that I take the subway. It's totally easy and only costs 5 pesos. No matter where I want to go. I can transfer between subway lines as many times as I want.

I did a little research on how it works. 12 lines, each with a different color, the corresponding subway stations are marked and named with the respective color.

Because it was nearby, I decided to take the Metrobus. It seemed more familiar to me. I'm not familiar with subways and they just confuse me.

1. Problem: I couldn't buy a ticket at the machine. Another crap. I quickly asked the next official who was standing there for help. She helped me with a colorful plastic card, I paid and got a ticket, which she immediately took from me. Because they disappear in those turnstiles at the subway stations and apparently there are no checks on the Metrobuses, as you can only get in if you have this ticket. This is checked everywhere.

2. Problem: I went too far, I should have transferred to the subway at some point and missed it. Plus, I was further away from my destination than before 🙈. After over half an hour, I got off and asked the next official how to get to where I wanted to go now. Take the next Metrobus one stop further, then go to the other side of the station and go back to a specific stop. Get off there and go to the subway. The one with the purple color. When I arrived there, I had already been on the road for an hour 😂.

Just to be safe, I approached a young woman and asked if I was in the right place and how to proceed. And she was an extremely friendly and lively Mexican who also spoke English. Her brother is a nurse and has been working in Stuttgart since the pandemic. In just 1 minute, she explained the functioning of the local subway to me, made the Google Maps information and the network of lines clearer, and even rode a few stops with me. Heissa, subway riding was no longer a problem for me.

It turned out that the North Face was located in the historic city center.