Mi México Querido, por Peter Ong

Thank you so very much for inviting me to Cumbre Mundial de
Diseno en Prensa.

I know this is late, but I thought it would be good if I gave
you my impression on the congress as well as the beautiful
experiences I had enjoyed in Mexico City.

When I told my family and friends that I was going to Mexico,
everybody was rather worried. Their first responses to me
were: "Is it safe?".

"Better be careful because we hear of all the killings of
journalists in Mexico"

"Better not go out at night because it's not safe."

Even in some of the travel books that I read before going
to Mexico, there were many paragraphs asking tourists to be
careful.

Two or three weeks before I left Australia to go to Mexico, I
had many sleepless nights thinking about the dangers! What if
I went and not return to my family? What if someone kidnapped
me? These fears were very real!

But after staying in Mexico City for about a week, I must say
that all my friends and family's fears were totally unfounded!

I was not kidnapped. I was not mugged and robbed. I was not
accosted by thugs in the streets.

In fact, I felt so safe I walked everywhere in Mexico City,
many times on my own and at night! The police presence
everywhere in the city centre was also very reassuring. At
almost every corner, there were two or three cops standing by.
It really gave me a sense of being very very safe.

I had a fantastic time in your beautiful city. The people I
met were so friendly and helpful I could not have asked for
more. When I got lost walking in the city, people were ever
willing to help.

Shopping was great fun too. The service at many of the stores
I visited is comparable to that in First World countries like
the UK and USA. But the best thing is that Mexico City is
so cheap for us Australians because of the very favourable
exchange rate! I wish I could go and shop in Mexico again.

I was also struck by the many historical and archaeological
places and buildings in your city. I thoroughly enjoyed
visiting the various museums. Diego Riviera's murals were
simply awesome. The arts museum is fantastic. The list is too
long but you know what I mean.

My only regret is that I did not have enough time to visit
other parts of Mexico. I would have loved to see the pyramids,
the many beach resorts, and other archaeological sites in your
country, and lots more!

Perhaps there will be another time. But next time I will
definitely bring my wife along. And plenty of money for
shopping!

Thank you once again for inviting me to speak at CMDP. I look
forward to visiting your country again soon.