Monday June 22
Our friend from Sydney arrived just after us, and after a quick refresh, we went for quick tacos at Taqueria Orinoco in Polanco, the chain of restaurants literally only has 5 tacos on the menu, and was a chance to reminisce for our friend that lived in the area while she was younger. We followed the cheap tacos byefore dinner at Comador Jacinta. And rounded out the night with a drink at Gin Gin, which is highly recommended. As all of us had various states of jet-lag, we called it a night relatively early.
Arrival in Mexico City | iPhone 16 Pro | 6.8 mm Back Camera | f/1.8 | 1/60th | ISO320
Tuesday June 23
The three of us from Sydney (even though we came separately) all slept in until around noon. We missed most of the Portugal v Uzbekistan match (not exactly the barn burner of a match), but got ourselves togetherfor the England v Ghana match. The fourth in our party had identified a Sports Pub called Mulligans as a good central place to take in the match.
We left the house, and walked into Polanco. We were bumping along, and the ‘local’ of the group was stopped by two guys with a microphone and were using an iPhone as a camera. They asked a few questions, our friend answered in Spanish (I still don’t know what was said exactly), and our friend said they were ‘reporters’ from Croatia getting some street interviews with fans in town for the World Cup.
Street Interview | Sony A7R IV | Sony 24-70 mm II | 38mm | f/7.1 | 1/160th | ISO 320
We finally made it to Mulligans, and the vibe was rather weak. I would estimate that the bar could have held around 150 people, but there must have only been 10 people there. Don’t get me wrong, I fully realize that the match was at 2 PM on a Tuesday afternoon. The staff was relatively attentive, and we had our first round quickly. The bar was also a ‘Golf Simulation’ bar, which meant they had a number of tees and fake grass in front of large projection screens to make it feel like you were out on a golf course.
We determined that Mulligans wasn’t the right environment, so at Halftime, we moved to go to Twin Peaks restaurant a few blocks away, in hopes for a better crowd. We ended up standing outside of the restaurant for nearly 10 minutes, as the restaurant was packed, and the Service was well behind. We finally grabbed a table at a restaurant a few doors down, a watched the remainder of the game with chips and dips. I won’t fully go into the details of the England match, you can read the Match Report yourself.
We left the second stop, and strolled through Polanco before a full meet-up dinner for everyone that was attending the Mexico match the next day. We stopped at the Adidas store, and my partner picked up an Argentina jersey with Messi’s number 10 on the back, and I picked up an away (White) Mexico National Team Jersey.
We met up with the crew for dinner at Campomar, in Polanco. Lovey, mostly seafood restaurant. I even ordered a Chardonnay / Chenin Blanc blend from Mexico!!! It was lovely, and a great way to finally meet everyone face to face. We also had the Croatia v Panama game on in the background.
We ended the evening with a couple of drinks with a few of the crew at Cantina La 20.
Wednesday June 24th
It was finally game day. The first of three matches we had live tickets to attend. This was the final game of the Group Stages, and featured Mexico v Czechia – in Mexico City at the Azteca Stadium. We all met for a late lunch at Unica around 1:30 PM, and the 20 of us arrived indivudually and waited for the table to fill up.
Unica for lunch | iPhone 16 Pro | 6.8 mm Back Camera | f/1.8 | 1/60th | ISO320
One of our friends, a local to Mexico City, introduced us to a drink that is called a Banderita. Which is a three-shot drink that is meant to replicate the Mexican Flag. You have the first shot of lime juice – which brings the green, you have the second shot of tequila, which brings the white (clear really), then you have (what our friend called ‘blood of a baby goat’ or ‘sangre del cabrito’) a red juice, or Sangrita, that was basically spicy tomato juice. I think only three of us dared to venture down that path before the game, in the middle of the afternoon.
Another of the locals thoughtfully coordinated a large bus for all of us to take us to the Azteca Stadium, as it was at least an hour in traffic, and she also arranged for all of us to have the Green / Home Mexico Jerseys. We also were able to watch the Scotland v Brazil match in the van on our way to our match.
One hour in the van, then we had to walk another 30 minutes (to the other side of the stadium), to get to our gate. The entertainment along the way was worth it.
Dancing in the streets (our crew) | Sony RX100 VI | 24-200mm F2.8 | 13.6 mm | f/3.5 | 1/640th | ISO250
Drum Troops | Sony RX100 VI | 24-200mm F2.8 | 9 mm | f/3.5 | 1/320th | ISO250
Approach to the Stadium | Sony RX100 VI | 24-200mm F2.8 | 48.8 mm | f/4.5 | 1/640th | ISO250
Once we arrived at our seats, we realized we had 4th row tickets, just a little towards the middle of the field, between the 18-yard line and midfield.
At the Seats before kick-off | iPhone 16 Pro | 2.7 mm Back Camera | f/1.9 | 1/60th | ISO100
The whole crew | iPhone 16 Pro | 2.7 mm Back Camera | f/1.9 | 1/60th | ISO80
Again, I won’t go into the entire match, you can scan through the Match Report yourself. The notable items were that 1) Mexico had already sealed advanced into the knock-out stages (we were a bit worried they would field a lesser team, but they did not, and it was a great match); 2) it was tied 0-0 at half-time, and Mexico scored 3 goals in the second half; and finally 3) it was the final International appearance for Guillermo Ochoa, who has appeared in 6 World Cup Finals over a 22 year International career.
Guillermo Ochoa Farewell| Sony RX100 VI | 24-200mm F2.8 | 72 mm | f/4.5 | 1/640th | ISO5000
Take the win!! | iPhone 16 Pro | 2.7 mm Back Camera | f/1.9 | 1/60th | ISO200
Take the win!! | iPhone 16 Pro | 2.7 mm Back Camera | f/1.9 | 1/60th | ISO200
1 AM Tacos | iPhone 16 Pro | 2.7 mm Back Camera | f/1.9 | 1/40th | ISO250
1 AM Tacos | iPhone 16 Pro | 2.7 mm Back Camera | f/1.9 | 1/40th | ISO250
Thursday June 25th
Thursday was a travel day, but before travel, you must eat. Our friend that grew up in Mexico City invited us over to have a late lunch with his mother, which happened to live only a few short blocks away. We packed up, got prepared for the flights later in the day, and made our way over for lunch. We had a few canapes in the garden with White Wine (Mexican), before heading in for a proper lunch. Our friends mother happens to be a relatively famous Mexican Author, so she was full of stories. It was a wonderful lunch, the main that was served was an Salmon Fillet topped with an Oaxacan Mole sauce that was incredible.
It also happened to coincide with our friends birthday – so there must be cake with sparklers on top!!!
Cake with Sparkles | iPhone 16 Pro | 2.7 mm Back Camera | f/6.8 | 1/60th | ISO500
Finally, we excused ourselves, headed back to the house where we were staying, and headed for the Airport. Our travel buddy from Sydney was taking us to Monterrey to stay with her parents for the weekend. Headed to the Airport, got checked in, and had time to basically grab some waters and PowerAde from the local convenience stand before boarding the flight. We were in the air for both the Paraguay v Australia match as well as the USA v Turkey match.
Once landed, our friends dad picked us up and drove us back to more central Monterrey. There was no going home without tacos, so we made a quick stop at a Tacos Atarantados for a few tacos and the last 5 minutes of the USA match (which they lost in the last minutes).
Finally, back to their house and bed – it had been a long day.
Friday June 26th
Friday morning, we woke leisurely, and watched the France v Norway match. Dembele took that game by the horns and it was a relatively easy match for the French.
Afterwards, our friends brother came over with a brand new bottle of Tequila, and a saying ‘autra tequila (more tequila)’. It got a little dangerous. Our hosts and friends parents prepared us a lovely late lunch out on the back patio. We ate, we drank, and some of us swam. We had pan friend pork chops with a verde sauce on them. I talked the family into going to watch the Spain v Uruguay match at a local Mexican Pub (it was really a Clamateria el Rey) which had at least a dozen telelvisions, and drinks to match. Honestly, the game wasn’t that interesting, but the tacos, the chips and the hot sauces made up for it.
Afterwards, our friend proposed that we go into the Monterrey ‘Old Town’ for some evening drinks and entertainment. We went home, changed clothes, and made into Monterrey. We made a full lap of the Old Town before we decided which bar to try out. We ended up going to Salon Morelos, and it looked like it was going to be a relatively heavy-metal type of band. They ended up being a really good cover band of ‘heavier’ rock, mostly from the 2000’s. It was quite fun, and I sang along to a few songs. We then went to a ‘mexican country bar’ and listened to some traditional local music in a bar called Targos Amargos. Finally, it was getting late, I was hungry and we stopped in for some easy BBQ boneless chicken wings and I headed home. The ladies stayed out for another hour, but that was it.
Saturday June 27th
The next morning, I wasn’t quite feeling myself, skipped pastries for breakfast, but packed and got ready. We had a flight at 4:45 PM, but the three of us were flying to the USA, so we had to get there a bit early. We got to the Monterrey Airport, basically breezed through check-in and Security, and had a light lunch and a couple of drinks at the Wolfgang Puck restuarant in the Terminal of Monterrey Airport, all while trying to catch the England v Panama match.
Our hosts were as kind as could be, welcomed us back anytime, and I really enjoyed the stay and their hospitality.
Our lovely hosts | iPhone 16 Pro | 2.7 mm Back Camera | f/1.9 | 1/290th | ISO25
Goodbye for now, Mexico!!!
Paul Rin Travel Photojournalism 