I didn't have many expectations when I traveled to Mexico City: I wanted to tour the sites and experience the night life. I did that but I also found what I can only describe as a little piece of Venice - with a Mexican twist - right here in North America.

The Xochimilco Canals are a destination for tourists and locals alike. Colorful boats, manned by agile and strong paddlers who stood on the back, navigating through the waters, floated - and expertly avoiding colliding with each other - along the canals of this historic and picturesque area. Vendors, hawking everything from jewelry to cerveza (beer), would pull their boats alongside ours, trying to make a sale. It was a warm day so, for the price of 15 pesos, I decided to enjoy a cold beer.

As the sun set, I was treated to the sounds of various mariachi bands, also on boats, as they serenaded those generous enough to pay for their services. Mexican families, who had brought along meals fit for a king, seemed to enjoy the ride along the canal as much as the tourists did.

The ride was far too short …

The ancient city of Teotihuacan is Mexico’s most visited archaeological site, and with good reason. Here, you feel transported back in time, where men worked day in and day out to build monuments to the Gods.

Standing on the sites Avenue of the Dead, glancing at both the smaller, yet still overwhelming, Moon Pyramid and the towring Sun Pyramid - the third largest in the world - I tried to provide myself with reasons why I should not climb either one. I'd seen them; that was enough, right?

Wrong. To be in that space and not fully experience it would go against everything I believed in. So I decided to climb. I started with the Moon Pyramid first. Its steep steps intimidated me not on the way up, but on the way down. I'd recommend that anyone climbing these structures - and anyone who is able bodied should - take extra care. A few actually scooted down on their bottoms. Not a bad idea.

Walking across the Avenue to the Sun Pyramid, I was able to catch my breath and prepare myself for the difficult climb. I was also accosted no less than …

The Basilica of our Lady of Guadalupe gets more visitors each year than St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. Sitting on top of Tepeyac hill, just north of Mexico City, Our Lady of Guadalupe is near the place where it is said Our Lady of Guadalupe, or the Virgin Mary, appeared to Juan Diego, a farmer who later became the Catholic church's first indigenous American saint.

Raised Catholic, I am drawn to the church's historic and recognized sites. I'd been to Notre Dame in Paris but was not prepared for what I saw at Our Lady of Guadalupe. I visited on a Sunday and the crowd was massive. A standing room only, full mass - there is mass every hour on the hour on Sundays - was taking place, as thousands of people toured both the interior and exterior of the church.

Locals and tourists alike maintained a respectful silence as they wandered in and out of the church. Because the crowd was so large, it was hard to navigate.

Outside, there is a statue of Pope John Paul II, along with the actual 'Pope mobile' he rode in during his 1999 visit to the city. …