Mexico

Mexico City Saturday 8/3/03 Woke too early. Feeling very tired but unable to sleep. So we got ready and went down to breakfast. Annette and Stefan joined us very soon and we all had breakfast together. At 8.30 sharp we met a guy in the lobby who drove us through unusually light traffic back to the Grey Line office. We had booked a day tour which would take us to a couple of sights in the city and then out to the big pyramids of Teotihuacan. Actually this turned out to be a great day and our guide, Leon, was very very good. First stop was the Plaza of the Three Cultures (Aztec, Spain and Mexican), where Cortes had found a beautiful pyramid and then destroyed it to make a cathedral out of the rubble. Next to the cathedral is an open square with a very dark and bloody history. Next came the Shrine of Guadalupe, where we saw a couple of miracles, a lot of cathedrals and churches and many many people. Very catholic. After this we drove out of the city and through a sea of grey cinderblock shacks, and then into the dry dry countryside to Teotihuacan. First stop was at an obsidian center in the shadow of one of the pyramids. Here another guide, Arturo, showed us how pulque, tequila and mezcal is made from the maguey cactus. Arturo then showed us some magnificently coloured chunks of obsidian and other mineral products of nearby mines. The gift shop was too cool, we got to try all three of the maguey-derived liquors. Mezcal is the best. Leila and I bought a couple of items, while Annette and Stefan picked up a few postcards and a hat. The last being the most sensible purchase of the day. Leon then took us to the Templo de Quetyalcoatl where I managed to photograph the snake god itself as it appeared in its incarnation as a dust-devil. Here in the Templo, Leon described early archeological methods (dynamite), he found the ghost of a bird and showed us a rain/fertility god and Quetzalcoatl too. Very cool. Back in the bus and we drove around to the other side of the complex where we walked to the Plaza of the Moon, here Leon left us with one hour to climb both the moon and sun pyramids. We did this (gaining 14 years of good luck each) and got back to the bus with about 5 minutes to spare. The only depressing thing about Teotihuacan was that about half the people there were trying to sell us something. Depressing. We had lunch somewhere nearby, there was a two piece mariachi band which was pretty entertaining. The food was good too. Leon drove us back to the hotel and we were all ready for siesta. That evening the four of us walked into the Zona Rosa and found a nice restaurant and had an excellent evening wining and dining. Mexico City Sunday 9/3/03 By some small miracle we managed to sleep late. Annette and Stefan discovered that the museum they wanted to see wasn’t open early enough for them before their departing flight. So they had breakfast with us. Leila had found some nearby markets so we all went to check them out. As usual the sun was making the road tar bubble so we hugged the shadows all the way. The markets were pretty nice, tight little alleys and tons of craft items. Pretty interesting. We wandered around for a so long that time slipped by. Annette and Stefan had to go, they were flying out at midafternoon. So we said our goodbyes and they went back to the hotel to check out. Leila and I looked around some more, had a cold drink in a little cantina and then walked towards the Zocalo looking for another market. The people at the second market were pretty aggressive so we didn’t stay long. Hoping to pick up tickets for a show tonight we then went to the Palacio des la Bella Arts. Here we wandered around looking at some of the magnificent murals (a couple by that Riviera guy), then we went to get tickets but they would only take Amex or cash. So we had to get cash, it took a while but we were lucky. With tickets secured we settled down to a light lunch at the Palacio’s café. We then walked through some more markets in the park adjacent. Eventually we walked back to the hotel and just crashed. Slept and watched some tv and slept some more. This siesta thing rocks! At about 8pm we went down to the lobby and organised for a taxi to take us to the Palacio. Being there a little early Leila browsed around the gift shop while I paced around the atrium people-watching. We had pretty good seats inside, except leg room was tight. Same as everywhere else in the world. The show was great, really colourful, heavy Spanish influence. Standouts were a chorus-line of rifle-toting girls, a kick-ass knife fight and a mischevious demon dude who managed to take the piss out of everything. We walked home from the Palacio. Probably not the smartest thing we ever did, but we made it safely enough (barking dogs and curious stares aside). Nearing the hotel we were pretty hungry so we found a friendly street vendor who supplied us with food and drink and the knowledge that walking around at night was none too bright. Oh well. We took our goods to the hotel and had dinner in the room.