No stay to Latinamerica would be complete without a bit of a visit to Mexico, so when I had a few free days thats exactly what I did. On arrival my lovely guide, Karina took my straight to Teotihuacan. My flight was slightly delayed and getting out of the airport was a challenge so we had to fight through traffic but we made it to the complex with a little time spare to see the complex before closing time. Although I had to rush through it, I had the rare opportunity to see it with a nearly empty space, with only a few other tourists around.
The grandiosity is striking and I can only imagine what it must have been like to walk these avenues in the days when the pyramids were covered with beautiful decorations. Persons from various ancient cultures walking these streets in their full garb, probably with a few animals around.
My arrival in Mexico City wasn’t without incident and my wallet was pick-pocketed in the 20m between where I left the taxi and entered the hotel. Moral of the story? Do not carry your wallet in your pocket. Luckily for amazing strangers-turned friends the biggest damage was to my ego, and I managed to have an enjoyable vacation nonetheless.
I joined a tour Intrepid Travel, to do a Real Food Adventure in Mexico and it was a really fantastic experience.
After a quick introduction to the city, we went on a taco crawl to fill our bellies and get a taste of the adventure that awaits. I got my first taste of real tacos, even at the kind of hole in the wall places where you will barely have a second look! I love the fact that every little eatery has its own house version of the red and green sauce, with varying degrees of spiciness, but always packed with flavour!
The next day we were treated with a view over the Zocalo – the main square – as the sun was rising and they were raising the massive Mexican flag, with trumpets and everything!
After breakfast we got to do some sightseeing including the amazing murals of Diego Rivera that shows a history of the colonisation and take-over of Mexico for the resources.
Other stops on the tour included a cake shop that takes ornate cakes to a new level, the postal palace, and the beautifully tiled building.
In the afternoon free time we took a hop on hop off bus followed by a stroll around to have a look at what the city has to offer. This ranged from the colourful markets that sells anything from street tacos to Disney costumes made in China, and the very beautiful Grand Hotel with a spectacular glass ceiling and porters dressed up like soldiers from The Nutcracker.
Dinner was a feast once more of course, and we finished the night off with the beautiful view of the cathedral from our hotel roof terrace!
mcharlottesmith 