Trip to Mexico City!
Sarah and I took a lovely 10-day trip to Mexico for our four-year anniversary. It was suitably awesome:
Click any of the links for pictures.
Day 1: We arrived very tired, and found it odd that following the signs for "baggage claim and exit" did not apply to us. We had to ask around until we discovered the hidden exit in gate 12, which was for domestic flights (which was us since we had a connection). Nicole welcomed us with a big lovely meal (many different dishes), and we drank some delicious fancy wine a coworker had given me. Nicole's place was lovely, and it was great being able to hang out with her. It was cold though (there was no heat), and Sarah had a hard time with that.
Day 2:
We had a lazy morning wandering through the nearby neighborhoods (roma, condesa, zona rosa), and discovered some delicious juice (fresh guava and orange), and ate some tasty tofu enchiladas w mole at a health food store. We walked all the way to the downtown historic square the (zocalo), past what they claim is the world's largest christmas tree. There was a huge snow park with fake snow (since Mexico City never gets real snow) that had tubing, snowmobiling, snowball fights, and snowman making. There were lots of interesting vendors (Nicole bought a hat with a pom mohawk), a cathedral, and the ruins of the outside of aztec temple. We metro'd home tiredly, relaxed for a bit, and walked to an Indian dinner (Nicole had never had Indian in Mexico before, and was jonesing). It was actually pretty Indian, very few Mexicanizations.
Day 3:
We slept in in some, and Nicole and I got groceries (sadly, the grocery store tortillas, freshly made on a crazy machine, were inferior to the ones we had earlier). We tried some odd gross fruit, and I picked up a couple tacos de canasta on the way back. These are unreasonably incredibly delicious tacos which sit in a steamy basket all day and cost about $0.30 each. In the afternoon, Sarah and I took a Segway tour to the "Latin American Tower", which had a great view. Later that night we went to Lucha Libre (Mexican wrestling). We were completely blown away by how impressive the acrobatics were, plus how funny and well-scripted it all was. The little kids swearing like creative sailors were a bonus. We were so pumped, we bought a mask and shot our own impromptu match. We went to a vegetarian restaurant a few blocks from Nicole's place, and had some amazing whole wheat bread w/ salsa and vegan carnitas. We wound down with a show of awful art in Nicole's place, including a peculiar angel with a red rocket. We finished the wine from Monday, and the flavor had improved even more!
Day 4:
It took us quite a while to get going and decide what to do, so we just grazed on all our leftover. Sarah and I went looking for a tourism office to find out more about some of the cool things to do, but ended up first at a tourist crime office, then 3 sets of wrong directions later found a tiny booth with a dude who didn't know much. We did find a private tour guide / hired driver which came in handy later, although it was shady how the booth guy shut up while the driver gave us all the info. We returned to discover that we had inadvertently locked Nicole inside (none of us knew this was even possible). We spent the afternoon at Chapultepec park, and saw plenty of nice scenery, a memorial, paddleboated around, laughed uproariously at a vendor selling what looked exactly like a big pile of dog shit, and hit the enormous anthropology museum. It was overwhelming, but there were lots of very cool artifacts there like plenty of infant skulls and a larval rabbit.
Day 5:
We got some tacos de canasta to go, and started the morning with the museum of light, which was really fun (very science-y and interactive). We then went to what we thought was a small ceramics exhibit with gorgeous architecture at the antiguo colegio de san ildefonso. However, it was a huge modern art exhibit which we really enjoyed. One room was tiled walls and ceiling in bread. We stuffed down our tacos, and went to see the ruins & museum of the templo mayor (main aztec temple). It was interesting, but also enormous and we were pretty exhausted at that point. Plus we were worried about Nicole because she came quite late. We stumbled home, and ate a delicious (and again, surprisingly authentic) Korean dinner (dolset bibim bab).
Day 6:
We started the day by going to the best produce market in town. We got lots of samples in the fruit section, and bought quite a bit: incredible mangoes of a cultivar we don't get in the US, chiramoya, grenada, figs, many strange fruits we did not like, huitlacoche (aka corn smut), dry lobster mushrooms, morels for $0.50 each, etc. Nicole went home with our haul while we went to the artisanal market to get souvenirs and gifts. We ate blue corn tacos outside with the best tortillas ever; it was fortunate b/c the cost of 3 tacos was exactly how much money we had. We complemented their tortillas at length (the beans were meh, but it didn't matter) and scored two bonus tortillas as a result. The market had pretty impressive and high quality stuff, and prices were decent though not amazing in most cases. Scored some good deals though. We made dinner: morels (plain & w/ garlic & wine), oyster mushrooms (asian style), refried canary beans with chili & lime & onions, and huitlacoche w/ wine sauce. I liked the huitlacoche, but Sarah had trouble getting over the appearance.
Day 7:
We picked up Sarah's laundry in the morning, which they apparently washed in a vat of perfume rather than water. Then we went to borrow free bikes and ride on Reforma (the main street heading downtown) which is for bikers and pedestrians only on Sunday morning. It was fun, but the bikes were tiny (Sarah is 5'3" and her bike was still a little small) and rough. We got a kind of blah lunch at Yug, and took a looong Metro ride south to the Xochimilco Ecological Park. We rented bikes to get around, which were still small and uncomfortable, but it was beautiful nonetheless, and there were tons of birds. We relaxed afterwards by eating sorbet (I got guanabana!), drank limeade from a plastic bag, and wandered through a huge plant market. Sarah and I got a tasty Japanese dinner, and hilariously there was a chili-lime-soy sauce mixture next to the regular soy sauce on the table.
Day 8:
We got a tour guide to take us up to Teotihuacan. He started by dropping us off at an artisan collective where they make all kinds of stuff. They showed us how they use the Maguey plant to make paper, needle & thread, fabrics (with dye from geraniums and cochineal beetles, which she showed us), liquor, and more. I got to try fresh pulque, which was really good (not viscous and gross like older pulque reputedly is). It was obviously a setup to buy their stuff, but it was a fascinating tour and they had good stuff so we obliged (bought a tablecloth made of Maguey!). From there we went to see all the amazing pyramids, with great views and amazing ancient art. We ate at a touristy place but got some decent food while some folks performed a made up dance which was their interpretation of what the Aztecs might have done (there are no records of their dances). Our driver took us a few hours to Hidalgo to the caves of Tolantongo, which was breathtaking. Unfortunately, that night I got very sick, and was trembling and freezing cold, plus violently exploding at both ends all night. Still, until then the scenery was very pleasant. There was not only no heat or hot water, but our bathroom window had no glass. Sarah got extra blankets, but I was feverish enough to never get warm all night.
Day 9:
I was feeling miserable, so I stayed in bed and read pretty much all day. Sarah and Nicole hiked up to see the waterfalls (the pictures really don't capture it) and hot springs caves. I tried to hike there in the afternoon to humor Sarah, but was too sick to make it. Got to bed early, although from 3am to 5am we couldn't sleep (even with earplugs) due to jackasses partying and screaming outside. We decided to stay an extra day at Tolantongo so I'd have a chance to enjoy it before we headed home.
Day 10:
Sarah awoke with the onset of what I'd had, though she was still mostly feeling pretty good (and I was feeling mediocre) so we went ziplining. The hike was rough since we were both feeling ifft, but I was very glad we did it because the scenery was so incredible, and she'd never done it before. Sarah was very nervous, but ended up having a great time. Sadly, she started feeling much worse and while she planned to go caving with me, and then to at least sit by the waterfall, she ended up just sitting on some steps partway there. I got to go into the hot springs, and explored the smallish (but gorgeous) caves. We took a bus to a nearby town where our driver picked us up. Poor Sarah made it all the way back to Nicole's place before having to puke. I pulled all our stuff into the living room so I could pack while she slept.
Day 11:
We were both feeling iffy, but were good enough to fly home. The return trip was fairly uneventful and we made it home quite late, but safe and sound.
Click any of the links for pictures.
Day 1: We arrived very tired, and found it odd that following the signs for "baggage claim and exit" did not apply to us. We had to ask around until we discovered the hidden exit in gate 12, which was for domestic flights (which was us since we had a connection). Nicole welcomed us with a big lovely meal (many different dishes), and we drank some delicious fancy wine a coworker had given me. Nicole's place was lovely, and it was great being able to hang out with her. It was cold though (there was no heat), and Sarah had a hard time with that.
Day 2:
We had a lazy morning wandering through the nearby neighborhoods (roma, condesa, zona rosa), and discovered some delicious juice (fresh guava and orange), and ate some tasty tofu enchiladas w mole at a health food store. We walked all the way to the downtown historic square the (zocalo), past what they claim is the world's largest christmas tree. There was a huge snow park with fake snow (since Mexico City never gets real snow) that had tubing, snowmobiling, snowball fights, and snowman making. There were lots of interesting vendors (Nicole bought a hat with a pom mohawk), a cathedral, and the ruins of the outside of aztec temple. We metro'd home tiredly, relaxed for a bit, and walked to an Indian dinner (Nicole had never had Indian in Mexico before, and was jonesing). It was actually pretty Indian, very few Mexicanizations.
Day 3:
We slept in in some, and Nicole and I got groceries (sadly, the grocery store tortillas, freshly made on a crazy machine, were inferior to the ones we had earlier). We tried some odd gross fruit, and I picked up a couple tacos de canasta on the way back. These are unreasonably incredibly delicious tacos which sit in a steamy basket all day and cost about $0.30 each. In the afternoon, Sarah and I took a Segway tour to the "Latin American Tower", which had a great view. Later that night we went to Lucha Libre (Mexican wrestling). We were completely blown away by how impressive the acrobatics were, plus how funny and well-scripted it all was. The little kids swearing like creative sailors were a bonus. We were so pumped, we bought a mask and shot our own impromptu match. We went to a vegetarian restaurant a few blocks from Nicole's place, and had some amazing whole wheat bread w/ salsa and vegan carnitas. We wound down with a show of awful art in Nicole's place, including a peculiar angel with a red rocket. We finished the wine from Monday, and the flavor had improved even more!
Day 4:
It took us quite a while to get going and decide what to do, so we just grazed on all our leftover. Sarah and I went looking for a tourism office to find out more about some of the cool things to do, but ended up first at a tourist crime office, then 3 sets of wrong directions later found a tiny booth with a dude who didn't know much. We did find a private tour guide / hired driver which came in handy later, although it was shady how the booth guy shut up while the driver gave us all the info. We returned to discover that we had inadvertently locked Nicole inside (none of us knew this was even possible). We spent the afternoon at Chapultepec park, and saw plenty of nice scenery, a memorial, paddleboated around, laughed uproariously at a vendor selling what looked exactly like a big pile of dog shit, and hit the enormous anthropology museum. It was overwhelming, but there were lots of very cool artifacts there like plenty of infant skulls and a larval rabbit.
Day 5:
We got some tacos de canasta to go, and started the morning with the museum of light, which was really fun (very science-y and interactive). We then went to what we thought was a small ceramics exhibit with gorgeous architecture at the antiguo colegio de san ildefonso. However, it was a huge modern art exhibit which we really enjoyed. One room was tiled walls and ceiling in bread. We stuffed down our tacos, and went to see the ruins & museum of the templo mayor (main aztec temple). It was interesting, but also enormous and we were pretty exhausted at that point. Plus we were worried about Nicole because she came quite late. We stumbled home, and ate a delicious (and again, surprisingly authentic) Korean dinner (dolset bibim bab).
Day 6:
We started the day by going to the best produce market in town. We got lots of samples in the fruit section, and bought quite a bit: incredible mangoes of a cultivar we don't get in the US, chiramoya, grenada, figs, many strange fruits we did not like, huitlacoche (aka corn smut), dry lobster mushrooms, morels for $0.50 each, etc. Nicole went home with our haul while we went to the artisanal market to get souvenirs and gifts. We ate blue corn tacos outside with the best tortillas ever; it was fortunate b/c the cost of 3 tacos was exactly how much money we had. We complemented their tortillas at length (the beans were meh, but it didn't matter) and scored two bonus tortillas as a result. The market had pretty impressive and high quality stuff, and prices were decent though not amazing in most cases. Scored some good deals though. We made dinner: morels (plain & w/ garlic & wine), oyster mushrooms (asian style), refried canary beans with chili & lime & onions, and huitlacoche w/ wine sauce. I liked the huitlacoche, but Sarah had trouble getting over the appearance.
Day 7:
We picked up Sarah's laundry in the morning, which they apparently washed in a vat of perfume rather than water. Then we went to borrow free bikes and ride on Reforma (the main street heading downtown) which is for bikers and pedestrians only on Sunday morning. It was fun, but the bikes were tiny (Sarah is 5'3" and her bike was still a little small) and rough. We got a kind of blah lunch at Yug, and took a looong Metro ride south to the Xochimilco Ecological Park. We rented bikes to get around, which were still small and uncomfortable, but it was beautiful nonetheless, and there were tons of birds. We relaxed afterwards by eating sorbet (I got guanabana!), drank limeade from a plastic bag, and wandered through a huge plant market. Sarah and I got a tasty Japanese dinner, and hilariously there was a chili-lime-soy sauce mixture next to the regular soy sauce on the table.
Day 8:
We got a tour guide to take us up to Teotihuacan. He started by dropping us off at an artisan collective where they make all kinds of stuff. They showed us how they use the Maguey plant to make paper, needle & thread, fabrics (with dye from geraniums and cochineal beetles, which she showed us), liquor, and more. I got to try fresh pulque, which was really good (not viscous and gross like older pulque reputedly is). It was obviously a setup to buy their stuff, but it was a fascinating tour and they had good stuff so we obliged (bought a tablecloth made of Maguey!). From there we went to see all the amazing pyramids, with great views and amazing ancient art. We ate at a touristy place but got some decent food while some folks performed a made up dance which was their interpretation of what the Aztecs might have done (there are no records of their dances). Our driver took us a few hours to Hidalgo to the caves of Tolantongo, which was breathtaking. Unfortunately, that night I got very sick, and was trembling and freezing cold, plus violently exploding at both ends all night. Still, until then the scenery was very pleasant. There was not only no heat or hot water, but our bathroom window had no glass. Sarah got extra blankets, but I was feverish enough to never get warm all night.
Day 9:
I was feeling miserable, so I stayed in bed and read pretty much all day. Sarah and Nicole hiked up to see the waterfalls (the pictures really don't capture it) and hot springs caves. I tried to hike there in the afternoon to humor Sarah, but was too sick to make it. Got to bed early, although from 3am to 5am we couldn't sleep (even with earplugs) due to jackasses partying and screaming outside. We decided to stay an extra day at Tolantongo so I'd have a chance to enjoy it before we headed home.
Day 10:
Sarah awoke with the onset of what I'd had, though she was still mostly feeling pretty good (and I was feeling mediocre) so we went ziplining. The hike was rough since we were both feeling ifft, but I was very glad we did it because the scenery was so incredible, and she'd never done it before. Sarah was very nervous, but ended up having a great time. Sadly, she started feeling much worse and while she planned to go caving with me, and then to at least sit by the waterfall, she ended up just sitting on some steps partway there. I got to go into the hot springs, and explored the smallish (but gorgeous) caves. We took a bus to a nearby town where our driver picked us up. Poor Sarah made it all the way back to Nicole's place before having to puke. I pulled all our stuff into the living room so I could pack while she slept.
Day 11:
We were both feeling iffy, but were good enough to fly home. The return trip was fairly uneventful and we made it home quite late, but safe and sound.