New Year's Eve

Luc and Matt went to spend the day at the Museum of Anthropology and I held down the fort. After spending hours at the museum they came home to take a breather before the New Year's festivities began. Our plan was to have some great Mexican-Japanese Teppanyaki on Reforma. So we headed out to Reforma and admired all of the nativity scenes on display. We especially loved the cutout head scene and voted Luc to be baby Jesus. There was a "light and sound spectacular" which attracted a huge crowd right outside the Sheraton Maria Isabel Hotel. We checked it out for a bit then headed inside for dinner. (Who knew....all therestaurants were closed on New Year's Eve too?). We ate a great buffet dinner and afterwards hailed a cab to the Zocalo. When we got there it appeared pretty sparse. We had read that the Zocalo was the place to be and got really crazy. On the contrary, it seemed pretty tame. Mostly, families were camped out waiting til midnight. We got a great spot in front of the cathedral. All of the holiday setup (like the ice-skating rink and ice slide) were fenced off. Luc & Matt were mesmerized by crayon-looking blow up toys that could be bounced all over. Once I saw a vendor with GIANT sparklers, we were all over it. They were sold in sets of 4 so we had an extra one. It was so adorable when a little boy approached Luc and asked him for it. How could we say no? The Holiday Inn which overlooks the Zocalo jumped the gun a bit and lit off some quasi fireworks from their ledge. Our official countdown coincided with the bells of the cathedral. All in all a great start to 2009 in Mexico City!

The Arrival of Matto & Pyramids

Luc's pal Matt from MCLA decided to visit for the week of New Year's and we wer tickled pink. We saved him a giant headache by meeting him at the airport and picking him up. After getting lost in awful traffic, we went to Villa Maria so Matt could experience authentic Mexican food. The day after he arrived we decided to rent a car and take him to Teotihuacan to see the pyramids. Urvi's cousins were in town as well and joined us on our trip. It was my idea to leave ridiculously early, as I've been telling everyone my theory....Mexicans don't like to wake up early. So the earlier you go somewhere...the better. And it was a good idea that day b/c we didn't hit any traffic on our way up to the pyramids. Also, the place was a ghost town which worked to our advantage. We decided to hire a private tour guide and he turned out to be pretty great despite a freaky, deformed thumbnail. (I guess you had to be there.) The boys climbed the 'rids while I took pics. I was still getting over a sinus thing. I chatted w/the tour guide and he was telling me that they're setting up a big LCD light display on the pyramids. Once they're done, there will be a night "show" where the pyramids light up. After the 'rids we headed to a local restaurant for an early lunch. On our way back to the city there was tons of traffic. Have we ever mentioned how much people love to use their horns here? Well they do. And it doesn't sound pretty.

Fishing in La Paz

In Baja, it seemed fishing was a must. I figured that we could get a trip similar to those in New England, but stuff is just a little different down here.

The trip started early as we departed the hotel at 6am. Rebecca really loves fishing, there are few things that she would wake up so early for. We climbed into a van and travelled with a couple from New York City to the Bay of the Dead/Dreams.

As our driver explained to us, the area was called The Bay of the Dead, due to a Spanish ship that was anchored there. After the Spaniards infected the Baja's Indigenous (with cholera?), the local tribes retaliated by burning their ship and killing all on board. The Bay of the Dead, however, is not a name that sells very well. So real estate excutives have changed the name to The Bay of Dreams. By any name it was a beautiful looking bay. On the way there we almost ran over a mountain lion and a horse. We could tell this was an area where adventurists came to travel.

We met our "captain", of a 12 foot outboard motor boat and set out into the bay. Clearly we were not travelling too far off shore, to be honest I was a bit concerned as to exactly what the trip would entail.

We started by catching our bait.The captain casted a net into the water and pulled up some sardines. They were kept in the bow of the boat w/fresh water. From there we travelled to the other side of the bay and our captain baited and cast our lines, I was wondering when we would start fishing, because so far the capt had done all the work. We dragged our lines as the boat motored around and as Bex asked him, in Spanish, "How do we know we have a bite?" her pole bent towards the stern. She reeled in a Snapper to start our day. There would be many more to follow.

Bex caught a Mackerel that was a good 3 feet long, definately the biggest of the day. The best fish I caught was a Gallo in Spanish. We call it a Rooster Fish in English, I prefer the Spanish name. The capt said it was bad eating, a sport fish and routinely thrown back, so we kept with tradition and set the Gallo free. It was far too beautiful to be killed by a couple of Americans on holiday.

In the end, we had six bags worth of fish fillets. The snapper, a lot of Mackeral, and a Sea Bass. We gave one bag to our capt with a tip, and another to our driver, who asked if he could have one (remember, Mexicans aren't shy about asking for things). The rest I had the resturant in the hotel prepare for us to enjoy. We asked to have ceviche made from the mackerel, and the rest of the fish could be grilled. It was a neverending feast, which was delicious and the fillets came w/3 sauces: Veracruz (onions, olives, tomato), ajillo (garlic), and salsa picanta (hot sauce). We enjoyed the fruits of our labor.

Navidad Eve

Merry Christmas! Since we were staying in Mexico this holiday season we decided to make the best of it. A traditional
Xmas eve dinner is tamales. So Luc said he would treat me to a nice dinner at the Hotel Nikko in Polanco. After wishing our families a Merry Xmas, we headed to dinner around 8:30. We've never seen the streets so empty! As it turns out, the Hotel Nikko restaurants are mostly Asian and wouldn't have the traditional Mexican fare. So we went next door to the Intercontinental Hotel. There were only serving turkey dinners so that was out too. The concierge told us that all of the restaurants close at 6pm on holidays like Christmas Eve. Looks like we didn't get the memo! We figured the Camino Real would have something in their cantina, but again, it was turkey and fish. After it was obvious that tamales weren't in our future, we decided to hit up Le Cirque. They had a fixed price Christmas menu that was a great deal. Each course was a piece of art that was delicious. Luc discovered "ponche" in his desert, which is a traditional Mexican drink (served w/and w/o alcohol) that's served at Christmas. Yum! We had to get to bed early because we had an early flight to La Paz in Baja California.

We've also featured our 1 ft tall Charlie Brown Christmas tree for your viewing pleasure!

Nutcracker on Ice? Yes, Ice!

Part of the Christmas festivities in the Zocalo includes a showing of The Nutcracker on Ice. As we mentioned before, they built a HUGE ice-skating rink in the Zocalo. Each night at 6pm, they put on a show. Since the week engagement was ending soon, we thought we'd check it out. It was also my maiden voyage on the metro. Despite the rumors I've heard about it being dirty and unreliable, it was awesome! It was extremely clean and quick. We made it to the Zocalo but 5:30 but by that time, there was a line that snaked across the Zocalo about 4 times. We knew we wouldn't make the cut when at 6:30 they actually announced that the people at the end of the line were SOL. They made the announcement very politely and asked us to return at 2pm the following day? You mean to tell me those people were standing there for 4 1/2 hours? That's insane!

Instead, we grabbed some food "to go" and scoped out a spot to see the 'Cracker from afar. As luck would have it, a group of Peruvian wood flutists set up shop DIRECTLY in front of us. They assembled their mini stage/sound system right under our noses. We couldn't help but laugh at how funny it was. I was prepared to take a stand and stay strong in our awkward positions in the middle of their show. But after they played Paul Simon's "El Condor Pasa" for the second time, we conceded defeat. It turned out to be in our best interest since just a few steps away there was a flatscreen to project the ice ballet. We got some great real estate on the ground and waited for the show to start. It was so cute...a little girl sitting behind us stumbled over to Luc and was amazed by the sight of him. She started playing with his fuzzy arm hair! Oh Mexico!

Navidad en el Zocalo

We felt like having a lazy Sunday since we've been kind of non-stop lately. The weather was perfect for a short trip to the Zocalo. We left the house and headed towards the Zocalo. Upon arriving at the famous city center, we were surprised to see a winter wonderland. We knew there was an ice rink setup, but there was also a man-made sledding hill and a snowman making area. There were small snowmen maybe a foot high created from a mold. The Zocalo was packed with young Mexicans excited to enjoy the snow. We decided to get away from the crowd and go to the top of the Holiday Inn, where a restuarant would cure our growing hunger. While eating on the roof terrace, sipping bloody marys and listening to mariachi music, we made a friend. He was a psychotherapist from New Mexico that routinely visits the "old" Mexico. He told us how lucky we were that we were living down here, and gave us suggestions for things to do. It made for a great lunch overlooking the Zocalo.

Bizarre Bazaar

Luc's co-worker told us there was an Asian bazaar in Polanco. Since I had an unfounded craving for Asian food, this was perfect timing. There were rows of tables set up sellling goods from Malaysia, Phillipines, Vietnam, Thailand, and Indonesia. All of the goings on were centered around an outdoor theater. The best part, by far was the food station. They had yummy eats for super cheap. A plateful of food was about $2 and it was enough to fill us up for the rest of the afternoon. Along the way, I found a woman who was walking a Xoloitzcuintle dog. I've wanted this dog for so long! It's a Mexican hairless dog that's hypoallergenic and is soooo cute! I asked her where I could find one and she took my information when her dog has puppies. (I'm hoping for a Xmas miracle!) It was difficult, but I tore myself away from the dog and kept walking. We caught wind of the fact that there was also a raffle. After buying 5 tickets, we took our seats, sat in the sun, and waited for the raffle to begin. Since Luc usually has the best luck (last raffle winnings: bike messenger bag filled w/over $150 of bike accessories) I waited for our number(s) to be called. An hour and a half later we had to walk away empty handed. Boo! Afterwards we hung out at the Marriott while admiring their beautifully decorated X-mas lobby. We made a stop at Starbucks--sorry! But I'm ashamed to admit that I REALLY miss Gingerbread Latte and Pumpkin Spice Latte season.

Day 57: Airline Racket Rant

This week I've been stuck inside because the flooring is being done. In between prepping rooms to be painted, I've attempted to catch up w/my paperwork. First on my list....requesting a refund from Priceline, US Airways, and Mexicana. No luck. Priceline pins it on US Airways, then US Airways pins it on Priceline. They even make a suggestion for me to contact the Department of Transportation. After locating my monocle and a magnifying glass, I had to do some digging. Apparently US Airways changed their bogus baggage policy on July 9 and we bought our tickets on July 29. And Mexicana HAD a high rate baggage policy in place June 18 but quickly changed it on September 1. What does this all mean? It means we're royally screwed.

These sorts of schemes by large airline companies give me agita and an aversion to flying. We're now seriously thinking of driving back to the US when the time comes. Kind of an F you to the man.

...and scene.

Day 47: Navidad Season Begins

After Zochimilco, on our way home, we saw what looked like parade floats on Reforma. Our tour guide told us there was a Coca-Cola Christmas parade! We decided to eat at a Japanese Teppanyaki restaurant along Reforma. Since Luc's never been to Benihana, this was the closest we could get. It was a place where we have our Japanese food prepared by a chef right at our table on a flat grill. By the time we were done with our lunch/dinner the parade would be starting. People were already starting to line up near the barricades set up along Reforma. So we camped out til it got dark and the parade was ready to do. Luc gets very fidgety and it was hard for him to stay in 1 place for so long. But we made it and the parade was a great start to a Mexican holiday season! My fave was the faux confetti/snow that shot out of the floats. You gotta remember that these revelers never see snow. Very Edward Scissorhands-esque! Feliz Navidad!

Day 47: Xochimilco

We head southwest towards Xochimilco. This was a long ride through traffic. On the way our tour guide fell a sleep in the van. While he snored, we had a good laugh at this with our Puerto Rican friends.

We got of the van and walked our way through various merchants and ultimately ended up in front of several brightly colored boats. There were some many you could nearly walk across the entire waterway without getting wet. On our way to our boat Rebecca received a corsage. Once in our boat, we got beers for a vendor and began our journey in the water.

Along with the boats selling beer and cooking food, we saw boats with mariachi bands on them. They would tie up to your boat and, for some pesos, sing songs to your party. One of our fellow travelers bought a couple songs, and convinced the band to let him sing. He hopped over to there boat and sang to his wife. It was unexpected and great.

The colorful boats were everywhere. So I guess it was only a matter of time before a collision happen. Our boat smashed into another really hard. At the time we were facing our guide and didn’t see the impending danger. Rebecca save her beer, I caught the camera, but my beer hit the deck and on the way down, covered Rebecca’s leg. Oops.

With the crash behind us we returned to land. We did so shopping and returned to the van. Xochimilco was a marvelous place. Many Mexicans go there to spend time with the family.

Day 47: Cuicuilco

We decided to head to Xochimilco. This is an area is in Mexico City and still has some of the original lake the once covered the basin. It is in the south of the city which is more rural then the center and north. Xochimilco means place of flowers and that is their major export. When we boarded the van we met another couple. They were visiting from Puerto Rico. The man was an English teacher and we shared a few classroom stories before the start of our tour. They were a very nice couple but weren’t staying long.

On the way down we stopped at the Olympic Stadium, which still stands after Mexico host the Olympics in 1968. Now the National University of Mexico uses the stadium. I liked seeing the site the ‘68 Olympics. I read the story of Bob Beamon in college, who set the Olympic record for long jump in ’68. Forty years later that record still stands, although these games are more famously remembered for the Black Panther salute on the medal stand.

From there we continued south to another pyramid, Cuicuilco. This one not as large as the ones in Teotihuacan, but instead was much older. It is theorized, our guide explained, that the Olmecs built this structure. They are the oldest civilization known to exist in Mesoamerica and the age of the pyramid is debated to be 10,000 years. The pyramid and the people living around it would then suffer a horrible fate; they were buried in lava. Under the harden rock, the pyramid stood preserved for centuries. Like many of the discoveries in Mexico City, Cuicuilco was uncovered by mistake. The owner of the land tried to level the mound of rock with dynamite. There were great views of the modern city from this ancient site. It is agreed that this is the oldest structure in central Mexico.

Day 46: Match Point West

This particular Saturday morning, we had painting to finish up. Our last bedroom needed its second coat. Afterwards, we wanted to go for a stroll and headed out to Chapultepec Park. On our way over, we heard a crowd cheer. It was coming from the Deportivo Chapultepec, a Sports Complex across the street. I asked the armed guard (YES, armed guard) what was going on. She (yes, she) said there was a tennis match b/w Spain and Mexico. There were still tickets so they twisted our arms to head inside. Ticketmaster tix were about $40 and that bought us center court seats. The tennis stadium was quaint and cozy with a clay court, but pretty impressive for a gym-type complex. We're still not sure if it's a public or private kind of place. Instead of chairs, all seats were similar to large cement steps. Seat #'s were painted on the cement and lines were drawn to delineate each person's space. It must sound uncomfortable but it was actually pretty nice. As it turned out, we had 2nd row seats again! We came to find out that the match was officially called the IberoAmerican Competition between Spain and Mexico. Each country had a team which consisted of about 5 players. But only 2 players on each team were competing that day. Guess what? Mexico won! Viva Mexico!

After the match we wandered over to the zoo. Take 2!

Day 45: Thanksgiving

Obviously, Thanksgiving isn't celebrated in Mexico but as it got closer to the 28th, we had a hankering for some turkey and stuffing! I was pretty bummed that I couldn't watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade. Although, I'm sure my fam is happy that I didn't force them in front of the TV to watch this year. It was hard to find, but learned that the Four Seasons Hotel had a turkey dinner. Luc figured that the hotel was on the end of Reforma that was further downtown but as we started driving in the cab, we realized we were going the wrong way. Oops! Once we got there, we were confused by the crowd in front of the hotel. Were ALL of these people in line for turkey dinner? NOPE. They were all waiting for a glimpse of Madonna, Oasis, and Duran Duran. All of them were in town this weekend. I have to admit it was kind of awesome to roll right past the paps and walk inside. This hotel was breathtaking. Since the restaurant was partly outside, we walked through a giant courtyard to be seated. There were 2 classical guitar players and X-mas lights on the shrubbery. It was definitely a romantic feel. We decided to eat outside next to one of those faux firepits that's really a heater. I never would have imagined eating turkey dinner al fresco during the end of November! Tonight, there was a prix-fixe menu with all of the traditional Thanksgiving dishes. At first we felt guilty being gringos and still embracing the US custom of Thanksgiving, but then realized that we weren't alone when the whole patio filled up w/Mexicans and non-Mexicans. We were blown away by the fantastic service and TLC from the waitstaff. Each course was a virtual work of art. When can we go back?!?!

There was a little blond muscley guy walking around causing a stink w/some friends. Luc and I kept looking at eachother saying--hey, this guy looks really familiar. Luc had a hunch that he was a boxer and I was thinking he was way too tiny. Afterwards, we looked him up and realized that it was Ricky "the Hitman" Hatton. We're on a celeb citing roll!

After dinner we strolled home since we NOW know that the hotel's in walking distance.

We're thankful for so many things!

Day 45: Job Hunt is Over!

Today I got a job and it might be my most career-like job to date. It uses words like salary and medical insurance. I will be teaching Language Arts and Literature to sixth graders and in January my responsibilities will expand to include some high school elective classes. The school is Escuela de Sierra Nevada. Here’s their website www.esn.edu.mx/
The school is actually just to the west of Mexico City in the State of Mexico. I am not sure how to pronounce the city name yet but its Huixquilucan. Set up high on a mountain, the view from the school is great.
This past month has been hard on us as I was searching for a job. The language schools mostly stop hiring until January. I had one job offer from a language school, but they required 3 ½ weeks of training before I would actually work. I went to the training but accidentally scheduled a meeting with another school the same day. I was told that if I missed any part of the training I would not be able to get the job. This was a hard decision but I am sure, now, that I made the right choice.
Five minutes after I walked out of the training, Sierra Nevada called me. That was this past Monday and today I am working for them. I am excited about starting work, and maybe more excited about not going on another interview. That whole process has been tasking. First finding the school was always a challenge. This city is crazy when it comes to locating anything. Then I had all the questions I needed to answer. Every time they asked my age then said "Wow, you look alot younger." Becoming tried of hearing that, I have since started to grow a beard.
The students down here refer to me, as Professor Lucas, and I will not longer respond to another name. No, that’s not true, but the name is growing on me. The school actually is providing transportation for me as well. I get to ride the “school bus” to work. The school bus is actually a white coach van, with seats like a greyhound bus. Its much more comfortable than Mexico’s public buses, and not as crowded.
More than anything, I am thrilled that I am a teacher, not just a sub. I have my own class of which I am in charge. It's after Thanksgiving but I am truly thankful right now.

Day 40: National Museum of Anthropology

It was a beautiful day today but we've been wanting to go to the National Museum of Anthropology since we arrived in Mexico. Sundays are free for Mexican residents so there were swarms of people inside. The guard told me I could get in for free but I felt guilty since I wasn't an "official" citizen. So we waited in line, got our tickets and had a full day of museum-ing. There's so much in this museum, you could go for a straight week and still not be done! After we were done there was a traditional Danza de los Voladores de Papantla (Dance of Papantla's flyers). It's a ritual dance from Veracruz performed by the Totonac Indians. 5 men, each representing the 5 elements of the indigenous world climb up a pole, one of them stays on the pole playing a flute and dancing while the remaining 4 descend the pole w/a rope tied by one of their feet. The rope unwraps itself 13 times for each of the 4 flyers, symbolizing the 52 weeks of the year. This dance is thought to be the vestige of a pre-Hispanic volador ritual common not only in ancient Veracruz but in western Mexico as well.

About the museum:

• It's the largest collection of ancient Mexican pieces in the world
• It houses 23 permanent exhibit halls
• Several rooms have recreations of archaelogical scenes
• Is centered around a courtyard with an enormous fountain.

Day 39: Malkovich, Malkovich

Today we decided to see a play.

John Malkovich was directing a show called El Buen Canario (The Good Canary) at the Insurgentes Theater. It was written by American, Zach Helm and has gained notariety in Paris. Unfortunately, Ticketmaster rules in Mexico as well, but we bought tickets through them anyway. Cha-ching! We scored 2nd row seats just hours before the show. And we headed off in a cab to the theater.

1st celeb citing in Mexico....Malkovitch. Believe it or not we had better seats than he did. He was sitting in the row behind us, but on the opposite side. The first 4 rows of the theater had comfy couch-like seats with a small table for drinks. Boy, do the Mexicans know how to do comfy culture, or what?!?

Afterwards we stumbled into "Ra", a BINGO parlor. It was like a bizarro Vegas scene. One of the workers gave me a $100 credit for a machine. Once I lost it, I was hooked and we stayed for 2 hrs or until we lost a chunk of change. A plus was that they served free drinks...oh...until we decided to leave and the waitress chased after us to pay the bill.

All the gambling made us hungry and we headed to an Argentinian Restaurant called Cambalache. To date, it's our fave meal so far. We ordered the house specialty beef cut for 2. It was cooked to perfection! As we rolled ourselves into the cab, we ended up having a hilarious cab driver. He was a cross b/w Paul and Slowpoke Rodriguez. Quote of the night (cabbie to Luc): "if you eat black beans & mole your hair will turn black like a real Mexican...so eat!"

A great night indeed!

Day 34: Mexico City Airfare Sale

I rec'd an e-mail from Airfare Watchdog today.
New York LGA, NY (LGA) to Mexico City, Mexico (MEX) $316 RT
Last Updated: Mon 17 Nov 2008 6:19 AM ET
Plus: Includes all taxes
Airline(s): Northwest
Hurray for low fares!

Day 33: Hope my Mom doesn't read this article

Disturbing article published in the NY Times today:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/17/world/americas/17mexico.html?hp
Not to worry...our Ferrari is in the shop.

It's also peculiar to note that on the same e-version of the paper, there's a Frugal Traveler Video covering the Mexican region of Chiapas. Are the editors insane? It's a bit Jeckyl & Hyde to say that Mexico is a crime ridden den of violence, then to promote vacationing about a 1/2 page later. What they have left out is how Mexico City is a financial and cultural hub of the Americas. And to say there is no crime in the Zapatista ridden region of Chiapas? A tad hipocritical, I think. Drug cartels vs. rebel forces....kinda like apples and oranges. Who was the genius that sent this one to the e-press?

Day 33: Plaza Mexico Bullfight

We can't believe we had gone 32 days without seeing a bullfight, so we ended the streak and bought 2 tickets to the 7th running of the season at Plaza Mexico. We can't explain the energy we felt around the stadium as we were walking outside the plaza. Vendors lined the streets w/food, bullfighting bibelots, cigars, cigarettes, and snacks. We bought seat cushions for $1 each because everyone else seemed to have one. When we got close to the gate, I noticed a huge sign that you can't bring in cameras. Damn...I went to alot of trouble hiding my camera in my bag. With 45 minutes left to go we entered the stadium and were escorted to our seats. The setup was much like a baseball game--gates that led into the stadium, metal seats, concrete structures, etc. Although, to get to our seats, we had to walk down a long corridor that was cave-like. Hmmm...bathroom breaks would be problematic. (And they were. Bring 2 pesos w/you if you want TP or you'll have to face a not-so-nice-little-girl in the little girls room) So we ended up with 2 seats that were in the second row. No one sat directly in front of us (Bizarro Mexican Jeff Goldblum was off to the side) so we basically had front row seats. We promptly requested 2 Coronas, sat back, and waiting till the bloodbath began. There is definitely a ceremonial aspect to bullfighting. Each torreador comes out and is welcomed by the crowd and judges. Then the first fight begins. We learned that there are 3 parts to an actual match, all which culminate in the killing of the bull. It's not heathen-istic and there is a huge amount of respect for these animals. In a sense, it's an art. There were 6 matches in all which meant the 3 matadors must face 2 bulls each. Watching these matches was surreal. One matador was hit by the bull twice. That's like watching a great hit from a lineman in the NFL times ONE HUNDRED! It never got dull....another matador was so quick with the kill the crowd started throwing flowers, hats, and jackets for him. I just followed suit and threw my jacket in. It's not like Hogs and Heifers...they actually throw it back!!! The crowd loved him and he won that day. He was lifted on people's shoulders at the end of the matches and received 2 ears as a prize.

When all the matches were over, some people started jumping onto the field. So Luc and I followed suit and took some great pics. We went out of the same doors the matadors exited and saw the great Manolo Mejia leaving. People were shoving and pushing to get a picture with him. So I threw a few elbows and ended up in a great photo op with him! A picture-perfect way to end the day!

Day o'Pyramids

We climbed a small pyramid which actually had less stairs then 1060 Beacon St, with our guide. She explained the history once in Spanish then in English, impressive feat really, then let us in on our own to explore the ruins. It was a long walk just to get to the large pyramid. The road of the dead as it is called is not a flat one; it has steps that go up and down the whole way. Vendors also patrolled the way trying to sell use jewelry and nick-nacks.

Finally we made it to the Pyramid of the Sun, the one you are allowed to climb to the top (you can only go half way up the Pyramid of the Moon). We assend the pyramid and after eleven minutes we were at the top looking out at mountain and the entire archological site. It was amazing to be sitting atop a 3000 year old place of worship. Going down was more trying on our legs some of the stairs were quite narrow. We were meeting the rest of the group at the base of the Pyramind of the Moon so we headed that way. We meet up with our group and continued the tour.

As we got back on the bus we realized something, the British woman that sat next to us was not there. We quickly point this fact out to the guide and the bus took off searching for her. Drive on the road along the site everyone on the bus had there eyes pealed to spot her. She had made her way back to the main enterence and that is where we found her. The bus then took us to a local restaurant. After a couple trips to the buffet and share stories with our tour friends. We were kind of excited to talk to people. Being in the house all day doesn’t give us much social time with anyone but each other. This provide alittle social interaction and culture (and a Irish tan for me).