I am sitting at the Garibaldi square in Mexico city, surrounded by 100s of Mariachis, the masters of ceremonies, the big ass entertainers (pun not intended), in their colourful costumes, tight pants and shirts that fit nicely over their big bellies, brimming with life, ready to snap into a song or two at moments notice, singing and playing with all their hearts, and I am thinking, are they on drugs? 😛
No, what I was actually thinking was that I made it. It was end of day 1, and bunny had popped alone this time, for the very first time! At least it was in business class.
Now about that, while the food was good, the leg space was a bit too much. I even stretched but still couldn’t reach the end. What’s the point?
I stayed at the Camino real which is like a luxury hotel right across the airport, but in hindsight it was a bad idea. It is close enough to the airport that taxis will refuse to take you there, but too far to walk comfortably with your 2 weeks worth luggage.
it was golden and all but I left it a pretty mean review on booking.com because really it is not good value for money. The hotel breakfast was good though.
Next I headed to Teotihuacán! Since the time I knew there was so much history to be devoured right outside Mexico City, I was booked! I even watched a few documentaries before (I am Hermione, Her-mi-bunny) to be prepared. I could have taken an organised tour like the other million tourists do, but a friend of mine had found some Mexicans (5th degree connections!), who could take me there. So, I decided to meet them instead.
En route Teotihuacan
Btw, there is much talk online about how to get there. I took an uber from the hotel to Teotihuacán and saw so many middle aged men in lycra on their fancy bikes sweating it in the sun on the way. The highway doesn’t have a bike lane but it seemed like a really really popular thing to do.
Bring a hat even if its February.
Yes, these guys.
RIght outside the pyramids entry, there were several English speaking guides, offering 2 h tours for 45 USD (which I thought was pretty good) and giving directions to lost tourists like myself. When my 5th degree connected fellow Mexicans came (only 45 min late:))), they just ushered me inside because the official tourism board offers free tours inside! Tips-appreciated of course.
So we got this tour guide who we were told could speak English. Actually she spoke like this (below):
..so not much English. But we communicated OK and I gave her a very handsome tip, mostly because this place is magical.
These pyramids were built by unknown people back in the 1st century AD. Yes! The Aztecs found it by chance and thought only the Gods could have made such a city. Hence, the name city of the Gods or Teotihuacan.
The structure you see in the centre of the courtyard (above), if one speaks from there even in a low voice, one could hear it from where I was standing. The trick being the sounds being reflected by the structures (video below) surroundng the whole complex.
The Teotihuacán complex is a wonder not just for acoustic engineers and archaelogists, but also architure/civil engineering enthusiasts. All of Teotihuacán pyramids are made of this repeating motif: 45dg C angle, vertical line. One of the building materials is this cactus that grows everywhere (picture above with the biker guy). They also eat the very same cactus here. It seemed cactus is holy or something in Mexico, like cows in India, very holy. But no wait, we don’t eat our cows. Ok bad analogy.
45 dg 90 dg 45 dg cactus
Climbing the first pyramid. The stairs were steep and many.
After climbing the first pyramid, we were greeted by this surprise pyramid right behind it, which was only recently revealed to the public. It was full of ornate sculptures, studded with huge sea shells, that they put to show that they were trading with everyone, and large obsidians as eyes for the snakes, which were plucked away by the historians studying these pyramids. #science 
This pyramid had been tucked away in the back, away from public eyes (already back in Teotihuacan times) to not show off how much power (=wealth) the serpents clan of the society had.
This used to be a temple. When I was looking at this, I couldn’t help but wonder how fit the preists must have been :P.
Then we walked along the street of the dead, what an appropriate name in the city of gods. These Aztecs.
There were people selling obsidian objects and wooden toys that made sounds like a jaguar (with some imagination). I couldn’t help but wonder if people were selling some other stuff at the same spot 2000 years ago.
Along the way we saw the Teotihuacan’s people’s houses, and that they liked to build pyramids on top of one another, like in the pic below.
Next came the Sun Pyramid.
What do you see first in the picture below?
The pyramid, right? 🙂
There was a crazy queue, people wanting to charge their crystals on top of the pyramid (that is a thing). If you forgot your crystal at home, no worries, you can buy one from any of 100 peddlers selling those.
Our guide told us that the moon pyramid and the sun pyramid are the same height because of the elevation difference in the ground (I still contest her fact). In any case, I think the view must be prettier from the moon pyramid, because of all the surrounding pyramids at its foot (pic below).
Fun fact: the sun and moon pyramids have nothing to do with the sun or the moon. They were rather dedicated to the gods of rain and water bodies, one feeding into the other. Deep and intangible (like vapor) at the same time. The Sun and Moon were Aztec names.
View from the moon pyramid.
Above: Daniel and Larissa recharging their ice-creams on top of the pyramid.
Some more goofing around infront of the moon pyramid.
Some barbacoa and cactuses on the way
Next morning, wake up in Guadalajara (next post in progress). And I was already loving it. 
Here’s a painting I made to describe my first time in Mexico. This time was no different. 
Apologies for the poor pictures, swiss bunny wasn’t around.
bunnygoespoppoppop 