I made a mistake: I didn't draft my travelogue for this trip to Mexico right after I got back to the USA... and, therefore, forgot to write it altogether. Now, years later, I've realized I never wrote it. That makes me sad because it means I haven't preserved the information FOR ME - I write these travelogues more for me than you, and I love reading them years later and reliving it all and rediscovering things I've forgotten.
Year later I can, at least, post what we saw on this trip, which was a long weekend while Stefan was in Mexico on business:
We stayed at Hotel Melia Mexico Reforma in Mexico City, because it's where Stefan's boss would stay when he went and we didn't know any better. It's a big luxury hotel without much personality and it charges for EVERYTHING - they were angry we took out all the stuff they had in the fridge and put in all our own stuff. Yes, it's clean and safe, but they are focused on making lots of money, period. It has a decent restaurant downstairs and a line of cars of independent drivers ready to drive you anywhere you want (we walked out and got one for a visit to Teotihuacan). The hotel is very near the Monument to the Revolution. A better hotel: Hotel San Marino, a boutique hotel with kitchenettes and better prices and where Stefan stayed on a different trip, per a recommendation from a friend living in Mexico.
The Museo de Antropología is fantastic, packed with beautiful things to see, lovingly presented. And the audio description device is totally worth the rental. Outside the museum were these aerial daredevils performing.
I'm so sorry I didn't take a photo of all of the bicycles on the Reforma Avenue on Sunday: this main street becomes car-free on that day. Street vendors are everywhere, as is music and exercise classes.
It wasn't just the name and icon of the village that made me fall in love with Coyoacan - it was the houses, the trees, the layout and the charm. Were I to live in Mexico, this is absolutely where I would live. As did Frida Kahlo - she is why we went to Coyoacan in the first place - we went by subway, BTW, and it was absolutely fine, but I was told to only take it in the day time. I loved visiting the Blue House and I loved visiting the Coyoacan market square and indoor market.
All day at the Teotihuacan - fantastic trip. As I mentioned, we just walked out and got a car sitting outside our big, personality-free luxury hotel, after their recommended driver never showed up. Our off-the-street driver was a sweetheart and very patient as we spent way longer at sites than he expected. He did do exactly what they do in Egypt - take you to a place where they are supposedly carving local crafts, but I suspect most of the items for sale come from China. But just like Egypt, you are not obligated to buy anything. If you go, take your own lunch, water and other drinks, and a large plastic bag to pack out all of your trash. And do NOT buy one of those rock balls - even though they are for sale in the airport gift shop near the gate, customs will take yours when you go through security (probably to put them out for sale in the gift shop).
We visited friends in Cholula and saw a bit of Puebla, including the best German restaurant Stefan has experienced outside of Germany. The bus to Puebla from Mexico City is FANTASTIC: clean, comfy, includes wi-fi, a movie (dubbed in Spanish), and a hearty snack. Very affordable. Cholula has quite the night party scene - which we didn't partake of because we're old. Santuario de Nuestra Señora de los Remedios, a church atop a pyramid in Cholula, is worth the hike up to see the views, but the church is quite ugly and I'd prefer the pyramid underneath be preserved.
Pirámide de Tepanapa in Cholula is a complext of several pyramids built atop each other, and the site is largely unexcavated.
And, of course, you can see Popocatépetl from various places and that's always awesome. I have followed Webcams de México on Twitter ever since because they regularly post awesome video of it spewing.
See pictures from this 2011 trip to Mexico.
We returned to Mexico in March 2020, when we tour Baja by motorcycles.Return to the broads abroad home page
Disclaimer
Any activity incurs risk. The author assumes no responsibility for the use
of information contained within this document.
Quick Links
Disclaimer: Any activity incurs risk. The author assumes no responsibility for the use of information contained within this document.
This material is provided as is, with no expressed or implied warranty.
Permission is granted to copy, present and/or distribute a limited amount of material from my web site without charge if the information is kept intact and is credited to Jayne Cravens
Please contact me for permission to reprint, present or distribute these materials (for instance, in a class or book or online event for which you intend to charge).
The personal opinions expressed on this page are solely those of Ms. Cravens, unless otherwise noted.
Follow
me! 