Cuidad de Mexico

11/15/07: I arrived in Mexico City by bus the previous evening, had arranged for a taxi to my hotel, and was looking forward to walking the city on the 15th. My first sites were the Chapultepec Castle - (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chapultepec_Castle) and the Anthropological museum, (http://www.mna.inah.gob.mx/muna/mna_ing/main.html) both of which were very impressive.


The Castle


A Fountain in the midst of the Museum

There are over 300 languages spoken in Mexico today. The museum covers many of the civilizations that arose in Mexico throughout it's history, including Mayan, Perupechen, Aztec, Incan, and many others.

The Castle contains some of the most spectacular artwork, sculptures, antiques and colonial artifacts in Mexico today.

11/16/07: Zocalo. On this day I walked into the center of the city. I was perplexed to find hundreds of naked people protesting.....something. We've got a bit of a language barrier here for me.


Nudity rocks the capital!

As I walked the square I wandered into the cathedral, which was lovely:


God definitely makes the sunshine if you pray hard enough

After walked the square I took a walk through the recently unearthed ruins that had been discovered in the heart of the Zocalo.


Be careful where you build

After that I took a walk to Bellas Artes, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palacio_de_Bellas_Artes, the art museum, which had Diego Rivera featured (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diego_Rivera), and his work is outstanding. I spent about 4 hours there, and then made my way back to my hotel.


Bellas Artes

That night I went out in the city, in a place called Zona Rosa. I met a local that spoke English and gave me advice on what to see around the city, including the temples of the Sun and Moon.

11/17/07: Today I took the subway to the outskirts of the city, and after that I took a Cambio to the ruins. The total cost was $5.00. Meanwhile the guided tour was something like $65. Always make your own way if you can. The subway had more humans than anyplace I have ever seen in my life. I have never been to Tokyo, so I can't compare, but it was all I could do to keep from crushing the boy who was standing in front of me. The Sun and the Moon were the best ruins that I had been to up until that point. Towards the end, I met Sarah and Stephen who are from England. After helping each other with some photos, we took the bus and taxi combo back to the city, and met out in a part of the city called Condessa. We started and a hookah bar and went until about 3am, where Stephen and I raided a food card vendor for all he was worth.


The Tower of the Moon



11/18/07: I took my flight to Merida, and then a bus to Playa del Carmen. I wasn't able to track down Dita as I arrived at about 2am. I found a decent hotel and crashed.

11/19/07: The Dita era of my trip begins.