Aeg kahele... Jätkame Mehhiko keskosas: Popocatépetl-Iztaccíhuatli rahvuspark, Teotihuacan ja Mexico City

24.10.22, Mexico City. We arrived. First impression: Crazy traffic! It was total CHAOS! But that didn't stop us from renting a car and fighting our way through the traffic and out of the city 😊

I've ridden mopeds through some chaotic traffic zones like Nepal, Vietnam, and Indonesia. But Mexico City was a whole different level... Aggressive, survival of the fittest, watch out for potholes, bumper car danger!

Nico was driving and breathed a sigh of relief when we left the city :-D

We drove to the Iztaccíhuatl-Popocatépetl National Park.

As is often the case on longer trips, illnesses are inevitable... They are annoying, draining, and take away your time!

Our plans to hike the Popocatépetl volcano were thwarted by a "swollen cheek". Yes, swollen cheek! I got a massive infection in my mouth and didn't know if it was a tooth or just gum or the oral cavity... My cheek swelled up so much that I couldn't even open my mouth properly. I just thought, damn, I don't want to go to the dentist here in Mexico. The hygiene and dilapidated houses in the nearby villages didn't speak in favor of it...

The only consolation was that we could still hike and partly climb to an incredibly beautiful waterfall on the first day. The path uphill became increasingly rocky, steep, and slippery. I liked the hiking trail. It was fun to jump over riverbeds, balance, and climb ropes. Nico must have had fun too, I think... 😊
The view was definitely worth it!

After returning to our car, we had a little photo show and exchanged police patches with a group of Mexican colleagues. Luckily, we packed enough patches :-D

As for the swollen cheek: Fortunately, it went away on its own after a few days. Phew, no dentist!!! And the three days lost were only half as boring thanks to our accommodation. We spent a few nights at the "Hacienda Panoaya" hotel. The complex consisted of a small amusement park with various animal enclosures and fun games for children. We could stroll through the park every day, observe the animals, and have fun on the playground. It was a great accommodation with a view of the volcano and also damn cheap.

Next, we continued our journey to the historical site of Teotihuacan. Wow, the site was huge! We both stood there with our jaws dropped and were absolutely fascinated by the massive Sun Pyramid in front of us! It was much larger than the pyramids before! The entire former city of Teotihuacan stretched with an avenue over 2 km long and an estimated population of over 200,000 people at its peak to such a gigantic extent that we couldn't stop marveling at it. Nico, in particular, seemed like an excited little boy who was given a lollipop. When it was time to leave, I wouldn't have been surprised if Nico had thrown himself to the ground screaming and kicking his hands and feet :-D

Nico is an absolute history fanatic. This journey through all the historical events in the Mesoamerican region is an important and fascinating journey into the past for him... and there were more historically significant places to come...

In the evening, we went in search of a fancy restaurant. The one we were looking for was closed. On the way there, I noticed another restaurant. It looked like local cuisine. However, when we entered, I wasn't sure if it was a public place and asked the woman if we could have something to eat here. She immediately nodded and seated us at one of the tables. Next door was the living area of the family living there. It felt more like we were sitting in the dining room. There was no menu. The very friendly woman brought us various courses one by one. From noodle soup, rice, salad, and something undefinable to jelly and 2 liters of cucumber lemonade, we were well taken care of. It was "poor people's food", but it was delicious and completely sufficient to satisfy our hunger. We paid only €6 for the 4-course menu for two people! We even added €3 as a tip for the nice hospitality. The woman couldn't believe it and had to cross herself. It's just crazy how poor these people actually are, while we casually shake the bills out of our hands... It then becomes clear again and again how lucky we are to have enough money and freedom to travel and enjoy life. Most Mexicans will never be able to afford a life outside their village.
Yet the whole family was excited to meet us and take pictures with us, even though we didn't really understand each other due to the language barrier.

It is these moments when we stumble into the real lives of the locals and are warmly greeted and welcomed, even if we don't speak the same language, that leave these experiences deeply rooted in our memories.

The next day, we returned to the capital. Some people told us that Mexico City is dangerous and we should be careful! Honestly, we didn't feel that it was any more dangerous than elsewhere. You can be robbed or whatever can happen anywhere. It just means you were in the wrong place at the wrong time.

We managed to drive through the chaotic city and into the center without any accidents. It was the weekend and a special one at that. The Day of the Dead, "Día de Muertos," was right around the corner. What has become Halloween in the USA and Europe is a very old tradition in Mexico, where the living prepare to receive the dead. In Mexico, this day is celebrated on November 1st and 2nd. Street festivals and costume parades are already taking place on the weekends leading up to it. The beautiful historic center of Mexico City filled with crowds of people in the evening, and the streets were filled with skeletons, colorful dancers followed by Mexican folklore. A beautiful, lively, and colorful spectacle! The absolute highlight (caution: irony!) was the live performance on Plaza de la Constitucion. After 3 hours of waiting and being squeezed in the crowd, the singer finally made it to the stage, sang two melancholic songs, and since I somehow already suspected it, we squeezed our way out after 15 minutes towards the exit, and then the closing fireworks started... A festival Mexican-style :-D But hey, we were able to witness the remarkable spectacle in the capital. When we finally managed to get out of the crowd, completely hungry, we set out to find a street food stand or a pizza place. The shops in the city center were already closed, believe it or not. And we were craving Hawaiian pizza so much!!! Depressed and hungry, we walked back to the car and what did my eagle eyes spot in the side street: a pizza place, lit up and open! Yaaayyy!!! The pizza was so cheesy, greasy, and delicious. We sat down on the sidewalk in the middle of the night, munching on our pizza, and wouldn't have been surprised if a street person had joined us in this area :-D

Since all the hotels in the city were almost fully booked due to the festival and the few available rooms were outrageously expensive, we drove to the outskirts of the city to a very affordable (sex) motel. So, one should not walk through the rooms with UV light. I don't want to know how many stains of sperm, blood, and God knows what else you can find there... :-D In our room, there was also a very special bed with handcuffs. It would have been fun, I'm sure, but NO, I'm not getting on it! Even though Nico is grinning at me like that... In the middle of the night, Nico even woke up and heard loud screams from the neighboring room. Either sounds of pleasure or someone was being murdered, or both...

Well, in the early morning, we headed straight to the airport and off to the next country, Costa Rica 😊