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Tuesday 24 March
There is a lot to tell about this day, but you will have to see it in pictures for now. We were on a bus tour with a group of Chinese students who were studing in USA, two USA guys who were cabin attendants on United Airlines and a guy from Chile who was a cabin attendant on LAN Airlines. We were definitely the ‘oldies’, along with a delightful lady from northern Mexico and a mature couple from USA, who kept wondering how we could keep our clothes clean when we were travelling for more than a year.
First stop was to see the place of the three cultures, an ancient Aztec site, a Spanish chruch and the modern buildings that form today’s Mexico City.
We then stopped for a buying opportunity, to try tequila, learn about how it is made and buy it and some souvenirs. The young people were so relaxed that by the time we left it was time for lunch.
Lunch was the usual Mexican fare of tortillas, chicken in More sauce and the famous molcajete – a dish of chicken, beef, cheese, vegetable and cactus casserole served in a very hot stone dish.
But it was getting late and the clouds were building and we still hadn’t seen the pyramids.
We finally reached the pyramids, climbed halfway on the moon pyramid and all the way on the sun pyramid. Our guide presented a good overview of the history of the Aztecs in this region and how they were practically wiped out when they succumbed to Cortez and European diseases.
Unfortunately we were left waiting at one gate for our tour guide – I think he forgot which gate he told us to wait at – so yet another half hour was lost.
Our last stop for the day was to visit the holy shrine of the Virgin of Guadalupe. This is a very special place for Mexicans, and Steph had already introduced us to her when we were in Sayulita.
By now our tour guide was panicking – the day had been too long. We were rushed through the shrine, feeling most dissatisfied with the principal attractions of the tour. I have to say that the guide did not work hard at keeping the entourage moving at the expected pace. We spent too much time buying and eating and too little time at the attractions we had paid to see!
No wonder Bruce & I get frustrated on group tours.
