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Saturday, March 3, 2012

Mexico City

We took the 11:00am bus from Valle de Bravo. We had been on most of these roads with Sherman, so didn't take any pictures of the ride there. We had been told that it was a two hour and fifteen minute bus ride, and sure enough we pulled into the Observatorio terminal at 1:10pm.

The bus station is HUGE, and this was one of four major long distance bus terminals in the city. Then, it was a short walk to the Observatorio Metro (subway) station. We pretty much just followed the crowd and made it with no problem. We got in line for tickets. The Mexico City Metro system is one of the cheapest in the world with adult tickets costing only 3 pesos (24 cents) per ride.

We had figured out ahead of time how to get to the National Museum of Anthroplogy and it was only three stops away so we were there very quickly. We got out of the subway and above ground and of course you are a little disoriented in a new city. But we asked a guard for directions and I knew we were close anyhow, figuring on about a fifteen minute walk from the station.

Most of the walk was through a park. Kind of reminded us of central park in New York City. We stopped for lunch at one of the many little restaurant stands.

Ruth and the Los Ninos Heroes monument in the park.

Looking the opposite way from the monument.

Lunch. Cost...70 pesos ($5.60) for the two of us. Ruth says she's not sure why the funny look on her face....it  was really good!

Made it to the museum at 2:00pm. This is a bit of a late start however we weren't expected at Adrian's apartment until 7:00pm, and the museum doesn't close until then anyhow. We paid the 57 pesos ($4.56) each admission fee, and checked our backpacks for free.

Ruth and the fountain in the plaza of the museum.

The roof structure is supported by that single column where the waterfall is.

This museum is world class, and it is huge. The sheer number of artifacts from Mexico's history is mind boggling. You could easily spend a full day here, so we tried not to linger in any one area for too long. No flash photography is allowed, so sometimes it was difficult to get decent pictures, but here's a selection of our best ones...

A seashell carving.

This skull was found wearing a wig.

One of the halls.

This was made by an indigenous woman. It is made with wool!

Another hall.

The famous "Stone of the Sun".  This stone is often incorrectly referred to as the Mayan Calendar stone, however that hypothesis has since been discounted.

It was excavated during  repairs to the Mexico City cathedral way back in 1790.

The stone is 12 feet across, and weighs 24 tons!

This big guy was found near Veracruz.

This mask and decorations were found at the tomb at Palenque in the state of Chiapas. We had been to the Palenque ruins before and wanted to see this. It dates from the year 683.

We left the museum at about 6:10pm, figuring that was lots of time to make it to Adrian's apartment. But Friday rush hour goes on for a long time in Mexico City! Plus, the park we had to walk through closes at 6:00pm so we had to walk around it to get to the metro station.

Mexico City traffic is everything they say it is. Why you would own a car here, I have no idea! Notice the guy standing in the right lane...he is selling pistachios!

We had to go four stops on the metro, then switch trains and go another four stops. By the time we got back above ground it was about 7:10pm and it was dark out. Fortunately I had programmed Adrian's apartment into our GPS and we were able to do the fifteen minute walk without a problem. Lots of people out and about on the streets.

We sat and chatted with Adrian for a couple of hous and then he took us to a nearby taco place for a late dinner. It was a little pricey at 100 pesos ($8.00) each, for three very good shrimp and beef tacos each...we were stuffed...should have only ordered one! We'll know better next time.

What's on the agenda for today? Adrian is going to take us to a breakfast place he knows, and then he's going to visit his family but first he will take us to Coyoacan and get us oriented a little bit. 

A great first day in Mexico City!

18 comments:

  1. sure was a full day of activities!..I am not a big fan of museums but that one changed my mind!..great phtotos of the displays~~..hope you have a great day day filled with lots of picture taking opportunities!..by the way the traffic photo looks like our freeway at rush hour!...now tell me again why we own cars?

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  2. Amazing artifacts. The ancient people of Mexico are fascinating because they were able to create and do things that we still don't understand how today. The traffic looks horrible.

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  3. A wonderful first day in the city. You sure do not want to drive in all that traffic, when the transportation system is so reasonable.

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  4. Glad you're riding the bus. That must be one of the best ways to get around. Thanks for sharing such great pictures. We'll look forward to seeing the rest of your visit.

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  5. Neat stuff at the museum. Neat trick too with the GPS. What kind/model do you have?

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    1. It's a Tom-Tom. We bought it because it included Mexico maps, but overall I'm not that happy with it. Liked the older Garmin we had before. For our next one, I think we will go back to Garmin and pay the extra for the Mexico maps.

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  6. I've heard the food that can be had in Mexico city is almost unrivaled around the planet.

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    1. So far, I would agree with that. It is a little more expensive than what we have experienced in the rest of the country, but we're definitely happy with the food so far!

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  7. Thanks for taking great pics at the museum.

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  8. butterbean carpenterMarch 3, 2012 at 4:18 PM

    Howdy Ruth & Kevin,
    Some of the antiquities in the museum were found by Joyce's archaeological group; she found a babie's bracelet, but it was stolen in the burglary of the museum.
    MC is a wonderful place, like NYC, but they are both toooo crowded for my taste!! Be careful!! Watch out for Zetas!!!

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  9. The museum looks amazing. I know a little about couch surfing and what a great way to travel and meet new people. :)

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  10. What a great museum. It looks like you had a great day.

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  11. I LOVE museums. This one would be absolutely awesome. I love the picture you choose for your header. Hope all your days in MX City are this much fun! ~wheresweaver

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  12. I always say we're not museum people ... but I think it depends on the type of museum. The one you visited today would be right up our alley I think. Looking forward to seeing Mexico City through your eyes.

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  13. Really enjoying your going to the big city and me looking at what you saw and hearing about it. I've always said that if they'd make the rail and bus system cheaper than driving a car, Americans would use them but maybe that's not true judging from the situation there.

    Do you sleep in an extra bedroom at your coach surfing host's home?

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    1. Hi Sherry...yes, we are staying in a two bedroom apartment and we are using the second bedroom.

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  14. Oh my gosh - pistashio salesman in the middle of the freeway, how very convenient!!

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  15. Good pictures from the museum.

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