Teotihuacan + Tacos

Wake up at 5:55 came early this morning but I was ready. I took the cheapest Uber yet to Roma Norte and waited for my pickup for the tour to Teotihuacan. They messaged that they were running late, and I was already half an hour early so I walked to the only open coffee shop, a Starbucks. I picked up some extra napkins (forshadowing) and made my way back to the pickup spot with a large coffee in hand.

People in the streets were either starting up their food carts, running (like, for exercise), or walking their dog. It was a beautiful morning!

Once I got picked up I started chatting with the two guides and we had lovely conversations about México, about Canada, and about veganism. They gave plenty of recommendations for vegan food in the city. Awesome to chat with folks who were so aware!

We picked up two more couples, squeezed into a 7 passenger SUV and escaped the city traffic up north to Teotihuacan. Leaving the city we drove through a “red zone”. The driver, Arturo, said “I call it red because, well, it’s dangerous to stop here.” Yikes. The houses were crammed together, and looking into the roofs and backs of them I saw hanging laundry, stored junk, plants, and a lot of power lines. There were also large black and blue coloured vats, there are for water. And then grey smaller containers for the gas, which most houses are powered on.

We noticed overhead some gondolas - these are public transportation built 6 years ago and used to carry people up into the densely populated hills. You can see a bit of them in this photo which mainly shows how crowded the housing is.

The rest of the drive was filled with mainly nopales (cactus) and agave farms, and then we were there! These pyramids were built by the Aztecs, from around 100-400 CE. They are not tombs, unlike the Egyptian versions, these were used for ritual and were not hollow inside, though they have found tunnels in more recent expedition. This one, the Pyramid of the Sun, is the largest at 200 metres across the base and 65 metres high.

The other structures we saw along the roadway were the business centres and homes of the people. The main roadway was called the Avenue of the Dead.

Then we got to the Pyramid of the Moon, learned about its uses for sacrifices and to honour the god of fertility.

We walked along the Avenue of the Dead all the way to the end of the excavated site and to the final building, the Temple of the Serpents. Here we climbed the steepest stairs of the day, and felt the hottest sun.

Finishing up the tour, I met some sweet pups near the little shops outside, and found myself a pin for Teotihuacan to add to my collection.

On the drive home I snapped better photos of the gondolas.

Driving back was hot, and we were all very hungry. It took about an hour and I was dropped off exactly outside of my lunch stop, Los Loosers. This all vegan spot has mushrooms in most of their dishes, different types of mushrooms and preparations to make them super meaty. I got 3 tacos, and an Al Pastor style gyoza. This meal was so flavourful, the mushrooms were convincingly meaty and full of smoke and spice, and had toppings like pickled onions, smoky charred pineapple, fresh cilantro, and fried plantain I think?). I’m still thinking about this food it was really delicious. I had a coffee with it to perk up a little.

Next stop I walked maybe 20 minutes around the La Condesa neighbourhood, petting every cute dog and puppy that let me, and I made my way to Jardin Chapultepec for a beer in a beautiful garden oasis. I had a local IPA, and it was good, but it was no west coast IPA!

Next stop - Chapultepec Park. This is a massive park, right in the city, rivalling Central Park in New York. I walked through the front gates and through the park, checking out monuments and the lake, and browsing the vendors. I was tempted to buy some very cheap sunglasses since I brought ones here that are ready to be tossed. But I couldn’t commit! I sat by the water for a little while admiring the various birds, fish gulping at the water’s surface, and tourists on the pedal boats. I saw the coolest bird! He was big - bigger than the biggest seagull, and a gorgeous blue colour with bright red eyes and these white tentacle things coming out from his head.

I made my way up to the entrance of the castle, but couldn’t bring myself to cough up the fee and store my bag in exchange for the view. I had also hit 15,000 steps and was ready to get back home. I sat on a park bench and enjoyed the tall trees and serenity for a little while, and texted my mom. I’ve been feeling sick, my nose is running constantly and a bit of a headache, but not tired or have other symptoms. It also goes away when I get inside. I tried some allergy pills which didn’t help, and Misha and Alanna confirmed my thoughts that it’s a combination of the smog, elevation and dryness that’s making me so sniffly.

Once I took a little break I walked over to Roma Norte and to a vegan burger spot for an afternoon snack. The burger was smashed and perfectly greasy and really delicious. I stumbled up to the counter, literally. I have not gotten used to the uneven sidewalks here yet! There were four guys working at the burger shack, and by working I mean sitting at the tables waiting for customers. When the realized I was one they hopped right up! But there really is a lot of standing around here and what seems like excess people at businesses. The minimum wage in Mexico is $15.43CAD per DAY.

After the burger I got an Uber to a grocery store to get some food to pack for my long tour tomorrow. All vegan grocery store? Gotta check that our!

Next I made my way to a local grocery store, then Misha’s. I freshened up and we hired an Uber right back out. Misha had one of the Driftwood beer’s I brought him and we enjoyed the view from his rooftop while we waited for the Uber.

We ate at one of my top spots, La Pithahaya. It was dead, but we were probably early for Mexican dinner standards. La Pithahaya is known for their bright pink tacos. We ordered, and the food was beautiful. Unfortunately the flavours just weren’t there. I’d already been spoiled with my food choices and this wasn’t a hit unfortunately. Can you win them all? I guess not.

Next we hit up a Pulqueria on the advice of my tour mates from the morning. We walked up to the entrance to what looked like an old legion hall, brightly lit, ugly tables. A man with face tattoos and blacked out eyes and dressed all in black greeted us. “Hola. Fourth floor”. Ok, up we go. The first floor was the dingy legion type. The second floor was empty. The third floor up the creaky stairs was an art gallery in a small room with a man who said in Spanish, but motioned to, “look around”. The art was twisted bodies, chains, deformed faces. Creepy. We headed up the last staircase, which was next to a black wall with a skull and a dark pit off the one side. Was this the end? Finally at the top it looked more welcoming, but felt local. Mismatched furniture, plastic plants, black lights. My nails were glowing! We ordered from the three room-temperature cats of Pulque; our flavour choices were Apor (celery), Marzapan, or Insurgentes, which was a berry flavour. The glasses came rimmed worn spicy salt. The drink dates back to 200AD and is fermented, made from the agave plant. It’s a little slippery in texture and more viscous than juice, and served at room temp. It was.. fine. We weren’t wow’d. While we were drinking it we found out that if it’s drunk in it’s “best state” it can give you a psychoactive experience! It does contain proteins and a bunch of vitamins, and is sometimes referred to as Mexican Viagra.

Next stop: Mano Sanyo Mezcaleria. I’d wanted to go to a place where I could try various types of mezcal and this place had quite a few. We were all tempted by their cocktails, and the results were good, but not great unfortunately. The night felt a bit like a bust with good company. I did order a single shot of “herbal” mezcal that was served to me in a shot, at room temperature, and it was so smooth and herbaceous, it was easily the best thing I’d consumed since that delicious burger.

Took an Uber home and set multiple alarms for a 5:20am wake up the next morning for a tour to Tolantongo.