Mexico City, November 2009 − Travels − Captain Tom

Mexico City, November 2009

What a trip! And one with quite a few superlatives:

I had to fly about 12,000 miles (20,000 kilometers) from Berlin to Düsseldorf to Newark to Mexico City to Frankfurt to Berlin

I visited the biggest city of this world where about 20 million people live.

I was on top of a cult site which is about 2000 years old.

I climbed a 14,000 feet mountain which is an extinct volcano.

I touched amongst other animals a living Jaguar and and a Giraffe

It was a great trip and thanks to my hosts, the Herberg Family, I had a really good time over there.

Here is a map with the locations visited

Map 2009_11_mexico

1 New Jersey

I had to go there to close my bank account and I used the time to visit the office and some good friends.

It is raining in Berlin and in Düsseldorf
Approaching Newark. Tappan Zee Bridge over Hudson in rain
Having a good dinner with good frieds (Ann Marie, Bill, Jim, Jasna, Paul, Tom, Pete from left to right)
2 Flight to Mexico City

It is still raining in Newark

Finally on top of the queue for take off
Santa Rosa Island close to New Orleans
Mississippi delta at New Orleans Mexico shows two volcanos
Appraoch to Mexico City
3 First sightseeing in Mexico City

I am visiting the Herberg Family and shortly after arrival we start the first sigthseeing tour into the very city.

Busy streets
Sugarcane. Quite refreshing but when chewing the juice out it gets quite woody and you need to get rid of it soon (spitting it into the green)
Palace of fine arts
The central Place Zócalo with Cathedral...
and public "Square of Constitution"
The cerrada (gated community) where the Herberg Family lives in
4 Teotihuacán

We go out of the city to the north to see some very old cult places.

We are passing a meat market
The Aztek pyramids of Teotihuacán. Huge things.
We want to climb up there
The crowd on top. Huge butterflies above us
I was there
This is the panorama view from top of the larger pyramid (sun pyramide) towards the smaller one (moon pyramid)
Christine, little Laura and me in front of the bigger pyramid
Climbing some steps along the procession street
The smaller pyramid
Christine, Laura and me
The sun god in the museum
on our way back we passed houses all over the mountain sides
In the evening Stephan cooked mexican barbecue
And we had to play a little bit
5 Grutas de Cacahuamilpa and Zoofari

Another day out of the town. We go to see huge caverns and some animals.

On our way we see Popocatepetl, the second highest mountain in Mexico and an active volcano
At the cavern site we decide to fly over a little canyon to the entrance
Huge tree at the entrance
Afterwards we go to Zoofari to see and touch some animals
A capybara
Touching a giraffe
A lama is quite fluffy
An ostrich
The highlight is touching a grown up jaguar. You have to buy a silly picture afterwards but it was worth it. Quite impressing and quite different to what I thought it would be. The cat did not smell and had wonderful soft short hairs. Great feeling.
Watching other animals
A dingo
6 A day for culture

Visiting the museum of the famous painter Frida Kahlo
Visiting the Museum of Dolores Olmedo
An impressing estate
Very rare hairless mexican dogs
An exhibition about mexican death cult Día de los Muertos
Giant agaves
Afterwards we go to the floating gardens of Xochimilco and have a little ride on the water
The boat station "Embarcadero Caltongo"
There are a lot of boats offering stuff. Here something to eat...
...and here music
7 Nevado de Toluca

This day is for nature. We will climb an extinct vulcano. Well, most of the way we will use the car but then there is a path to walk up to the edge.

View over Mexico City on our way out
Passing Toluca the Mountain is already visible. It is 4690 meters (about 14,000 feet) high.
Reaching the tree line at about 4000 meters (about 12,000 feet)
Great view towards Toluca
The path to the edge
We have reached the edge and can see the two crater lakes
We are at about 4270 meters (12,800 feet).
I decide to continue to climb along the edge. I guess I make another 200 meters (600 feet of elevation)
View down to the parking place
360 degree view from the edge
On our way back we pass the "modern Mexico City", the district of Santa Fe
8 Bosque de Chapultepec

On the last day we go to a big Park in the City called Bosque de Chaputepec. There are some museums as well.

The lake
A lizard on a tree
View from above the trees
View over the city
Castillo de Chapultepec
Squirrels are everywhere
Quite a significant memorial "Monumento a los Niños Héroes"
Some indian artists
Another Museum
A VW Beatle cab. There are still quite a few in Mexico City.
9 Flight back

I fly overnight from Mexico City to Frankfurt. In Frankfurt I realize that I have taken the sunny weather with me. No rain anymore.