Visiting Chapultepec and Coyoacan in Mexico City

The fountain of two coyotes in Coyoacan

Last day in Mexico City, and also the last day in Mexico. It was a sunny Thursday morning when Leo and I headed out. I joined him in taxi ride towards his University, but have jumped out close to a neighbourhood called Coyoacan. I didn’t know what to expect, only that it is an interesting place worth a visit. While walking towards it I went to a bank to pay for my exit fee out of the country (around 20 USD). It went smoothly, so I continued towards the center of Coyoacan.

Upon arriving, I felt like being in some charming Italian town. It didn’t feel at all like being in Mexico City. Well, in the past this neighbourhood was a town of its own. It became part of DF (Mexico City) in the 19th century. Its name apparently comes from Nahuatl and it means “place of coyotes”. In the main park, where there is a fountain with two coyotes, I bought a typical Mexican ice-cream and sat down on the bench. Going further, one reaches another part of the square where the church is and another nicely designed park area with some monuments. What struck me the most about this place is that it really feels like you are in a completely different town in Mexico City. I could easily live here for some time. Walking further along one street, I stumble upon an entrance to a building that caught my attention. Having all the time in the world, naturally I went inside to explore it, and I’m so glad I did. Inside is a secret little park, with a caffe, a little fountain, the labyrinth, and other interesting things. I could easily see how this would become one of my favourite spot if I were ever to live in Mexico City.

Visiting the Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City

Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City

It was Sunday sunny morning when I was saying goodbye to my host Martin and his flatmates. I was going to stay with another host, Leo. He was living alone in a modern apartment in a nice neighbourhood in Mexico City. I was to stay there for another three days, which were also my final three days in Mexico. The trip was coming to a close, although it wasn’t over yet. Leo was an interesting person to meet. Originally from Brazil, he is studying musical therapy in Mexico city, and because I’m also interested in healing, talking to him was beneficial. For today the plan was to visit Anthropological museum of Mexico City, one of the most famous of the kind in the world.

Getting there was quite easy, especially with a map and Leo’s help. I just needed to get off at the Chapultepec station. Once there I went partly through Chapultepec park and then by the main road to the museum. I was a little worried that there will be many people due to the fact that it’s Sunday – a day when Mexicans have free entry to INAH museums and archaeological sites. But a good thing about the museum of anthropology is that it is so big that crowds get dispersed all over the place. And besides, there weren’t that many people anyways.

The ruins of an ancient Aztec temple in Mexico City – El Templo Mayor

Templo Mayor in Mexico City

Getting to Templo Mayor didn’t involve much planning because I was already in Mexico City. It was Saturday when I went to check out that interesting place. It is situated at Zocalo/main square, on the Northern part of it. Even though it was Saturday, there weren’t too many people there.

Templo Mayor is one of the largest and one of the main temples that have existed in the ancient city of Aztecs, which was situated on the same area where Mexico City is today. According to a story, when Aztecs were looking for the place where to build their city, they were given a clue by a higher being that they should build it where they see an eagle standing on a cactus, devouring a serpent. So they looked and looked for this sign, until finally, after much hardship and suffering, they’ve seen it! (By the way that image is also incorporated on Mexican flag) It was in a swamp area infested with insects and reptiles, but they followed their guidance and built what was to be the glorious city of the Aztecs.

Great day out at the ancient site of Teotihuacan

Teotihuacan

It was cloudy Friday morning when I headed towards Teotihuacan, one of the most impressive ancient sites of the Mesoamerican culture. Getting there with public transport was pretty easy, and cheap. If you are taking a metro, get off at “Autobuses del Norte” station. There you will see a big bus station which is the Northern Bus station of Mexico city. Once there, walk towards the last desk where you will see the sign “Autobuses Teotihuacan”. They are very frequent, cheap, and it only takes some 40-50 minutes to get there.

Teotihuacan was probably one of the most touristy place I’ve seen in Mexico, but for the right reason – it’s an amazing and unique place. When entering in, don’t go immediately left along the Avenue of the Dead, but rather first go straight ahead to see a huge courtyard with several structures, the main of which is the Temple of Quetzlcoatl. The temple forms a greater whole with another structure that is adjacent to it, and which you reach by climbing up, and then down again. Within this space between the two structures are sculptures of the feather serpent – Quetzlcoatl. According to stories, he was one of the avatars of the ancient past who came to the ancient Mexican land and did miracles, healings, prophecies, and generally had similar life and teachings to Jesus of Nazareth.

Six days in Mexico City

Mexico City

It was around 20th of May this year when I went from Tepoztlan to Mexico. My host in Tepoztlan, Matias, also went to Mexico on that same day so I joined him in that two hour trip. We had some great laughs and also talk about some interesting subjects. To be honest, I was nervous because of going to Mexico City. I heard a lot about it – how it is chaotic and dangerous – and in my mind I conjured an image that proved to be not in line with reality.

Matias dropped me off at one of the metro station, and I already noticed a clear difference between Mexico City and other places I’ve been to thus far.
“Hey! Hurry up, we don’t have all day!”, was a shout of a man waiting in a cue behind me while I was buying a metro ticket and asking for directions.
“Oh, come on. Have patience sir. I need to explain to him how to get where he wants to go.”, the clerk lady defended me.

A trip to the ancient site of Xochicalco (from Tepoztlan)

At Xochicalco

The most significant ancient site in the state of Morelos is definitely UNESCO protected site Xochicalco. Getting there from Tepoztlan wasn’t very difficult, but it requires knowledge of basic Spanish. I first took a bus to Cuernavaca, a nearby town and another popular place in Morelos. In Cuernavaca the passengers were dropped off at one of the bus stations. From there I had to catch another bus to Temixco, which I did by hailing it on the road very close to the bus station where we were dropped off in Cuernavaca. On the bus to Temixco I asked the driver to drop me off at the place from where I have to wait for the bus that passes by the archaeological zone of Xochicalco (everyone in the area knows about this site, so you won’t have any trouble when asking for directions, especially if you ask drivers).

The bus driver dropped me off on the main road in Temixco, at the place where many people wait for buses. Someone there was collecting some kind of a fee from the drivers, and he knew exactly which bus I had to get on to. After some half an hour of waiting, the bus came and I was on the way to the ancient site of Xochicalco. The bus dropped me right in front of the entrance, but you need to buy a ticket in the museum, which is some 10 minutes walk away. Like many other museums in Mexico, this one too was top-notch, with very interesting artifacts, carved stones, and ancient pieces of art. After checking the museum, I headed towards the archaeological grounds.

Adventure in Tepoztlan, Morelos (Mexico)

View of Tepoztlan from my host’s house.

To get from Puebla to Tepoztlan I had to go to the main bus station in Puebla, and catching a bus to Cuautla, which takes some two hours or so. Once in Cuautla, I walked from what appeared to be the second class bus station, to the first class, which was pretty much in the same street, about 10 minutes walk away. There I waited some 30 minutes or so for the bus that passes by Tepoztlan.

I heard a lot about this interesting little town, one of the Mexican “pueblo magicos” (magic town) and how some interesting things are happening there on a frequent level, so I decided to include it in my itinerary. The plan was to stay there for three days.

From Cuautla it took some 40 minutes to reach Tepoztlan. From the bus station I took a taxi to where my host Matias is living. I got a good feeling about this town from the first moment; I just knew there is something very uplifting about it. Matias showed me my quarter, and said I can join him for lunch as soon as he finishes his work.

Failed attempt to reach Popocatepetl (Mount Popo) with public transport

Popocatepetl volcano (Mount Popo)

One of the places that attracted me to Puebla was Popocatepetl volcano, more commonly known as the Mount Popo. It was my wish to get as closer to it as possible. I heard that it is active and that I wouldn’t be able to hike it, but getting at least to a safe range is something I planned on doing. And on my last day in Puebla I headed out to do just that.

First I needed to catch a bus or colectivo to the city of Cholula, which I did. Once there, I took a colectivo to San Nicolas de los Ranchos. These were the instructions I was following that were given to me by the locals I’ve met in Cholula a few days earlier. Unfortunately, I still wasn’t close enough. I asked the driver how to get closer, and he told me that the only thing that remains for me is to stand by the road and hail another colectivo that would pass in that direction. And so I was standing on the outskirts of San Nicolas and waiting for the colectivo van, but as I didn’t see it, I decided to hitchhike. Unfortunately no-one stopped, but I persisted and waited for almost an hour.

Daytrip to the ancient city of Cantona (from Puebla)

View of the ancient site of Cantona and with a vulcano in the background

The ancient site of Cantona is another very interesting place to see. It is located about hour and a half from Puebla, close to a town called Oriental. I had to wake up at around 6am or earlier in order to catch the morning bus to Oriental, from the main bus station in Puebla. It was still very early in the morning when I arrived to Oriental. From where the bus dropped me off in the town center, the colectivos to Cantona are just around the corner. However, they don’t go often because there are not many people who go there. Because I was the only passenger, I paid 100 pesos for the ride (20-30 kilometers distance), and arranged with the driver to pick me up here in case I don’t find someone who is going to Oriental or Puebla.

And so I started exploring this huge site. It is very unique because of its location in the desert, with cactus-like trees all around. The style of architecture is typical Mesoamerican, yet with some unique appearance. The site is believed to date to the first millennia AD, but it is unknown who has actually inhabited this huge city. Even though the archaeological zone is so large, it is thought that only some 10% of the ancient city has been excavated.

A week in Puebla city

Downtown Puebla.

I took ADO bus from Oaxaca to Puebla. It was a nice, scenic, four hour ride. And as we were leaving the state of Oaxaca and entering the state of Puebla, I’ve noticed how the landscape is changing again. It was still desert-like, but unlike Oaxacan red soil and light green and yellow vegetation, the soil was now more whitish/grey, and the vegetation dark green, which created more intense contrast of colors.

When I arrived to Puebla I called my host Aldo, at whose place I was to stay for the first four days in the city. He explained to me how to get to his flat by a public bus, and after a while I was there. Aldo was a student in Puebla, originally from Veracruz. He was living in a flat with two flatmates, and in the apartment next door more of his student friends were living. It was an interesting type of environment to come to – it definitely brought memories of my own University days. All of them were kind and respectful.

Adventure in Oaxaca Valley Part II (The site of Yagul and the Tule tree)

The ancient Zapotec site of Yagul

From where the driver dropped me off at the junction road to Yagul, I had to walk for about one kilometer, at the end of which is the entrance gate to the archeological zone. Very soon I spotted a big and unleashed dog walking by the street, next to a property. I got worried, because some dogs can be quite territorial, and therefore dangerous. Still, I kept my pace and direction. Incredibly, moments after, I hear a motor taxi coming up from behind me. Obviously I hailed him, and he gave me a ride up the hill to the site. Vehicles usually don’t pass much here, and he only came because he needed to pick up an elderly lady that was waiting for him at the entrance.

After paying admission fee (around 50 pesos), I entered to the ancient site of Yagul. This ancient city is thought to date to as far back as 500 BC and, like Mitla and Monte Alban, it was another site that belonged to the Zapotec civilization. There were literally only a few visitors at the entire site (which left soon after I arrived), so I pretty much had the entire place for myself.

Adventure in Oaxaca Valley Part I (from Oaxaca to the ancient site of Mitla)

In front of the best preserved temple in Mitla

Getting to Oaxaca city to Mitla by public transport was relatively easy. On the same main road to Mitla there are two more ancient sites: Jagul and Danzu. That’s why for today I planned to combine the sites of Mitla and Jagul. Buses and colectivo taxis (red ones) to Mitla go from the bus loop on Periferico street, where the market is. There is no fixed schedule when they are leaving for Mitla, so you have to stand on the corner of Periferico and Calle de Victoria/ Diagonal de Mercaderes, in order to see the bus that comes down from Northwest along Periferico, and also to see taxi colectivos (with Mitla sign on it) that join Periferico from Calle de Victoria/ Diagonal de Mercaderes. I spot the colectivo taxi for Mitla, and entered in.

The taxi cost around 30-40 pesos, whereas the bus is just a little less. After some 50 minutes drive, we arrived to Mitla. The taxi dropped me off in the center of the town, form where I walked 10-15 minutes to the ruins of Mitla. The ruins are in the Northern part of town, close to the church of San Pablo and the mercado.

The Magic of Monte Alban, Oaxaca (Mexico)

The ancient site of Monte Alban.

On the day I came to Oaxaca, the rainy season was slowly starting. The start of the rainy season in Mexico means that it rains either during the night, or from afternoon or evening, and it can last for several hours. The mornings and afternoons are usually always sunny. Of course, in some Mexican states the rain is much more pronounced than in others.

The plan for today is to visit the ancient site of Monte Alban, which was a ceremonial center of a mysterious culture known as Zapotecs. Carlos, my Oaxacan host, explained how to get there. Basically the colectivo to Monte Alban go from several locations. One of them goes from 518 Mina street (full name of the street is Francisco Javier Mina), which is at or close to hotel Rivera del Angel. The price for the transport there and back is around 60 pesos. The agency is called Lescas Co. and it has vans going to Monte Alban from Zocalo, Garcia street, and Mina street.

Great time in the City of Oaxaca

Church of Santo Domingo, Oaxaca

It was another very sunny day in San Cristobal de las Casas. Even though it was sunny during all three days of my stay there, the temperature was lower than where I’ve previously been in Mexico and Guatemala, due to the higher altitude. It was actually quite pleasant during the day, but nights were cold.

I’ve said goodbye to my host Marco and head towards the bus station to catch a morning bus to Tuxtla, and then from there to Oaxaca. The landscape between these two cities was different to anything I’ve seen before in Mexico. For the big part we drove through a desert type of terrain, with only some vegetation on it. When we passed through Tehuantepec we were half a way to Oaxaca, and at the closest point to the Oaxacan coast. When I was making the itinerary before coming to Mexico, I wanted to spend some time in a nice quiet village on the Oaxacan coast, called San Agustinilo. I was making arrangements to volunteer there, but unfortunately that plan didn’t come to fruition. I find the Oaxacan coast with its foresty mountains in the background quite attractive, and hopefully one day I’ll make it there. Later on I heard an opinion of a person where I’ve stayed in Tepoztlan that Oaxacan coast has the best beaches he ever seen in his life.

A day at the majestic Mayan site of Calakmul

At the entrance of the Calakmul biosphere reserve.

The night was cold. It was still dark when I woke up and headed out towards the bus station. The plan was to go to the entrance of Calakmul biosphere reserve by bus, and then from there to catch a colectivo van to Calakmul, or hitchhike. So I took an early morning second class bus to Palenque, which picked up passengers in Xpujil at around 6am (this was the only option, because the first class bus does not stop at such places, and the next second class bus went at 1pm). I asked the driver to tell me when we will be there so I can get off. By the way, it’s always good to mention to drivers where to drop you off twice – once at the start and second time remind them when close by, because if you only tell them at the start they may forget about it (happened to me in Puebla).

I arrived to the entrance of the Calakmul bioreserve at 6:50 am. There is a ramp gates that are lifted when each visitor buys a ticket to biosphere reserve. So it’s mandatory to buy both the ticket to that and to the archeological site (each costs around 60 pesos). From the entrance of Calakmul biosphere reserve to Calakmul archeological site one needs to drive for some 60 kilometers. There was already a car there buying tickets to biosphere reserve when I came.

Trip continues in Xpujil and preparation for Calakmul

The Mayan temple towers in Xpujil.

It was sunny morning of the late April this year when I took a bus from Campeche to Xpujil. The second class bus station is on Avenida Gobernadores – only some 15 minute walk from the hostel where I was staying. It took about five hours to get to Xpujil, but partly driving trough the villages along the Gulf of Mexico was quite nice. I listened to a very appropriate music – it was a compilation of songs of Keola Beamer, a Hawaiian musician. It was a very relaxing and comfortable trip.

I arrived to Xpujil in the early afternoon. I knew roughly where I was about to stay, although nothing was arranged. On my paper I had written down “Don Jorge Cabanas”. I heard it is a cheap and decent place, so decided to check it out. The taxi driver knew where that is, and didn’t even charge me anything, because, as he said, it’s only one kilometer from the bus station. But probably the real reason was because he hoped I will hire him the next day to drive me to Calakmul. The latter is the ruin of an ancient Mayan city, which in its golden days was one of the most important Mayan center, together with Tikal and Palenque.

Great surprise at the Mayan site of Edzna

Main plaza in the ancient city of Edzna.

The Mayan ruins of Edzna was the primary reason why I’ve came to Campeche. The plan was to catch an early colectivo van and spend the day in Edzna. The colectivo vans were located in the street that goes parallel to Avenida Gobernadores, close to the Mercado. It took me a while to find it, but after asking a few people I managed to catch a colectivo van that dropped me off at the very entrance to the site of Edzna. It took about an hour to reach it.

It was still very hot in Mexico, so I’ve spend a while in the shade, preparing for the exploration. Only people that I’ve seen during my entire stay was a bus of school kids and a dozen or so more people later on. I was pretty much there by myself. First group of objects that I’ve seen consisted of several ruined temples and an acropolis. As I was approaching one of those ruins I’ve seen lots of iguanas starting to run away. There were so many of them that I felt a little uncomfortable – I’ve never seen them in such number before. As I climbed up the acropolis I was greatly surprised by the amazing view of what’s behind it – the main plaza with the pyramid temple, and behind it on the higher platform was an amazingly intricate complex of a palace with temples.

Two days in Campeche, Yucatan

Colorfull houses with high sidewalks in the city center of Campeche.

I woke up to a sunny morning in Merida, Mexico. Today I continue my trip across Yucatan, by taking a bus to Campeche, in the state of Campeche. It was a short two hour bus ride with the second class bus. From the bus station I took a taxi to a hostel where I was staying, Viatger Inn. It is located in a great location in the historical center of Campeche. The hostel itself is new and modern, and a bit too posh for my liking, but it is a good place to stay in Campeche. Soon after arriving I’ve met one of my dormitory mates – an English guy with a very unusual British name which sounded like a name from 17th or 18th century. He was in his late 20’s, with a fair bit of traveling experience. He narrated to me some of his travel stories in South America and New Zealand. We talked about some interesting subjects, but on this first day he just told me that he is here for several days now, and he keeps prolonging his stay, because he likes Campeche that much. He showed me a video he recorded the previous night on Zocalo (main square), where there is light and sound show every evening. The light is projected upon a rectangular hacienda-looking building that covers one entire side of the Zocalo, in combination with sounds and music. He said highly of it, and it did look intriguing on the video. Unfortunately he didn’t clearly specify where the event is happening, so I asked the receptionist, however he directed me to another event.

Arriving to Mérida (Mexico) and a daytrip to Dzibilchaltun

Downtown Merida (Mexico)

“Mérida, Mérida! Mérida, Mérida!” were the many shouts coming from a man on the streets of Valladolid, trying to gather enough people for a transfer from Valladolid to Merida. I would join them, but I thought it could be uncomfortable trip if minivan is full and I am having my backpack with me. I decided to go with a bus, which takes about two hours.

It was a very warm and sunny weather. As we entered Mérida from the Eastern side, I noticed we are passing through some very poor neighborhoods. I didn’t expect this, and was wondering if the entire Merida would be like this. It wasn’t.

I arrived to ADO bus station at around 5.30 PM, and waited for my host in Merida to arrive. His name was Enrique – a person I’ve contacted on Couchsurfing. He picked me up at the station soon after I arrived, and then drove me around downtown Merida to get the feeling of the place, telling me about some of its history.

Gaining momentum in Valladolid Part II: Chichen Itza and cenote Samula

Downtown Valladolid.

After finding out where the colectivos for Chichen Itza is located, I went to that place fairly early. I was told that the first colectivo to that most popular Mayan ruin in Mexico goes at 7am (which turned out to be inaccurate information because it goes at 8). I intended to catch that early one so to come there and explore before the crowds starts entering. When I came there at 8am I saw two couples talking and waiting for the ride. At 8:30 we finally hit the road and were on our way to Chichen Itza. On our way there I conversed with one of the couples that were waiting. They were an easygoing young people from Ontario and the purpose for their travel was to spend a month on the Caribbean cost, taking care of someone’s house.They were very much looking forward to that break, and told me many things about their overall travel in the area.

After some 45 minutes we arrived to Chichen Itza. The admission fee for the site was around 250 pesos, which was the most expensive ticket for archeological site in Mexico (most of other sites were 70 pesos). Yet, it is worth paying that much to see what this most popular Mayan site has to offer. It was almost 10am, yet the many buses that would come from Cancun were not yet there, which was good. However, there were lots of sellers already at the site.