Tepoztlan Again - May 2011

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With Linda settling back into school and I into the routines we have become familiar with, the week passed, and we then enjoyed a week-end here in DF. There is always so much to do, Friday night we joined Renee and Megan for supper in Polanco which is just across Chapultepic Park from Condesa where we live. Then, it was on to the Auditorio Nacional, a gorgeous 9683 seat auditorium where we enjoyed as symnphony playing "Queen" music all night. It was delightful, Linda was wishing the 200 member choir would have sang more, but we reminded her it was after all a symphony. Saturday night, we walked to Roma where a teacher we know was the DJ for the evening. Just as we were considering leaving, we were the only other people there, the young teacher crowd arrived and we didn't get out of there till 1 am. We then enjoyed a mile long walk back home and were thrilled with the amount of people out on the streets laughing and singing, lined up to get into nightclubs, or just going from bar to bar. We noticed that though there were a lot of people, we never smelt any drugs, and didn't notice any drunks either, just a lot of people laughing, talking and visiting.
On the week-end, of May 6-7-8, we once again joined Fran and Jo Anne on an excursion, but this time instead of taking the bus to Tepoztlan, we drove in the car that they had just bought, a 2002 Honda Accord EX-R with only 52,000 kilometers on it. White with a beige interior, the car is immaculate and they got a steal of a deal, buying the car from another teacher and paying only $5666 Canadian. Megan and Renee were already there, having bussed down on Thursday after school. We literally ran into them as we were driving by the Zocalo on our way to the hotel. What a quaint quiet and beautiful little hotel. Once we were checked in, we headed down the main street towards the Zocalo, enjoying our first micheladas for the day, especially, while the ladies were doing all that shopping. The ambience of colonial small town Mexico, the craftspeople selling their wares, the charm, the music and the activity are things that we love so much. Saturday, we spent the day lounging by the pool, swimming, enjoying the cold beer that I was able to buy just a half block away from the hotel, 6 for $5 Canadian. We would consider this corner store beer affordable. Then it was time for supper and the girls knew of an especially nice restaurant that they wanted to go to, and WOW what an experience. Tucked into the jungle just at the base of the mountain, a 5 minute walk from our hotel was the most beautifully set restaurant we have ever visited. With the birds singing, the sun shining, the greenery of the jungle surrounded by flowers and the music in the air, we were treated to a delicious supper. Linda had a cordon blue, and I enjoyed the bacon wrapped medallion steaks, covered with a wine and mushroom sauce. The band played specially for us adding to a wonderful experience. I am hoping to be able to upload the video I took while there. What a wonderful way to celebrate my birthday! Then Renee suggested we go to a nightclub in the area. So after a couple of mezcal, we got directions, jumped into a couple of cabs, and out into the boonies we went. We finally landed up at a discoteque some ways out of town. Getting there at 9 is not a good idea, we were the only ones there, and nothing to do but visit and tip a few drinks. When the live band started up at about 11PM, things got heated right up. There was a crowd by then doing lots of Salsa dancing. We finally staggered out about 1 am, called our same cabbies, and got back to the hotel safely. Sunday, after lounging again and relaxing by the pool till 2PM, we hopped into the care and headed back into DF. Now, driving out of town was quite simple, and we had the route googled so we knew exactly where to go, however, we never thought to do the same coming back in. Most streets in Mexico City, including the freeways are often 1 way. Because you can get out of town, on Viaduct Aleman does not mean you can get back into La Condesa by the Viaduct. We live in the Northwestern part of DF, and we finally figured out where we were when we went past the airport, which is located in the Northeast. Somehow, we landed up on the main freeway back towards home, missed the turnoff to Condesa, but luckily landed up in Las Americas, where ASF school is located. We then knew how to get home from there. 45 minutes from Tepoztlan to DF, the 2 hours driving before we arrived home. We had lots of laughs trying to figure out where we were and how to get turned around.
For those interested, here is a link to youtube and a short video of the restaurant. This is my first attempt, so I am not sure if the link will work. What I do know is that if you copy the address and paste it in a new window, the video will come up. The restaurant was so beautiful, it is worth a watch!

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