Mexico City

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We flew from Dallas to Mexico City, arriving mid-afternoon. We grabbed a taxi to our hotel, Colon Mision Reforma. It is in a nice area of town, with Reforma Avenue having large sidewalks with user friendly art pieces every so often. User friendly is meaning that you can sit or lay on the art pieces.
Our main focus for tourism was going to Teotihuacán, which are ancient city ruins of a pre-Incan culture.
We could tell we were out of tourist mode when we arrived at the ruins. I did not bring sunscreen, a hat or water. A vendor offered to sell me sunscreen but it was $15USD for a small bottle and it seemed like robbery to me, especially since we have three bottles at the hotel, so I opted for a slight burn instead.
We took a cab to the North bus station where we caught a public bus to Teotihuacán, at a total cost of $20 total compared to the $35 each the hotel offered. The additional cost would include a guide and tour group, of course we both hate following a guide and being part of a group. So saving money works out well for us. The bus drops you off right in front of the entrance and where you buy your ticket. We walked along the Avenue of the Dead where both the Temple of the Sun and the Temple of the Moon are built along with ruins of housing and business developments that made up the city. We overheard a guide explain that very little is known of the culture here because they found no written records that show a written language but believe that it may predate Inca culture by close to a thousand years.

On our last day in Mexico City we walked around the Reforma district and took in the sites, such as the Monument to the Revolution and the Monument to Independence. We spent the afternoon touring the National Museum of Anthropology. Exhibited are the original Aztec Calendar, Tizoc Stone, figures and statues of the Aztec, Mayan, Toltec, Olmec and other cultures.

When we arrived at the airport to depart to Lima we were told we would have to pay tax on our ticket, something we have already paid but are not noted on the ticket itself. I was pissed off, as I hate to feel ripped off. We argued but to no avail, even with the supervisor, and ended up paying an additional $80. Oneworld-around the world ticketing so far has irked me in many ways. It has benefits but there seem to be frustrating drawbacks. I plan on trying to get a refund for the tax but it is difficult to do while traveling. Scott was the one who talked me into paying if we could do so by credit card and reverse the charges if necessary. I was thinking lets change flights, get our luggage back and come back the next day with a receipt from Cathay Pacific showing the tax breakdown. Yes, it is the hard way but it is principle thing.

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Photos

Stone of the Sun
Incorrectly identified by most as the Aztec calendar, but it is actually a sacrificial alter.

Snake turned into jaguar
Next generation wanted a different look?