Moment in the sun in Mexico City


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Published: July 8th 2016
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HE SAID...
On our third day in Mexico City, we slept in a little as our ‘Mexico City Markets and Food Tour’ didn’t start until 8:45am. We headed out at 8:15am and started walking towards the Zocalo, the heart of the city. We love being in a place as it slowly wakes, regardless of whether it’s a large city or tiny village.

Our first stop on the tour was the Teatro del Pueblo, where we briefly gazed at a number of murals on the ceilings of the lobby. We then walked to Mercado Abelardo Rodriguez (known as the Murals market) and made our way upstairs to view the powerful and haunting murals of Marion Greenwood (which were painted in 1935). We were drawn to a section of the mural where indigenous workers were holding up a red flag emblazoned with the words “Workers of the World Unite”. It was magnificent and confronting, and such a potent representation of Marxism.

We headed back downstairs into the market and made our way to a tiny stall called Tamales y Atole, where we sampled four of the best tamales I’ve ever tasted – pork and green salsa; chicken and red mole; cheese, red sauce and chilli; and pineapple. We also tried two different atoles (hot thick corn and milk drinks) – blue corn and chocolate – and they were fantastic.

We then jumped into a taxi and headed to Mercado de Sonora (known as the Witchcraft market), and this place was strange. We didn’t eat at this market – we just witnessed a series of very weird products that people feel compelled to buy. I didn’t realise you could buy floor cleaning detergent that offered good fortune to the person cleaning the floor. However, the most peculiar object I saw in the market was a small statue of the Pieta with Mary replaced by Death (black cloaked with sickle in hand) and Jesus replaced by a skeleton.

After emerging from the market’s weird and wonderful stalls, we headed underground and caught a metro train to Mercado de Jamaica (known as the Flower market). Our first stop was El Profe, a small barbacoa (meat cooked over coals in an underground pit) food stall in the market that served fried strips of pork and beef, lamb soup and lamb tacos – all of which came with diced onion, chopped coriander leaves/cilantro, nopales (prickly pear cactus paddle), lime and tortillas. The food was amazing! We also sampled a fermented pineapple juice, which was incredibly refreshing.

We wandered the market’s food stalls, stopping at one stage to sample mamey sapote, a very dense and filling fruit. We were amazed by the enormity of the flower section of the market, and struggled to comprehend how anyone could choose a stall to buy flowers from – there were so many of them. We eventually found ourselves sitting down at Ramoncita, a small food stall run by our guide’s uncle. We sampled huarache (fried corn dough filled with beans and served with nopales, onions and salsa). Our guide’s mother brought a large jug of pineapple water to the table, and it was very refreshing!

We were running a little late, so we hurried to the nearest metro station, squeezed ourselves into a train and headed back to the Zocalo. It was absolutely packed, and we loved being caught up in such an unyielding surge of people. We emerged from the underground, navigated the lunchtime crowds around the Zocalo and arrived at the starting point for our afternoon tour: ‘Beyond Mexico City – Hidden Teotihuacan and Family Dinner’.

We jumped into a minibus and made our way to Teotihuacan, a sprawling site of ancient pyramids about an hour’s drive northeast of Mexico City. As our minibus sped along the highway with a part-time heavy metal vocalist at the wheel, we gazed in disbelief at the relentless suburban spread of this mega-city. Colourful makeshift dwellings stretched to the horizon, and as my eyes scanned the rooftops I tried to imagine what daily life would be like in such a crowded labyrinth.

We arrived at the ruins around 2pm, and as we stepped out of the minibus the heat hit us – it was hot, really hot. We quickly found some shade and looked at a site map, and the extent of the ruins seemed a little overwhelming. I didn’t think we’d cover much distance at all, as there was no cover from the searing afternoon sun. We‘d heard the ruins were often very crowded, but luckily for us it was mid-week (Wednesday) afternoon, so the crowd numbers weren’t too bad.

We entered the site through Gate 3 and headed straight to the Temple (Pyramid) of the Moon. As we stood before the pyramid, the splendour of Teotihuacan unfolded before our eyes… this place was amazing. We clambered to the top and the view was incredible. We looked down the Avenue of the Dead towards the Temple (Pyramid) of the Sun, and the people below looked like tiny ants. We wandered around for a while, trying not to disturb those meditating in all number of poses, before making our way back down the very steep steps. The climb up had been difficult in the heat, so we need some recovery time.

We wandered through the plaza in front of the pyramid before heading down the imposing Avenue of the Dead towards the Temple of the Sun. The sun had disappeared behinds clouds and the wind was picking up, so the temperature for walking (and climbing) was pleasant. This 65 metre pyramid towered above everything else, and it was the first thing I saw when we entered the site. We had to climb it!

Thunderclouds rolled in as we began our ascent, and it started raining on our descent. The climb was incredibly steep and heaps of fun, and the view was amazing. By the time we reached the top the wind had become quite gusty, so we were clutching caps and cameras. It was fortunate that so few people were visiting the ruins on this particular day, as I’d hate to have been crowded on the Temple of the Sun’s summit.

The rain cooled us down considerably on our descent, and it was quite cold on our backs as we made our way out of the ruins. Our minibus was waiting for us at Gate 5, so we jumped in and drove a very short distance to the village of San Martin. We arrived at a private house and settled in their outdoor courtyard for a prickly pear cactus tasting. Operating under the Grupo Agroindustrial Teotihuacano banner, the friendly family shared samples of their homemade jams, salsas, liqueurs and tequila, all of which were by-products of cacti and cacti fruit. The salsas were amazing, as was the tequila.

Glowing in the warmth of the tequila, we drove to another private house in the tiny village where we met an artisan who specialised in volcanic glass (obsidian) products. He also explained the many uses of cactus plants, but I was tiring fast, so I was more than happy when he asked if we wanted to taste pulque (an alcoholic beverage made from the fermented sap of the agave plant), tequila and mezcal. I wasn’t a big fan of the pulque (I turned down his offer of a second glass), but I loved the tequila and definitely didn’t say no to a second mezcal!

Feeling rejuvenated in my mezcal afterglow, we drove to a third house in the village for a local meal. We settled at a long undercover table and enjoyed tortilla soup with avocado and sour cream, which was followed by chicken with bell peppers, rice, green salsa and tortillas. The food was incredible, as was the incredibly refreshing lime water that was served with the meal.

With light fading and light rain starting to fall, we jumped into the minibus and drove back to Mexico City. We picked up a few drinks from the 7/11 near our hotel and settled in our room to work on our travel writing. It had been a long, fantastic day of adventures. We crashed at 11:30pm.



SHE SAID...
On our third day in Mexico City we decided to skip breakfast, as we were doing an Urban Adventures Markets and Food Tour which involved visiting five markets over five hours and tasting several local culinary samplings. We often take a shortcut to understanding the spirit of a place by spending time in its local markets, as we’ve always found that markets are the most vibrant places in a city. I was really looking forward to experiencing a selection of them.

We met our guide Evelyn at 8:30am just outside the Museo Mexicano del Diseno on Avenida Madero. A young Australian couple were also joining us, but they were a bit frazzled, as the guy had just been pickpocketed on the metro and lost his wallet and phone. Evelyn was trying to help them cancel their cards via the Urban Adventures Office, but in the end they left the tour to sort it out and get a police report etc. It was a wake-up call for us, as we were planning on using the metro to navigate the city. The other two people on the tour were a spaced-out mother and totally arrogant daughter, and they both didn’t quite understand the concept of personal space or that it was rude to keep other people waiting.

We walked to the very local Abelardo Rodriguez Market (also called the Mural Market). On the way we saw the university Frida Kahlo had studied at, and where she met her future husband Diego Rivera. We also stopped briefly at Teatro del Pueblo to look at some murals by students of Diego Rivera.

The Mural Market doesn’t sell art – it’s a normal little produce and food market – but it has fabulous murals painted in the entrance ways and on the second floor. Apparently not many people know about the murals, and I can see why, as only the local neighbourhood people shop there. The art was sponsored by Diego Rivera and had the themes that were quite prevalent in his art in the 1930s… inequality and the class struggle. Evelyn shared some interesting information about the market’s unique history from the first half of the 1900s, and also gave context to it within modern Mexican society.

I’d been really excited about getting to know more about Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, so this market was a nice surprise. However, the best part of the market was our food stop at the simply named Tamales y Atole – for tamales (corn masa dough with a filling, wrapped in a corn husk and steamed) and atole (hot thick corn and milk drink). Evelyn said these were the best tamales in Mexico City, and while I can’t say if that’s true, they were definitely the best tamales we’d had on the whole trip! We shared four – cheese with red chile sauce, pork and salsa verde (green salsa), chicken and mole rojo (red mole), and a pineapple one. The pork and salsa verde tamale was the crowd favourite, and the atoles were a revelation. Andrew had blue corn while I had chocolate, and they were both delicious and creamy (and nothing like the atole Andrew had tried the day before). They were heavy enough to be a meal in themselves, and I would love to have them as a winter warmer drink at home.

After this, we caught a taxi to the witchcraft market Mercado de Sonora, which gave us a good (and spooky) insight into the darker side of Mexican culture. Photographs were strictly forbidden inside the market, as half the vendors were dealing in the illegal exotic animal trade (we asked to skip that section of the market), while the other half of the vendors believed that photographs stole the soul. The things on sale were as weird as magic love potions and voodoo dolls, and as normal as herbal infusions, kids dress-up superhero costumes and ornate pinatas for parties.

It had an odd blurring of lines between catholic beliefs and straight out witchcraft. Apparently this was the go-to place if anyone needed a limpia (cleansing) to remove a curse, to place a curse on someone, or to buy a particular saint. There was even a pseudo-saint who supposedly protected drug dealers, and Evelyn explained that according to folklore, Jesus Malverde was a Robin Hood figure who took from the rich and gave to the poor until he was killed by the police. Now his image is thought to offer protection from the law, and it was plastered on everything from t-shirts to candles and household cleaners.

On the less sinister side, the very fragrant herbal and incense sections of the market were a delight to walk through. The herbs were used for health remedies like natural cures for hangovers and weight loss, or for potions that could make you more attractive and bewitch a person you like. It was quite a bizarre place to say the least!

We then walked a couple of blocks to the Fray Servando metro station to catch a train to the Jamaica metro station. The metro has a reputation for being dangerous (as the pickpocket incident that morning had proved), but to be honest I think any crowded space in a big city carries risk, and I can’t say that I felt unsafe in any way. The metro is the second-largest train system in North America and moves an estimated five million people every day! It’s incredibly cheap ($5 pesos, roughly 30 cents AUD per single use trip on any line), and even though it was packed beyond belief, it was a quick and efficient way to zip around the city and avoid the chaotic roads.

The Jamaica metro station is right next to the very large Jamaica Market, which is divided into three distinct sections – produce, meat and household goods in one section, prepared foods in another section, and flowers in the largest section. It’s one of the main markets for groceries, but is best known for its flowers and ornamental plants. The 24 hour wholesale flower market was filled with the heady perfumes of fresh flowers, and there were different sections for bunches of cut flowers, piles of exotic fresh flower petals and formally arranged bouquets for every occasion under the sun. We were very taken with the variety and quantity of flowers on sale, but Evelyn explained that this was a quiet day in comparison to Mother’s Day or St Valentine’s Day, when the market is so full of flowers that it blocks the walkways.

In the other sections of the market there were stalls overflowing with woven baskets, ceramics, tinware, children’s costumes and a whole section dedicated to pinatas. It really did have everything under its roof. We sat down at the small El Profe stall that specialised in traditional barbacoa (meat cooked over coals in an underground pit) and had a lamb consume, which was delicious. Evelyn suggested we taste it first and then add any of the condiments on the table according to our taste. I added white onion, coriander leaves/cilantro and lots of lime, which was a magic combination. We also had green salsa and red salsa on the table, as well as a dish of cooked nopales (prickly pear cactus paddles). We were then served the lamb barbacoa in a taco and I was kicking myself that my appetite wasn’t back to normal. Andrew enjoyed my taco with green salsa and thought it was pretty good. We also sampled a cup of cold tepache (a sweetened fermented pineapple cider seasoned with powdered cinnamon) which I really liked. It wasn’t alcoholic, but it had a slight fizz to it.

The market trip was also about getting to know the local produce – both vaguely familiar and very unfamiliar. Passing through the crowded aisles dedicated to dried chiles, some stalls offered more varieties than I could count, each with its own unique properties. As we wandered through the market, there was the scent of lush tropical fruits I’d never seen (or heard of) before.

The fruit stalls were overflowing with guayaba (guavas), avocados and mamey zapotes that still carried the smell of the jungles they had been picked from. We sampled a mamey (a creamy sweet Central American fruit with a brown skin and firm orange flesh), which was like a cross between a mango and a soft pumpkin. I really liked it, but it had a very dense flesh, and I couldn’t have more than a small slice. The other thing that made me stare in true tourist wide-eyed fascination was the old women sitting with wooden boards across their knees, expertly de-thorning the prickly nopales with small knives.

The market was a hive of exuberant vendors, vivid colours and a lively atmosphere. We finally walked outside to view a beautiful mural that represented the different aspects of the market and its rich history. It reflected the fact that the original flower market was on canals in Lake Xochimilco, where the flowers were sold out of canoes.

We then headed to a local stall for lunch and the last food sample at the market. We stopped at Ramoncita, which was Evelyn’s uncle’s huaraches (oblong fried masa bases with various toppings) stall. The huarache dough encased a healthy spread of refried beans and had been cooked on a comal (cast-iron surface for cooking tortillas). It was served with salsa, cheese and nopales, and sadly this was one more food item my body decided it didn’t want. However, what I did love very much was the agua de pina (cold pineapple drink) that Evelyn ordered from her mum’s stall. It was a very refreshing drink – pineapple blended with water and slightly sweetened.

The Urban Adventure tour had given us a good glimpse into Mexico City’s local way of life in the five bustling markets. We’d learnt about ancient Mexican culture and culinary pasts, and discussed some of the history of the flavours and ingredients which reflected Mexico’s mix of Spanish and Mesoamerican influences. We’d already packed so much into the day, and it wasn’t even midday.

The aim of the Mexico City Markets and Food Tour was to have a ‘panza llena, corazon contento’ (Mexican saying for full tummy and happy heart). I thought it was a good motto for our whole Mexican trip, or indeed a good life motto! 😊

That afternoon we had plans to travel north of the city to visit the ruins of Teotihuacan (pronounced tay-oh-tee-wah-KAHN). While the historical centre of Mexico City was easily accessible by foot, exploring the outer neighbourhoods needed a bit more planning. After reading volumes and volumes of Trip Advisor comments about the best way to tackle a visit to Teotihuacan, we decided to book a tour with Urban Adventures again, as it also included a dinner at a local house in a little village near the pyramids.

We were running a bit late to get back to the Zocalo at the appointed time for the start of the tour, but with Evelyn’s help and the speedy metro we were only five minutes late for our 12:45pm meeting at Museo Mexicano del Diseno on Avenida Madero. We met our new guide Caesar and the Australian couple from earlier in the day who had lost their phone and wallet (they had managed to sort everything out and cancel all their cards etc). I was happy to see them less frazzled, and we enjoyed their company that afternoon. We were picked up in a minibus, and we eventually picked up a few more people at the northern bus station (including our travel buddy Logan who we’d last seen in Antigua a few days ago).

For the task of getting from one place to another in a city of this density and sprawl, and with notorious traffic jams, I would say that the metro and trains cannot be beaten. However, I was starting to tire, so I was very glad for the private transport. We drove out of Mexico City and the Distrito Federal into the State of Mexico. We headed 50km northeast of Mexico City to Teotihuacan.

As we moved through the chaos that was Mexico City’s early afternoon traffic, I loved watching the landscape change, and seeing how locals moved about the outer suburbs of this crowded and expansive city. In the hour or so that it took to get to Teotihuacan, we were treated to an uncompromising and unending view of unplanned outer urban sprawl, which was inevitable in a city of this magnitude. However, to be honest, I was surprised that there weren’t many ugly high-rise apartment towers that has been Asia’s answer to overpopulation.

After visiting four Maya ruins in the south, this was our first non-Maya ruin. We were visiting the archaeological area of the Teotihuacan ruins to learn about a very old culture and their pyramids. My research had suggested that the early mornings and late afternoons were the best times to visit the pyramids, as the big tour buses tend to leave the site just after lunch and the light was nicer. We arrived at the site just on 2pm, and the crowds were definitely low.

Guarded by mountains, Teotihuacan (approximately 200BC to 800AD) had a population of 200,000 at its peak and was one of the largest cities at the time with great influence over Mesoamerica – its power extended down to Guatemala and as far north as present-day Texas. Caesar gave us a run down on the people who once lived here and all the mysteries that still surround this site. I was a bit taken aback when I realised the badging of this site as ‘Aztec’ isn’t strictly correct… it was actually built by a preceding civilisation that archaeologists are still only guessing at. The Aztecs merely discovered the site and moved in to enjoy someone else’s skill and hard labour. They referred to it as ‘the city of the gods’ and made it their capital city.

We began our tour at the northern end of the broad Avenue of the Dead (from Gate 3). We walked into the Temple of the Jaguar, where the walls of several rooms displayed partial murals and the restored columns showed the plaster and dark red paint that would have been used in the city. We walked out into the Plaza de la Luna and stood in a sprawling space gazing up at the gigantic and steep Moon Pyramid. Climbing it looked like a daunting task, but we all took to it with gusto. It was hard work, especially as the sun was beaming down on us. When I got to the top and looked over the sprawling city and the even bigger Sun Pyramid, I was breathless but in total awe. I know that my energy levels weren’t back to normal yet, and we were at altitude, but I was surprised at how knocked out I was from climbing the Moon Pyramid. After getting my breath back, we started the slow but steady descent down to ground level.

From the Moon Pyramid we walked along the Avenue of the Dead, looking down the street towards the Sun Pyramid and the Citadel. The site was much larger than I’d imagined – it took us about 10 minutes to walk between the two main pyramids. There wasn’t any shade to speak of, so I was very glad for the copious amount of water and sunscreen we had.

After thinking the Moon Pyramid seemed high, my brain baulked at the height of the Sun Pyramid. The Sun Pyramid is the tallest structure in the city (and for miles in any direction!) and dwarfed the rest of the site. It really was quite spectacular. We took our time climbing the approximately 250 steep and sometimes gigantic steps to the top. I was so grateful that we’d gone after the crowd numbers had dwindled, as it made climbing the pyramids much easier and much more pleasurable than if we’d had to queue and walk up the steps like ants – with a stranger’s bottom in my face. 😊

I can’t even get my head around the fact that these were the tallest structures of their time, so I can understand why, upon finding the city, the Aztecs thought these buildings were touched by their gods. For the people who believe in such things, the walk up the Sun Pyramid is supposed to re-vitalise and re-energise a person. In all honesty, I couldn’t say I felt any different, and if anything I was more than ready for a small nap by the time I got to the top. It was a little strange that I struggled with climbing the smaller Moon Pyramid much more than climbing the Sun Pyramid. Logic would indicate that it was because the sun had hidden behind clouds by now, and we could see a thunderstorm rapidly heading towards us. The cool change was very welcome, but we were also certain that we were going to get drenched.

Based on what the Aztecs found when they discovered the city and subsequent research, archaeologists believe the civilisation that built this city had many ceremonies honouring the rain god Tlaloc, as well as celebrations for harvests. They also thought that human sacrifices may have been commonplace, as the Aztecs named the Avenue of the Dead after the pile of human bones that lined the road when they found it.

While climbing down the pyramid, the thunder storm caught up with us and the refreshing breeze and slight drizzle turned to high winds and cold rain. It looked like the rain god Tlaloc had decided to bless us. We climbed down carefully and hurried back to our minibus at Gate 5.

We then spent a few hours exploring the quaint little local town of San Martin de las Piramides and visited a few independent family-run businesses. We visited a cactus product factory where we got to sample their products of cactus jams, spicy sauces, liquors, chips and agave syrup – all products from endemic cacti such as nopales, xoconostle and tuna (a cactus fruit, not a fish!).

The second family we visited specialised in obsidian products and had a small workshop on site. They also showed us the many uses of the maguey cactus plant – the film of paper that can be removed from the inside of the cactus arm, the spiny needle at the end of the arm that can be removed with fibrous threads from the cactus still attached to it, and last but not least, the tapping of the cactus heart to collect agave sap which was fermented to produce pulque – a pre-Hispanic drink. It was really interesting to see how well the cactus plant was utilised.

Pulque was an indigenous sacred brew and considered to be the forerunner of mezcal and tequila (which were produced after the Spanish introduced the concept of distilling the agave sap). My first taste of the milky pulque wasn’t exactly a ‘wow!’ moment, but thankfully it tasted slightly better than it smelt. It’s definitely an acquired taste – tart, slightly effervescent and kinda probiotic. Almost like an adultier version of kombucha with a home brew smell. It’s not something I’d seek out, but I’d have it again if it was offered to me.

They also gave us a taste of tequila and mezcal, which were pleasant enough but neither were of great quality. That was a bit of shame, as a few people in the group swore to never touch mezcal again. After tasting all the agave drinks and checking out the family’s obsidian products (while trying unsuccessfully not to show more interest in their two dogs than their artisan products), we drove to our last stop – dinner at a local house.

The house was lovely with a large avocado tree at the entrance. The family had a catering business and obviously knew how to cater for groups. We sat outside in a covered patio area and started with a tortilla chip soup in a tomato base with avocado and sour cream on top. It was seriously delicious, like a liquid nachos. Our main meal was chicken with green, yellow and red capsicum served with rice and tortillas. There was a jalapeno sauce on the table that was hot but very tasty, and they also served the best salsa verde I’ve had to-date. We had more agua de fresca (fruit water) which was lime this time, and it was as delicious as the pineapple one we’d had at lunch. I’ve really loved the three agua de frescas we’ve tasted so far in Mexico City, and I might try to do this with seasonal summer fruit when we get home… it’s actually more refreshing that having straight cold fruit juice.

We returned back to Mexico City in peak hour traffic and didn’t reach our hotel until 10pm. It had been a VERY long 14 hour day. We were tired, but very happy from our wonderful day of exploring local life outside the hustle and bustle of inner Mexico City.

Well that’s it for Day three of seven in this amazing place… we loved getting to know the markets around the central area and exploring the outer northern regions of Mexico City. We crammed a mammoth amount of stuff into one day, but that’s what you have to do when you are in a mammoth city. 😊

See you around Mexico City.

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10th July 2016
jamaica market

Workers of the World--Unite and Eat!
Brilliant to take these tours to spots that took me days to cover--plus, you got the insider tips. You two have true travelers' stamina! And so glad you were safe on the metro; the Aussie was robbed and I was groped--it can be awful when it's crowded, but clearly, you have good travelers' good karma as well! I loved and was howling at Ren's food descriptions: "pulque--kinda probiotic, an adultier version of kombucha with a home brew smell" and "tortilla soup as liquid nachos"--but you're totally right! Glad you found some dogs to pet! Best wishes on a better tummy for the marrow.
10th July 2016
jamaica market

Re: Workers of the World--Unite and Eat!
I don't think we would have made time to visit the witchcraft market if it hadn't been included in the tour, and it was such an eye-opener! We caught the metro a few times and we were fine...I have sympathy for the guy who got robbed, but he was silly enough to carry his wallet in his pocket (even after he was advised not to). It was definitely my preferred way of moving around the city, however if I hadn't been used to catching crowded trains in other dense cities (especially to/from work when you have no choice), I'd probably have found it quite confronting.
10th July 2016

Travelers need common sense
I'm always amazed when locals give travelers tips, often common sense tips and they don't heed the warnings. I'm glad you didn't have any troubles the metro. The Witchcraft market sounds interestingly bizarre. This is the blog I've been waiting for where the foods and markets are featured. Loved it. We were in Peru for Day of the Dead and they had interesting parades and festivities.
11th July 2016

Re: Travelers need common sense
Exactly MJ! When travelling to a place that openly admits that they have a crime problem, why wouldn't you heed the warnings?? I cannot rave highly enough about the markets in Mexico and Guatemala, I really enjoyed them. We would love to be in that part of the world for Day of the Dead, but it's usually a busy time of year for us...maybe one day :)
11th July 2016

Teo what you can
Just love those Marxist murals and themes, and I wonder if they actually impressed anyone enough to become Marxist. Feel someone should do a "travellers of the world unite" with everyone holding up selfie sticks. Glad to see that Andrew is doing what every good partner should do when you are sick - eat your food. Thanks for the heads up on Pronouncing Teotihuacan, although it may always remain to me "that pyramid place outside Mexico City".
12th July 2016

Re: Teo what you can
Haha I just can’t get my tongue around the name of that city! I start strong with Teo-too… and swallow the rest of the word and mumble pyramids at the end :) I love the ‘travellers of the world unite’ concept – with one edit – everyone holding up big ipads and tablets, it’ll draw more attention and block more of the view. And eating your sick partner’s food is the least a good partner can do...wasting food is not on ;)

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