Today we got up (much) before sunrise to get to the ruins of Teotihuacan about an hour drive to the north. But first, the trip to the northern bus station required three metro lines. The sun had barely shown its face and few people were to be seen when we arrived - we successfully beat the crowds.
First we came to the "citidel," so named by the Aztecs who mistook it for a fortress (this city was already ancient history when they found it over 500 years ago). We then walked along the mile or so of the excavated length of the Avenue of the Dead - also misnamed by the Aztecs, who assumed the buildings lining it were tombs - to arrive at the Pyramid of the Sun, one of the three largest pyramids in the world (the others being Khufu's Pyramid at Giza, Egypt and the Great Pyramid at Cholula, Mexico).
Climbing to the peak was no easy task, but the breathtaking view and the sense of accomplishment were worth it. It was pretty foggy at that point, but you could see the outlines of the surrounding mountains. We then climed back to the base and continued to the end of the Avenue, arriving at the smaller Pyramid of the Moon. Before climing it we walked through the ruins of the Butterfly Temple next to it, which still contained remnants of the original wall paintings. The entire stone city was in fact once very colorful. We decided to climb only to the first platform of the Pyramid of the Moon to see the amazing view down the Avenue, lined with temples and the other pyramid. The ruins had become more crowded now, so all the people and vendors walking around below made the scene look like a reenactment of ancient times in a documentary. After climbing down, we made our way past the larger pyramid to the small museum (it was a bit far) and then had lunch at the nice cafe near the park entrance (which was patronized only by non-Mexicans).
We returned to the place where the bus had dropped us off and were promptly picked up by a passing bus. Interestingly, on both bus rides, vendors got on and off to peddle their wares at every stop, including live guitar music. It is amazing how many people are trying to sell so many random things everywhere in Mexico - and not just to tourists. Vendors also came on the metro, calling out to potential customers. Today someone tried to sell caligraphy books and several others came by with radios blasting CDs of American songs sung in Spanish. Later we went to Zona Rosa, our new favorite neighborhood, to find an Asian restaurant for dinner. Our search ended with El Dragon, where I found 'queso de soya,' aka tofu, for the first time here. Frank ordered a seafood special. Walking around the "pink zone," we realized what a hopping place it is with many American chain stores, a mall, lots of bars and restaurants, and a significant gay presence. At night it is swarming with young people, including many gay couples and groups of punk teenagers.