Around the World with K & M: Semana Santa Vacations

Mexico City

We spent the last 4 days of our first week of Semana Santa in Mexico City. What a great place! Aside from the yellow smog that clouds the city, it is gorgeous and incredible. We met up with Laurie and Gualas (who's from Mexico City), and they took us to Teotihuacan. Of course, we couldn't go anywhere with Laurie without making a requisite stop at Starbuck's!

Viva Mexico!

This building in the zocalo had names over each
window, including Jesus who presides over this one!

Aztec ruins right in downtown Mexico.

It was bustling on Maudy Thursday and Good Friday!

Mmm.. we ate at a local cantina, eating this "Huarache", a giant
tortilla filled with meat, cheese, onions and
mushrooms (you could even get oysters, I think!)

I think Kris is jealous of my giant bowl of Jamaica.

At the cantina, this lady was making fresh tortillas.

Our good (and shy) friends: Gualas, and Laurie. In the background
you can see that this non-fancy cantina was juxtaposed with
waiters with bow ties!

Mexico City at night.

The same street, but looking the opposite way, during the day.

Our balcony - we stayed at Hotel Gillow in the Centro Historico -
what a great place - for less than $50, we got this room with
a great view, and walking distance to many attractions.

One of the oldest landmarks - La Casa de Azuleg0s (House
of Blue Tiles), dates back to 1596, with most of the tiles dating
back to the 18th century, and made in none other than, China!!

I don't know whose brilliant idea this was, but there
were organ grinders sans monkeys everywhere. Day 1: "That's
nice and calming, having that music." By Day 3: "Can someone
please shut them up!" Plus they kept asking for money
for turning the crank 24 hours a day...

This little vendor stand was selling all clothes -
for your Barbie!

Teotihuacan

The long march to the Pyramid of the Sun. The
mountains in the background were pretty
much where we started.

Yay! We're almost there - the Pyramid of the Sun on the left, and
the Pyramid of the Moon over on the right.

Okay, so NOW we're almost there.

It looks like a wall, but they're actually stairs. There
were these random flights of stairs you had
to climb up and down before you could start climbing the pyramids.

Kris, the sun god. (or so he thinks)

Climbing up the Pyramid of the Sun. The sun was
beating down on us as we hiked up the steep stairs.

We made it! Laurie and I on the top of the Pyramid, with
the Pyramid of the Moon in the background.

We tried to imagine what life must have been like - this is
only a fraction of the original Aztec city of Teotihuacan.

One of several flights of stairs.

Check out how steep it was! It wasn't over after
we climbed up - you had to climb back down!

The sun god atop the Pyramid of the Moon.

The Knutsons in Teotihuacan.

Back in Mexico City

Amigos para siempre.

Laurie told me about this "massage" place, but it was truly bizarre.
It was like a massage chair, but they made me put this red thing on my
belly. It looked like a carton full of eggs, with hot lightbulbs being
the eggs. No entiendo....

We splurged on our last day, and stayed at the Camino Real. It's
designed by Mexican Ricardo Legorreta, and is a national
architectural landmark. It includes this decorative pool that
continuously produces violent waves as you enter the hotel.