Day 11 - Teotihuacán to Coatzacoalcos

RobT:  Today we are about 30 km to the northeast from the center of Mexico City, at the Teotihuacán Pyramids, another UNESCO World Heritage Site.  This site contains the largest pyramidal structures built in the pre-Columbian era in Mexico.  It is thought that the city was established around 200 BC and had a population of 200,000 souls.

Didn't sleep well at all last night. Maybe 2 hours.  The Dukoral oral inoculation I took to prevent traveller’s diarrhea and cholera did not work as described.  Can I get a refund?  Stomach cramps and running to the toilet all night. Maybe I should have taken Rob C’s eye drops.  I'll let him explain that one.  LOL 

Looking at the Pyramid of the Sun from the first tier of the Pyramid of the Moon.  It is thought that there was a Temple at the peak of both pyramids. 

Pyramid of the moon.

Pyramid of the Moon from the fourth tier of the Pyramid of the Sun.

Looking south along the Avenue of the Dead. This is also believed to have a parade grounds.

 Residential complex on the site.

 On top of the Pyramid of the Sun with the Pyramid of the Moon in the background.

Walking down the Pyramid of the Sun. (RobC edit:  Giant steps for mankind, and steep.)

RobC taking a rest after a big climb up to the first platform of the Temple of the Moon. A bit of huffing and puffing at 7,500 feet (2000 meter) altitude.

Incense holders at the museum on the Pyramid grounds.

 Items collected from the ruins and preserved in the museum.

 Remains found in the Temple of the Plumed Serpent.

Mural paintings found in various parts of the complex.  The top mural was located along the Avenue of the Dead.

RobC:  This was my third visit to Teotihuacán, the first one having been in 1973 when my daughter Lisa was a one-year old baby. I must have been strong and athletic in those days, because I climbed the pyramids with Lisa in a backpack. I do remember the huge steps, and they are still huge. The second visit was earlier this year during Easter week with Gaby and the boys. We stayed at the same lovely hotel. The third visit with RobT was different, as it is low-season and we had the ruins to ourselves...and, stupidly, the camera battery was still in the charger at the hotel. So I carried the wonderful (and heavy) Nikon up and down the pyramids (like Robert DeNiro carrying his worldly possessions up the cliffs of the Iguazú waterfalls in the movie "The Mission") with nary a shot taken. I left all the photography up to my tocayo (namesake), who, you must agree, is doing a great job.

RobT: After our sightseeing, we hit the road for the coast toward our next destination, Coatzacoalcos, a 630 km (400 mile) ride.  Again, we ended up riding in the dark but the traffic and roads were in reasonable condition, except for the bridges. Many bridges were partly washed out so traffic was reduced to two lanes.  Little unnerving when the asphalt drops off ten feet from where you are riding.  It was as if someone had sliced the road with a huge knife.  Large pieces of asphalt and concrete could be seen down in the river  and on the banks.  There must have been large scale rains and flooding recently because the construction crews looked like that had just started rebuilding. The nice thing is that they apparently did not mind a couple of motorcycles passing the long line-up of trucks on the shoulder of the road, or we would have been inching along for many hours. We arrived at about 9 pm, dodging motorcycle consuming potholes (yea, they were big) on the last 12 km stretch of road into town, passing several inland waterways.  Remnants of some severe flooding here too.

RobT:  Little Rob-ism the two of us have developed since entering Mexico. In an earlier post we had talked about the volley ball sized speed bumps.  We have since fondly dubbed them “Wilsons.”  Wonder how many people are going to get that?  There are two types, straight line Wilsons and zig-zag, double line Wilsons, the latter of which makes the bike do a little sideways jig if you hit them between the Wilsons.

RobC:  There is a also another type of solid speed bump, which in some Spanish-speaking countries are called "Policía durmiente" (Sleeping policemen), so we are calling them "sleepers" as the first bike passes over them (or hits them) and warns the second bike on the helmet intercom. In Mexico, all speed bumps are called "topes." They are everywhere and the scourge of all motorcyclists.

360 degree view from atop the Pyramid of the Sun
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDo3zyTyH7M