Mexico City and beyond (con amigos!)

 At this point, we were very excited to greet our friends in Mexico City. We decided to leave the camper outside of the city at a wonderful spot called Mi Mexico Linda so we would not need to bother with parking, etc. Therefore, we rented an Airbnb in the heart of Roma Norte and had easy access to the restaurants and sites we wanted to visit. In the morning, we walked to the Panaderia Rosetta and I had a guava Danish (that I still dream about) while sitting in the Plaza Rio de Janerio. Next, we decided to walk closer to the downtown area where we were surprised by a parade to celebrate Mexico’s Revolution Day. It was very fun to walk along the street and walk the different displays and celebrations occurring. In addition, that evening was Nicki's birthday so we went to Blanca Colima to celebrate. I must warn you, some of these events may not be in chronological order as I am writing this almost two months after. 

The following day was a big one. We woke up super early so we could catch a shuttle bus to just outside of Teotihuacan where we flew in air balloons above the pyramids. The stunning views outweighed the initial fear as we climbed higher into the sunrise. Honestly, it was a breathtaking experience and would recommend it to anyone. 

View from the balloon, pyramid to the left

Once we landed (safely I might add), we were picked up by another shuttle and began our tour of the ruins. It is simply fascinating how buildings such as these are still standing after all these years. While we could not go onto the large pyramid of the site for preservation reasons, we were able to view it from the ground and really admire the shear size (not to mention learn of thing or two) about the structure and the surrounding empire. 

Teotihuacan Museum

Wall Paintings

After the tour and then a subsequent bike and cave tour, we finished at a restaurant. Did I mention it was someone's birthday?

Nicki coming back from the bathroom for a surprise!

After the long day, we went back to Mexico City and went out for food and cocktails. The stay in the city was wonderful, but much too short. This is not everything we did (paddle boat ride, walking the park, eating late night tacos, and more) and it felt like we barely made a scratch on this city. I personally would love to come back and explore some more. Sometimes a city gives you a feeling and Mexico City was a good one. 

Once we said goodbye, we went to the car and began the next part of our journey to Chiapas to see Palenque, an ancient Mayan ruin. We stayed at a Hostel in the jungle called Cabanas Kin Balam. It was cute and very well located right outside of the entrance to the park. Before entering the ruins, we took a nature hike with a guide who pointed out the many different plants and animals in the area as well as some ruins that have yet to be excavated of which there were many. 

After the nature hike, we walked to a pathway that opened up into something out of Tomb Raider. Beautiful buildings covered in overgrown greenery were splattered across a well kept lawn. The further we walked, more buildings appeared until we reached the final crescendo, the Temple of the Sun.

Little did I know that there was a surprise waiting for me there. Cam proposed! It was truly a surprise, but a good one :) Walking down ancient narrow stairs after that was a bit hard. 

After that, we also planned to go to two waterfalls, Misol-Ha and Agua Azul. This was particularly fun as we were able to not just admire the waterfalls, but also swim in them. The ruins, getting engaged, and seeing some beautiful falls made for an amazing day!

Next up on the road trip was Merida, which is the capital of the state of Yucatan. The best sites were found at the Plaza de Independencia, which is surrounded by colonial architecture and vendors. We spent one evening on two different rooftops, one at Restaurante Picheta with a great view of the plaza (we also saw a shooting star!) and Dzalbay, which had live music. While in Merida, we stayed at a unique Airbnb that featured a tree in the middle of the house. We, as in Nicki, made a yummy home cooked meal one day so we could all get some veggies in the system. It was nice to lounge and relax after the couple of busy days we had. One thing I found very striking about Merida was the building facades. Some were falling into decay, but still had a magic.

The last thing to see in Merida was a cenote, so we piled into the car and drove to Cenotes Hacienda Mucuyche, which is the remains of a 1700s hacienda that also has two cenotes on premise. Prior to getting into the well maintained cenotes, we took a tour of the grounds and the old buildings. 

The last stop of our trip with Nicki and Lukas was Cozumel. It is a gorgeous island set just east of the Yucatan. We spent our days snorkeling, soaking up the sun in both the pool and the ocean, and eating. It was marvelous. The boys even took a day to go diving while us ladies continued our transformation into potatoes. 

And that's it! It was so much adventure and fun in too short a period of time as we said goodbye to our friends.

Until next time!