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Gary's 2013 TPR Mexico Tour Trip Report


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Hey Everyone!

 

So a couple days ago I returned from Mexico having been on the TPR Mexico Tour, and I have to say that it was an AMAZING experience! Robb and Elissa always outdo themselves when it comes to these trips. I especially enjoyed the chance to really experience the culture of Mexico. Don't get me wrong, I love theme parks and roller coaster which was a big reason for this trip, but I think the chance to truly experience the culture along with the parks made it that much better! It was great to see the Pyramids of Teotihuacan, the Downtown Mexico City area with the National Palace, The Bellet Folklorico, The Jose Cuervo Factory Tour in the Tequila Valley near Guadalajara, trying the authentic food, and to just see the different areas.

 

I understand that some people have reservations about going to Mexico because of what is talked about in the news, but honestly, I never really felt unsafe while I was there, and really enjoyed how friendly the people were. Going through Mexico City and Guadalajara was just like any city in the US, as long as you watch yourself, your belongings, keep a low profile and go with a group, you will be just fine.

 

For this trip report, because of how many pictures I have to share and the number of little anecdotes there are to tell, some of the days may be broken up into parts as they are worthy of their own update. I easily took nearly 1000 pictures on this trip, and while I may not get them all on here, I will certainly do my best to share with you my experience on this incredible trip that we had. With that being said, here is the first update.....

 

Day 0: Arriving in Mexico!

 

With any trip, there is a need for travel. Luckily for this trip, we were given the full day to arrive and get to the hotel without having anything scheduled, so that gave me an opportunity to explore the area near the hotel with Jeremiah and Cliff as I had an early flight. The evening was mostly spent at the hotel bar getting to know new folks who I had not yet met before, and seeing old friends from previous trips. So this is what the first day was like according to Gary.....http://www.themeparkreview.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=1296132#p1296132

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Here is the plane at Orlando International waiting to be boarded, but where is it going to?

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To Houston! While not our destination, it would only be a short layover until the flight to Mexico City.

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The start of a sunrise from over 30,000 feet. While not the same as a sunrise at the beach, it is still neat to see.

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A little bit later on.

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The sun from the wing's point of view

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This is good to know! Especially since it probably isn't much fun to fall from up here to land on the ground... or into the Gulf of Mexico in our case.

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Luckily, no one took that step, ensuring we all arrived safely to Houston.

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I sure feel better knowing that they only serve real food in Houston!

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Does that include the collective state ego? :) Don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed my visit with TPR in 2009, but I have never seen a state that is so full of itself.

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The last time I would see American Soil for a week, and the last chance to send text messages or call with my phone without getting raped with high rates by Sprint if I did so in Mexico.

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And there it is! Mexico! Certainly has some beautiful mountains, these ones being just a bit outside of Mexico City

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After landing and getting through customs, I had some time to kill while waiting for Jeremiah so that we could catch a cab to the hotel together. In this time I discovered that they have Oreo Cones for ice cream at McDonald's in Mexico.

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I also had my first Mexican Coke of the trip. For those who don't know, they use REAL sugar for their Coke.....Muy Delicioso!

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I also found that they have 7-Eleven right inside the airport! Had I still be living in North Carolina, I would have totally sprinted to this place for a slurpee, however we have plenty of them in Florida, so I just casually walked by for the picture.

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After Jeremiah arrived, we took the cab over to our first hotel, the Hyatt Regency in the Polanco Area. Easily the highest quality level hotel I have ever stayed in, and it was quite nice!

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The beds were very comfortable

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The bathroom was very classy.

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Hooray for classy showers!

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It was nice that we got to stay at this hotel for 4 nights, which is almost unheard of for a TPR Trip!

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But what I enjoyed the most about this hotel was the view from our room on the 25th floor!

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It was incredible what all you could see.

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Mexico has many beautiful Cathedrals. We would get a chance to see three other large ones up close.

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Mexico City sits in a valley that is surrounded by mountains, but what many people may not know is that Mexico City is also higher in elevation than Denver. Over 7000 ft. up!

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Before venturing into Mexico, you definitely want to take advantage of the currency difference. It is definitely to our advantage right now as a peso equals about 8 to 9 cents!

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Before going out to explore the Polanco area near the hotel, a few more picture of the lobby area, the first being the hotel bar which we would come back to later.

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A look at the glass ceiling above the hotel bar.

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Now that we are outside of the hotel, why don't we go see what there is in the area?

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Turns out there is a Hard Rock Café near the hotel. A group of us would come back later in the week to check it out.

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I'll bet those ass-chairs would look great in the apartment!

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Martin Luther King Jr. has a statue in Mexico City....not exactly sure that he actually did anything in Mexico, but still neat to see.

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After a loop around the neighborhood, it was time for some food!

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This pizza place proved to be quite good! I really enjoy a good local joint more than the big chains.

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Jeremiah's pie. I don't recall what it was called, but I remember him saying something about it being spicy.

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I myself went for the Hawaiian. This place is definitely worth trying if you are in the area.

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Another statue, this being a person from one of the ancient cultures I do believe

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Another statue, since they have many of them in the area.

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After stopping back at the hotel and running into Cliff, the three of us went on for a walk towards La Feria and saw how some of the Mexican people really feel about law enforcement.

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Something to the tune of "Painting the Roses Red" came to mind when I saw this, but it was more like "We're painting the trees blanco!"

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A look at part of the skyline of Mexico City....this picture does not do the city justice in showing how incredibly large the city is in land area!

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Seems only fitting that they would have such a large flag to fly in the sky.

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A little bit further of a walk and we were right outside of La Feria Chapultepec Magico. This would be part of our second park day for the tour.

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The park even has a log ride as well

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The wooden coaster, Montana Rusa, was one of the most anticipated coasters of the trip for many of us. Would it live up to the hype? I'll tell you what I thought about it when we get to our visit to the park.

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Cascabel, the Schwarzkopf shuttle looper, was another highly anticipated coaster for many of us in our group. This was going to be my first shuttle looper as the only other park I had been to with one was Knott's Berry Farm, and that was back when I was a younger kid who wasn't as big into the coasters yet.

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Montana Infinitum peeking over the fence, another Schwarzkopf classic that many were looking forward to riding.

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Cascabel going up the rear spike.

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I see you cable wheel!

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Cascabel's loop hiding in the trees

Edited by carolinacaniac
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Day 0 Continued.......

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Going through the loop

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The front spike

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Now we'll give Montana Infinitum some love!

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The equivalent of boobs to a coaster nerd

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Going down the first drop.

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There is just something about Schwarzkopf coasters that makes them great for pictures!

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One more picture for the road. We will be back to La Feria in a couple days!

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While near La Feria, Cliff decided to play Russian Roulette with his stomach by trying some of the local food from a street vendor. Will Cliff be okay, or would Montezooma have his revenge? The answer would be in the hotel bathroom the next day!

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In the area was a bunch of merchants selling things such as food, hats, toys, and other random thins, but these Luchadore Masks caught my attention....

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....and at 35 pesos (or roughly $3.15), I had to have one! Meet Blanco Nino (pronounced as Blahn-co Neen-yo, but couldn't figure out how to type it out in proper Spanish writing)

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Oh no! Blanco Nino has Jeremiah in a headlock!

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Of course I couldn't be the only one with a mask. Cliff actually bought two, the other will be seen later, this being his dragon/lizard mask.

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Jeremiah also buys one, going for the Batman mask.

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So as we leave from the area near La Feria, we see that some of the walking bridges have very high safety standards.

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It looks like some of the Mexican people have mellowed out from their anger with the police. Perhaps they enjoyed some special brownies or something to that effect.

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Mexican crosswalks feature electric signs like ours, but some of theirs are cooler as the little green dude actually walks when you are able to. He even walks faster as the timer gets close to the end.

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Knowing about how you should avoid Mexican Tap water, I decided to stock up on bottled water...turns out you could buy this 10 liter bottle for less than 3 bucks!

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After returning to the hotel, we went up to the 40th floor for some extra pictures, and the view is just as awesome! This being on the other side from where our room was. This was also the first time I used panorama on my phone's camera

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From this side, you could actually see La Feria. Again it was really close to the hotel.

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After a few pictures, we went back down to the hotel bar. This is what you saw if you looked strait up.

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Those who know me know that I am not much of a "good" beer drinker. It's usually Bud Light or Coors Light for me if I have beer. I asked my sister is this was acceptable for drinking Mexican beer, and she acknowledged I made a step up. I actually really liked Modelo Light.

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The only problem is that when I go as my Lucho Libre alter-ego Blanco Nino, I havn't figured out how to drink beer with the mask on.

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Cliff, however, has discovered that both of his masks allow for him to drink beer. This was one of the first of many beers that Cliff would enjoy on the trip.

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"Ha ha, I can still drink beer with my mask on!"

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The collection of Lucho Libre masks we accumulated at the market.

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And with that, Blanco Nino approves the arrival day! Especially since at one point, the bar had Lucho Libre Wrestling on the big screen! Hope you guys enjoyed the first update of my account of the TPR Mexico Tour! More to come soon as my work schedule permits.

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LOL, great start of your TR, Gary!

 

And I am surprised you guys didn't pull those masks out, during

the rest of the tour.

 

Unless...uh.... you did?

 

Looking forward to more.

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Hey Everybody,

 

I appreciate all of the comments thus far and hope that this report continues to be an enjoyable read. While my work schedule is pretty hectic this week, I did get a chance to work on organizing and editing, so that brings us to the next update of my account of the TPR Mexico trip that took place last week.

 

For the first day of the tour, Robb and Elissa planned a day for everyone to experience the Mexican Culture. While we all love theme parks and roller coasters, this day for me was one of the biggest selling points of the trip for me as I really enjoy seeing places that really show the area's culture and history. This was a chance to experience what Mexico is really all about. We also had two great tour guides, David and Sergio, who provided us with information about the pyramids and the different areas that we visited later in the day.

 

As I had mentioned in the first update, some of the days will be split into parts, with Culture Day being one of them. So how did we start the TPR Mexico Tour? Let's find out with

 

Day 1: Culture Day!

Part 1: The Pyramids of Teotihucan

 

Our first stop of Culture Day was to the Pyramids of Teotihucan. Located to the Northeast of Mexico City, these pyramids were built in ancient times, and served as a place of ritual for the people who lived in the area. People visiting Teotihucan have the ability to walk across certain sections of the smaller pyramids and into the "public square" area, or down the avenue of the dead. Those wanting to take a challenge can also climb to the top of the largest pyramid, the Pyramid of the Sun, as well as the first few levels of the nearby Pyramid of the Moon. I say challenge as the Pyramids are not as easy to climb as they look, for the steps in some cases were large and angled steeply. Once you reached the higher levels, the views were incredible! Let's take a look at what it was like:

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So a combination of still trying to adjust to the altitude as well as the anticipation for staring the trip woke me up a bit earlier than planned, but it allowed me to see a 25th floor sunrise in Mexico City.

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Buenos Dias Mexico! We are ready to see more of what you have to offer to us.

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As I had mentioned before in the first update, this was one of the nicest hotels I had stayed in, and breakfast did not disappoint.

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Yeay breakfast spread!

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Everybody is up and ready for going to see some Mexican Culture.

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The sun starting to show on our Hotel in the morning. but since we are outside it must mean that.....

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....it's time to catch the bus. On to Culture!

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This here is David, one of our tour guides, explaining how Mexico City used to be a large lake that over time had been turned into the city that it is today.

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On the way, we passed one of the tallest (maybe it was the tallest) towers in Mexico.

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They also told us how many of the 26 million people who live in Mexico City live right on the boarder of the city and district in places like this.

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Mexico City and the surrounding areas have plenty of mountains.

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We also passed by one of the old missions that were built by the Spanish as they had their conquest of the lands of what is now Mexico.

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Cactus on a fence! Turns out cactus has many uses as we will find out later.

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And this symbol probably means that we are here.

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Outside of the first area of the pyramids that we explored were these stands selling souvenirs and other items to visitors. I didn't buy anything coming in, but would come back to buy a hat as we went back to the bus to head over to the other section of the pyramids. *Storytime* While looking at the hats, I asked the lady who was selling them if they had larger ones, and she found one that just happened to be a perfect fit. I asked her how much and she first said "300 Pesos". While thinking about it, Robb called over to let me know that everyone was heading back to the bus, and so I said that I needed to catch up with them, so she says "200 Pesos". I try to let her know that I really needed to catch them, so then she says "150 pesos, just for you". At this point, I ask "100 Pesos?" So we get to a compromise of 130 pesos, or roughly $11.70. Who knew that Robb could be such a great bargaining tool :) The hat will be seen later.

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Of course more "traditional" sombreros could also be had if the price is right.

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After the little market area, you get a little glimpse of the pyramids before entering the information building.

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A television that presents different images and videos of the things that go on in Teotihuacan.

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Pyramid pictures

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An overview of the area

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Throughout the pyramid areas, there were different guys selling things like toys, jewelry, whistles and other items. Some would be really persistent no matter how often you said "No gracias"

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Off in the distance you can see the Pyramid of the Sun.

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These smaller pyramids formed a sort of public square for rituals to be held for all of the people

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TPR folks begin the first of many stair climbs of the day.

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When you reach the top of the first set, you can see the "public square" area.

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The other side

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....and strait ahead

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David explains how the people who lived here built the pyramids, fitting smaller stones with larger ones

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It was almost like an ancient form of tetris.

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Heading over to one of the larger pyramids of this area.

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This tells about the structure.

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While it doesn't look to bad to climb up...

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...it is actually quite steep and the steps are fairly large, so it does take some time and effort to get up....as well as back down.

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You can go to the other side of it to see these old ruins

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Was this a monument of spiritual meaning, or just a part of the set to Legends of the Hidden Temple? Let's find out....

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There is the symbol for the Brick Beasts

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....and the Concrete Cougars.

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All kidding aside, these ruins were really neat to see.

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....continued......

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The other side of the ruins

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The former social studies teacher finally gets to see something that he would have taught his students about.

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Now for the task of getting back up to the top.

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Gary with the Pyramid of the Sun in the background. We would get a chance to try climbing that later on.

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I have to admit that my social studies nerd flag was definitely being waved inside.

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Now for the next challenge.....going down (which isn't always such a bad thing).

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And now, a demonstration of how the people of Teotihuacan used their plants.

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The white stuff on the outside are eggs of an insect of the area.

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The would scrape it off of the plant, and rub it onto a sort of paper or other object....

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....and use it as a paint. Turns out this stuff is sometimes used in lipstick, so the next time you kiss someone....now you know!

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The inside of the plant itself could be used to make a yellow color.

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And here in the middle of the square was a platform where different rituals took place for the general public.

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A panoramic shot of the "public square" as seen from this platform

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And if you walk down this way, you will walk through the Avenue of the Dead to the Pyramid of the Moon. We, however, would just get back on the bus to drive over.

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So Cliff asks for a small coke, little did he know just how small it would be!

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Ha ha ha! We are ride the Especial Bus!

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Continued great stuff, Gary!

 

Thanks for reminding me of everything we did

that day - except the (upcoming) second pyramid. I

declined and did (four of us I believe) a close-by

Museum tour instead.

 

Take your time. You got a whole week of TPR to get through, LOL!

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Thank you Bill! There certainly is a lot to share with this trip as like you said, this is covering a full week of TPR Trip Awesomeness. With that in mind, let us continue with Part 1 of Culture Day

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After we all got back onto the bus, it took us around to the other side of the grounds so that we would have a chance to try and climb the Pyramid of the Sun, the larger of the two big pyramids

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Our guides told us that the rituals held on the top of these pyramids were only with the presence of priests at the top of the pyramid.....and those who were being sacrificed as an offering to the gods.

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Side view of the Moon Pyramid, this pyramid you can't quite go all the way to the top, but you can still get higher up on it than the areas we saw in the beginning.

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Our guides told us that the Pyramid of the Sun is about 60 meters tall. Here a bunch of us walk over to try and take the challenge of climbing to the top!

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I was so ready to try and get to the top!

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A look at the side that you would climb from the bottom.

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This display shares the process of the construction of the pyramids....oddly enough, they didn't have a boat ride like EPCOT suggests there are in Pyramids of Mexico

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These stones, however, do provide for an entertainment offering in the ancient times.....taking the remains of those who were sacrificed and playing human plinko!

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The first level was pretty easy to get to.

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The stairs to the second level would be the longest set....who's ready to take them on?

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Anth is ready! Good luck Anth, hope you make it safe and sound!

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These stairs are not as easy to climb as they may look.

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Just look at that angle you have to climb!

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With the combination of being out of shape, at a higher altitude and the sairs just being steeper, this was no simple exercise.

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But the view from the second level was pretty cool!

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Another view of the bottom from Level Two

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Others coming on up to the second level as well.

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A look back at the area we checked out at the beginning from the second level.

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What was interesting to see was the fact that you had to wait in line to climb up some of the levels. Even funnier is that these lines moved better than some lines at Six Flags America. You can also see the third set of steps to climb. They were about the same angle as the previous, but a bit more narrow.

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Looking up the stairs......

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and looking downs the stairs.

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What I did know when taking this picture.....that it was getting easier to make the climb. What I didn't know....that this picture would have a great view of the Pyramid of the Moon to the side of my head.

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Here you see the people going down the other side of the stairs. It actually isn't a whole lot easier to go down as you really have to watch your step in a few cases.

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Another view of the bottom, this time from level 3

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I have to admit that this wait had me a little uneasy as I am not a fan of heights when I don't have something to hold onto or lean against. I think it has something to do with when I fell of a ladder and broke my arm as a kid. I sure hope I don't repeat that and become a part of Human Plinko.

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looking back at level 2 and the Avenue of the Dead

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While this part of the next climb was a challenge, the beginning of this segment was more interesting.

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Derek takes a climb on the steepest part. It roughly looks like what it would be like to climb El Toro?

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Looking down from level 4, it would seem we don't have much more to go!

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This would be the last "stone" stairway as after the next level is a sort of wooden bridge that crosses up and over the top.

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So happy to have almost made it.....and yet again great another view of the Pyramid of the Moon!

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Looking down from level 5 towards the bottom. All that remains is the very top!

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....and to the top we shall go!

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And there is the top of the Pyramid of the Sun!

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Over to where we were earlier from the top.

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Another look at the Pyramid of the Moon, this time from the top.

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Another look at the very top of the pyramid.

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Mission accomplished! Many of us with TPR successfully made it to the top!

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A panoramic view from the very top of the Pyramid of the Sun.

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"That's right! I was just up there! I knew I could do it!"

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Back at level 5, where traffic isn't as busy, you get a great vantage point of the Pyramid of the Moon.

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TPR guys enjoying a pose with the Pyramid of the Moon

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It was truly an awesome experience to be able to climb all the way to the top of the pyramid.

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But as the saying goes, what goes up must come down. That would be true for us as well.

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Now, you could always go down the normal way like Karl and the guys by climbing down......

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...or try not to get killed in Human Plinko!

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Taking in the sights as I have never been to a place like this before. I absolutely loved it!

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Of course TPR trips are all about fun too, and nobody knows how to have fun like our calendar model.....Senior June!

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And that will wrap up the Pyramids of Teotihuacan. I am truly thankful of the fact that we had a chance to experience this, and that Robb and Elissa included it with the tour. Thank you two for making this happen, and thank you to everyone for checking the update out! Up next from Culture Day will be Part 2: Food, Downtown Mexico City and a Surprise!

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Nice report!

 

We know that we put on 'Coaster/Theme Park Tours' and that is always the main focus. But when we go to a place that either doesn't have a lot of coasters, or has something of extreme cultural significance, or we want to give our people some time to de-jetlag or acclimatize to altitude we love getting to include something like this.

 

Also, I think this picture just SCREAMS Facebook profile/background photo!

 

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That bug on the cactus is what my oldest daughter is allergic to! It's a cochineal. The coloring made from it is called Carmine, and it's in A LOT of makeup, and sometimes in food and candy. I have such a hard time finding makeup that I can use because I don't want to kiss her and make her have a reaction.

 

Great pictures! Can't wait to see more!

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Gary - excellent start to your PTR, as a history buff myself I loved this day. But I have to tell you the persistence of these vendors is nothing compared to the Chinese.

 

We know that we put on 'Coaster/Theme Park Tours' and that is always the main focus. But when we go to a place that either doesn't have a lot of coasters, or has something of extreme cultural significance, or we want to give our people some time to de-jetlag or acclimatize to altitude we love getting to include something like this.

This was a great relaxing way to acclimate to the altitude, and the food at the little restaurant in the middle of nowhere was awesome

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