Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico

Mexico City IS the heart of Mexico.  As mentioned above it is a massive city, the 2nd largest in the world with over 20 million people.  We read all kinds of information about the precautions to take.  We decided to take the bus from the little town where we are staying to the outskirts of the city, then take the subway the rest of the way.  We didn't wear our good sunglasses and we didn't carry anything in our hands.  We kept everything we had out of sight, in the many pockets of our 'technical' pants.  We hid the little bit of money we brought, in secret pockets and ventured in.  It went great, we had a wonderful time and ended up going into the city on five separate trips, with no problems.

Heading into Mexico City

On the bus into Mexico City we were serenaded by these two young Mexican fellows.  They were actually very good and we really enjoyed the entertainment.  They do this for tips, which they got plenty of, and then head back on another bus and repeat the process.
 

Heading into Mexico City

Look at all of the people, the stations and subways were packed!  And THIS is the subway station on the northern end of the city!  In Mexico City, during peak times, several of the cars of each subway train can be designated for women and children only.  That was kind of scary, thinking about the reasons why.  But we forged ahead and took the regular subway, where there were only a handful of women.   There was Cindy, white, very tall, blue eyes, and on a subway packed shoulder to head with all of these men.  Talk about intimidating.  Cindy stuck to Barry like glue.  But the men were just curious, they stared, but not in a threatening sort of way, and everything went great. 
 

Heading into Mexico City

This sweet lady was kind enough to give us directions.  Between our bit of Spanish and her bit of English we understood each other just fine.
 

Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico

After getting off of the subway, we headed into the city on foot.  We had all of our maps ready.  This photo was taken in the park called "Bosque de Chapultepec", which means 'Forest of Chapultepec' where Chapultepec means 'hill of grasshoppers' in Nahuatl, the Aztec language.  Hence the statue of a grasshopper.
 

Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico

We walked through this really pretty park, on our way to the Zoo.  We would have liked to linger or even go for a paddle boat ride, however, our adrenaline was high and we had planned to go to the Zoo, so that is were we went.
 

Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico

What a great shot of this beautiful Big Horn Sheep with the cityscape in the distance!  We were pleasantly surprised to see so many Mexican tourists at the Zoo on a weekday.
 

Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico

We loved the look of those round plants, something we had never seen before.  Doesn't Barry have a great smile, if we didn't point out the plants you probably would not have even noticed them :)
 

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Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico

Those carvings up above the ticket booth were just beautiful.  We know for a fact that they are replicas of the originals found at one of the archeological sites we visited.  Very cool!
 

Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico

Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico

Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico

Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico

Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico

Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico

Aren't these two something else?  What was neat about the Black Panther was that it had just as many spots as the other one but they were another shade of black, so you can't see them in the photo.  He was just beautiful!
 

Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico

Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico

Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico

Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico

With Pandas being so rare, it was really incredible to see two of them in this zoo.  They were in a very large pen, with lots of room to romp and play.
 

Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico

Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico

When we left the zoo it started to just pour, and umbrella and rain coat sales went way up.  Note:  It is so mild that the rain does not bother you very much, you dry off very quickly and just continue on your way.
 

Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico

Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico

One good thing about not carrying anything was that we could not bring our lunch :)  We normally pack water and lunch everywhere we go, to cut down on costs and keep our trim figures :)  Anyway, we splurged for our time in Mexico City.  We had all kinds of authentic Mexican dishes while we were here.  All that food you see and the pop and it just cost us a couple of bucks.  The two gentlemen were wonderful and fun.  We tried different food and vendors each day :)
 

Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico

This was the bus stop we needed to find to go back to the coach.  Can you understand why we had a bit of trouble finding it the first time?  No sign, tarps and ropes and people everywhere, we had no idea where to go.  We just kept asking directions until finally we got to the right spot.  What fun!
 

Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico

This is our second day in Mexico City, we are so excited!
 

Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico

This bus was so full that people were literally hanging out the door, thank goodness we were walking again.
 

Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico

Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico

Notice the statue in the middle of the 'glorietta' (traffic circle)?  Down one of the main streets, Paseo de la Reforma, there were these amazing, huge, statues every few blocks.
 

Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico

Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico

Wow, we are definitely in the CITY, some of the buildings were incredible!
 

Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico

Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico

Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico

When we were walking along the street, every once in awhile we would hear these beautiful bells ringing, for no apparent reason.  We finally realized they had them set up for people to ring on a whim as they pass by.
 

Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico

Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico

Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico

Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico

We couldn't help but notice these 'massive' billboards covering the sides of entire buildings...my goodness, culture shock!  We have mostly stuck to small or medium size towns in Mexico, our senses were buzzing.
 

Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico

We were sitting having lunch and saw this helicopter land and then later take off from the tallest building there.  Very cool...
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Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico

This is Mexico City's National Museum of Anthropology, and it was unbelievable.  It was huge and beautiful.  A lot of the very special pieces from archeological sites all over Mexico are brought to this museum.  Also, replicas from a number of sites are on display here.  We had a wonderful and full day here.
 

Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico

Huge statue outside of the museum.
 

Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico

Now do we look happy to be here or what?
 

Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico

The canopy over this courtyard was amazing.  As you can see from the previous photo it is VERY large and supported exclusively by this central pillar, which is adorned with replicas.  And, to add a cooling effect, a fountain is incorporated into the design.  Very cool...

Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico

Absolutely beautiful pieces, displayed with the right lights and backdrops, really something special..
 

Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico

Doesn't this one make you smile!
 

Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico

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