Weekend Escape: Valle De Bravo

One of Mexico’s many charms is its endless capacity to surprise me. As soon as I started thinking that I’m not left with any more places left in Mexico to visit to (of course there is still many things to visit but I have my budget), I found Valle De Bravo.

Thanks to American Congress and even more thanks to my bosses, who still recognize Labour Day, all my friends were bestowed with a full weekend. This Labour day was indeed for labours J.

 Since the party was bigger, the things were quite well planned before hand and all I need to do was to get up by 5:30 AM. After a 2 hours’ drive amidst the foggy countryside of Mexico, filled with corn fields and early morning smoke coming from villages, we entered hills.  I was not sure exactly what I was expecting when I decided to visit Valle de Bravo but it has not been quite as I had imagined. Certainly many Mexican friends had told me it was a lovely destination, and I could see from the map and from reading guides that it was located by a large lake, but I had not expected the landscape to have such a European feeling.

With its high, green, wooded hills surrounding a beautifully sculpted lake and large fancy houses on the waterfront, I kept having thoughts of the French Riviera or Swiss/Italian/French lakes. Perhaps because it is an artificial landscape, it does not feel entirely naturally Mexican in some way. But however much the landscape may have resonances with old Europe, the culture is distinctly Mexican. I was expecting the town to be more touristy, but the town still has a sense of having its own distinctive life and identity.

We took a boat ride. I don’t know why, but yes we did took a “slow” boat and we six amigos sailed for an hour. If not those lavish mansions along the lakeside and a view of town put up in European style, there was hardly anything to offer to someone who comes from Shaydri Ranges. It would be an insults to all those waterfall I have ever visited if I say I visited one here too.

It ended and we headed for next “the” thing, Paragliding. Some bargaining, a sign and we were up the hill. It was the best weather up there, one can ask for to glide. Cloudy sky, cool breeze all were making up the things. Except for that girl, beautiful though, but too scared. Her screams were making us shaky. Thankfully she flew before us.

As my instructor, Auzo, coached me into takeoff procedures, I was more than willing to throw myself in to the valley form some 600m height and then assuming the air will lift me up. He harnessed me and said we will wait for a strong breeze. When it came, he said run and we ran. Just at the point of the edge, I felt this huge force catching me and pulling us back. The wind had fully caught the sails. “Run!” shouted Auzo again. For a moment, it was like one of those dreams where you try to run but you feel like you are stuck in thick treacle. Then miraculously we moved forward, gathered pace and took off.

As we started gliding over the city, it was a view I shall not be able to pen down here. It was all those we had had to be here, worth of. I asked Auzo, if I can take controls of glider rope, and to my best he gave that to me. We then took glider even to further heights. The landing was even more precipitous than takeoff. When the glider suddenly starts loosing altitudes, and winds gushes from your ears, you are bound to scream. And finally a butter smooth landing reconfirmed all those stats Auzo told me of his experience uphill.  Of course, being in the air is a wonderful sensation, and this time I was able to enjoy it more.

Back here in hotel, I’m still reeling under it. Those air are still gushing in me. It’s like a drug. I have tasted it once, I want it more. 

Weekend Escape: Teotihuacan

“Teotihuacan– Where man becomes God”

It’s been almost 4 week here Mexico City and I’m more than familiar to the streets, parks, walkways and malls here now. My Spanish vocabulary have remarkably doubled from 10 words to 20 words. J

Thus it’s time to move out the my limits and explore “real Mexico”, the one which all say is notorious, is dangerous and is colourful. So I chose a trip to Pyramids of Teotihuacan, which are some 60 odd Km from here.

My initial plan to be on this trip with Vipin was very tactfully ruined by my Bosses (I liked there managerial skill and learnt a lesson from it). Maybe I’m destined to walk alone. But then I was not all alone. There was a proper research and planning for it over a period of 2-3 days, numerous travel tips  and a special detailed insight from Elliot, thank you very much, Amigos. 

An early morning start and I was at “Terminal Autobuses del Norte” by 8 AM. It is a major Bus depot here in Mexico City to all north bound, especially for US. As I walked in, it was just like any other Indian Bus Depot. There were people from all straits of human breed here and that too in large head count. I stopped missing “my India” for a moment here. “Knowledge is Power”, whoever say so are so very true. If I was able to manage in a public bus depot with almost all written in Spanish and all looks curiously at you, as if I come here regularly, was only because of some very detailed blogs I read. It was a cakewalk there.

The bus made me feel from homely, they were no better our “Shivneri Buses”. J

To make you more comfortable there are hawkers, broken seats, conductors shouting for the places. I was more than comfortable now. As we left the city area and moved into outskirts, started the real Mexico. There are houses all on the ridges of hills, all painted in different colours. It looked like as if someone has put cubes of different sizes and colours on the hill. What was interesting to me was that there were many localities that had erected 8 odd feet high compound around them. It’s like a mini caged city. You can sense the security concerns here. As we moved further out, there were farmlands of cactus and maze. Countryside as always beautiful to pass by, irrespective of which part of globe you are in.

Almost exactly in an hour I was at the gates of Teotihuacan. As you move in, you can see two huge pyramids on your far left and huge central area, in front of you. As soon as you move into the central place you can’t avoid appreciating the architecture of the place. The symmetry and hugeness of the structure are worth commendable considering it was build some 1800 ago from today. The tour guide was continuously talking about the history of the place, it’s people and how they self destruct these technologically strong civilization. Men was and is his own biggest enemy. J

Next we forward towards to the Pyramid of Sun, crossing by Avenue of Death(Miccoatli). You would be surprised to know that they knew to deviate the water channel at that time too. In case you find it normal, mind you that this is hurricane zone and rains heavily when it rains. As we walked along “Avenue of Death”, I was told that I'm moving over the burial of some 15,000 odd people. J

Next is Pyramid of Sun, the third largest in the world. There are some 250+ step to summit and most of them are steep. When you reach the summit you can view as far up till Mexico City and it’s industrial belt. You can have a full panoramic view of the Teotihuacan valley. Interesting the tourist guide didn’t went up with us but have a 10 min speech for it below itself. There is cool breeze up there and you can relax applauding the hard-work and dedication to natural powers, people from those times have.  Next was Pyramid of Moon, it was smaller to the former but steeper than it. Only 50 steps made me lungs work in NFT mode. J

The view from here is worth all the effort. You can see the whole of Teotihuacan city in lined for you and the exact symmetry of all the structures there. I almost spend 30 Min up there just sitting and getting mesmerised by the imaginations of beauty of this place when it was on it’s fullest. Down back to gates you can buy some memorabilia and honk you bargaining skills too. J

I was back in the city by 3, so I thought to explore the city on foot. Now that I have broken all the travel advisory my company gave me, why not to do it fully. I started walking the opposite side of from where I moved into Bus depot. It a colourful city, there is no wall left without a graffiti. People stare at you as foreigner, but that logical. Some 1 hour of walking across lanes and by lanes of the city, I realised why it is a caged city. All house have huge metal gates and high-tech security systems. Even the road side grocery shop was caged. You had a hole to give the slip and money and the bag will be given out from a small gate on right down corner. That was something new to me. Parents lines up in front of the school and the teacher recognize them and call out the kids name on mike. The kid then runs out and the gate. You can easily spot people drugged and laying dead on the pathways.

By now I was tired, it must be some 12-14 Km on foot in a day. By till now I have seen all of Mexico City. It’s history, it present and it’s future, it’s best and it’s worst, from what they are proud of to what they want to hide. This trip is over now, I'm all set to be back home now, “travelogoically”.

Weekend Escape: Museo Nacional de Antropología

After a hard gone week here, I had a breather Saturday…..

… only to be ready for more harder days to come. Unfortunately, my other two partners in the pain, Vipin and Saurabh, didn’t have that too. They will get there share of breathe tomorrow and the day after. J

So now that I had my breakfast done and a whole day to spend, I decided to move out.  It has been just four nights here in Mexico City, and let me be upfront about something, I was scared.

The internet hype around “the dangers of Mexico” are intense. There were a handful of online comments about armed robberies on buses. A few people knew a friend-of-a-friend who had been mugged in broad daylight. Office guys too had there part of stories.

But then Columbus in me, didn’t allowed me staying back. Hardly after being out for one hour in the sun, it was clear that Mexico City was full of totally normal people living totally normal lives. Before moving out from the hotel I had took a map of the area (so that I can show someone the map and ask for location). If you don’t know Spanish, it’s a must. J

After some ~2 km of walk eastwards, I found the place with buzz. It was “Museo Nacional de Antropología”. As I went closer I found some Mexican tribal people dancing over the beats of drum. I was sure this is the place I want to be.

As I moved in, I was informed that it is one of the most reputed museums in the world for Anthropology. Also I came to know that Mexico City boost to have maximum numbers of museums than any city in the world.  

As soon as you enter you are welcomed by a giant pillar which holds a vast square concrete umbrella. Here starts your wow moment (if you find architecture interesting). There museum holds some 23 room of exhibits and each of them depicts a time in the history of Mexico. It starts from the time pre-humans came to Mexico to Tenochtitlán civilization to the Mayan civilization till Spanish invasion. The major attraction is the  

If I can roughly count them, there would be atleast 300-500 specimens in each room. Not all are originals but still all of them a very well preserved. All the specimens are placed in most natural way it could be so that you can feel the amount of hard work it must have gone to make it and now preserving it. I was almost shocked to see a hand written script, from the Mayan Dynasty, still readable.

What took the most of my attention and a half completed marble pot. It actually gave an idea for craftsmanship needed to make a small pot leave about those huge pyramids over the top of a hill. I won’t hesitate twice saying that I was mesmerized. If it is all you think, wait, move upstair and you have the all the tribes of Mexico on display. Their music, attire, food, games, believes, ritual, who can find everything here.

I took me 4 hours to complete the museum, and I’m sure it would had taken me a whole day, if I had read about few more things there. To my good luck, there was a photo exhibition too going on which had all the shades of Mexico, from hard yet fulfilled life of uphill tribe to beach life down south, from modern urban world to refreshing villages.

 It was a fulfilling day. By far, There is no other museum that depicts the vast history in such a majestic way that I have visited. The journey is still on, will keep you posted….