México Deluxe -- Part Two Sayulita and MEXICO CITY

SAYULITA, Nayarit

After our week with family in Puerto Vallarta we bid them goodbye and ventured north up the coast to a little village long popular with surfers.

The Conductor

This young fella on the beach north of Sayulita was 'conducting' the surf, raising and lowering his arms to lead the waves as they rose and then crashed on the beach.  He was having a great time living his fantasy.

Mar Y Sueños was our little boutique hotel, off the beaten path.

Our top floor room was a lot like a tree house, looking out on bamboo forest.

Above us a rooftop breakfast spot

Also ideal for sunset viewing:

We spent a lot of time that week strolling the beaches, hiking through the jungle up to San Pancho, and exploring the steep hillside neighborhoods.

Early each morning, above the distant booming surf, we would begin to hear ... first a few roosters, then a dog or two, a cat maybe, some sweet birdsongs ... and then the raucous noisy calls of the Chachalacas.

If a bird could bray like a jackass, that would be the chachalaca.  Here's one up close:

Red eyes, maybe hung over

After a week of beach bumming we were ready for some excitement, and we found it in Mexico City, the vibrant capital city of México, with it's 26 million inhabitants (some say 30 million, but who's counting).

So our first night we opt for ceviche, that's how adventurous (nutty) we are.

On Sunday morning (Palm Sunday of Semana Santa) thousands of people took to the streets, here on Paseo de la Reforma, under El Ángel (monument Angel of Independence) near our hotel.

The beautiful jacaranda trees were in full bloom

We went on the obligatory pilgrimage to Casa Azul, home of iconic artists Frida Kahlo and her off-and-on husband Diego Rivera.

Very popular place

Luckily they manage to keep crowding inside controlled

Many oddities, as befits artists

Frida's boot with a lift

Some extreme oddities

Beauty-filled place

Then on our second full day we toured the Templo Mayor, the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe (i.e., Wolf River) and the pyramids of Teotihuacán.  At its peak population of 125,000 Teotihuacán was the 6th largest city on earth.

Temple of the Moon, viewed from mid-level of the Temple of the Sun

It IS large

Steep?  I guess!

Are we having fun yet?!

On the coach ride back we passed these barrios where neighbors paint their houses matching colors over the hillsides.  Looks sorta like Guanajuato but coordinated collectively.