Morelos

We woke up early in an attempt to avoid traffic in town. We caught a quick uber to the omnibus station (only $3 for 20 mins, the exchange rate is quite favorable at 19:1) and then hopped on a bus to Tehotihuacan. We chose this method of transport to bypass the tourist crowds and save money for better things (see: dinner footprint). We hit some traffic out of town so the drive took around 75 minutes. Along the way, we saw lots of colorful houses built up into the hills.

Upon arrival at the archaeological site, we paid our $3 admission and headed towards the pyramids. The first thing we noticed was that a plethora of vendors were selling a toy/souvenir which made a loud, puma-like growl. It was persistent throughout our stay and quite obnoxious, but what can you do... The site was pretty impressive. The pre-Columbian and pre-Aztec city is estimated to have been home to over 100,000 people in the first centuries BC. What remains are a series of structures along a long road (the Avenue of the Dead), with a number of large plazas for gatherings, and two large pyramids: one in honor of the sun and the other in honor of the moon. One can climb up on both pyramids to look over the entire city ruins. At 216 ft, the pyramid of the sun is the third largest ancient pyramid in the world. Many believe that this was the western hemisphere's first great city.

For lunch, we decided to try a restaurant recommendation Brittany had found in a travel blog. The blog had noted that it was just outside of Puerta 1 but we soon found out it was actually outside of Puerta 5, a half mile walk away. Although a bit touristy for its location in a cave, La Gruta was tastefully decorated with an altar for Día de Muertos. Vegetarian options were scarce but our waiter kindly suggested the pollo fajitas... without the pollo and with oyster mushrooms instead. The atmosphere and cold beers made it a fun experience.Read more