I am now at home. On Monday evening, my flight from Houston left on time and landed in Cleveland twenty minutes ahead of schedule. In Mexico City, Alejandro is doing well after his operation, and today he will have his stitches removed.
I still have several entries to write about my trip. You may remember that Alejandro and I took the aerial cable car across the Mexico City borough of Ixtapalapa. After doing a round trip on the "cablebús", we then took another new addition to the city's public transport system, "el trolebús elevado"... the elevated trolley. The route, which begins at the same location as the "cablebús", follows an elevated road dedicated exclusively to the trolley. The buses have retractable poles which connect to overhead electrical wires when in transit.
The trolley travels 4.5 miles through Iztapalapa with seven stations along the way. Although not suspended high in the air like the "cablebús", you look down on the poor district.
Wow, a lot has changed since my last visit.
ReplyDeleteAlthough popular opinion suggests that it is probably too dangerous to live in as an expat, I absolutely love exploring Iztapalapa. The delegacion is enormous but there is so much to see...and some kind of festival or feria almost every weekend.
I have to admit that I have never been in Iztapalapa... and Alejandro avoids the area. I would like, however, to visit the Aztec ruins that are on top of the Cerro de la Estrella.
DeleteYou can safely visit the ruins, but may want to go on a weekend just in case. Take the metro to Cerro de la Estrella (I think) and then walk up the hill past the park with the three wooden crosses that are used to recreate the Passion Play each spring.
DeleteA bit higher up, you'll pass the Museo del Fuego (worth a look) and a posting of police officers before the road-proper climbs to the hilltop ruins. There isn't much to see, only a single platform, but the view is good and there are several interesting caves beneath.
IIRC, I visited on a Saturday when there was a good crowd of people around and a better sense of safety as a result.
Actually, I lied. Alejandro and I did go to Iztapalapa once during the Holy Week Passion Play... but on Thursday when the crowd was not as big.
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