Flying Down to Mexico

Yesterday I was up very early.  I had to be at Cleveland Airport at 5:00 A.M. for my 7:00 A.M. flight to Chicago.  It was surprisingly busy for that early in the morning (spring break travelers?), and there was a long line waiting to go through security.  Once again, I had found a first-class ticket at a decent price, and, I guess because of that, the lady at the airline desk told me that I could enter through a different spot and avoid the line.  I had read that new X-ray machines have recently been installed in all the major airports in the country.  It is no longer necessary to remove your electronic equipment from your carry-on.  We didn't have to take off our shoes either.  So, passing through security was a bit less stressful.

I got on the plane just as the sun was coming up.  We pulled away from the gate a couple minutes early.

I live about four miles away from the airport.  Once again, I was able to make out some neighborhood landmarks as we took off.  My house is down there somewhere amid the trees in the upper half of the photo.

You can see the Ohio Turnpike in this photo, and just below it is Olmsted Falls Middle School, which is located just a few miles down the road from where I live.

The weather forecast said that clouds were going to move into the Cleveland area during the day.  Sure enough, soon after takeoff there was a bank of clouds, and we were above the clouds for the rest of the trip.

When we descended for landing, we were over Lake Michigan, and we could see downtown Chicago.

The flight from Cleveland to Chicago is only an hour, so with the time difference, we arrived at about the same time that we left.

Paranoid as I am about missing connections, I usually schedule long layovers.  This time however, I had less than a two-hour layover.  But since the arrival gate was on the same concourse as my departure gate for the flight to Mexico City, I still had plenty of time.

Flying from Chicago instead of from Houston, the flight to Mexico City seems long.  It's about four hours.  

Mexico City is currently under an ozone alert, and it has been a long time since I have seen the city look this smoggy as we descended for our arrival.  Those are not clouds.

We flew over the neighborhood where my apartment is located just a block from the World Trade Center (the big blue building).

When we landed, I used the smart phone that Alejandro had given me to call him.  He was already on his way to the airport to pick me up.   As it turned out, he didn't have to rush because the line-up to go through immigration was the longest I had ever seen.  On my last couple trips there was no wait at all, but this time there apparently were several international flights that arrived at the same time. The line was backed up through the corridor before you even enter the immigration hall.  It was an hour between the time I got off the plane and the time that I emerged into the terminal from the immigration / customs area.

I mentioned on my last trip that the immigration officials are no longer automatically giving tourists a 180-day permit to stay in Mexico.  When they ask me how long I am staying, I tell them a little bit longer than I am really staying.  Last time, for my seven-week stay I was given a 60-day permit. (I told him I was staying for two months.)  This time, even though I will be here just under a month (I said I was staying for five weeks), the official wrote 90 days on my tourist card.

After waiting so long in immigration, my suitcase was already there at the luggage carrousel, and, fortunately, I just walked through customs without any inspection.  As I came out into the terminal, Alejandro was there waiting for me, and he drove me to his house.  I will stay with the family through Monday when I will go to the apartment that I rent.

Late this afternoon there is supposed to be rain... a bit unusual for this time of year.  However, that will hopefully clear out some of the smog.  Also, this weekend is the beginning of Holy Week, when many residents leave the city on vacation.  That usually helps the air quality too.