Flying Home

Last Wednesday we flew home to Mexico City.  Our flights generally went smoothly.  The worst part was getting up at 3:00 AM to return the rental car and go to the airport to check in for our 6:20 AM flight.  Even though there is only a two hour time difference between Ohio and Mexico City, the next day I felt as jet-lagged as if I had flown from Europe.

The only snafu with our flight itinerary was that our flight from Houston to Mexico City was delayed by about forty minutes.  Because of thunderstorms near Houston, the flight plan had to be revised to avoid the storms.  We finally took off.

Our detour could not have been that drastic, because we were soon heading south over the barrier islands that separate the Gulf of Mexico from the Texas coast.

After following the Mexican coast for a while, we then headed inland toward Mexico City.

The flight from Houston to Mexico City is just under two hours... not long enough for a meal service, even if you are in first class.  Before long we were making our descent into the city.

In the lower right corner you can see part of the oval of the "Hipódromo de las Américas", Mexico City's horse track.

As we continue our descent, we can see the first and second sections of Chapultepec Park (A & B).  Beyond that, in the haze, you can barely make out the skyscrapers along Paseo de la Reforma (C) and the World Trade Center (D) close to my apartment.

Now we are flying over the largely undeveloped third section of Chapultepec Park (A), and in the distance you can make out the Ferris wheel (B) at the Parque Aztlán amusement park in the second section of Chapultepec.

At the bottom of the photo are the Plaza México, the world's largest bullring (left) and the Sports City Stadium (right), which for many years was the home of one of Mexico City's professional soccer teams, Cruz Azul.  Above them, the blue building with the white screen, is the World Trade Center.

If you know what you are looking for, you can now make out the iconic skyscraper, the Latin American Tower (A), the towers of the Metropolitan Cathedral (B) and the National Palace (C).

Moments before landing, you can see the the Chamber of Deputies (A), the lower house of the Mexican congress.  The TAPO Bus Terminal (B), is where buses for the eastern and southern parts of the country depart.  Its dome is slightly larger than the dome of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.  In the background, the Sierra de Guadalupe mountain range (C) forms the border between Mexico City and the State of Mexico.

We passed through immigration quickly.  Now that I am a Mexican resident, I can pass through the line reserved for Mexicans.  The luggage for our flight was unloaded very quickly.  By the time we got to the carousel, the suitcases had all ready been removed from the conveyor belt.  One thing I like about Mexico City is that an airport employee compares the luggage tag with the number on your claim check before you leave the area.