Excitement building as Doug texts that his plane from California has landed in SLC. Ronda joins him in SLC and they fly together taking the direct flight to Mexico City. They arrived in the afternoon of Thursday October 27th 2016.
They had not eaten since breakfast so I prepared some snacks to eat on the way. Papaya, jicama, carrot sticks popcorn, snack bars and juice.
We stopped at the Jamaica Market. It is always fun with lots of flowers, food and pinatas
More Jamica,..open air market
Ronda and I are looking at the baked calabasa (squash) that has been prepared for the season of the
Day of the Dead. Also lots of other seasonal wares.
We went to the Temple after the Jamaica market and took a picture before we went in.
It would be dark after the session.
The temple was not here when Doug served a mission 50 years ago.
I had asked Doug to wear a white shirt and tie and Ronda a dress for the plane ride down so we would be ready to go to the temple without changing clothes.
After the session we stopped for this photo
Benjamin parked in the back as van and buses are supposed to do. His van.
Doug and Ronda were impressed by the police presence as we went through the toll booth.
Casa de Toña after the temple for dinner. Ronda eating a bowl of pazole. It looks like Doug is having tacos or enchiladas.
Casa de Toña Tlalnepantla in the daylight
Doug and Ronda stayed in one of the guest houses
Front room of the guest house
Ronda's room
Sister Bonnie Oscarson was supposed to have stayed in one of the guest house rooms when she spoke a week earlier at the CCM but she was sick and returned "elsewhere" after she gave her message to the missionaries.
kitchen of the guest house
Friday morning the 28th of October Doug, Ronda and I went to Teotihuacan with Benjamin driving us. A selfie on top of the Sun Pyramid with the Moon Pyramid in the back ground.
steep steps up and back... The Sun is 210 feet in height
The little rocks in the mortar are a sign that this area was reconstructed.
Doug falling off the Sun
Three siblings on the top of the Sun.
With Benjamin on the Sun
One of the flights of steps on the Sun Pyramid. They were about 4 or 5 levels to the top
Ronda and I are taking a minute to sit and look around as we climb to the top of the moon.
Doug took this photo just a second before Ronda fell on that last step going up.
After climbing the pyramids we walked through the old living quarters at Teotihuacan.
Ronda thought this sleeping dog was pretty interesting right in the middle of the walk way for disabled people
The inner temple and open plaza
On the way down into the La Gruta
Not a good picture of me but interesting to see how deep and big the cave is.
Before dinner
Ronda and I both had cornfield soup. Veggies and calabasa blossoms are already in the dish and then hot bean soup is poured in from a picture.
We ate all that guacamole. In fact I probably ate most of it. Benjamin has his new shirt that he bought that day to go along with the Day of the Dead. Ronda wanted one or several of these bowls carved out of volcanic rock to take home. It weighted about 10 pound with the guacamole in it. We couldn't find any bowls for sale.
We asked if we could sit at the far end of the cave where they had put up a display...an ofrenda...or offering to the dead. Lots of orange marigolds and always the purple flowers.
We were seated right in front of the ofrenda.
There are steps (in the middle of the ofrenda) that go up to I don't know where,
but it made for a nice photo spot. Hum there was a nice picture of Ronda sitting there also.
Doug's dinner at the Gruta. The green veggie in a small dish is cooked cactus leaves.
It is called nopal and it can be served many ways.
Pictures of the dead and their favorite food are set out. Also lots of candles and sometimes incense.
Since I told Ronda that we picked and ate grasshoppers she decided she would try them.
Doug wasn't sure if he wanted too but Ronda was rather persistent that he would since he was in Mexico.
Before....OK I will at least hold it for a picture.
Yikes...I'm not sure I want to do this.
Oh yes you do...here I'll help...
Give me a thumbs up so we can pretend you loved it.
See... I'll do it too. It's the complete Mexican experience.
Doug had to have his arrachera (the sweet rice milk drink) refilled...in order to wash down the grasshoppers before he could try them. The pink drink is a cactus fruit punch.
The sign on the tombstone reads, those who are greedy (for food) and who are gluttons
will fill the cemeteries.
I really don't care for these day of the dead decorations but they are very popular paper mache figures for the holiday. Sometimes after the season they have a bonfire and burn them.
After arriving back to the CCM we ate in the comedor. Ronda and Doug were pleaseed to eat there even though the evening meal...cena... is never as good as the middle of the day meal. We also got there late and so not much was left to choose from.
We decided to walk over to the neighborhood next to the CCM and get a stuffed churro. On the way we saw some very crowded buses with more people still trying to get on.
The churro shop. Fried while you watch and stuffed with chocolate, caramel, fruit (jam) or cheese and then a swirl of cheese on top if you like.
Ronda thought this young man who worked at the churro shop looked promising so the next night we returned to offer him a Book of Mormon. He told me in English, "I can't read that." The Book of Mormon was in Spanish. The night before he had talked to us in Spanish so obviously he did't want to read it
Doug couldn't eat one...I think the grasshoppers earlier in the day were too much for his stomach. The churros are pretty greasy. On the way back to the CCM we stopped in at a bakery and bought a few items to take with us the next day.
Saturday morning Benjamin pick us up and we headed to the southern part of the city where Doug served his mission and lived. This is us in front of the Ermita Stake. He baptized about 15 or so people in this building.
Benjamin´s parents went to this stake center so Doug probably knew them.
There was a Day of Family Discovery going on at the church to coincide with the "day of the dead" celebration. I love the way the church mingles the Catholic celebration of remembering the dead family members with the way the Mormon's remember their dead.
I think Doug was feeling pretty happy to be there and especially to be able to talk to members.
Doug standing next to the baptismal font where he baptized 15 or so members.
I love the decorations. Same marigolds on the floor (although these are paper) as in all the other ofrendas.
A street where Doug tracked. When he and his companion rang the bell to one house a lady came out from the top balcony to see who it was. She then reappeared with a bucket of water to pour on them.
Kind hearted Benjamin thought we should buy some flowers from this woman, so we did
The apartment building where Doug lived. As we were there a man stuck his head out of the second story window and asked what we were doing. Doug thinks he may have lived on the third floor. He hung his wash out to dry on the top balcony.
#129
The street where he lived and often walked. No so many cars then.
From there we went to the Zocolo area of downtown
This is in the lobby of the Hotel Mexico. The ceiling is all stained glass
This was in front of the ofrenda in the Hotel Mexico. A very elaborate display.
On the plaza was a display for the day of the dead with Xochimilco boats. That is the national cathedral in the back ground. The organ was being played when we went in. .
We didn't stay to watch the warriors dance
We walked to Alameda Park where there are many people and many paths, then on to the Benito Juarez monument.
Ronda stopped into one of her favorite stores, Zara and bought a few tops. She then put one on and wore it for the rest of the day. She wanted me to take a picture of the men as they waited for her to shop.
Doug and Ronda posing at the wing photo spot before going into Chapultepec Park. Cute top Ronda.
Ronda liked the use of this bicycle. They use them for everything.
At the national Anthropology Museum The Quetzalcoatl feather headdress. I am not sure why Jesus Christ is referred to by the name Quetzalcoatl.
Outside displays at the Museum of National Anthropology
Sunday morning photos and tour of the campus that was after breakfast and before Sacrament Meeting. We even stepped into one of the houses and an empty dorm room.
After Sacrament meeting we packed up and went to the airport. Too bad we didn't have time for the visitors center at the temple or many, many more things. It was so nice of Doug and Ronda to come. Frankly I was getting a little trunky since we only had two weeks of our mission left. They helped speed up the time. One more week to go and then Dennis and I take a 10 day Book of Mormon Lands tour with Blake Allen who is from Utah.
We will join the tour here in Mexico City and then fly out of Belize City and arrive home on the 19th of November 2016.
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