Mexico City

This morning started in Puebla, where we had breakfast at the hotel and then devotions. Sue had asked each of us to find a single verse that describes what we have experienced on this trip. These are the verses we each came up with:

Ken & Jordan: 1 Timothy 4:6-8
Eric: Rev. 3:16-20
Laura: Matthew 5:3-12
Amy: Matthew 6:26
Dave: Psalm 121
Chris: Proverbs 19:21
Shawn: Matthew 5:3-12
Jen: Luke 6:38
Erin: 1 Corinthians 12:12
Bret: 1 Kings 17:8-16 and Luke 10:17-20
Jeremy: Proverbs
Karlie: 1 John 3:18
Sue: Micah 6:8

Sue also based her devotion on Romans 12 and gave us each a verse to read. All in all it was interesting to hear so many points of view, who took what from the trip, and how we were touched by both our service to La Palmilla and their service to us.

We hopped on the bus for the two-hour drive to Mexico City. Every mile closer to home is another mile away from La Palmilla. We can feel the distance tugging at our hearts already.

We made the Mexico City limits at about 11:30 and pulled into the bus station a scant 45 minutes later. We took taxis to the hotel, about twenty minutes away. A short word about the taxis, and traffic in general, in Mexico City. I have come to believe that the lines painted on the road are completely arbitrary, more guides than actual lanes. At least, that's how everyone seems to drive. Traffic lights are also optional, left to the discretion of the driver. Now, at no time did I feel my life was in jeopardy. However, I was praying for the lives of the pedestrians outside the cab.

Twenty minutes later we were at the Hotel Palace and, praise God, no one died along the way. I am constantly amazed at how everyone drives and yet there don't seem to be a lot of accidents. They're either very good or very lucky. Or perhaps God is looking out for them. I'm not sure which it is yet.

After checking in to our hotel where it seems everyone knows Jen on a first-name basis (they ought to; she's been coming here for 24 years), we had lunch at the hotel and then we split up for a brief while. Some of us went upstairs to rest, and others went with Jen to the National Museum of Anthropology (Museo Nacional De Anthropologia). On Sundays, admission is free to museums in Mexico, although we found out that only applies to Mexican nationals. Still, the cost was only $50 pesos (about $4) per person. It was definitely worth it. We didn't have a lot of time to spend there, but the short amount of time we spend we saw a lot of the native history of Mexico. For my part, because we had such a short amount of time, I took as many pictures as I could and then bought a book for $78 pesos that explained it all. There were exhibits for the Maya, Inca, Oaxaca, and other cultures, plus some artifacts from when Cortez arrived from the East.

After the Museum we returned to the hotel to pick people up to go to the Artesanas Ciudela (Artesans Market). We spent about an hour or so looking over wares similar to the ones we saw in Puebla but there were a lot of differences. Everything seemed to be of higher quality and more expensive looking but many of the prices were lower. It was an interesting contrast to the market in Puebla. In the center of the market is a long rectangular open area with an altar to the Santa Maria de Guadalupe at one end. There were several merchants with brightly colored blankets, Lucha Libre (literally “free fighting,” Mexican-style wrestling) masks, handmade guitars, silver jewelry, and colorful artwork on rough handmade paper.

We walked back to the hotel after the market closed at 6:00, and it started to sprinkle. We took time off to rest up a bit before going to dinner and met at 7:30 in the lobby to walk the two blocks to Sanborn's. By then the rain had stopped, and the streets glistened in the fading daylight.

Sanborn's is a department store with a restaurant in it. The food there is great, with several different fares to choose from like salads, soups, seafood, beef and the like. They also have the world famous Sanborn coffee. For those who enjoy good coffee, I highly recommend it.

We had a relaxed dinner and shared stories from the past week. Afterward we shopped a bit in Sanborn's and returned to the hotel. It's our last night in Mexico. Tomorrow our flight takes off from Mexico City at 10:15 so we need to be at the airport by 8:15 or so. We should be back in Philadelphia sometime around 6:30.

We have a lot of stories to share, stories that have not made this blog. The next time I update this, we should be in the United States. Until then, hasta luego.