2013, Day 313 - Moving

We got up after a rather restless night in Mexico City and decided a bit of a wander was in order.  Since we arrived late and were well fed last night we didn't really venture out so this morning our plan was to make up for it as much as one can with such limited time so we got dressed and ventured out.

The city was still waking up and the churches were just throwing open their doors as we meandered down the street.  Araceli found a map and was in the lead with the eventual goal of Sanborns at la Casa de los Azulejos.  Originally built in the 18th century by the Count del Valle de Orizaba as his personal residence the name comes from delicate and expensive blue and white tiles that adorn the exterior.  It was purchased in the 20th century by the Sanborn brothers who made it their flagship soda fountain and drug store.  Today there are a number of cafes on different levels in the old palace and the Sanborns chain is now owned by billionaire businessman Carlos Slim.

After we at in such luxurious surroundings we stopped by a few churches and continued to wander the increasingly bustling streets of Mexico City.  Sadly this was our last morning with Araceli as our traveling buddy so we eventually wandered back to the hotel so she could finish packing and take a taxi to the airport.

Francene and I stayed until right before our one o'clock checkout time and then we too went to the airport.  Our flight wasn't until six o'clock but when we booked it we thought we might be coming form Puerto Vallarta and it would connect in Mexico City on the way to Cancun.  Well, we skipped the first leg and even though the airline assured us that they would honor the second leg of our flight without completing the first we found this claim somewhat dubious.

As it turns out they were being completely honest with us and it was no trouble at all.  Oh well, better to be safe even if it means a rather long wait at the airport.  Fortunately we found a place to have lunch, connected to the internet, and did a little catching up with the rest of the world.  Eventually our flight was assigned a departure gate and we hopped on our plane with no trouble at all.

It was a short flight to Cancun and after picking up our bags we met Evi at the airport and the three of us headed to our new hotel in Playa del Carmen.  It is one of the sprawling fancy resorts that it both nice and awful at the same time.  It will serve as base camp for the next few days so we can finally settle in a bit.

Canon 5D Mark III, Canon 24-70/f2.8L Mark II
70mm, f4, 1/250 sec @ 100 ISO