"On the Trail"

The Journals from the Road

February 13:  The bici gatos and the pyramid climbers - D.F. - Teotihuacan

Today we woke up early and met about 1000 other cyclists a few blocks away from Teresa's. What fun it was to see so many cycle enthusiasts all preparing for a speeding ride through the city. Teresa introduced me to about twenty riders, all of them very friendly and curious about this world PeaceBike trip I am taking.

At 8:00 o'clock many of the riders started whistling and that was the sign that it was time to go and all 1000 riders headed out. It seemed like almost all of the police on duty in the city today were blocking traffic for our group called the Bici Gatos (The Bike Cats). It was quite a different feeling than yesterday. Today we were the majority and rulers of the road, if only for about 35 minutes on a Sunday morning. We rode out of town and were then escorted onto a freeway where we rode to a park on the outskirts of town. The ride was actually much easier than yesterday.

After we got back Teresa and I had a quick snack and then we hopped in her car and headed out to Teotihuacan. Teotihuacan is north of the city about 30 miles. Teotihuacan was Mexico's biggest ancient city, with about 200,000 people at its peak. When the Aztecs found most of the temples they were covered with grass and looked like burial mounds. That is why the street was named Avenida de los Muertos or Street of the Dead.

First we visited the Pyramid of the Sun which is the third largest pyramid in the world. It was built around 100 a.d. is just over 70 meters high. You get a better understanding for its height when you begin trodding to its summit.

Next, we visited the Jaguar Palace and then hiked to the top of the Pyramid of the moon, which is a steeper and more difficult climb. This pyramid was completed around 300 a.d.. The view of the Pyramid of the Sun from the Pyramid of the Moon is amazing as you watch all of those little ant-like people climb up and down its steps. You can check out the new photo album of the visit at www.peacebike.org.

Well the sun and the hiking finally wore us out so we stopped by a hotel where one of Teresa's friends lived. This hotel has been around since the 1500s and it is very likely that Cortez stayed in it, according to Teresa. Teresa was happily surprised when she realized that not one but three of her friends were there. I got to join in the reunion and swap stories of technology and travel.

When Teresa and I drove back I told her that I couldn't believe I got here just two days ago. It seemed like we had seen and done a weeks worth of things. I was very happy and very tired!

Tomorrow is Valentines Day! I wish you all a great day with lots of hearts and friends to share them with.

Peace(Bike),

TAD

www.peacebike.org

An 'edu-venture' around the world for peace.