After 7 years, we are revisiting the Mexico City neighborhood where we used to live. The goal of the trip lies about 60 miles southeast of the city as we prepare to climb one of Mexicos tallest volcanos. Acclimatization is one of the most important aspects of high altitude travel so we’re taking advantage of MC’s 7300′ elevation and enjoying some great food at the same time.
Today we walked all around Chapultepec Park – Mexico City’s Central Park – and ended up at one of our favorite restaurants for a well deserved rest stop. El Farolito restaurant, located in the Polanco neighborhood, produces a perfect version of a Mexican staple – the pastor taco.
Tacos del Pastor
The combination of perfectly seasoned meat, grilled pineapple, super finely diced onion, and cilantro sits atop a freshly grilled corn tortilla. Both red and green salsas and freshly squeezed lime are offered to top it off. All of this togetherness yields a flavor explosion that feels like the essence of Mexico melting in your mouth. This really is the perfect meal in my opinion. Below is what I looked like only minutes after washing down the best pastor tacos I’d had in years with an ice cold Mexican lager.
Juice joint in the zocalo
Here, Claudia and I enjoy a fresh juice at a juice bar we used to frequent near the zocalo. Fruit lines the walls behind the bar and is always a brilliantly colorful visual experience.
Satisfacción
The old Plaza (zocolo) in MC
After a few days in town, we ventured up Ajusco, a 13,000 foot peak just south of the city to do an acclimatization hike. If you’ve seen this blog, you know I’ve written about it before. From there, one can enjoy great views of most of central Mexico including our current objective – Iztaccihuatl (Izta). Izta is one of a pair of volcanoes that dominate the MC skyline on days clear enough to see them. They both reach up over 17,000 feet. Popocateptl (Popo), Izta’s partner volcano to the south, is currently very active and regularly covers MC and nearby Puebla with ash from it’s almost constant eruptions.
A few days later, we reached the top of Izta just in time to enjoy a beautiful sunrise that illuminated beautiully an impressive eruption from the crater of Popo. Scenes like this, only a few have the honor of witnessing. We were very fortunate on this day.
Volcanos define the MC skyline
Early Morning Eruption Popo
Summiting Izta w/Popo in background