Southern Mexico

Outside of Mexico City is another must see attraction. Teotihuacan, commonly translated from the Nahuatl as "City of the Gods", is organized around a central axis, called the "Avenue of the Dead". It is not exactly a road, since it is blocked off in many places to create courtyards. The name actually comes from an early rumor that the Teotihuacanos buried their kings here. Even though Teotihuacan is located just outside Mexico City, the trip out was quiet long and requires a train, bus and taxi so be prepare for a full day.

Spending New Year’s Eve in Mexico City is unlike what you might expect. As is usual in the United States, wild parties and outrageous nightlife usually accompany any New Year's celebration. But in Mexico, a large majority spend their time with family. We wandered the streets for some time only to find clubs charging $50-75 US to enter. Since there were 12 of us, we decided to buy the necessary amenities and head back to our hotel to share New Year’s Eve with the hotel staff. We toasted in the New Year making it a great night and the perfect send off for our flight home the next day.

Now that I have had time to reflect on the trip, all I can say is it was a great experience. GAP, and especially our trip leader Chris, went out of their way to make it a pleasant and yes, still adventurous trip. We will always be grateful. During our trip we learned about the Tsunami off India and the devastation that ensued. Chris decided to take all of the tips we were to give him and donate them to the Canadian Red Cross and GAP doubled them. I thought this an admirable action and was glad to double the amount I would have given him. It was an unfortunate occurrence and we were all glad to help in whatever way we could. For me, GAP has proven itself and I will not hesitate to contact them again in the near future.