Day 87b. Mexico.
After our long and chaotic day yesterday, we were hoping that today's tour would go better, and fortunately this proved to be the case. As usual, getting out of Mexico City was a challenge due to the chaotic traffic and very bumpy roads which bounce you off your seat - whether this is due to the recent earthquake or poor maintenance is unclear. The first stop was Puebla, Mexico's fifth largest city. The centre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and full of churches, squares, and colourful streets. Puebla was near the epicentre of last month's earthquake, and there were quite a few buildings propped up with scaffolding or roped off because they were unstable. However, in general the city centre appears to have recovered quickly. The main impact, however, has been on tourism, with tour and hotel bookings down by 30%, presumably because tourists don't think it's a good time to visit. Lunch included 'Puebla mole', a traditional dish involving chicken in a rich chocolatey gravy - chocolate seems to be used a lot in savoury dishes. Strangely, the rice and salad came as two separate courses.
Our second stop was Cholula, a huge pyramid which you can walk through via a network of narrow tunnels - not really designed for tall people.
It was then back to Mexico City for our last night away!