Antarctica: The Last Continent (2018) - Days 1 and 2

Day 1 – Thursday, November 1st – Seattle to Los Angeles

(Steve writing) Just like our 2017 adventure to South America, we started once again by flying from Seattle to Los Angeles. Since our flight didn’t leave until 3PM, I worked that morning. My other option would be to sit home and overthink my packing.

This trip is a very different one, in that the focus is the expedition to Antarctica. Yes, we’re visiting the cosmopolitan capitals of Mexico City and Buenos Aires, but the expedition is the raison de voyage. And that means that the packing for it wasvery different. First off, no formal wear. It’s not a cruise ship, but an exploration ship. No formal nights, and very casual dress at all times. Secondly, the fact that we’ll be traveling to Antarctica and setting foot there calls for a completely different wardrobe. Even though it will be mid-spring there, we have followed the expedition company’s recommendations for layering: a first layer that wicks sweat, a mid-layer for warmth, and an outer layer for protection against wind, rain, and snow.

Allan really took the lead on procuring all these items, and by the time we left, we had all the pieces we needed. Here is just my expedition wear, laid out on the bed, prior to packing:

We only packed a few jeans, shirts, sweatshirts, sweaters, and only one pair of additional shoes. We’re also up against weight limitations on some of our flights. But we have to pack for temperate Mexico and Buenos Aires as well, so a few short-sleeve shirts are making the trip. And this isn’t including all the major camera equipment for us both!

So, with bags packed and expectations high, we took a Lyft to the airport. Check-in was a breeze and TSA PreCheck made security fast. We enjoyed our traditional cheese sandwich at Beechers (best in Seattle!) and relaxed in the Alaska Airlines Concourse C lounge. It featured some nice contemporary design and had great views of the runways.

Eventually we made our way to the North Satellite Gate N9 and boarded our Alaska Airlines 737-900 to Los Angeles, operating as flight 424. We were seated in our favorite seats (2A and 2C) and left the windy, gray skies of Seattle behind. 

It was a quick two hour 15-minute flight. I enjoyed a protein platter snack (yogurt, sliced turkey, grapes, strawberries, cheese and pita) and Allan had the sandwich. I just looked out the window while Allan managed to squeeze in all of “Hell or High Water”.

Due to runway construction, we arrived at the northernmost runway and had to taxi around the airport to get to Terminal 6. It’s amazing how quickly the new satellite to the Tom Bradley International Terminal is coming along. I’m sure one day we’ll be traveling through it.

Unlike our previous international trips, where we made a connection to another carrier, this time we actually stayed in a hotel at the airport. Due to the nature of our frequent flier award tickets, it will take us four days to get from Seattle to Buenos Aires (unlike last year’s two days). 

We’re doing this trip with my old friend Peter Johnson, his friend Darren Holman, Peter’s friend Kay Salz, and lastly, Peter’s sister Sarah Fajardo. Darren was doing his own arrangements, and Peter, Sarah, and Kay were traveling a different (and quicker) route through Dallas. And this is why we shared a room with Peter at the Renaissance Hotel at LAX. We had an early check-in, and he didn’t want the hassle of getting to the airport on a weekday morning.

We got to the hotel first, and checked in to our room (208). Peter eventually showed up, and we headed out for dinner. Except for the hotel restaurants, and the infamous In-and-Out Burger that aviation geeks love to hang out at, it’s a food desert. We ended up eating at the Social Market and Eatery at the Marriott LAX next door. As you can imagine, it was overpriced, but we had a fun server by the name of Betsy. She put up with our silliness. The food was okay.

We headed back to our hotel and hit the sack very early. The next day would be a long one for all of us.

Day 2 – Friday, November 2nd – Los Angeles to Mexico City

As promised, we were up at 5AM, said a brief farewell to Peter, and took the shuttle to the airport. There was a family with six, count ‘em six - kids, who, as it turned out, were returning to the U.S. from several years in China. Missionaries? Who knows. I didn’t ask. But they had a lot of luggage (the kids were very sweet and well-behaved).

We were the last ones off the shuttle, back to Terminal 6 and check-in for another Alaska Airlines flight, this time to Mexico City. This time we were in coach, but on the upgrade list. So, we were hopeful. The funny thing is that when we booked this trip earlier in 2018, we were the only ones on the plane. And it remained that way until about 8 weeks ago. Then it started filling up, but mostly in the back of the plane.

TSA PreCheck again, and then we got some coffee and breakfast bagels at Peet’s Coffee. The waiting area around Gate 68B was a zoo. Next door was an Air Canada flight to Toronto, and I can tell you that the scenery was most festive (what do they put in the water there?) [AK – Steve means “men” ;-)]. While waiting, Allan got upgraded to First Class (Seat 1F). We had a fun conversation with the gate agents, hoping to get my upgrade processed. But in the end…nada. So, after Allan boarded with the rest of First class, I made my way past him to my original seat, 17F. An over-wing exit on the window. And my seat companions were flying non-rev, enjoying a last free trip to Mexico City before Alaska stops service on November 5th(apparently the 5th time they’ve done this).

For a flight that was empty just a few months ago, it filled up pretty quickly. And those overheads were groaning from the weight of those bags. Remarkably, despite the slowness of boarding, our flight (a 737-800 operating as Alaska 236) left on time.

It was an odd flight (at least in Coach). A flight attendant brought water about 30 minutes after take-off, and then about 15 minutes later she came with Mexican customs forms. It was easily half-hour before food and drink were offered. And I ended up having…the exact same thing I had on yesterday’s flight, only this time it cost $8.50, was packaged, and was smaller.

The flight path took us over San Diego, across the top of the Sea of Cortez, and then across the mountainous, mostly desert region of middle Mexico. And with those mountains came some very turbulent air. My seat mates almost lost their Bloody Marys! It was also very cloudy, which shouldn’t have surprised me at this time of year. Of course, we always think of Mexico as perpetually sunny. Hah!

As we approached Mexico City, the landscape below was that of undulating hills packed with houses and buildings. It wasn’t quite the “city-state” that is Sao Paolo, but it was quite developed, which I expected. We landed about ten minutes early and parked at Terminal 1’s Gate 30. I didn’t catch up with Allan until about 5 minutes after he debarked.

The airport is heavily used, and it shows. In addition, several other flights arrived at the same time, so there were crowds of people heading toward immigration and customs. All told, the experience wasn’t bad, and we got out of immigration about 45 minutes after landing. Allan’s bag had already shown up and been taken off by the carousel. And then we waited for my bag. And waited. Eventually (and much to our relief), it showed up and we headed out into the throngs of friends and family greeting arrivals.

I had read that using Uber in Mexico City was a good option, and sure enough, it was a good option. Our driver, Andres, got us to our hotel in just over a half-hour. I had also read that traffic was notoriously bad in Mexico City, but all in all it didn’t seem any worse than New York. The cost was 173.66 Mexican Pesos (abbreviated as MX$), which at the current exchange rate of 20 MX$ to 1 US$ is about $8.64 including tip. Probably the cheapest cab ride we’ve ever had to or from an airport!

On the recommendation of Bob McDiarmid, we stayed at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in the Polanca district. We eventually learned that Polanca is fairly ritzy. The 43-story hotel was situated across the street from Chapultepec Park, Mexico City’s equivalent of New York’s Central Park. And our room (3104)had spectacular views toward the park and across the valley. Alas, it started to rain, and our view was diminished.

We unpacked a bit, freshened ourselves up, and headed downstairs. We stopped for a schnekken in the lobby’s coffee/pastry bar. Since this was Dia de Los Muertos (Day of the Dead), there were some colorful ofrendas in the lobby, and the pastry bar featured bread that is popular on this occasion (sort of a sweet roll with a Nutella center).

With umbrellas at the ready, we headed out on foot into the temperate afternoon. Destination: the National Museum of Anthropology (Museo Nacional de Antropologia), renowned for its pre-Colonial artifacts.

(Allan writing) When we left the hotel to head to the museum it was rainy but warm. We took a slight wrong turn that added a few hundred steps to our count for the day, but no harm done. It was a really nice walk and we arrived around 3:30PM. The admission was free for the day as they had the majority of the second floor closed off for repairs/renovation. As we progressed through the exhibits there were many areas with minor to fairly serious leaks in the roof – hence the aforementioned repairs.

Aztec history and culture, along with early Roman, have always been my favorite eras of interest, so this museum has been very high on my bucket list for many years. It was thrilling to finally be here and to stroll through this beautiful monument to all of Mexico’s varied and rich histories and cultures.

The museum’s quadrangle of exhibition halls is arranged roughly chronologically, with the earliest history explored right when you enter the first section of the quad. The little dioramas of prehistoric life were fascinating and extremely detailed – marvelous!

When we came at last to the third major section of the quad, our eyes were drawn inexorably to the enormous stone disc set against the far wall of the gallery: The Stone of the Sun.

(insert picture of the Stone of the Sun here)

This incredible work of art and design was originally found in 1790 and was thought for many years to be the “Aztec Calendar” and was mistakenly referred to as such. It was actually a sacrificial altar devoted to the Sun God, but was not fully finished due to a crack that formed during its construction. Easily the most iconic image (for us today) in all of the Aztec culture, it is a forbidding depiction of the Sun God breaking through to the surface of the Earth with a human heart in each of his fists.

It was believed that Man’s debt to the Gods for the gift of life was to be forever repaid in blood.

We were exceedingly fortunate to even enter this section of the museum on this day, as all the visitors in this hall were asked to leave about 30-40 minutes after we entered. I was most grateful that we managed to visit, and will surely return one day (in the not too distant future I think ;-)).

After we left the third section and shuffled toward the last, we were both quite weary and so spent little time there. We left the museum most pleased with ourselves for having checked off our one major goal for this all too brief visit to Mexico City.

(Steve writing again) We dragged ourselves back to the hotel (still raining) and took a brief nap. Then, on the suggestion of Jim Dutkiewycz, we took an Uber to the Historic Center of the city for our dinner at Café de Tocuba. While waiting outside the hotel for the Uber to show up, the man standing near us calledmy name. I turned and recognize former Seattle Men’s Chorus member Chipper Dean! He left Seattle years ago, lived in DC, and now lives in Brooklyn. He was also waiting for an Uber, and we enjoyed a few moments before our driver appeared. It’s always fun when traveling to run into people from back home…or your past.

It took a while to drive to the Historic Center of Mexico City, and the streets in some parts were crowded with holiday revelers. The Café de Tocuba was established in 1912, and had that beautiful early 20th century Latin American interior.

We didn’t have reservations, but were seated immediately in a section upstairs. We were at a table beneath a multi-part painting of the Spaniards meeting the locals. Allan was particularly keen on the Spaniards.

This being a holiday evening, the restaurant was crowded and convivial. The waiters were dressed in their usual white shirts, but the waitresses were, for some reason, all dressed as nuns. There must be some story behind that.

The menu was filled with a lot of mouth-watering options, most of which would be familiar to Americans who frequent Mexican restaurants. Our waiter Christian was most solicitous, and somehow he managed to understand my mangled Spanish.

(Note: I had been using Babbel to study Spanish at home for the past few months. It was very helpful, but there is still no substitute for just speaking it and learning from your mistakes. I hope to do better when we go to Spain next summer.)

Allan ordered Enchildas Suizas and I ordered Enchiladas con Mole Poblano. Allan was in the mood for cheesy rice, but what we ended up with was a bowl of rice and a plate of queso fundido (melted cheese). Did I mention the delicious bread? And the tortillas? It was a carb fest of epic proportions, which, if we’re not careful, will give us epic proportions of girth!

The food was excellent, the atmosphere fun, and we just enjoyed lingering watching the other diners. From below we could hear lusty, loud music being sung by a strolling band of guitarist-singers. The sound was amazing, and lent the perfect grace note to the atmosphere.

Allan ordered an Uber to return us back to the hotel, but the guy never showed up (Allan got charged, but it was later reversed). My Uber driver did show up and drove us the nearly 8Km back to the hotel. Traffic seemed to move fine here, if a bit madcap at some intersections (imagine three different vehicles next to each other competing to turn left). They take their speed bumps seriously here: I think we scraped bottom at some point!

We went to sleep at nearly midnight, ending our long, but oh so fulfilling day.