Long time no post. I have an interesting 12-day detention/prison story to tell, but it's still evolving and I'm still formulating my thoughts about the Mexican judicial system. I will say this: many of the wretched things you may have heard about Mexican prisons are true. I'll write it up soon I think.
I had planned to sleep in the Teotihuacan archaeological site so I could be there at sunrise and get some pictures lit by that special sunrise light. When I went on Sunday, they wouldn't let anyone in after 3pm because of some unnamed official delegation. So I decided to walk the parameter and scope out the grounds. I saw many, many trucks filled with military police. They were both in the park and out in the surrounding area. So I figured climbing into the site that night might be a foolish idea. In my walk, I did see that official delegation enter with the usual parade of black and white SUVs. I later learned that it was French President Sarkozy who was visiting the site.
I was happy when I found a promising spot in the Palacio de Tepantitla, a part of the ruins separated from the main site and enclosed in its own fencing. I found it right as it was getting dark, thankfully, after walking for 3+ hours around the circumference of the main site twice. Hopping the fence, I walked around and did my own private tour of the site, viewing a closed off, delicate piece of wall partially restored. When I settled in to my sleeping spot, I realized it was much colder than I hoped it would be. I brought a Mylar heat shield thing for camping, but it was not a pouch as I thought, so it was a pain in the ass to keep over me. It was a little small and krinkly-loud as hell. Soon, the sound of the Mexican night came alive. Barking dogs. From every direction the sounds came. Some close, some far, some in groups, some alone. I tried to imagine the types of dogs behind each bark and listen for a relationship between the barks. Maybe, if that beefy Rottweiler stops, the squeaky two mixed breed terriers will calm down and... It was no use. Although the barking patterns continually evolved, they did not let up the entire night.
I didn't sleep much, as expected. Without needing an alarm, I awoke at 4:30 am, gathered myself and pulled off as many of those tiny prickly plant tufts as I could and hoped back over the fence. I walked back up the road (with the sounds of barking dogs just staring to temper ) to the previously-discovered spot in the barbed-wire fencing that I figured I could climb. I got over the fence and walked, stepped, hopped and ducked my way in the general direction of where I thought I wanted to be when the sun came up, every once in a while flashing a little flashlight I brought to check the ground. I made it to where I was hoping I would (based on my hand-drawn map) as the big orange moon was setting. It was gorgeous! But the sun didn't come up for over an hour after that, so I had to huddle there, over analyzing every sound while shivering. I was on the north side of one of the temple platforms—mini pyramids with flat tops—that surround the Pirámide de la Luna. It seemed that after day break the security people are not actively looking for trespassers, but rather just waiting for the gates to open. I had the place to myself for about an hour and a half as the sun finally came up. It was the perfect covert operation. The pictures were pretty good, but not super spectacular—although there's no other time to see light hit the pyramids this way. I was also fortunate enough to hear the takeoff of and eventually watch a hot-air balloon that slowly floated just over and through much of the site. It made for a few neat compositions, but also lent a gentle feeling of eye-winking camaraderie. I knew the people in the balloon could see me running around taking pictures of the structures and including them from time to time. I imagined that they acknowledged me and I liked sharing some of the moment with people who made an effort to experience this special place in a private and unique way—like me.
Once the sun is up, it's so bright that it's impossible to get a properly exposed image. It's hot and bright as heck out there... When I got home, I was so exhausted and hungry and insatiably thirsty...but content.
