Hola! Bienvenidos! Welcome to mysterious Teotihuacan!
Buenos dias. Good morning Country Collectors. Today we are exploring Teotihuacan, an ancient metropolis
here in the Valley of Mexico. We're gonna be walking around and showing you this entire
complex and these incredible pyramids. But this morning we got to do something very special and
we took a hot air balloon ride for sunrise over all of this thanks to our good friends Ruben
and Laura! Thank you! We can't wait to show you that but before we get started make sure to hit that
subscribe button and ring the bell so you don't miss out on any of our future adventures.
All right time to hit the skies!
This morning we left Mexico City around 5:20 a.m and drove 50 kilometers northeast to the Sky Balloons Mexico office for check-in at 6:30 am.
You can take an Uber here but after researching our options we concluded that renting a car was more economical for us
plus after the flight we will have the freedom to drive to the ruins and back to Mexico City at our leisure.
Woo we're doing it baby!
This is amazing! Aww!
We are about to take to the skies.
It is so hot on my head right now. This is my first time ever doing this.
Let's go!
We are leaving!
It is incredible! The energy is in the air. Everyone is so excited. We're actually leaving
the ground right now. Adios!
Look at all the other balloons down there and the ones taking flight.
This is truly magical.
Oh my gosh and there's a drone right here! Woo!
That's so cool!
We're just starting out and it is already so incredible when you look down there are balloons everywhere being blown up.
And you can see the other balloons in the sky over here.
There are so many! Wow!
And right out there you can see the Pyramid of the Sun!
Incredible!
Apparently we are going down right now. It might be because I had a big breakfast before we left... but I can't be sure.
Hopefully he can get this hot air going up up up if not i can always add some
So right now surrounding us there are about 60 to 70 balloons. And the company we went
with Sky Balloons Mexico has 14.
It is just so gorgeous. This must be kind of what it's like in the Albuquerque Balloon Festival.
But you know what they don't have in Albuquerque? An ancient pyramid!
How cool would it be to live right there?
I love it these people just came out of their homes they were looking up at the balloons.
Imagine that's your morning commute and this is what you get to see.
He said the allotted time in the balloon is anywhere between 30 minutes and an hour. I guess it just depends on the weather and how long it takes you to get from
point a to point b. And right now there's like four balloons we're all together.
Our captain here David Sanchez just took us up into the sky!
Woo and look at where we are right now. You can see the Pyramid of the Moon, The Avenue of the Dead and the Pyramid of the Sun.
Wow this is incredible!
Just a bit later we're going to be walking down at these ruins but I cannot imagine a better view than we are getting right now!
Thank you so much for coming along with us to experience this.
I'm not sure how high we are right now but check this out!
Time to go down. Yes we are descending now.
And you can see down here there's all these vans with trailers following the balloons around.
So once you land they can pick you up.
So the driver's using his cell phone for the altitude and to guide our team that's going to come and pick us up
because remember you don't drive the balloon the wind drives the balloon so we end up wherever we end up.
But the team's gonna be waiting for us.
This is funny where are we gonna land?
We are coming in hot over a field of cacti.
So I trust this guy but I'm a little bit apprehensive.
Ut oh here we go!
Bit of a collision there!
We are about to touch down. But look what we're headed into.
And we're going back up!
And the ride continues.
Umm... we re going to hit this tree.
Don't worry it was just a little brush up.
We're getting in our landing position.
Okay you can come on down. Alright we are in our landing positions.
Oh my gosh!
That's not what I call a soft landing.
There's no one else I'd rather be stuck in a basket with than Heidi, Ruben and all of you!
Considering you don't steer where the balloon goes he did an incredible job!
Whoa. Look how close we were to the cactus. Yeah and the cement wall!
That was definitely some excitement for this morning. That'll wake you up.
And here comes the van.
So he's adding some hot air to the balloon so they can lift it up and put us on the back of the truck.
Because this thing is heavy.
And now we're driving.
In the hot air balloon with the balloon up!
First time being off roading in a hot air balloon. I hope not the last time.
Looks like right now they are trying to put the balloon down.
They're bringing the tarp out. What are we having a rain delay at a baseball game?
Oh look at them doing this, getting it ready to put the balloon down. Geez this is hard work!
So right now he's opening up the top of the balloon you can see it getting smaller.
Oh yeah.
And then this guy over here is pulling it down towards him to lay it flat on the tarp.
And look at this we are about to make a toast!
Oooo!
This is something they have on every balloon right?
It is. You know Champagne actually has been a tradition since the beginning of balloons. The aristocrats used to fly their
balloons over the farmers and the farmers were terrified. They thought they were dragons or demons because of the flames.
So when they would land in the fields inevitably the farmers would try to attack them and the only way they could save themselves was to show them a bottle of
Champagne with the seal of the King or Queen on it so they would know that they were from this world.
And the tradition has gone until today and now we are having some champagne to celebrate that.
Salud!
Normally I only drink scotch this early in the morning, but I'll make an exception today.
And this is hard work.
I mean I hate putting a sleeping bag in the bag!
And here we go! Here we go. The adventure continues.
Honestly the smoothest ride I've ever had in the air and the bumpiest on the way down slash on the way home!
Hug Bug!
We're back! Yay!
Woo!
How great was that? It was awesome and the best part is we get to have some breakfast and I even get a diploma!
You graduated! Yay!
Here at Sky Balloons they have music pumping and they're filling the balloons up.
It's so loud this is why we couldn't vlog here this morning. And it is such a good time too it really gets you going!
All right let's go get some breakfast.
So when you're coming to get your diploma they offer you the option for $40 to get drone videos of your flight
as well as the photos they take of you when you're getting on. And they look awesome.
I'm right here about to get our diploma and instead of putting my name or Adam's name you know we're putting The Country Collectors!
Check it out!
I graduated from balloon school!
And now I'm gonna have some balloon school breakfast let's go!
My kind of seat right next to the buffet!
Look at this spread right here. Of course Adam has
one, two, three, four plates. What can I say? Hot air ballooning makes me hungry!
I'm gonna jump into these chilaquiles they look absolutely delicious look how much cheese is on them!
They match your eyes your eyes look so green right now.
And this verde is delicious!
What an absolutely incredible morning. Thank you so much again Laura and Ruben for this experience.
This is one of those things that we are going to take with us on our life's journey and always look
back so fondly and we appreciate you. And we're so glad that you guys got to come along with us.
Was that your first hot air balloon ride? Yeah so make sure to say thanks to Laura and Ruben in
the comments. Yeah! Well now we are gonna jump in the car and drive over to the ruins to explore it by foot.
So come along!
And look who's here to greet us right as we showed up!
Man I already love this place! So we got our tickets at the gate it was 85 pesos per person for our entrance fee.
And then it's 50 pesos to park and 50 pesos for a non-professional camera.
All right let's head in.
Gracias!
Let's do this thing! I'm so excited!
We parked at the main gate which is gate one and upon entrance here you can see they have some shops. I believe there's some restaurants as well.
And while you're walking in there's going to be a lot of people that are trying to sell you things.
They're saying viente, viente - I'm thinking 20 pesos they're thinking 20 dollars.
So make sure that you know that and you check before you agree to buy anything.
Welcome to Teotihuacan! We just got our first glimpses at some of these pyramids and wow it is incredible!
And absolutely massive. The city is spread over 20 square kilometers with most of its important buildings right along this main avenue,
The Aztecs named this road The Avenue of the Dead because they believed the ruins of ancient temples were home to the
tombs of the city's rulers. Right in front of us here is the citadel which served as a religious and civic complex.
This area is so vast that it could actually accommodate the entire population. It's pretty incredible.
And earlier in the hot air balloon it was a little chilly but right now it is smoking hot so make sure to bring yourself a change of clothes,
sunscreen a hat and water!
It's really cool here you can climb a lot of these pyramids just be careful because they are pretty vertical.
So you want to keep your balance.
Wow
You kind of want to keep leaning forward so you don't fall back.
Oh and look what's right in front of us.
In the middle here lies the Temple of the Feathered Serpent which takes its name from the carved heads that adorn the eastern side.
It said this was a monument to time and it's the third largest pyramid here.
All right now let's go check out the largest pyramid in the city.
The iconic Pyramid of the Sun.
And be very careful on your way down take it slow.
As you know we have a car but if you don't you can also take a bus from the north terminal in Mexico City here.
Or you can join a tour so that could be a great option for you. All right let's go hop in the car.
And as you're driving around guides will ask you if you want to rent
their services and also there's a bunch of restaurants too all around the perimeter.
I know on the gopro you cannot see the scale of this pyramid but it is absolutely massive. Wow!
We read that The Pyramid of the Sun is the seventh largest pyramid in the world rising
216 feet and is 700 feet at its base. The original purpose is completely unknown but there did used
to be an altar on the top that they believe may have been used to worship their main deity
which was a female known as the Great goddess or Spider goddess.
Normally you are able to climb this but due to covid it has been prohibited and I'm going to be honest I'm not that upset about it
because it is a blazing hot right now. It is a great view from down here though.
In the 70s a system of caves and tunnels were found below the pyramid. This may have been where
the residents believed the world was created as caves were thought to have been the place where
gods were born. It's just so cool being in a place that is filled with so much mystery and history.
And the closer you get the bigger it gets check this out from below.
I honestly wish we could climb it i think it would be an unreal view at the top.
Instead of taking the car to the last pyramid we are gonna walk on the Avenue of the Dead down to the Pyramid of the Moon.
Come with us.
At the far end of the avenue you will find The Pyramid of the Moon which is said to be
dedicated to the God of the Storm. It's the second largest structure in the city rising 142 feet tall.
And because many graves have been found in the pyramid and at its base it's said that this
pyramid was used for religious ceremonies and sacrifices. They've even found tunnels
linking the pyramids and other structures with hidden treasure.
I don't know where this guy is from but he is a genius with his umbrella hat.
We love your hat! I love your hat. That's amazing. Thank you!
While we're standing here appreciating this magnificent piece of history. We want to appreciate
our new patrons.
Dan, Freyja, Tanya, Cindy and Farmer Gregie.
Thank you so much for your contributions you made today possible. And that's why we want to dedicate this incredible experience to you.
Yes thank you so so much muchas gracias!
And if you would like to join our patreon community we will put the link in the description below.
All right let's keep going!
Just down from The Pyramid of the Moon you will find the architectural masterpiece of The Palace of Quetzalpapalotl.
It's actually one of my new favorite words just in case you were wondering.
This is a place that is believed to be a very important person's home due to its locationand art that's found inside.
Let's go check it out.
Adam.. they definitely know me. Yeah don't touch anything!
Hey guys welcome to my humble home. Gracias Ruben!
After all it was the home of a very important person.
Here on the patio of the pillars there is not only beautiful artwork and carvings but there's also the presence of mica and obsidian .
Obsidian was something that they mined here and it's actually one of the reasons why the city
rose to prominence. But mica is a real mystery because the only place it's found is in Brazil
which is over 3,000 miles away. How did it get here? Where'd the people go? I just don't know!
Another mystery!
Wow I mean what a grand and mysterious place. I feel extremely grateful for one to be able to see it from above thanks to our very great friends Ruben and Laura.
And two being able to explore this ancient mistrapolis... metropolis that is filled with
so much mystery and beauty just really hits home and makes me feel so fortunate to be here.
Yes and we hope you had a wonderful time with us today. It would have been nowhere near as much fun
if you hadn't been here to share it with us. It's so true! If you enjoyed this video give us a big
thumbs up, comment, subscribe and don't forget to...
DLING. DLING, DLING, DLING the bell!
We'll see you, next time! ADIOS!