I was walking on the Avenue of the Dead at Teotihuacan's pyramids today. And on a really hot autumn day a shadow under the tree seemed like a very pleasant place to rest. Two men - a Mexican (probably) and a Japanese (also probably) were having lunch there. We had a small talk and I happened to know that the Japanese looking old man was actually from Finland. He asked me nicely if I was going to climb the Pyramid of the Sun, because he also wanted to go and his younger friend have been at the top before, so he wasn't eager to go again. I said we can go together and so we went.
Truth to be told, the old Finish-Japanese man was stronger, or at least had more will to finish the climb. Because although at the bottom of the pyramid there was a sign "do not climb if not in good health", it had a picture of a broken heart, and not of an inflamed knee. So in the second half of pyramid I told the man I am not willing to go any higher. He got very sad. I said he should go if he wants to. He was still sad. I said I can wait for him there if he wanted. And he lightened up. He continued to climb those extremely steep steps while I was sitting in the sunlight and making pictures. I tried to go a little higher a while later, but my knee disagreed on this decision. So continued making pictures and watching people - young running up and old crawling up; mums dragging their children up and dads wearing kids as backpacks.
And so the time passed. I got bored. And a little sunburned. The old man was not going down. I looked for him upwards and downwards... I really hope he didn't get sick... But when the second round of the people went down and he was still not there, I got really pissed of about myself. It was just the fault of my niceness - to escort an old man to the top of the pyramid (or at least wait for him while he does so on his own) - why I was sitting so close from the top of the pyramid in the hot sunlight with no water left for an hour already. Did he passed me on the way down? Is he still at the top? It was really bothering me and I didn't want to leave him (of he was still there, which was very likely). I gave him 10 mental minutes to get into my sight before I was gone. I waited for another 15min but the Finish-Japanese was nowhere to be seen. With a lot of guilt and a broken promise I went down. I was angry on myself for leaving him (probably) there, but even more for promising him to wait in the first place. I hope he got back to his friend in one piece. Anyway, he should be in Guatemala tomorrow and Puerto Rico the day after - one the reasons I think he is actually Japanese: he travels too fast. Three days in New York, a day in Mexico, another day in Guatemala, one day in Puerto Rico and few days in another few countries and he's back home. It's not the way one should travel.
Anyway... After leaving one old man behind and seeing the pyramid of the Moon I went to look for the bus home. And in the bus stop there was another old man. This time a Mexican. He looked like he was in his early seventies, when in fact his 82nd birthday is not far away. So first of all he told me when and which bus is coming and treated me with a piece of chocolate. He later explained how to get back home easier (without so many metro changes) and talked about Mexico and his job as a jeweller. We had a very pleasant conversation for the whole trip and now I know some new places to visit and that not only Mexico city used to be a lake (which I knew before), but why it doesn't have any rivers (which never came to my mind). Simple as it is, all the Rivers of Mexico city are en-tubed. I just imagine what's the city like in his memory. The last riverbed is now a wide avenue.
The last man of the story I met at the metro station. It was very brief and very awkward. I was very tired after my trip to the Pyramids so I was almost sleeping at the metro station. Just gazing at the tracks and hoping the train will come soon, because I only had one stop to go. And then as the train came and opened the door, a middle-aged man, probably in his early forties, came to me suddenly and said "I loved your eyes! I work at the University and I would love to see you again!" and he gave me his business card and shook my hand. I was speechless. Got on the train and just started laughing! I probably looked pretty weird, but that was the only reaction I had. How weird was that?! I loved your eyes?! I was staring at the tracks the whole time, for gods sake! You work at the university? Well, yes, that does make you not-a-creep (listen to the sarcasm). I get that it's quite hard or even impossible to meet the same person again in the twenty-million-people-city. But handing out business cards on the metro station is still very very strange and unreliable. Plus, Arg. Miguel Angel Matinez Mtz., you are a small 40-something Mexican man with Mexican-style mustache hitting on a twenty-one year-old taller-than-you girl. That's just so weird... Do women actually can you?
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