Flight Plan: Mexico City, San Miguel de Allende, & Palenque

Why These Destinations?

We had Canadian friends living in San Miguel de Allende who wanted us to visit during the Dia de Muertos (Day of the Dead) festival. I also desperately wanted . . .needed to see Mayan ruins.  There are no Mayan ruins in San Miguel but there is an amazing site near Palenque, in the jungles of Chiapas, southern Mexico.

I had a budget of around $1,600 for air travel, for two people. I needed to fly to Mexico City and then take the bus to San Miguel de Allende. After a week, we would return to Mexico City and fly to Palenque for 3 days and then return to Mexico City for another three days. That would complete the trip and we would fly back to Toronto.

A Mexican Airline called Interjet, would fly to both destinations within the budget. I did some research and found that Interjet had several good reviews (for an airline).  I checked schedules on the internet, followed Interjet on Twitter and liked them on Facebook.  I checked “yes” to all correspondence with Interjet.  I searched for positive and negative comments and decided, overall, that they were reliable and had more legroom than other airlines.   I called their customer service at 7am on a Sunday morning and I sent questions through Facebook messenger.  All were answered to my satisfaction, in a timely fashion so, I felt reassured. 

 The Downside:
We had to leave Toronto at midnight and the seats, although roomy, were not comfortable after a few hours. I had to pay extra for checked luggage and seat selection, but all of this was in the budget.

The Upside:
We were able to visit all three destinations within our budget.

The Challenge:
We would arrive in Mexico City around 3:00 am. 
•Mexico City Airport
•3 o’clock in the morning
Mexico City is famous for many archeological sites, museums, art, entertainment, beauty, and crime. What were we going to do in Mexico City at 3:00 in the morning?

We reserved and paid for a hotel room near the airport, checking the review on Trip Advisor.

 I discovered that Authorized Taxi (Taxis Autorizados) kiosks   were located in the airport and were open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  You would tell the clerk where you were going and pay for the taxi.  The clerk would direct you to the garage at the end of the terminal, where you would show the receipt to the official, and they would escort you to your cab. The cab will take you to your destination.  

I’ll be honest with you. I was very nervous about this part of the trip.
Guess what?
It all worked out!  The flight was on time and there WAS plenty of legroom.
After nervously walking around the terminal, we found the Authorized Taxi booth, were escorted to our cab, and arrived safely at our hotel.  We collapsed on the comfy beds and slept soundly ready to begin the next day’s adventure.

Not so shabby.

 

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