We started Sandy’s 80th year celebration over one year ago on March 3 with a meal at 22 Bowen’s with all of our Newport family including Kiki McMahan, Jen’s mother-in-law. We continued the celebration with a luxury tour of Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. The celebration continued in Denmark, Croatia, Scotland, New Zealand and will now culminate in Mexico City. All of Sandy’s children and grandchildren will be here for the big day.
Our daughter Jennifer hubby Rob and oldest grandchild Jack were the first to arrive on March 11 which was a few days ahead of Sandy’s 80th Birthday celebration on March 14.We had too much weight to all go up on the same elevator with luggage.Their number one request was a dinner at Nobu which just happens to be directly across the street from our apartment.They surprised Sandy with a flaming Birthday dessert and balloon.She looks radiant, like a little girl on her first birthday.On their first full day here we took a trajineras (flat bottomed boat) ride on the ancient UNESCO-listed canals of the Xochimilco.It is a lively floating fiesta with mariachis, food vendors, drinks and all sorts of other vendors trying to board your boat..We rented our own private boat to the tune of $42 USD.The boys enjoyed chicken tacos with mole sauce and rice. They expected the usual three small tacos but instead received a whole breast and leg of chicken with numerous tacos and sides of mole sauce and rice. The meal was twice the price of the boat.It was very tasty, just way too much food.
The Mariachi band serenaded us as we floated by. They prefer to board your boat for a much larger tip.
We did not get the Sandra boat.😟 Play the video to see it.On leaving the boats we took an hour and a half Uber ride to the Palacio de Bellas Artes but could not really see it well due to protective fencing all the way around which we found out was for a football event on Sunday.From the upstairs window of Sanborn’s we could see the Performing Arts Center straight ahead and the Post Office on the right.After a very underwhelming lunch at Sanborn’s we walked down the pedestrian roadway to the Zocalo. Also called Constitution Plaza which has the National Palace that takes up the entire east side of the Zocalo. It is the Executive Branch of the Mexican Federal Government. It occupies 40,000 square meters and has been a World Heritage Site since 1987.The Catedral Metropolitana is also on the square.The Zocalo has been transformed into a massive football field to host the world’s largest football class, aiming to set a new Guinness World Record ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Approximately 9,500 people participated in the 35 minute training session on Sunday March 15 and did set a new record.This is the ceiling of the Grand Hotel where the opening scene of the James Bond movie Spectre was filmed.On March 13 the day before the BD bash we got up at 4:30 am to drive one hour to do a Hot Air Balloon Ride. Jack opted to pass and slept in.We had to wait about an hour for them to prepare the balloons. They had coffee and snacks and heaters while we waited outside.The name of our Balloon was Triana and the pilot Mon (short for Montserrat) was a gal in her maybe late twenties who has been doing this for 12 years.There was an excellent photographer on the ground who took many pictures and operated a drone to take photos while we were flying and also a go-pro on the basket.Photographer’s requested pose.We all climbed into the basket and awaited take off.Practicing the landing position of bracing our butts against each other.Finally heading up.Up Up and awayJim arranged a Birthday greeting banner which they held up as we floated away.The flight was perfectly synchronized to the morning sunrise.This was a beautiful site. Sandy said it looked like Christmas ornaments floating in the air.The flight took us over the ancient pyramids of Teotihuacan.
Our pilot was highly skilled and brought us so close to the Pyramids that we could almost touch them.
This is a drone footage of our flight.Getting ready for a landing, we were very close to another big group balloon.Here we are bracing ourselves for the touch down.
Jennifer stayed in the balloon and the pilot gave her instructions to deflate it. You can see how she did in this videoThe pilot told us she took her mother on a balloon ride as a birthday gift and was so taken in by the experience that she dropped out of college and went to school to become a Hot Air Balloon pilot. Maybe Jen will do the same.The pilot wanted to hire her.
After the flight we celebrated with champagne. Here is a video of Sandy popping the cork with Jim’s help. We highly recommend this company called Flying Pictures if you come to Mexico.Our friends, Peggy, Margaret, Tina, Henry and Dick sent Sandy this beautiful bouquet of multicolored roses.Jennifer decorated our apartment to surprise Sandy when she woke up on her Birthday morning.Rob and Jack went to Lucha Libre which is the professional Mexican freestyle wrestling matches. It is characterized by colorful masks, rapid sequence of holds and maneuvers and high flying aerial techniques.Prior to the match they enjoyed some street vendor tacos and tequila.
Here is a video of it.Jack said it was the highlight of his visit.
These were Sandy’s last days in her seventies. Tomorrow she becomes an octogenarian. It has been a great three days leading up to the big day on top of the very big year we have had.
Happy 80th birthday Sandy! You all really know how to celebrate birthdays (and life, really) in style. Wishing you many more years of health and vitality.
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