Cuernavaca and Taxco

Already in Peru, I think I could still report about my recent travel in Mexico. As here in Peru it is not too recomendable to walk around alone at night, I have plenty of time, anyway (yet, somehow I have to return safely to the hostal... but I'll figure that out later).

So, after a long time of having planned it, I finally found time to go to Cuernavaca and Taxco - the UNESCO World Heritage Silver City. Before I had just finished my drawing class - our model stood there for 20 minutes and we had to draw her.

And then finally - travelling!

Cuernavaca.

I thought I would go to more places, but I liked the atmosphere in the colonial town of Taxco so much, I stayed until the day before my flight left to Peru.

Cuernavaca lately got a bit of a bad reputation, because the drug war found its way to this beautiful city and with it lots of crime... Yet, apart from being taken out from a public bus by the police who wanted to inspect all male passengers, I didn't notice anything.

Designed by Mr. Eiffel in person!

When I arrived there, I met an extremely helpful woman, who accompanied me the whole way to the place where I could find hostels to stay. She would even have looked for hostels with me, but I told her, I will first meet a friend, as I tend to tell people that I'm not alone and I neither want them to know exactly where I will stay.

What was a bit sad however was the fact that she said the way we would have to go will be very far and that she only walks that way every evening as a kind of exercise. But experience once again proved to be right: When a Mexican says "very far", it is not far at all. She was astonished that I was not groggy after the 15 minute walk.

Considered that I had walked for one hour straight already before from the remotely located bus terminal and that I carried 3 rucksacks, and that it was SHE who was exhausted... It's like I hear it from the USA: Everybody talks about dieting and food (yes, they do it a lot here, which is especially annoying on long bus drives), but everbody's fat at the same time... There is something wrong...

Well, for breakfast I sat down at a market stall and got the standard dish: Five(!) tortillas wrapped with 2 hardboiled eggs, loads of fried rice and all this accompanied with sweet chocolate mole, avocado guacamole, and salsa - so, if I eat all this, I can probably join the dieting talk...

The city of Cuernavaca is really nice. Many plants. And many Chinese restaurants - people told me they go, because it's a cheap all you can eat option... So nice that there was NOT everwhere music (silence in Mexico - incredible!) and the cathedral was not as overly decorated as they tend to be in Mexico.

The extremely beautiful pyramids of Xochicalco with astonishing views over the lush valley is a bit hard to find, as nobody seems to know which bus takes you there.

Xochicalco

But this has the advantage that you have the site mainly for yourself. Relaxing with the eagles in the sun on the pyramid's flat top. Wow!

Xochicalco

Xochicalco

Taxco.

After Cuernavaca I went to Taxco.

What should I say - One planned night was extended to 4 nights - the city is beautiful! It's a mixture of a Spanish and an Italian town with market stalls all over the narrow streets. Life here seems to be easier, simpler - but at second view you notice that - again - the indigenous population lives in a parallel world with heartbreaking poverty.

Everybody was so nice. There was a very poor family at the bottom of the small mountain I inteded to climb in order to reach the viewpoint with a huge christ statue. There were playing with a horse there (which was not theirs) and the painfully "dirty" children showed me a shortcut to reach the top.

The market stall vendors wished me a "don't get lost" (they always think I'm 16 years old). The girls apparently thought I don't speak Spanish and talk among each other passing me that they'll take me with them. Erm ya...

Well, this popularity lasted until the Netherlands kicked out Mexico of the World Cup - and just that day I accidentally had decided to wear an Orange shirt... Ooops - I tell you, people were so threatening, I had to return to the hostel and change my clothes. Patriotism in Mexico is unmet...

"Wizard's head" in the nearby caves "Grutas de Cacahuamilpa"

Grutas de Cacahuamilpa

Templo de Santa Prisca

The totally unglamourous silver market. The expensive stuff is probably the one sold in the omnipresent stores.

Not sure if this is calming me down...

"Ah no, I don't think a fence will be necessary"...

 I also experienced a very interesting psychological fact: Every morning when I woke up and opened the window, there was the smell of something like onions and roast meat. Which remembered me sooo much of the smell in my grandma's house. I think, also for that reason I felt so much at home. So, now my fingers are numb from hacking the totally worn down internet cafe keyboad. More travel reports will follow of course. Have a good time!