Guanajuato

We spend copious amounts of time where ever we travel, because we want enough time to move about and see varied places.  Some very friendly Gringos from Portland, OR, told us not to miss Guanajuato.  Who are we to disobey?

Take the one hour bus to Guadalajara, and then the 4 hour luxury bus to Guanajuato.  Long trip, but you're traveling extremely comfortably and the drive is very scenic countryside.  We arrived late Friday night to a friendly and helpful Dutch desk clerk, Derrick.  He circled all the places on the map that we needed to see, and since 9:00 pm in Latin America is the early bird special - we headed out the door. We got some dinner and a glimpse of the windy roads and charming courtyards.  We were excited for the day ahead.

Guanajuato is a college town, frequented more so by Mexican tourists than Europeans or Northerners.  Therefore, NOBODY speaks English, which is the whole point - right?!? It reminded us of a Mexican Quebec City.  Small streets with fantastic shops and restaurants. There are boutique hotels and residences with beautiful balconies.  Plazas with fountains and seating areas.  They even have a funicular!  That is a railway cart designed to travel up completely vertical inclines.  We did not take it.  Wait for it...  We hiked the windy, narrow steps all the way to the top to see the Pipila monument.  On our way down, we saw other crazy couples doing the same thing. Huffing and puffing with one pushing the other.  Buena suerte!

We hiked all over that town from one end of it to the other and back again.  We visited all the plazas.  All the monuments.  The University steps.  We did some shopping (fabulous new boots and lots of Dia de los Muertos items - love!). Then we went back to the hotel to freshen up.  The plan? Watch the American Football playoff game, and then hit the town, and party like rock stars all night long.

Part one: accomplished.  We found a restaurant with and indoor/outdoor set up.  Everyone was outdoor, but they had satellite TV and agreed to bring us food and drinks and put on the game!  Result of the game withstanding, it was great.  Then, we hit the streets. I picked up the grilled corn with parmesan and lime I had been craving  from a street vendor.  We walked the plaza in front of the Juarez Theatre to see bands of people following Mariachi performers and chanting, singing, and laughing.  All of it, I could not understand, but it looked like a blast.  Then we realized something: people who party like rock stars, do not hike from dawn til dusk.  They rise at dusk.  Urban hikers on the other hand, eat their street corn and go to bed.


We had a few hours before our bus back Sunday morning to sip coffee slowly, walk the quiet streets, and find El Callejon del Beso.  To read the full legend (I recommend you do, it's heartbreaking) click here: Mexico's Romeo and Juliet.  Two close balconies, two star crossed lovers who were not meant to be, and a tragic ending.  Visitors come to kiss in the alley like Romeo and Juliet.  Our kids know, we never pass up an opportunity for PDA.

“To move, to breathe, to fly, to float,
To gain all while you give,
To roam the roads of lands remote,
To travel is to live.”
― Hans Christian Andersen, The Fairy Tale of My Life: An Autobiography