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Published: February 7th 2008
We arrived in Cuernavaca quite refreshed after a 'Super Turismo' bus ride. With only 3 seats across and 24 seats total it was tremendously comfortable and spacious. We were even given a little lunch box.
We found a pleasant hotel, the Hotel Hortensias, for P$320 (US$30) and went out immediately to see if we could get to Xochicalco, some 38 kms away. There was more than one route we could take and a special service had already departed so finally we decided to leave it for the morning. There were some sites to see in town that would be closed the next day (Monday).
We started our tour of Cuernavaca with a visit to the cathedral compound. They have five churches inside the walls including the cathedral which was full for Sunday mass. The convent next to the cathedral was wonderful with beautifully preserved frescoes. We were in awe of the fabulous architecture and decorations.
At the Jardin Borda we got in for free. It was Sunday and while most museums and sites are free to Mexicans on Sundays, some are also free to everyone else. We enjoyed a stroll through the lovely garden with lots of fountains
and a concrete pond where people were rowing dodgy old boats. We visited the Museo de Sitio which had bits of original plaster retained where possible.
Then we took a P$30 taxi ride to the Piramide de Teopanzolco. Within the city, it is good sized temple with a few other structures around. We sat on one of the smaller structures to look at the main temple and were soon in deep conversation with an expat English guy who didn't like England anymore. Ivan was an artist and musician who had lived in Granada in the Caribbean for many years and was now trying Mexico. We sat for ages in the sun getting sunstroke while he gave us tips and we discussed the way the world was going. He gave us a couple of metro tickets for Mexico City. And the temple was interesting also, with one temple inside the other.
Back in the centre we visited the Palacio de Cortes (for free again). A beautiful building with a permanent historic exhibition and an interesting temporary exhibition about Teotihuacan which we were yet to visit. And we found a wonderful mural. We really only learned about the artist Diego
Rivera when we got to Mexico City so it was interesting to recognise his style going back through the photos.
The next day we caught a 7:30 am bus towards Xochicalco. It was heading to a town called El Rodeo and we asked to be dropped at the turnoff for the ruin. We could see the ruin from the corner but it was more than 1 km away as suggested by the helpful lady at the bus terminal and it was uphill. Luckily it was quite a populated area and we easily got a taxi to take up the hill for P$30. The museum was lovely with lots of objects from the site and a view of the ruins through a large window. We then walked along a cobbled path to the site itself. The first to arrive, we were serenaded by dozens of different of varieties of birds. We had a fantastic view of the valley below and surrounding hills as we explored the site. The most impressive part of the site was the Temple of the Feathered Serpent, restored in 1910, with amazing reliefs, including snakes of course. Back at the entrance the ticket guy told us
there was a bus coming by in 20 minutes or so. After hanging around a little while he came up to us again. I couldn't understand the words but Pieter understood the intention. A water truck had been called over by the ticket guy and he was offering us a ride back to the turnoff so we could catch a more comfortable Pullman bus like the one that got us there. It was totally unsolicited, he was such a lovely man. We said thank you to the truck driver at the turnoff and decided to have brunch at a big roadside restaurant which had a buffet going for only P$35 including a drink. And the food was fantastic even though we couldn't quite identify everything. 10 minutes after finishing the Pullman bus arrived to take us back to Cuernavaca.
We headed off to Mexico City soon after.
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jennifer
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i want more blog. it's like reading a book and someone has taken the last chapters out and is making you wait for it. beautiful pictures