Recuerdos de Cholula

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Okay, so I am back in Mexico and I will shortly be updating all of you with what has been going on on this trip, but first I would like to post a blog I wrote a while ago about some of mi recuerdos de Cholula (my memories of Cholula).

I am sitting on the plane on making my way back to the States and I just realized that this is the end of my Mexican adventures for some time. When we took off the sun was just rising over Malinche and it was beautifully clear; I had never noticed that it looked like woman lying down, very interesting. Anyways as I listen to my new Mexican club mix that was made for my departure, I want to take the time to write down the places and the little things that made my time in Cholula so special.

Here is my take on the small town I have spent that past three months. It is 1) not small, 2) a must see, 3) so laid back and comfortable you will feel immediately at home. Puebla is a fairly visited city and well worth it, but Cholula gives you the opportunity to slow down, wander the streets, meet the people, and just enjoy Mexican culture. In my mind Cholula is sort of split in half almost right around the pyramid. The half that I live in includes the Universidad de las Americas, bars, clubs, restaurants, and anything that would be of interest to college students. The other half is centered on the zócalo. In my section of town there are a few things I would like to not forget and a few that I would like to recommend to other travelers. First of all probably the thing I am going to miss the most is a place I have named Magic. Parked on the corner of 22 Norte and Camino Real every morning except Sunday, there is a truck with a black tarp overflowing with freshly picked fruits. A husband and wife, sometimes little daughter, and on the weekends their sons, sell fruit out of the back of their truck to passing cars and pedestrians. Not only do they sell fruit, but also they sell orange juice (my personal favorite), mandarin juice (Julia’s favorite), and grapefruit juice, all freshly squeezed each morning for each person. Some days there are lines of people and cars waiting for their morning liter or half liter of juice or some fruit. I think I stop there almost every morning on my way to school and a half-liter is 7 pesos and a whole liter, which is nearly impossible to drink, is 12 pesos. I call this place Magic because any morning Julia and I had to be at school early after either a full night’s sleep or a half night’s sleep, we would get our juice and instantly feel better. I think it has helped me fight off being sick on more than one occasion. Another must visit is Container City. Down near the pyramid, a block off of Camino Real, is an area of town completely made up of train cars. It is a series of bars, restaurants, cafes, and shops that were built into train cars stacked around one another and on top of one another. If you are looking for a low-key drink, coffee, tea, or quick meal, this is definitely the place to hit up. It does look like they are getting ready to open a club in the area so it is possible that it will become a little more populated on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights. For dancing and fun nightlife you can hit up just about any club or bar on Camino Real on almost any night. For anyone studying here in the next couple of semesters, remember that Tuesday night is generally the night of the foreigners, so that will be when you will find more of the popular hip-hop and rap music playing in the clubs and some clubs even give out wristbands for free drinks to foreign students. Here in my end of town, I would have to recommend Oriole for a good cup of coffee and great Internet (when the internet of all of Cholula is not down). This is where I spent plenty of days skyping with family, watching TV shows on the Internet, and writing papers when I needed a break from the library at school. They have a wireless system that is locked so be sure to ask them for the password because otherwise you will default pick up another Internet that does not work that well. For a Sunday afternoon fruit salad and juice the place to hit up is called La Jugaría. Their small cup of juice comes in an ice cream sundae/milkshake giant glass and their large comes in what I would consider a pitcher. This is located off the Recta, which runs parallel to Camino Real, but on the other side of the university, about a five-minute walk from the main entrance to UDLA. Their fruit salads are giant, fresh, and come served with yogurt, honey, and granola, but for the meat-lovers they also have burgers, sandwiches, and much more, all super-sized.

Around the zócalo are several restaurants, bars, and cafes. My personal favorite café is called Café Tal. Located on the far end of the zócalo, you cannot miss it with its pink velvet chairs and tables outside. It has sort of an eclectic/Indian feel to it on the inside and is just like all the other surrounding restaurants, except more comfy chairs, on the outside. This is where I used to go to teach a group of Mexican English. We would meet once we week for coffee and just speak in Spanglish for a couple hours, enjoying each other’s company. There is also free wireless Internet here in the café as well. Most of the other restaurants along this strip are great too, but they are all listed in Lonely Planet, so you can read more about them there.

Anyways, the main reason I have decided to write this up is so I can remember some of these places if I come back and for others who are coming because everything I have put in here cannot be found in any guide books and they are definitely things you should check our and try while in this area of the world.

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Comments

[mom]

definately the small town home feeling. i loved it right away.