Puebla

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Our next stop of our travels was to the city of Puebla, which is approx. 2 hours outside of Mexico City. Upon arrival by bus, we took a cab to the apt. we would stay at during our time in Puebla. One of Carlos' friends offered her apt. while we were in Puebla. It was great to have our own apt., which was quite close to the city center, only a few dollar cab ride or a few pesos by local bus. Gracias a Viry!!!

Our first day there, we decided to tour around on the tour bus due to the threatening weather. We rode on the top on the red double decker tour bus for the majority of the tour, but the last 30 minutes or so were spent down below inside the tour bus due to the rain, which didn't last all that long. We maximized our time by taking the bus and in turn, had a great layout of the city. It was a great tour especially because Puebla is a large city and we covered a lot of distance in the three hours. We sat next to a very nice older couple from Italy. Little did we know, at that time, that we would continue to see them during the next two weeks of our travels.

For me, one of the highlights was passing by Cerro de Guadalupe, where the historic forts of Loreto and Guadalupe are located. Both of these forts were key in the May 5, 1862 battle against the French. In the US, Cinco de Mayo is one of the most celebrated days and now I can say that I was at the locations were the battle took place.

The heart of the city is the zocalo. The zocalo was originally a marketplace where bullfights, theater and hangings transpired, but now it is filled with an entertaining mix of clowns, balloon hawkers, snack vendors, live music, local demonstrations, etc. We spent an evening listening to a full orchestra play one of the nights.

Puebla is a very safe Mexican city and is full of universities. There is an energy about Puebla that makes it so welcoming to Mexicans and foreigners alike. You can walk for hours and find something fascinating on every corner. The historic buildings add to the flavor and beauty of the city. Puebla also has some fascinating museums as well.

We walked through Museo Amparo which is housed in two linked 16th- and 17th-century colonial buildings. The museum is loaded with pre-Hispanic artifacts and some of Mexico's finest colonial are and furnishes. It was quite interesting and well worth the price we paid, half off with our "student id's".

We met up with one of Carlos' friends, Ximena, for lunch one of the days and as you can see, she took us to a great local place that we wouldn't have found on our own. The place was full of locals and after seeing the process of preparing and eating the cemitas, you know why. There were people cutting the bread, then those preparing the meat for the end, then those preparing the bread with the avocados, then those adding onions, cheese, chilli's, etc., then finally adding your choice of meat. There were easily 20 people preparing the cemitas. By the time we had our cemitas in hand, the line was out of the door. Gracias a Ximena!!!

Ximena and her boyfriend took us out one night as well. We ended up going to some of the local bars in the neighboring city of Choula. Choula is full of students as well so it too has an contagious energy. One of the other nights out we headed to Callejon de Los Sapos, which is the main area for the bars. That particular night we watched Mexico's Sub 20 team play.

Of course our trip is focused around food...we are in Mexico so how can it not be so I cannot leave out this next restaurant. Fischer's restaurant which is located not only in Puebla, but also Mexico City, Acapulco, Ixtapa. They specialize in seafood...Excelencia en Mariscos!!!

The next day we took a day trip to the small town of Choula. Choula will be covered in the next entry...

On the way to the bus station, I found it very funny that our taxi driver passed a police car and on the opposite side of the road...only in Mexico!

Off to the state of Oaxaca!!!

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