Cd. Valles to Pachuga -- Back Roads of Mexico

After leaving El benito, six hours of driving got us 110 miles down the road, over torturous curvy roads with views of incredible mountain valleys.  The first two hours were difficult with lots of traffic, mostly slow trucks. 

After the town of  Tamazunchale (pronounce it: Thomas & Charlie) there was very little traffic, so we had more relaxed driving. Our top speed was 30mph, and we averaged 18, because of all the small towns and the topes (toe-pays)  — speed bumps. We camped in a soccer field that a taxi driver pointed out in Jacala — middle of nowhere.

Mike mentioned that he always has wanted to drive this road because it was the one his father took almost 80 years ago.  David and a couple of buddies left for Alcapulco from college in PA on a break in the 1930’s in a Model A Ford.  Imagine!

They took this old road, down through Laredo, Monterrey, Cd. Valles, Pachuca, Mexico City, etc.  They had to have gone right by the campground at El Benito south of Valles where we have spent so much time.

We spent three days in Ixquilmilpan, a rather large town with several balanerios in the area (hot springs swimming parks).  Hundreds visit these parks on weekends and holidays. We went swimming/exercising several times. 

Note the many separate pools in just this one photo!

We visited the Monday market where once a week vendors set up tents with fruit, vegetables, clothing, and all kinds of goods.  Quite a circus.  We had a good time talking with the vendors and it seemed they; us.  Usually a small group of four to six curious Mexicans would gather to listen to the exchange.  

We came home with strawberries, mangos, oranges (fresh juice every morning), mandarin oranges (sweetest in the world), iceberg lettuce (grown in the truck gardens locally), jicama, and three US movies for $100 pesos,  (about 7 dollars).

The fruit that we can buy in Mexico is wonderful.  We’ve had watermelon, pineapple, bananas (big, small and plantano), and papaya as well.  I do wash it all, as a precaution, (and am beginning to do the same at home). 

We also bought some “pastes” (past-ees) a specialty of this area — Cornish pasties.  They came from Cornwall, England with the small group of Cornish mining immigrants who came to this area in about 1825.  They are a filled, baked pastry.  They can be filed with any type of pork, beef or chicken, or a sweet pineapple or other fruit filling.  We found by trial and error, they  can be excellent or mediocre, depending on the baker.   

A church painted in yellow except for
the entrance.  Note the uneven paint seam. 

A little girl in a fancy dress posing for her mother.

A crispy type of sugar cookie, fried in oil, of course.

However, we were looking for a certain artisan craft and found no crafts at all.  Mike began asking people and taxi drivers for directions to El Nith, a barrio (section) of this small city where these particular crafts were supposed to be made. Three times, we stopped for directions before finding one single tienda with exquisite juniper wood carvings with pearl, conch shell or obsidian inlays.  We bought a small guitar and harp (about 7 in) and at the last minute, threw in an obsidian turtle!

We actually bought something!

We drove from the lush valley up into the very dry hills to Tolantongo, another favorite baleniero with the Mexicans. Apparently on weekends there are 5-6000 visitors in this tiny steep valley!  A hundred people in here looked like it would be too many.  The pools were lovely and warm, but we didn’t go swimming and instead had lunch, because we intended go back to the hot tub at camp later that afternoon.  

As we were leaving a group of gringos came in.  Oddly, not a single one spoke to us — we, who were obviously gringos, too.  Mike spoke to two different men, and I; to one woman.  All answered the question we asked, then went back to visiting.  We learned they were part- to full-timers here from San Miguel de Allende.  That explains it!  Most expats that we’ve met who live there, seem to have their noses out of joint.

Steep canyons in Tolantongo

The many lovely warm pools there

The polka dots are small piles of limestone.
What are they doing?  Drying it?!

The next day we drove to Real de Minas, a small pueblo in the hills above Pachuca.  It is an old mining town and quite picturesque.  We paid for a mine tour, but backed out after five minutes.  I don’t like guides in general as they talk more than I want to listen, and a long-winded guide in Spanish is unbearable. 

We found one of the few flat places to park for the night beside a tiny park.  What I thought was a cop came by and said it was fine to park there. When Mike was out talking with him later, it turns out that he is the guard at different mine, one about 100 feet in front of us behind a tall wall!  

He gave us a private tour of this mine which had closed only a decade ago.  All car tracks, machinery, mine shaft elevators, everything, were still intact.  Fascinating.  Such luck to get to see it — and I didn’t have my camera!

The front of the church in Real de Minas.  Beautiful!

Another cute old truck -- this one at the old closed mine.

Driving in any city here is a real chore.  I drive and watch for cars and pedestrians; Mike navigates and watches the map, GPS, signs and traffic in general.  Driving back through Pachuca the next morning was difficult.  Signs to Mexico,. . .  Mexico, . . . then — nothing.  Only name of towns we’d never heard of and weren’t on the map or GPS.  After two different laps around, entailing an extra 6 miles or so, we got headed the right direction and parked on the shoulder.  

Grabbed a taxi to downtown and toured a vey nice photography exhibit  of 1900-era Mexican photos.

During the Mexican Revolution, racing through town.

Later headed towards San Juan Teotihuacan campground.  All was well — until just a few blocks from the campground.  I was in wrong lane, too much traffic, no chance to turn, now we’re back on the road headed the other way. 

We had to go 6 miles to turn around, came back 6, missed the correct turn, continued another 10 miles, turned around and came back 10 miles and finally got another shot.  Thirty some miles extra because I was in the wrong lane!!!  Such is driving in Mexico!  It was time for a beer!