03.11.-10.11.2021 Puebla & Taxco

I traveled from Puerto Escondido to Puebla and spent 3 nights here. The temperatures here are finally comfortable, around 23 degrees (previously around 33 degrees), so the sweating has come to an end.

Every time I arrive in a new city, I have to figure out how to get around. Unfortunately, my internet wasn't working, so I couldn't call an Uber. I knew I wouldn't take the first taxi driver who approached me from the side, so I took the third best one standing on the street with the taxis. There are yellow and black taxis in Puebla, and I later found out that you should never get into black taxis because they can take you to an unsafe neighborhood where you could get robbed or something. I won't take taxis anymore, only request them through safe apps.

Queretaro has a beautiful old town, but overall the city is a bit too big for me (the 5th largest city in Mexico, with 1,500,000 inhabitants). I prefer cities where I can walk everywhere.

In a restaurant, I had my shoes cleaned (more or less reluctantly). In Mexico, there are some people who earn their living by cleaning shoes. It's a strange feeling for me.

One day, I took a day trip to Cholula, which is a part of Puebla that is very tourist-oriented. Here you can find a pyramid, but it was built over by the Spanish conquerors, so now you only see a mountain with a church on top. From up there, you have an incredibly beautiful view, among others, of Popocatépetl, the most active volcano in Mexico.

In Cholula, I had a strange encounter with an older man (around 70). At first, we had a really nice conversation and had a coffee together. But then he started complimenting my feet and staring at them (I was wearing open-toed shoes). On the way back to Puebla, I met him again on the train, but I sat somewhere else. He wrote me a letter, saying how wonderful of a person I am, etc. When we arrived in Puebla, he insisted on waiting for my Uber with me and was concerned about my feet getting cold. After he touched my feet, I had to kindly but firmly ask him to leave. I often have encounters with people on the street, and I have done things with some of them, but this was just uncomfortable.

From Puebla to Taxco

I traveled from Puebla to Taxco, the Silver City or also known as the White City. From the moment I arrived, I fell in love with this little city nestled in the mountains. Almost all taxis here are beetles. Originally, I planned to stay for 1 night, but it turned into 4 nights.

I spent 2 days with Sameer, from the USA (originally from India), 49 years old. It happened so often that people thought we were married.

We learned from a local that the next day is "Día del Jumil", the day of the stink bug. We had no idea what to expect. As the only tourists, we were standing on a mountain in the forest, surrounded by families, some of whom had already camped there for a night. There were traditional dance performances, live music, people grilling, drinking, and dancing. Others went into the forest to collect stink bugs, which will later be turned into salsa or, as I observed, eaten alive. It was nice, but we felt a bit out of place without a group to celebrate with. Until a family called us over, gave us food and beer, and I danced to Banda music for the first time. I had so much fun thanks to the family.

In the evening, Leonardo, a member of the family, picked me up on his moped and showed me some beautiful spots in the city. At first, I was a bit scared on the moped because the streets are so steep and made of cobblestones. But he has been riding for a few years, and I quickly felt safe.

The other days, I just enjoyed the city, bought silver, went for walks, and spent time with Leonardo. I ran into people on the streets whom I met at the festival, and it felt like I had been living there forever. I didn't want to leave because it was so beautiful.

On the last evening, a new older man moved into my room. It was his first time staying in a hostel, and he was already sitting on his bed in the morning, waiting for me to open my eyes and greeted me with breakfast: yogurt drink, cappuccino, gelatin stuff, sweet taco, and apples. I thought it was so nice that I couldn't say that I don't eat that, so I passed it on later.

I continued from here to Querétaro.