The road to Malinalco

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Feb 6: First, I want to apologize for focusing so much on the negative in previous entries. It wasn´t all like that. There were some kind and helpful people along the way and some beautiful sights. More than once I wished I had my camera with me on the airplane, (and if it had it wouldn´t have been stolen). Some beautiful views as we flew out of Albuquerque and leaving Mexico City, Popocatépetl and Iztaccihuatl, and Pico de Orizaba, Mexico`s tallest mt and 3rd talled in N America, were all stunning poking out of the clouds.

A beautiful sunny day here in Malinalco. What a cute little town this is. A long, complicated journey to get here.
Ironically enough, it seemed to be clearing in Xalapa as the bus rolled out of town. Quite a nice bus ride to Mexico City with views of Pico de Orizaba and La Malinche, 5th highest mt in Mexico. Arrived Mex City, jumped a cab for the another bus station, bought a bus ticket to what I thought was Malinalco there but it turned out to be to another town that sounded like Malinalco. Fortunately I found that out before I boarded the bus. I thought it was odd that I could buy a ticket as I´d heard that there were no buses to Malinalco. Got that straightened out, again a helpful mexican kid, and got a ticket for Chalma a cutsey town in a beautiful setting high in the mountains to the west of Mexico City, cliffs and crags hanging over the town. Caught a collectivo from there to Malinalco, found a nice cheap hotel with views over the town and settled in. This is a town of cobbled, winding streets, bouganvillias hanging over walls, jacarandas blooming, all sorts of flowers, more of those cliffs surrounding the town covered in lush growth though this a dry time of year.

Got up early this morning and went out to find a vantage point from which to view the sunrise. Followed a street to the edge of town and found a trail leading up the cliffs. Climbed as far as I could and watch the sun come up. This seems to be the time of day that the locals burn stuff and the air was full of smoke obscuring the view and bringing a tear to my eye, literally and figuratively. After breakfasting I went out to explore the Aztec, or more accurately, Mixtec, ruins up on a hill. On the way encountered Tom and Elizabeth from Ontario in their VW van who were camping their way through Mexico. Found the ruins and benefitted from my advanced age that got me in free. Once again, another fly in the ointment, they were reconstructing the roof on the main temple so my visit was punctuated my hammers and saws and workmen shouting. Nonetheless, it was a nice little site and the views over the town were wonderful. I´ll go back there later in the day. Sure is nice to have a camera. Hope I can hang on to it.

Later...... wandered around town and used up a whole gigabyte card taking photos. Gonna have to slow down or delete more. Lots of photogenic stuff. Walked my legs off. Decided to go back up to where I watched sunrise to watch the sunset. As I started up the trail I saw a guy lurking (or what could have been lurking) up there and decided to bag that idea. Might have been just fine but I´m a bit gunshy and opted for caution. So headed back to the ruins. On the way I encountered about 150 preadolescent school kids headed in the same direction, all decked out in their little uniforms making an incredible racket. Hoped they weren´t going to the same place. Hopes dashed, they descended on the place like Ghengis Khan hoardlings. However, they were well behaved and listened attentively to their guide. And the view was stunning, the light of the descending sun highlighting the rugged mountains and the nearly full moon rising. Stayed til closing time then made my way down and had a pretty good trout dinner, something this region is famed for.

Tomorrow I believe I´ll head for Guanajuato.



Adios for now.