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Xilitla is a town with mostly roads that have a 20 to 30 degree incline at all times. You can’t help but get your exercise here. We walked a number of block to the town square, found a second story patio and had a cold one while we looked over the activities in the square, mostly consisting of vendors, trees and loud birds. Sharon questioned why they trim the tops of all these leafy trees with a flat top. She had a point there. It sure seemed to me to be the most difficult part to trim while avoiding the rest. However, from our vantage point, the precision quaffed tops made for a lime green, bird filled, party pool.
June 4. It appears that we are the only folks in this lovely hotel. We had breakfast on the patio then packed for Las Pozas, a lush combination of jungle, waterfalls and concrete created by an eccentric Brit named Edward James. Las Pozas has meandering staircases up to another set of stairs to take you down, man-made moss covered stalagmites and platforms high in the sky that are there just to let you take it all in. Of course it all involves a lot of climbing. A lot of climbing.
We left Las Pozas, heading away from Xilitla. Just driving. Sharon spotted a sign for waterfalls in Santa Fe, (no, not the California one). We took an abrupt right turn and headed down a smooth cement road, through small river where a bridge used to be, then started climbing. The smooth concrete road was reduced to two parallel ribbons, then just rocks, then ruts and mud, then… it just ended? We climbed the mountain at risk of loosing an oil pan only for it to end? Unless we were suppose to continue down a rough, steep embankment that may have been a donkey trail decades ago? I don’t think so, nor does my Honda Element. On the bright side, the views were fantastic!
We retro graded the mountain and headed to points unknown. We took a chance and headed down a tree covered road to a town called Ahuacatitla. What a find! In the center of this tiny place was a massive complex dedicated to Dr. Beto Ramon, curandero. A church, a library, pharmacy, statues, and an 8 story Tower of Babel, (their words, not mine). Most striking is everything was immaculately kept and freshly painted in every color imaginable.
All in all, a very nice day, capped off with a good mountain thunderstorm to sleep through.
June 5. We said goodbye to Xilitla and headed down beautiful mountain roads, into the area of Sierra Gorda, a picturesque canyon side highway. My car wasn’t too thrilled when we veered off to another rutted trail to check out the ruins of Tacama. It was a short distraction but we walked all over it then continued west, through Jalpan and up to Rio Verde. After a brief encounter with the streets of Rio Verde, we settled in a nice hotel on the outskirts. Break time.
June 6. Several years ago when we were here, we tried to find a natural water hole that you could scuba dive in. Evidently what we found then was somewhat pitiful and quite a let down. Today we discovered we were nowhere close. Media Luna was the spot. We found it early and stayed most of today languishing in its cool, clear waters and mature cypress lined shore. It’s away from the city, quiet and not even slightly ruined by encroaching development. Ah, a day of floating, not climbing or driving. We were tingling.
June 7. Uh, yeah. About the tingling thing… Though we are always careful on our travels, today we are nursing a couple of pretty decent sunburns. Mom was right. Put on sunscreen, even when it’s cloudy. We’re extending our stay and will stay the day in shade, in AC and mostly in bed searching for channels in English. Oh well. Just conserving energy for what tomorrow may bring.
