Where? Guanajuato

Tuesday, December 26

Keren and I wake up at 5:30 AM, Alicia isn't up yet, and we have to be at the bus station by 6:30. We eat breakfast - pan dulce and shuffle downstairs. It's mighty cold at 6:00. Keren's other aunt, Irene got to Alicia's a little late but we still made it to the station in time... the reason they both took us to the station was because the station is really dangerous, especially when it's dark.

The bus left around 7:30, not before we got sandwiches and a beverage for the 5 hour journey. We took the best buses Mexico has to offer, there was tea and coffee in the back of the bus! Here are some photos from the ride.


Major reclining. We were super touristy on the bus...excited about everything. they even gave us pillows! C'mon, imagine greyhound giving you pillows.


Along the way.


Entertainment.


Awww.


Enjoying the onboard entertainment.

Around 12:30 or so, we got to Guanajuato

and caught a cab to the hotel...which cost us $40 (pesos) which is $4 USD - for a 25 minute ride.

Our hotel, ladies and gentlemen:



Castillo Santa Cecilla



Our room:





The room was amazing but the bathroom was gross.

After checking in, we were told by the bellhop that there would be a tour leaving from the hotel at 1:30, and it was just after 1:00, so we thought we'd hang around for that. So we took some photos of the hotel.


It's a castle! Otherwise I wouldn't post so many photos.









As we're waiting, we see the bell hop come and go, and no sign of the tour. Eventually he comes back at 1:45 to tell us that there isn't a tour, but there will be one at 4:30. We decide to head to town and get some food.


Keren trespassing.






Shoes on a wire.


Some street fruit.




That building is a train station from Spain that's now an indoor market.




It's sooo pretty.





We got back to the hotel and a different bell hop assured us there is a tour...then the tour guide showed up and took us away in a van full of Mexicans.

First stop, the minas (mines):

We're not sure what they mined, probably gold and silver. Oh yeah, the whole tour, both on the bus and in the spots, was in Spanish and we didn't understand a thing.


We walked down into that death trap. The tourguide guy led about 30 of us down this narrow staircase and would stop in the middle and talk to us about things... at some point there was a group going up while we were going down..and when we were all the way at the bottom, the power went out briefly. scaaarrrry!


Cactus!


The riches they uncovered in the mine.


There was this guy there too.. he looks like Walter Matthau, but Mexican.

Then we hopped back into the van that is supposed to hold 9 but actually had something like 12 or 13 people in it and headed off to the cathedral on the hill.

I snapped this as we got out of the van.




At the top of the stairs to the cathedral. We don't have any photos inside, they are forbidden and we didn't want to take the risk of getting Mexicans mad at us. Inside was gorgeous though.


It was really nice though.


Hey look! I'm being a jackass.


Keren being artsy. Her being artsy almost cost me her. The guide was closing the van door and she was off somewhere, to which I yelled "noo! no! no!" and he didn't understand what I wanted until Keren came running up to the van, his response? "0h"

Then he took us to a candy store, where Keren and I got carried away and lost the group. Oops! By the time we realised, we didn't even see the van. Luckily, the guide came and found us and told us to go across the street and buy tickets to hang with this guy:

Everything was in Spanish, in we were in somesort of torture museum, we had no idea what was going on.

Half way through, while left to browse, Keren had a great idea and take a chance to ask the Monk with leather gloves if he spoke english. Keren: "Can I ask you a question?" Monk: "Sure" Keren: "Where are we?" Monk: laughs for 5 minutes and tells us that we are in the inquisition museum. Then gives us the rest of the tour in English quickly before yelling it in Spanish.


Chastity belt.


Guillotine


Stuff.

Then we had to go across town to the other mountain/hill, el Pipila. To get there, we had to go through these scary ass tunnels.

They are just paved roads inside the moutain that appears to have been scraped through.


This is Pipila, he was someone important...I don't know who though.

But there is an incredible city view from up there.






At the end of the tour, we stopped in the tunnel and everyone hopped out, so we hopped out. The guide told us to get back in the van, closed the door and disappeared with the rest of the group, meanwhile everyone laughed at us as they left. Then we sat there for 20 minutes thinking about how this was a set up and at any minute someone was coming to rob, rape or kidnap us. Thankfully none of that happened and the guide just took us back to the hotel. We got some dinner at the best restaurant in Guanajuato (every other word out of the mouth of the tour guide) and then got a drink a nearby bar where a 45-year-old coke-sniffing Mexican took a liking to me. And good night folks!