Friday, November 26, 2010

Guanajuato

Late blog update due to too much drinking and party in Mexico city, but there we go:


Nov 17th, good day to relax and find what I need to fix the bike. Danillo walk with me in town and we find good glue for my plastics and a small drill bit. I could not have done it without him. He even found a guy with a drill just next to where my bike was parked. He passed the drill from a 2nd floor balcony then drilled some holes on the street to glue everything back together.
 
There is some celebration going on, music passing by our hostel, they've played all night at the Paza San Pedro.

Finished the job, time to go out. 
My "Frankensteinesed" bike doesnt look that bad, quite happy of the result. 
Alana and me decided to go where the music is (Plaza San Pedro) and then get lost in the tunnels. I'm parked right there in front, 3 police officers standing by to watch my bike.



The tunnels are also for pedestrian, you see quite often entries from the street.  



We get out of the tunnel and stop by a bar, where Moise at the bar gave us free Pulque for us to try.

Then we go climb up a ladder to the sitting area for a real beer. Pulque taste like vinegar. 
What's Pulque? This: 

I met a French guy named Eric at the bar, ended up he's also staying at the same hostel,  sharing the same dorm.

A small passage to a tunnel. 
And lots of little stairs throughout the city.



Juarez Theater. 
It's neat how you can walk under the trees.  
You can also cut through the little stair "passages", when you know where you're going. 



We stopped at another bar, where you sit down on little ottomans, next to our hostel the finish the night. Good ambiance and nice people.


The following day I've just had a little walk going uphill through the stairs "alleys".





Homemade barb wire: 



At night, Edmundo invited us to go at a local party where there are some live bands playing. Guanojuato is apparently well known for Art and Music. Some bands were actually really good and people were friendly.

This is a picture from a bridge where we can see, and hear the party. We had to go through some very steep and sketchy stairs to get there, almost an adventure. 

Before getting in, with Edmundo and Eric. 
And some beer drinking involve, like any party I've been, people were friendly and in good mood. Good music and we all had fun.




The following day my arm was felling better, Eric and I went on a little motorcycle ride in town for picture taking and making videos of driving tru the tunnels, which I've will be uploading eventually. We stopped have a beer and some food at next to that little lake. That's all we've done done that day, and we probably drank that night, as usual.
Edmundo, my friend that live in Guanajuato, offered me to show me around that day.

Stopped to that castle, next to the Pemex station.

A mine entrance shaft next to a view point next. The mine is still in operation today, people were working there. 



Then we took a dirt road that seemed to go nowhere and stopped on the side od a little trail. Hop the fence and walk.
Then hop another fence to some old mining ruins. 
and inside the old building was an abandoned mine entrance we could explore. I just didn't have any ropes and by arm was too weak for that kind of stuff, unfortunalely.


Cactus were growing on the ruins. 
Then went further on that little dirt road that offered quite nice sceneries. 

We stopped to another mine entrance, still in operation today, and climbed up the the pile of whatever they've extracted from the mine.




The road was very narrow, just enough for a truck to go. 

The little road was actually going to a small village; San Nicola. Edmundo went there by foot, and was playing marble with a little boy at the village. He was happy to go there again for a visit, much easier on a bike! 
Stopped for a beer and meeting the little boy that did beat them all at the marble game.


Driving in the village was very fun, through these little street. I don't know what we'd have done if a car came from the other way.


Went on a hill, by another abandonned mine entrance. They are everywhere in Guanajuato! The whole place is a underground maze.


Took the wrong way, went on top of a hill were there was a little cimetery. 

On another hill we could see the mine entrance we just pass by,

and the cimetery:


We headed back to Guanajuato. I really enjoyed my little tour on the scenic road that tourists usually never go. 

Edmundo told me about the golden church on the way back.



I don't remember where we were, a small town next to Guanajuato, and we stopped to that little bar for some Mezcal, the best I've ever had! With oranges, I regret now not buying a bottle, it's impossible to find in North America.

Then took the Panoramic road back into Guanajuato. It's in the hill.
I've found that funny how people were literally  parking their cars on the roof of their house. Some had garages of secured fence for the car, on the house roof.

We decided to go to Edmundo's house, by the little pedestrian passage, with the bike. Some places were so narrow, barely enough for the handlebars. It's easy to go down the steps with the bike, they made little ramps for motorcycle. Going by up was a little harder because some steps didnt have those little ramps, and it was on a tight turn. Needed some help due to my weak arm.

The bike in that  little alley, people on donkey, and we created a traffic jam, we thought it was hilarious!

After droppind Edmundo off i've decided to visit the Mommies Museum.

They had to move some cimetery and discovered people body amazingly preserved, due to the soil composition and humidity... People seemed to have some facial expressions. 




Little baby with his chest sew, maybe they tried to save him. 




On the way back to the hostel, driving slow tru the tunnels I've got hit from behind by this car. Felt down, broke the same plastics I've previously broken, twist and bent my auxilary LED light, and hurt my anckel a little bit. Since I wasnt really hurt and did not added new damages to the bike, I've let the apologinzing women go without asking money. Maybe carma will be good to me for that one day.

My anckel actually hurt much more later, so I didnt go out that night for a change. Left the following morning heading towards Ciudad Hidalgo. The Monarch butterflies coming from Canada stop there for reproduction. I wanted to see the Sanctuary were they stop.