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James Edwards Garden, Xilitla, San Luis Potosi

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San Luis Potosi is the name of the state as well as it’s capital. It is located in North-Central Mexico and situated North-West of Querétaro and has got its name after his founder. It was hard for me to decide, when I will go there, but I put it in between Querétaro and Guanajuato, because of the festival in the last-named city.

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23rd Sept 2018

I arrived in San Luis Potosi from Querétaro, where I had been for 10 days, even I have not been in the town of Querétaro all the time. The bus I was going with had left at 10:15am and I arrived at my new destination around two and a half hour later. My new host, Nalleli was picking me up by car and took me to her home. She owns a two bedroom, two storey house in Pozos, a suburb of San Luis Potosi. She has two dogs, a six year old male and a three year old female Pug. They are not often in the house, but in the back or the front yard. They are well educated.

She offered me a typical Potosino-meal (a kind of quesadillas, but with cheese from the region, which is spicy) and we were afterwards going downtown. I did not really understand, that she will walk the town with me, when we left her home, though, unfortunately I did not have my camera with me. Anyway, I have got a very good introduction of the town and was told, that the town is famous for it’s chocolate. I actually bought some. I also recharged my cellular phone again. I hope this time it will last for longer. By the way, it is not easy to get lost in this town. I think it is less by the little size, but by the system of the streets and the landmarks like the Jardin Colon, the Alameda, the cathedral etc. Walking a pedestrian’s street, there were four sellers with buckets selling the same food. I thought it was seeds or similar, but Nalleli explained, that they were selling insects and that the Mexicans love to eat these insects.

Back at Nalleli’s home again, we had another meal and a chat, e.g. about the places I would like to see. She told me, that “Real de Catorce”, which I had on my list, was worth to see as well as the other places I had put there. She also explained to me, how to go there and finally drove with me to the bus terminal to find out, when I could go there – which time and how often the buses are leaving for the different destinations. At least she answered me, how to go to town by bus, that means, where I can take the bus, what kind of bus I have to take and the number of the bus route as well as the direction the bus must have on the window screen. That made it much easier for me, of course. Later we watched TV together. She gave me a key and a key-card, though I could leave and return to her home, when I want. She has to go to work at 7:30am and will not return before 6:30pm and is employed in HR. I was to bed around 10pm.

By the way, Fernando sent me two WhatsApp messages this day. The first was about patience and the other was with pictures about the things I had left there. It was the broken backpack and my plastic camping mugs, which are very comfortable, because I can make them very small, but they taste plastic, whatever I drink out of them. In addition to that he sent pictures of my smallest bag, where I keep my key and my jewelry. He had taken a photo of all this things together. I thought, I really had emptied the backpack, but was happy, that Fernando checked it so well. We agreed, that I will pick the things up, when I am going from San Miguel de Allende to Guadalajara, because San Miguel de Allende is much closer the Querétaro as San Luis Potosi.

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24th Sept 2018

I was awake as usual and heard Nalleli leaving for work. I was not aware of, how time was running, because I was on twitter, using the Wi-Fi of the house. In the middle of the day I was going by bus downtown. First I was waiting on the wrong side of the street, but the bus driver kindly told me, that the bus to the city center is going from the other side of the street. Actually the Alameda is very close to the city center and the bus stop for the city center is there. No buses run in the center of the city. The real center is a pedestrians zone.

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The Details Make the Art

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After I have eaten a pizza slice, I was walking the streets again, we had walked the day before and took a lot of photos of churches, important and beautiful buildings and the park Jardin Colon, of course. I also walked further than the day before and found the Art museum. First I thought it is a prison and actually it has been. I was too late to visit the museum. I could have entered, but I need my time to see all the interesting artifacts and there was an admission fee. I continued to the end of the park, where another church is situated. I think, this town has as many churches as the cities in Italy – in every third street a church ;-). Also Nalleli had told me, that there are many churches in town. Even this church was open and I took a look inside. It is nice decorated and has two big paintings close to the entrance.

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Statue: Father with his Children

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I went back to the center, ate a crepe in a restaurant beside the “Place of the Founder” (Plaza del fundador) and walked in the other direction, looking for a bag. I still had not bought a back instead for the backpack, which got chewing gum on it’s straps and of which a lock broke. I had used the papers bag from the hacienda, where my “doggy bag” had been in, but I was all the time afraid, that the handles will brake by the weight I had put in, even it only were my souvenirs and my staff for the meatballs as well as my winter jacket. By looking for all the shops and stalls, I saw another side of the town, even that was not bad. I really can recommend you to visit the city of San Luis Potosi.

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Theater La Paz

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At the last shop, which actually was very close to the cathedral, I found a bag I liked and I think, has the size I need. It also has a big and two small pockets on the outsides as an extra pocket on the inside, which are very useful. With my new bag I was going home by the yellow city bus again. I tried to leave the bus at the right stop, but left too early. It was a twenty minutes walk from there instead of a ten minutes walk from the other bus stop, though it was close to the right place anyway.

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Another Church

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Back at Nalleli’s, she was already there. She asked me, if I had eaten something and I told her, I had. Even this evening she was watching TV. Though we did not talk a lot with each other, but I explained, that I will go to Real de Catorce the following day. I was to bed around 10pm again, because I had to leave early to make it back home again as well.

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25th Sept 2016

I left the house at 7:10am instead of 7:30am as planned. Unfortunately I had to wait around 20 minutes for the bus, which I could take, because the two before were full. I had to follow the examples of the Mexicans and enter from the back, because the front was full as well. The driver did hold the door open until we entered. He did not call us to pay, we just did it, when it was space enough to reach out to him. Closer to the bus terminal less passengers were in the bus and less entered. I was asking another passenger for, when to leave for the bus terminal and he was very kind and patient to help me. The bus does not really stop at the bus terminal, when it comes from Pozos, though I had to walk to the next block, but by the explanation of that passenger in the bus I found my destination easily. I love, that the Mexicans always are patient explaining the directions.

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On the Road: View between Matehuala and Real de Catorce

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At the bus terminal I bought a return ticket to Matehuala. It was for 560 MXN, a one-way-ticket was for 285 MXN, though it was not really a bargain. I had to wait around half an hour for the bus and had a sandwich, because I did not eat a lot at Nalleli’s. The ride to Matehuala was not very inspiring, but closer to that town there were mountains at the horizon. In Matehuala I bought a return ticket to Real de Catorce. It was for 222 MXN (a one-way-ticket was exactly for half the price). I had time to go to the bathroom as well, but afterwards the bus was coming soon. The trip to Real de Catorce was more interesting, but also a little scary. We had mountains around and were in a desert. There were no many villages, some lonely houses were abandoned. I wished, I would have made this trip with a friend. For finally reaching Real de Catorce, one has to change to a bus, which brings one through a tunnel. It is the first tunnel I have seen in Mexico. It is so low, that the usual bus cannot drive through. In addition to that only vehicles from one direction can drive at the same time and that is operated by people with a walky talky – sometimes by private persons, sometimes by a policeman. The bus through the tunnel goes every second hour between 7:40am and 5:40pm, but 1:40pm (but on Sundays). Anyway it responds to the bus from and to Matehuala.

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The Tunnel

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My first impression of the village was “Oh my god, where am I?”. I only could see the souvenir stalls, which line the street. I walked that street in the hope, there will be more and it was. Anyway that former mining town seems to live by tourism and at this time of the year, there are not many, even Mexican tourists are still coming. I was really hungry now and had a meal at a restaurant, which also sells ceramics, mostly mugs. By the colors of the ceramics, it was nice to sit there and the food was OK. I even bought a colorful mug. Afterwards I was walking the village, which even has a “town hall” and should have two churches, but I only could find the one close to the “town hall”. To look for the other church helped me to see most of the village. There were some broken houses, but it seemed, that almost in one people still were living. The former “glory” of the mining town was definitely gone, some people looked really poor. This village is a “Pueblo Magico”, the magic may be that the houses still are in the original way – built out of stone of the mountains, without any colors etc. In one street I saw an abandoned and awful looking building with a sign “Hotel” on it, but actually the hotel was next door. By the way, there were more hotels in the village. I think six or seven.

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One of the First Impressions of the Village

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When I had left that bus, which had brought us throughout the tunnel, I had asked the driver for the last bus of the day. He told me, that it will leave 5:40pm. I did not know at that time, when the bus before will leave. I had finished the excursion of the village at 4pm. The bus was coming through the tunnel again, but it did not leave the village again before 5:40pm, I had just missed, the 3:40pm bus. I found a place to sit down and wait, even there is no bus station. When you buy a return ticket in Mexico, usual the return is open, but the document you get (looking like a ticket) has to be changed in a real ticket for the bus you will return with. In Real de Catorce, that was not possible. The driver just took a look and told me, it is OK. The driver of the waiting bus did not change it to a real ticket either, but did take a part of it as a real ticket.

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One of the Hotels

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I did not know either, when and if there will be buses to Matehuala and from Matehuala to San Luis Potosi in the late evening, but I was lucky. The 5:40pm bus takes you to the waiting bus for Matehuala on the other side of the tunnel. In Matehuala I caught a bus, who should have left already (there were even later buses), by that there was no time for the bathroom, but I made it all the way to San Luis Potosi. I arrived at the bus terminal at 10pm, the last yellow city bus is around 9pm, though I had to take a taxi. I was awaiting that I had to pay up to 200 MXN, but it was for only 120 MXN (prepaid). The taxi driver did not really know, where he had to drive me and asked me, if I could explain. Fortunately I could. I said hello to Nalleli, when I was back, but was then going directly to bed. I get tired of long bus rides.

For more photos of Real de Catorce click here, please.

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6th Sept 2018

For this day I had planned to see the Museo del Arte and maybe another museum in town. I left around 10am and was directly going to the museum. I was lucky, because there was no admission fee this day. It was not really what I expected, because of an art museum I expect lots of different arts, but this one was mostly for Leonora Carrington, but also explained Surrealism and other surrealists, who were working at the same time as she. It was interesting even I could see, that she became less surrealistic at the end of her life – she became over 90 years old and was working until her death.

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Surrealism

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I was starving, when I left the museum and was looking for a place to eat. The first restaurant I saw was very close, but on the other side of the street, which was very hard to cross by the traffic. Though I walked further until there were many stalls, but they did not have a lot of customers, most of them had no customer at all. I do not know, if it was the wrong time of the day or if the stalls were bad respectively just too many of its kind, but since my problem with my stomach I only go to places, where already a lot of customers are having their meals. Soon I found such a restaurant. The dish I would have liked to taste, was too spicy, though I ordered one, I already knew most of it. It was quite spicy anyway. The state San Luis Potosi is known for spicy food.

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I went back to the Alameda and entered the railway museum. There was an admission fee, but the cashier was not in his box, though I had to ask at the museum and they called for the cashier. The fee was 30 MXN.

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I know a lot about railways, but not the history of the railway in Mexico. It was really worth to see it and I was the last one leaving. I took some photos, but run out of battery and tried to take some more photos with my cell phone. I hoped, if I would upload them as soon as I will be back at Nalleli’s, I could save them, but there were no photos at all on the SD-card. If it is the card or the phone, which does not work properly, I do not know. I won’t invest either in another SD-card or use the other ones I have, because I am afraid, I will loose the photos on those cards as well.

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The Old Railway Station

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I was back at Nalleli’s already around 6:30pm. Soon I started to write down my memories of the last days for updating my blog as soon as possible, before I had copied my photos from the last days to my notebook and the SD-card in my notebook. By the way I have stopped to take photos of all my receipts. I know now, how they look like. Now I only take photos of important receipts like for the notebook. I also still take photos of the lists of my expenses to put all in an XLS-file, when I come home. I am really interested in, what my trip throughout Mexico will cost.

This night I was to bed around 11pm even I will leave Nalleli early next morning.

For more photos of San Luis Potosi click here, please.

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27th Sept 2018

My smartphone reminded me, that it was the birthday of the former artist Freddy Quinn. I had to check the site of the Archiv and Museum in Vienna to see, if he is still alive. On that site he was celebrated, though I added my birthday wishes as well combined with thanks for his inspiration. I think, without his songs about Mexico I would not be here today.

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Memory from the Park “Jardin Colon”

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I was up a quarter past six, even I had decided to go up at 6am. Though I hurried a little and I was ready in time, when Nalleli had to leave for work. She took me by car to the center of the suburb and left me at a taxi central. When the taxi arrived, I saw, that it was not a real one, maybe an Uber. I trusted Nalleli and I was positive surprised, when I only had to pay 70 MXN for the ride to the bus terminal.

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Memory from Real de Catorce – at the Restaurant

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I had to ask at the counter, at which one it was possible to buy a ticket for Ciudad Valles and as usual I got that explained very kindly. I bought the ticket for the next bus and had to pay 465 MXN. I remembered a higher price, but was, of course, happy about every peso saved. This bus made almost two stops before my destination. The first one was in Rioverde and the next one in Rayon. Both times the driver had to leave the highway for it. In Rayon lots of ambulant sellers entered the bus and I bought three gorditas. They were more than pita-bread with filling than the gorditas I know. I had asked for a not spicy filling and got gorditas filled with potato cubs. The first was spicy anyway. The second was not so spicy, but it was too much salt in it. The third one I did not eat, because I was already full of the two others. Soon afterwards I fell asleep and just awoke, when the bus was driving into Ciudad Valle.

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Town Hall Ciudad Valles

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Well outside the bus terminal I thought, I only had a two minutes walk to the hostel, but did not find that street and asked a taxi driver for it. He told me, that the street is in the city center and I should take the bus or a taxi. I told him, I will walk. It was very hot in town. When I had left the bus, the heat was hitting me right of. Anyway I was walking all the way to the hostel with my backpacks and additional bags. I had two additional: The red one I had bought in San Luis Potosi and the papers bag from the Hacienda, where I had been invited by Fernando in Querétaro. In the papers bag I only had my winter jacket, but by the heat I also put my fleece jacket in there. The sweat was running off me and I was happy, when I finally arrived at the hostel. I was thinking about to take a shower right off, but walked the town, before I did it. Mostly for another meal, but I was also looking for tissues (which I found) and small sized shampoo bottles and body lotion bottles – which I did not find. I was also to the river, where a boat should go, but that tourist boat was not in use.

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In the Park at the Riverside

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I had an ice cream and later a Frappe and a cake. I did not feel for another kind of meals. Then I went back to the hostel. The city is very small, though one cannot get lost. At the hostel I took a shower and got two room mates. They are sisters and from Florida, USA. When they left for having a dinner, I started to update my blog and even continued, when they had returned. They were to bed already at 9:30pm, but I continued until around 10pm, using my head light to see, what I am writing.

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28th Sept 2018

The hostel’s receptionist told me, that the sisters from Florida will go and see waterfalls and afterwards to Xilitla. I also got to know the evening before, that they have a car. Though it ended up, that I joined them, even I told them, that I won’t go all the way with them, because I need more time in Xilitla and they will arrive there in the afternoon. To go to that little “Pueblo Magico”, they also had to drive through Ciudad Valles again.

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Nature Around Minas Viejas Waterfall

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The first waterfall will were going to was the “Cascadas Minas Viejas. We hade to pay an entrance fee and I actually was allowed to pay for “third agers”. Though I paid 15 MXN instead of 30 MXN. The waterfalls were quite high and by the rainy season there were a lot of water running down the steep as well. The lake was closed for swimming because of the high current. There were a view tower as well and I did make it all the way up. It was nice to see the waterfall, but not spectacular.

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Minas Viejas Fall

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Our next stop were the “Cascadas de Micos”. They were totally different to the first waterfalls. Here we had a meal at a stall outside the area for the falls. I did not get any reduced admission fee, because there were no reduced admission fees at all. Mexicans had made a kind of recreation area of the falls and surroundings. It was possible to go by boat, take a swim etc. One could rent cabanas (huts) as well. The fee here was 30 MXN. We walked as far as we could, but did not come really close to the fall, which was not amazing either. It was low and nothing special.

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Micos Waterfalls

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Anyway, when we were back on our way to Ciudad Valles it was already after 2pm, which surprised me. Around 3pm I was back in the little town and the sisters had let me out at a Chedraui supermarket, because I was looking for a supermarket to find some small bottles of shampoo etc. I spent around an hour to try to find small bottles of shampoo, body lotion etc. and finally found some, but not of shampoo for the shower. Therefore I thought, I will take a look on the next place, where I stay. I also bought some snacks for my upcoming day tour.

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Huasteca Potosina

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I walked back to the hostel. It was too early for dinner and I enjoyed my time in a rocking chair. I looked up, what a tour to other places in the surroundings would cost. I found one, which I though was somewhat interesting. It was a 12h tour for Huasteca Potosina (a forest area with caves), the waterfalls of Tamul and Xilitla. It was for 900 MXN, but there was also a lunch included. It was mostly for the lunch and my bad experiences with lunch included in tours, I did not book that tour as well. I decided to try to rent a car for one day for the waterfalls of Tamasopo and Tamul as well as Huasteca Potosina and go to Xilitla by bus the upcoming day. I did not go and have a dinner this evening, but took of the snacks I had bought.

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29th Sept 2018

I asked the receptionist of the hostel during breakfast, what it would cost to rent a little car for one day, because she had told me before, that they have special prices for tours as well as for car rentals. She told me, that it is for 900 MXN and I need my passport, my driver’s license and a credit card to rent a car. I thought I could already rent a car for this day, but that was fortunately wrong.

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James Edwards Garden

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I left for Xilitla around 9am, took a city bus to the bus station and from there a bus to Xilitla. It was leaving soon. It took between one and a half and two hours before we arrived in Xilitla. Not far from the village I had seen tour buses beside the highway and was thinking, that may be the entrance to the James Edwards surrealistic gardens, but unfortunately I did not ask the driver to stop. Near the bus stop in the town of Xilitla were “collectivos” waiting, though I did ask at a little one (taxi) for the ride to the garden and he told me, it is for 60 MXN. I told him, I will have him go as collectivo, because he had a sign on his car, that the car is one. He told me, there were no other people going there. A couple, I had seen in the bus, which I was expecting had the same goal, was still on the other side of the road and I told him, they may as well. Unfortunately they did a step or two in the direction of the town center and the taxi driver did not ask them for that. Later I have seen them in the garden as well. Though I had to pay 60 MXN for the ride, but was taken all the way up the dirty and very bad road to the entrance of the garden. It was around three kilometers away from the road to Xilitla.

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James Edwards Gardens

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For the entrance fee I saw a price list, that retired people, people in their “third age” and disabled people will have to pay a lower admission fee. Though I told the cashier, that I am both in my third age and retired. He asked me for a document and I showed him my passport, because it was enough to have one of those. I was allowed to pay the lower admission fee, which was for 35 MXN. The garden has a lot of concrete monuments, which are surrealistic. The garden itself is jungle, but a waterfall is well-integrated with the possibility to go into the water. It is not deep enough for a swim. Special water shoes are sold as well, but I did not buy some and was not interested in to walk in the water. There are lots of stairs in the garden, more and less slippery, because of the rainy season. A lot of monuments had signs, that one has not to go on them, because they are fragile, others were in refurbishment. I spent maybe three hours there. Before I was walking down the dirty road I had a meal – a “comida” (lunch) with soup, main meal and desert. I chose a kind of croquet for the main meal – it was filled with beef. I had awaited the beef on the side of it, though I learned something new.

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Waterfall at James Edward Gardens

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Well at the highway again, I tried to hitchhike, but the drivers were only smiling at me, though I stopped a taxi. I had only to pay 30 MXN to Xilitla. I found the way to the town center, when I had left the taxi, even there was no sign and it was difficult to see, where I had to go. Anyway, there was only one option, because Xilitla is only at one side of the highway. I was surprised, when I well reached the town center. It is really nice and I understand, that it is called a “Pueblo Magico”, I took some photos and was also looking for postcards with views from Xilitla or the James Edward surrealist garden. I even asked for them, but nowhere in town were postcards sold.

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Xilitla

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I was back to the bus station around 5pm and bought a ticket back to Ciudad Valle. Meanwhile I was waiting a very strong rain shower was going down. We all were waiting inside the bus station. When the bus was coming, it was still raining cats and dogs. I hurried to the bus and was not very wet, but there was a woman with a child behind me. I let her in first and the driver did not let us in quickly – he took time for every passenger, even we had prepaid tickets, though I got wet anyway.

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Even this is Xilitla

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When we arrived in Ciudad Valles, it had stopped raining. I took a bus to the centrum, not knowing, that there is a bus station for city buses in the centrum and all city buses stops there. I had to walk back, but that did not matter, I found a stall on the way, where I bought a Hamburger and a liter “Agua de Horchata”. All for 75 MXN. I took these to the hostel and ate it there.

At the hostel where new guests arrived. A German couple, though we did speak German with each other. We actually chatted the whole evening about the area and traveling. It was around 1am, when we got to bed.

For more photos of Xilitla click here, please.

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30th Sept 2018

During breakfast the receptionist of the hostel told me, that the Tamul waterfalls are closed and it is not possible either to go on the river by boat. It is for the very high waters by the rainy season. I decided not to rent a car and only go to the Tamasopo waterfalls and the “Puente de Dios”. The bus to Tamasopo had his own bus station, quite close to the hostel. Though I walked there and was lucky again. I had no long waiting time. The bus ride was for 66 MXN (one direction) by the way. At the waterfall I had to pay an entrance fee again – it was a recreation area as well. There were no reduced fees, though I had to pay 50 MXN, even a part of the area was closed – more about that later. These waterfalls are really worth to see! There are almost four in a row and by the season the falls are heavy and fast running. Actually I was afraid about my camera, because the water was like rain on the path, where we could view the falls. It was allowed to swim there as well, but not close to the falls. I walked around a little, looking at all the falls (small and big) there are and tried to go up the stairs, but all were closed. I was thinking, that it was the way to the “Puente de Dios” and was very disappointed, that it was not possible to go there. Unfortunately I did not ask on the way out about this other place. I tried to catch a bus, but did not see one, therefore I tried to hitchhike to the next bus station and was also picked up by a young Mexican.

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Tamasopo Waterfalls

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The return ticket was for the same price, of course and I was lucky, because the bus – which is only going four or five times a day, was coming after half an hour. While we were arriving in Ciudad Valles, I saw a sign for a Soriana supermarket and left the bus. The sign was telling it was 1000 m to the supermarket, which is not far. It was another one, than I had seen before. Anyway I tried to find body shampoo in a small bottle there, but without success. I had an ice cream, before I was going to the nearby city bus stop. A taxi driver, who just left his passengers, asked me if I would have a ride with him. The price downtown was 80 MXN. I told him, that I am not interested in it. It did not take very long time before a bus for the centrum was coming. I paid the usual 9 MXN and was soon back in town. Actually I tried to leave the bus earlier than downtown, because there is a stop closer to the hostel, but the driver told me, we were not in downtown yet. 😉

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Part of Tamasopo Waterfalls

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I was first going back to the hostel and later going out again for dinner, because there were no many stalls open, when I came back. Actually there were no many stalls and restaurants open later either. I bought French fries with cheese at a “café” and took the “meal” to the hostel. Guess I had heartburn, when I tried to sleep. I was going to sleep quite early, because I decided to go up early the following day and take out money of the ATM before breakfast. I also packed as much as possible this evening.

For more photos of Ciudad Valle and the waterfalls click here, please.

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1st Oct 2018

It often comes different as planned. The very kind receptionist had fixed a ride with a “bla bla car” for me. It was leaving around 10am. I had been awake since 6am and had been to the ATM as soon as we got daylight (around 7am). I was in the breakfast area already 7:40am. Though the receptionist told me about the bla bla car and that she only had to confirm. I told her, that 10am is late, though she found another one, leaving at 8am. I was not willing to go without breakfast and I did not get an offer, to have it right away. The receptionist told me, that the price of 350 MXN for the ride is much cheaper, than the bus, which costs more than 500 MXN. I told her, that I had paid less than 500 MXN. I think I have to tell you, that I was going further to city of Guanajuato in Guanajuato this day. There was no reason to change my plans. The receptionist already had explained to me the day before, that there are no direct buses from Ciudad Valles to Guanajuato (city). I had to go back to San Luis Potosi (city) and get one there.

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Sugar Cane Beside the Highway

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The driver of the “bla bla car” picked me up some minutes before 10am. He told us, that he started at 4am from Tampico. I was a little afraid, that he is too tired to drive. He also was drinking a lot, first water, later Coke, while driving – I think for not falling asleep. It was a man around the fifty, well dressed, but had no luggage at all with him. Though I was wondering in my mind, why he is driving from Tampico to San Luis Potosi. I never asked him. He picked up three more persons at the bus station of Ciudad Valle. One only had a little backpack, but the others had a lot of luggage as well. Anyway all fitted in his trunk. He was driving fast, but the ride was anyway for four hours and I think, the bus ride would not have taken longer. He was driving the “cuota”, that means the highway with tolls after we had agreed to pay 340 MXN instead for 300 MXN each. He did take paid of the couple before we left and soon paid 300 for the fuel. The other money of them he paid the tolls with (130, 47 and 150 MXN). Actually, when he got the money of us others (2), it seems that was his “income”. Maybe he had still fuel in his tank, when he bought for 300 MXN more, but in that case I do not understand, why he went back to the next gas station to fill fuel, because the gas station on our side was closed by an accident (fuel on the “road”).

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Impression of the Road between Ciudad Valles and the Waterfall of Micos

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Anyway we arrived in San Luis Potosi – he had driven me and the other guy to the bus station, just in time, that I could catch a bus to Querétaro. The problem was, that there was only one direct bus a day from San Luis Potosi to Guanajuato. That one was leaving 6am. From Queretaro were more buses leaving for Guanajuato. It was no time to use the bathroom at the bus station, but it was a Primera Plus bus, with a nice and clean bathroom (one for men and one for women). Going by this bus company also means to get a sandwich and a bottle of water for the trip. The sandwich was really welcomed by me. I have only had some biscuits and a bottled, cold coffee during the car trip.

We arrived in Querétaro around 5pm. The next and latest bus for Guanajuato was for 6:30pm. The trip takes around two hours. I bought my ticket and was going to the waiting room. A lot of buses were arriving and leaving, but my bus was not arriving in time. It was half an hour late. By the shorter distance, we only got a bottle of water and a very small snack. I was happy, that I have had one of my snacks left, which I had eaten during the waiting time. By the way, I have had WhatsApp contact with my new host, Xavier, since around 2pm. He also had messaged me, that I should take a city bus to the city center.

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To read about my impressions of the state of Guanajuato, please use the link.