A leisurely start today but I opted for the convenience of breakfast in the hotel. Mauricio persuaded us to upgrade to a private transport firm which gave us the opportunity to stop along the way which would not be possible on public transport. It also meant that my rucksack, which now contains all my stuff would not have to be carried any distance so this was well worth the extra £3 it cost.
The first benefit was a coffee stop and photo opportunity where a good view of Popocatepetl was enjoyed. The volcano seemed quiet.
We were driving through a region famous for it’s Mexican champagne and we stopped to sample some. It turned out to be cider, Mauricio’s idea of a joke. It wasn’t bad but a bit sweet to my taste but very low in alcohol. Some was red coloured, an effect achieved by blending in red wine. We pushed on to Cholula along a motorway with an extraordinary amount of rubbish along the verges including one spectacularly dead dog.
Cholula is noted for it’s many churches; perhaps most striking is the Santuria de los Remedios de la Virgin which sits atop an older Aztec pyramid.
The church itself is one of the most beautiful I’ve ever seen with lots of golden decoration but everything is backed with white to create a stunning impression. Here Mauricio introduced us to the local delicacy, fried crickets.
Some sampled them but I couldn’t quite bring myself to do this! In the town I managed to procure a new cap in the market for a meagre £1.50 and enjoyed wandering around the food stalls. The vegetables all seemed incredibly fresh and most looked as if they’d been polished!
Butcher’s stalls were interesting for the sheer quantity of meat available. I also looked at the Franciscan convent which had a magnificent church attached. Many of the churches looked a bit tired from the outside but within all is immaculate and this one had many fantastic flower displays to help brighten it up!
Onto Puebla where we dumped our bags before heading off for an orientation tour. The Hotel Victoria fits the description of ‘Basic’ pretty well but Ben and I share a large room with comfortable double beds which is all we need really although a more copious shower would be a bonus. Mauricio persuaded that a genuine Mexican experience would be to enjoy the Wrestling so after buying tickets we retired to a bar where the beer was 10 pesos (50p) for a little refreshment. Seeing that most might be there for quite a while I left with one of our number , Rachel, who was not drinking anyway. Feeling the need for some proper food I went to the restaurant opposite the hotel and enjoyed a Tinga Poblano. This was a chicken stew decorated with slices of avocado and strips of a white-feta like cheese but not so salty. I also ordered rice which came with peas and bits of carrot mixed in. As if this was not enough they also provided several bread rolls and nachos with a green dip which was mostly herb based with a chilli kick to it as well. Washed down with a half bottle of Mexican Cabernet Sauvignon the whole lot came to 225 pesos or £11.25 in English money!
Feeling better I met with Rachel and we headed back to the wrestling but nobody was there. So we retraced our steps to the bar where we’d left them and found them, all very lively. The wrestling proved to be a colourful, noisy and highly staged event; a mixture of gymnastics, choreography and overacting. The last bout involved a team of three with the addition of a small person dressed as a parrot. Periodically, when opponents were prone on the floor, the parrot was thrown onto them.
The only person hurt was an unfortunate spectator at the end of the final bout when two of the wrestlers catapulted themselves out of the ring. We can be less sure about the fate of the parrot! The noise from so few people was astounding. Perhaps Norwich City should import them to add a bit of atmosphere to home games.
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