Guanajato

This was my second time to Guanajuato, and it remains one of my favorite places to visit. The town was built on the backs of the silver mines. Two main streets run down the bottom of the valley, with sidewalks stretching up the sides of the hills. The main streets are a little narrow and frequently choked with vehicles, but once you get away and head up the sidewalks there are endless opportunities to explore.

A couple of views of houses built up the side of the valley.



A view of El Callejón del Beso


From the top of the same alley


Another alley in Guanjuato


A must see is a Callejoneada. Basically a late night party on the go, you follow a small troupe of musicians around the alleys and streets. To find one, just head out around 8 or 9 and listen for the music. Join the crowd and enjoy the music. They sometimes pass out small shots of tequila or other liquor, but you'd be better off BYOB.


The one thing to avoid is the mummy museum. It's basically a lot of this. Not worth the pesos or the crowds.

La Quemada

Near Zacatecas is la Quemeda, the ruins of a Mesoamerican village. It's not as impressive as Teotihuacan, but it's still a nice place to visit. The ruins are built into a hill.


A closer look


A small pyramid.


On the way back we got hit by a torrential down pore that caused a little flash flood. It was a little scary since we were surrounded by fields with no high ground to evacuate to. What appeared to be giant cakes of salt were floating by our van.

Zacatecas

Zacatecas was one of our favorite places. Like Gunajuato, it is an old colonial town that made a fortune from silver. Hotel prices are a bit higher than elsewhere, but it's well worth a couple nights stay. There are several good museums in town, and plenty of places to stroll around and check out the views.

The Cerro de La Bufa, which serves as a major landmark in town. There's a road leading to the top, but the hike up is worthwhile. Just don't forget to bring water.


One of the hills in Zecatacas


Looking down on the city center


A view of the cathedral and the cerro de la bufa


There's a old silver mine that you can tour. The price is kind of high. I think it was around 150 pesos a person. But it was an interesting tour. There's also a nightclub in the mine, but we didn't go, so I don't know what the prices are like.


We caught the International Folk Dance Festival. The streets were a little crowded, but it really livened up the town.


Some of the folk dancers performing.

Guadalajara

A couple pictures of the cathedral in Guadalajara. It seems like a nice place to live, but not much to see as a tourist. There is a good amount of pedestrian space in the center of town, but there are only a few restaurants and bars.

Tequila

From Guadalajara we took a day trip out to Tequila, the home of tequila. Tours run about 100 Pesos (8 or so dollars), and they all seem to be about the same. See the distillation plant, see the aging kegs, and have a few shots. You might also get to see the blue aguave fields used to make the liquor. In my opinion, the tours aren't really worth it. It's a nice little town, which is well worth visiting, but don't bother with a tour. Just head to a local cantina had have a few shots. And pick up a bottle at one of the many liquor stores in town.

The tour buses lined up


Blue aguave and the steamer they cook them in


The wort which is fermenting


Storage vats


One of the many tequila liquor stores in town

New York City

A quick stop in New York City on the way to Mexico. On the afternoon of our arrival, we visited the Guggenheim, took a stroll through Central Park and saw Times Square. The next morning we took the Statue of Liberty Crown Tour and strolled around downtown Manhattan before heading to the airport. The Crown Tour is highly, highly recommended. Not just because it's cool to go up into the crown, but because you get to bypass the humongous lines that go into the base.