The beginning of 13 days of exploring the Huasteca area. First stop was to visit our friends Amelia and Trini in Calvillo, Aguascalientes, Mexico.🇲🇽
Photo credit: Deb English
Deb, Delia and me, climbed these stairs. Delia made it look easy. I met Delia in November 2021 at a vegetable market. We promised to meet again and we finally did. She's Mexican and works the fishing season in Alaska. She makes enough money in 2 1/2 months to live comfortably in Calvillo the remainder of the year. She just had a new house built. Delia loves to travel and is a fantastic photographer as well.
We also met up with Amelia and Trini. Trini found us in the square and we went to Amelia's parents home. It was Jessie's birthday (their daughter). There was a handful of ladies cooking mole. We stood around the kitchen talking and making plans to meet at their house in the morning. Trini wanted to take us up the hill to his property.
We stayed in Aguascalientes. Our hotel was close to the huge fair, San Marcos Féria. We were able to easily walk to it in 20 minutes or so.
We spent the evening walking around. We even stayed out after dark.
They had concerts nearly every night.
We peeked in the church.
Unfortunately I didn't go on any rides. There was no talking Deb into them.
This was beautiful. These folks were doing some fancy dancing.
Looks like fun! We had a drink at the rooftop bar and watched the crowd of people walking while the many bands played music every 10 feet. All the bars and restaurants competing by blasting their own music.
We all packed into Trini's gently used Nissan truck. I was lucky to get a front seat. Deb sat on a short stool and Amelia on some jackets. In the truck bed was Trini's helper, Juvenal Lara. He had a small job to do near the top of the mountain. He also popped out to open the many locked gates we traveled through.
At one point, we needed more traction in the back of the truck to get up a steep rocky hill. Amelia got in the back to help.
The view was spectacular!
Cactus were blooming everywhere.
Trini and Amelia rescue abandoned dogs. Currently they are caring for 24 dogs of all ages. A few are pets but they are very successful in finding them homes. Some even finds homes in the States and Canada.
Deb was getting her puppy fix here.
I have to admit, I liked this puppy too.
Deb my Angel 😇
Back walking around Aquascalientes.
We walked into the centro to find dinner.
Photo credit: Deb English
We found a place that had sushi and hamburgers. We were both happy. I had a marginal mojito.
Driving day! I got to snap a few photos along the way.
Our navigation was throwing us some curves this afternoon but we finally accidentally stumbled into what we were looking for: Puente de dios.
We were happy to find it and enjoyed our time here.
We were not disappointed. It was just like the pictures we saw but better in person.
I was pleased my new functional one piece suit.
I believe we descended 422 stairs to get to the swimming hole and falls. Not a lot of pictures going up as I was out of breath.
The area was lush green contrasted with the many pink blossomed trees in Tamasopo.
Very pretty.
Deb is a seasoned driver when it comes to Mexican roads.
We avoided this mess.
We stayed three nights in Ciudad Valles, San Luis Potosí. It was centrally located to many of the activities we wanted to do.
We headed out early the next day to find (El Naranja. )The directions sent us down a wrong road. It wasn't too long of a detour and I caught (lol) a turtle.
Photo credit: Deb English
This guy found us right after we parked and helped us with our boat. Life jackets were required here the same as Puente de dios.
The water was so pretty. We got a private boat and he did all the rowing.
We got out of the boat and climbed around on rocks.
Photo credit: Deb English
Then I made the big leap! So exciting and almost scary. It probably was less than 10 feet drop but it looked high.
Do you love this photo?
This place had easy access right in town. Seemed like a local swimming spot.
I swam around in the shallow cool waters.
Photo credit: Deb English
Photo credit: Deb English
The next morning was the extreme activities. Deb stayed back at the Pago Pago river below me.
Photo credit: Deb English
Zip lining was fun, easy and not scary.
The narrow shaky bridge= Scary
Don't look down.
The Sky Bike! This is why I came 😊
My helpers Brandon, Jesus and Jessie.
Isn't this pretty?
Photo credit: Deb English
I liked swimming here.
Photo credit: Deb English
Photo credit: Deb English
Back to town: Ciudad Valles. Our home base for 3 days.
We weren't done with adventures and we headed to the river in town.
They saw art replicas in the garden while we waited for a boat ride of the Rio Valles.
Our private boat.
It was such a pretty and relaxing ride.
Morning coffee before we hit the road.
I loved these trees with their drippy yellow flowers.
We took this crazy drive up and down hills, through small villages and was lost for a brief period of time. We eventually found our destination.
It was hard to catch the swifts flying in with the fog.
We climbed up 656 stairs!
On the drive back down the mountain.
We stopped in this Pueblo Magico for lunch.
Photo credit: Deb English
We made it to Xilitla. The gal that checked us in at the hotel, had a river runners shirt on from Colorado.... just like me!
We walked about in the square before dinner.
I wasn't impressed by their sign. Can you see it?
I have Wings!
The next morning we walked down the hill to the famous Edward James gardens.
Cool rocks all layered up on the side of the hill.
I loved this tour and would highly recommend a visit here. Below are too many pictures. You have been warned!
Our tour guide was a native whose father was Edward James' driver. He grew up running around the gardens as a kid.
Photo bombed🥲
I could have stayed here all day but the tour was only 2 hours.
Isn't this an amazing door?
I think these are snakes.
The two doors in and out of this section the the garden.
I believe this is the Stairway to Heaven.
Snakesssssssssssss!
Tall door
This was one of my favorite places we visited during the trip.
They had a few restaurants and lots of vendors. We ate at Cerveceria James. They had IPAs.
I loved this picture.
Los Comales Waterfalls were just a few meters from the main garden. It cost extra pesos, I think, 300. I had to go look.
They had a Temazcal that you could reserve.
I took a selfie, turned around and walked into the tree.
It was pretty!
We found more angle wings in town but Deb wasn't into showing her wings here.
In the main plaza of Xilitla.
This is the oldest building in the village, the old convent of San Agustin.
A sculpture from Leonora Carrington.
They had a lot of decorated doors.
IMGINE
Deb got a burger at this rooftop bar. I don't know the name but Deb wouldn't recommend it.
One the last day in Xilitla, we went to the Leonora Carrington museum. She was a surrealistic sculpture artist and writer among many other things. It was very interesting. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonora_Carrington
I give it a thumbs up!
I love the faces on these.
I hope you enjoyed the tour of the art gallery.
Rooftop cafe that has delicious green juice and good art.
Photo credit: Deb English
Heading back down the hill from Xilitla. On our way to Ixmiquilpan.
The main plaza in Ixmiquilpan.
Diana the Huntress
I hope you liked that picture because you will see it again soon.
We were in room 51, right by this little beauty. I never saw any children in the daylight but at 10pm when we were going to bed....they came out to enjoy the merry go round.
This was one of my favorite days. We went to Grutas Tolantongo. It was even better than I imagined. https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grutas_de_Tolantongo
Look! You know you want to be here too!
The water here was warm...not hot.
Nice and relaxing
I didn't do that...I didn't want to mess up my hair.
Instead of taking a small bus to the river which would be $10 pesos about 60 cents, we decided to walk down a millions stairs and try to get lost. It was the best!
There aren't many cool trucks in Mexico so I was happy to see this beauty.
This water was unbelievable.
We were in this canyon with massive mountains on either side.
This was the most fun I had besides the bike over the canyon. The water was so warm and I was inside of a cave!
Deb liked it.
The ceiling
The water was so pretty here too.
This was the tunnel. We went inside here. It was a bit scary as there wasn't much light and the floor was uneven and there were holes/pools along the way. We went as far as we could but it challenged me. I'm glad I was brave and did it! That why I brought Deb with me.😇
Unbelievable colors of blue here.
The canyon on the way up. The view was amazing.
This was along the road to our last stop of San Miguel de Allende.
Our friends Jim and Ayla live in a small town outside of San Miguel. Their village is Atotonilco.
Mile marker. They start the procession with folks carrying Jesus' beaten and bloody into San Miguel de Allende during Holy Week.
This is a very important church and has buses of tourists each day.
What does it say?
'a taco a day is the key to happiness'
We were living the life of luxury.
We took a walk down the hill along the dry Laja River.
Photo credit: Deb English
I climbed in the cactus plant. Deb declined.
That's Jim and Ayla's house from the dry riverbed.
Not much water but it was sure green with algae.
We couldn't figure this out. Seemed manmade.
The last blooming cactus from our walk.
The driveway and garden entering Jim and Ayla's place.
Love the gate.
The entry into the house was beautifully inviting.
Stairs to the orchard.
The cottage set off to the side of the driveway.
Front of the house.
Fountain on the back patio.
The view from here was spectacular!
This is an interesting wall hanging. It used to be a colorful shrine piece.
Back patio. We loved staying here. It was beautiful and we felt pampered.
Diego is a 135 purebred Rottweiler. He is just a huge puppy at 2 years old.
We spent many hours visiting and petting doggies.
Ruff life.
Jim chauffeured us into town and we took care of Tia.
I loved these ornate doors.
Cultural center. We didn't go in this trip.
Pretty courtyard
In front of Iglesia de San Rafael.
We saw a photo shoot for a quinceanera.
The principal plaza.
Deb was happy to get some shopping in.
See!!! We saw this statue 2 days earlier in Xmiquilpan...I took the same picture.
We had lunch with the sisters, Sally and Karen. They are both in their early 80's and extremely funny and entertaining. We had lunch at Baja Taco's. We enjoyed the food but I felt like they were skinny on their margaritas.
The streets of San Miguel.
I'm tiny!
Deb was very popular with the doggies.
Our fabulous hosts, Jim and Ayla, Tia, Sadie and Diego.
Good bye Atotonilco and San Miguel de Allende.
This was a fantastic trip. I loved that we started and finished it visiting friends. That's the wonderful thing about traveling: You make fabulous friends along the way.