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Puebla & Cholula


Carnival in Cholula

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By the time we had been sidetracked a few times, all the churches were closed for siesta, from 12.30 until 4.15. Since we didn't want to stay around in the city until that time we decided to come back another day. We had thought to only stay a couple of days here but after our first foray into the city of Puebla, we decided that at least one more visit was needed.
Shortly after our arrival back at the campground a Rotel tour bus arrived. Juergen tells me that he has seen them in Byron Bay, but this was the first time I remember laying eyes on one. Not really the way I would want to travel, but it is obvious that the Germans on this one were having a great time and really working together to set up, prepare food and pack up.
On Wednesday we decided to visit the town centre of Cholula, thinking it might be a more relaxing day than the previous one in Puebla. Not so! First there was the Zócalo to walk around - every bit as attractive as the one in Pueblo. We sat for a while at a café and drank coffee and ate Quesadillas - very nice mid-morning snack. Then it was around the corner to the Mercado Municipal - the local market which sells almost everything you can think of. The fresh food here is surprisingly good. The avocados and tomatoes are so tasty that I feel like I've never eaten good examples of either before. Maybe this is because they both originate from Mexico. And bread is certainly an ongoing surprise. We really hadn't expected to be able to buy such good bread on a regular basis. We didn't buy anything, but just looked, because our next destination was the pyramid.
Teneapa Pyramid is the largest pyramid by volume in the world. It appears to be just a hill with a church perched on top. Excavations have found that this is only the 'tip of the iceberg'! I walked up to the church while Juergen rested his knee - the church is another of the amazing over-decorated catholic churches that are so prevalent in Mexico. The view of the surrounding countryside is incredible. Puebla can be seen in the distance and there are also a couple of volcanoes, although they were barely visible with clouds covering their peaks.
After an interesting lunch of Enchiladas Verde - the verde is a green sauce which didn't really do it for me, but a Mexican at the next table presented us with an avocado which made everything all right - we went into the pyramid. Excavation of the tunnels allowed archaeologists to ascertain the magnitude of this structure and there are a few hundred metres of fully lit tunnels through which you can walk. Along the way it is possible to look up and down into other tunnels which have been excavated but which are not open to the public. I found it a little claustrophobic, but just as I began to feel like I'd had enough, there was literally 'light at the end of the tunnel' and we were heading out into the daylight again on the other side of the pyramid. From there you continue into the Patio de los Altares (Courtyard of the Altars), which is a collection of open air excavations giving some idea of the size of this site. This was my second Mexican ruins site and was every bit as impressive as the first.
Walking back through town to catch the bus back to the Trailer Park we constantly stopped to photograph buildings, or part thereof, and street scenes! The amazing variety of colours, the ornate doors, gates and windows, decorated trucks and yet more colours. It is truly a feast for the eyes. So much for an easier day. After these two days of exploring two delightful places we needed a rest on Thursday! I did go back into Cholula to shop at the market along with one of our fellow campers, Wally Wilkins from Ontario - a very spritely man in his 70s that I had trouble keeping up with on our walk to the centre! It was even more fun shopping in the Mercado than walking around in it!
After that strenuous task we decided we needed a rest, so sat and drank a local beer in the Zócalo and watched the people go by. I was struck once again by how beautiful and uncomplicated Mexico appears to be. I just love being here and am so glad we have made it this far before we got tired of travelling!
Friday brought us back to the practicalities of life! We had another flat battery in the camper and didn't really know what caused it. It is the third battery to die on us and we had begun to think that it might be some sort of electrical problem in the camper. We had even thought about driving back to Texas to have it looked at because there would be no electricians here who knew about camper wiring. But that would only be a last resort - we really feel like we have finished there and want to continue with this next phase of our journey. Bill had checked it out when we were on the Emerald Coast and couldn't find anything wrong. A Mexican who lives in his camper in the Trailer Park had told us about a marine shop in Puebla and drawn us a mud-map to get there. So we set out on Friday to see if we would have any success.
We found the shop without any difficulty and even found an English speaker, Eric, on the premises, who helped us explain what the problem was. Unfortunately Eric had to leave before the electrician arrived. However, when Juan did arrive he got straight to work installing a new battery and then checking everything in the wiring. I don't know much about these things, but he at least appeared to be very thorough. When he was done he called Eric and explained what he had done and then got Eric to explain it to me over the phone. It seems he could also find nothing major wrong with the electrical system except for a couple of 'iffy' connections, which he fixed. After spending over an hour on the job they only wanted to charge us for the new battery. Another example of the very helpful nature we have found here in the Mexican people. When we arrived back at the campground and plugged into the mains we heard the charger buzzing for the first time since our initial night in Mexico. We still don't really know why the battery died, but we have a new one and will keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn't get completely drained as we suspect the other on did.
We had decided to stay for a week when it was considerably cheaper than paying day by day. Also, we wanted to visit Puebla again and also Cholula. Later on Saturday afternoon we headed into Puebla again and this time we found the churches open. We went into Iglesia de Santo Domingo de Guzman, which we had earlier seen from the outside only. It is famous for its small side chapel - Capilla del Rosario - and after stepping one foot inside I understood why. It has the most intricate plaster work and is almost covered in gold leaf. One of our guide books says that the King of Spain would be jealous of the gold in this church! The rest of the church is quite impressive, but the chapel is over the top!
As we walked toward the Zócalo with the intention of visiting the Puebla cathedral we were stopped in our tracks by crowds of people lining the main street running past the square. We had noticed there were a lot more people on the streets than when we had been in Puebla earlier in the week, but had just thought it was because it was the weekend. We decided to stop and see what was going on. Nothing happened for a while and then a young Mexican woman who noticed us talking English to each other asked if we wanted to know what was happening - in very good English. She then explained to us that a procession was about to start that was a celebration of the 50th Anniversary of a famous school in Puebla - the school she had gone to. It is always great to just bump into things like that - you can't plan it, you just have to be in the right place at the right time. Of course, travelling without deadlines and time limitations makes it a lot easier to immerse oneself in such situations.
The parade of the "Centro Escolar Niños Héroes de Chapultepec" was great. The school has 6800 students from Kindergarten through year 12 and runs 2 school sessions per day. All of these students took part in the parade, along with teachers past and present. It went for close to 2 hours and Juergen was extremely busy with the camera, not only on the parade but also on the crowd watching. Our new camera has such a good zoom function, and the swivel lens allows great portraits to be taken without anyone posing. The children make excellent subjects... We had a nice dinner overlooking the Zócalo and left Puebla again without seeing everything, but we had the bonus of the parade to take with us.

Wednesday, 14 February 2007, San Juan Teotihuacán, Mexico
After our evening in Puebla on Saturday, we decided to stay one day more to visit the city again and finally left yesterday to come here in order to visit the incredible Teotihuacán ruins. But that description must wait for the next update.
On Sunday we spent the afternoon in Cholula again, mostly in and around the Zócalo. Once again we stumbled upon a celebration and had a feast for the senses. When we arrived we heard intermittent loud bangs, thinking they were the typical Mexican fireworks, which you can hear almost every day. Then we noticed a few oddly dressed people in masks, carrying very old-fashioned guns and wandering around the plaza. Every now and then they would fire the guns, making a very loud bang. About an hour later the music started and there was a parade happening around the Zócalo. There were many more costumed people and many more guns and the noise was deafening! I ascertained that it was a Carnaval celebration. They seem to have a few of these leading up to the actual days before Lent. But then, as one of our guide books says, Mexicans will use any excuse at all for a Fiesta!
On Monday we left for Puebla fairly early in order to reach the places we wanted to see before the siesta. Unfortunately we didn't realise that most of what we wanted to see were classified as museums - even though one was an ex-convent and another was an historic house - and all but one museum in Puebla are close Mondays! We did manage to go inside the Puebla Cathedral, but you are not allowed to take photos inside it. It was big and it was as decorated as we've come to expect, but nothing else really stands out, except for its very cool marble floors.
We had coffee and cake overlooking the Zócalo and I had my shoes cleaned. Only 15 Pesos and they really looked a treat. On the way back to Cholula on the bus we had the best view of the volcanoes yet. They were clearly visible and directly before us and alongside us for most of the trip. On arrival at the campground, we packed the camper almost ready for leaving the next day and then drove out to visit the church Santa Maria in Tonantzintla, that our guide book describes as 'one of the most beautiful churches in Mexico'! Having seen it I'm not sure that I would call it beautiful. I have described the chapel in Pueblo as 'over the top' and I just don't have a description left for this church. My suggestion is just have a look at the photos! This church is certainly worth a visit because I think you have to see it to believe it!!!
Our last night in Cholula I sat out in the compound using the internet to talk to my niece and nephew and the sky nearby lit up with beautiful fireworks. Another impromptu bonus to being in this amazing and unpredictable country.


 
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