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After a much need shower and change we were ready to explore and I was particularly ready to eat some food. The last meal being a delicious homemade stuffed pepper that Gem had very considerably brought along for the journey and who managed to persuade the bus station canteen to heat up in their microwave. Whilst the bells of the cathedral tolled in the background (for no obvious reason) we emerged into the sun and walked the short distance down to the cathedral, a huge ornately carved building built in the 1500s. We then went to one of the recommended cafes and ate delicious gorditatas which is like a stuffed round pitta bread make of corn. Yum. Our belly's full and lips still tingling with chilli we headed up the hill to get the cable car which runs over the city giving you an amazing overview of the valley and land beyond. Walking along the city centre the buildings look like ones found in so many European cities with small balconies, tall windows, arches and stone facades (can you tell I am the daughter of an architect?) We then got the cable car over the city. I'm not sure Gem actually got to really enjoy or see much as the cable car operator took it apon himself to be our guide and yabbered away in spanish for the entire duration. The views were amazing, seeing right out beyond the city and the aqueduct. Zacatecas was a major player in silver mining in the 1800s and before but then when the value of silver at the turn of the last century dropped it's status began to decline. However it is still feels like a wealthier city and, Gem said, with fewer of the obvious problems seen in so many other Mexican cities, such as begging, street children, general dirt and dilapidated buildings.
When we reached the summit of the cable car we got off and headed towards the building at the top of the hill. However on the small road up there were several (Mexican) indian women in beautiful bright colours sitting sellings stunning equally bright, intricately beaded necklaces and bracelets. Needless to say we both purchased a couple and Gem even got her necklace adjusted with the lady did with such speed. However this rendered us penny less and made the decision for us to decent on foot! We reached the top of the hill only waylaid by a final purchase of hairbands for girls that gem found cash for stashed in her bra (the safest place i was told). At the top were again outstanding views of the city and several larger then life statues. One of which was the infamous Pancho Villa. The revolutionary leader and outlaw still highly revered in many parts of Mexico and who used to wage war by train. Gem had an interesting story about a friend of luis's aunt who when she was a toddler Pancho Villa came into her town. He had a tendency to take what he wanted and no one could or would challenge him. He took a shine to this aunt and took her off with him only to return her three days latest having got bored of playing.
From the top of the hill there was the opportunity to do a zip wire 460m over and 60m above an old quarry. They thankfully took cards and after harnessing up, which included putting on a hairnet and helmet that really just sat on top of my hair, at least that was protected, and witnessing one of the instructors go, we flew there and back, Gemma with her legs flailing all the way! See photos.
After, we walked back down the hill (not encountering either the snakes or muggers the cable car guy had warned us about to encourage us to get the cable car back) to the city we went for some lunch beside a lovely square. We had delicious tortas, huge filled rolls, I went for a meat filled one which keep me full for the rest of the day. Then we headed along to the Museum Zacatecano to see the indigenous artworks for the Huichol (wich-ol) Indians. As we entered the museum we were greeted by a collection of happy skeletons included two boxing in the centre of the courtyard. Mexican's have a national holiday at the end of October which celebrates the dead called El Dia de los Muertos. They decorate their homes with paper cut out bunting and the skeletons were remnants from the festivities. We entered a room and saw a film about the struggles of the indigenous people against the spanish and the history of Zacatecas. Once again the story of Europeans coming to a land and taking what's not theirs. Much blood is shed and what's left of the natives are enslaved or forced into a different way of life. However, thankfully some traditions and cultures survived and the people of the Huichol indians still continue living according to the old ways. (oh dear i sound like something off of avatar). Gemma did a galant job of translating for me, all the text was in Spanish and we gathered generally that these people believed that they came from the sea (more accurate than the christians then) however then it goes a bit weird and the only bloke that existed and his black dog ran aground in a canoe but then the dog conveniently turned into a women and thus mother earth was born. They have 5 sacred sites in in Mexico and every year they do a 280miles pilgrimage across the desert from the west to the east. This takes them 60 days. To be honest I was a slightly unimpressed, we managed 95miles along the west highland way in 6 days so really 60 was a bit slow then Gem pointed out that some of them are as young as 12 plus they do loads of ceremonies along the way and are tripping on the revered hallucinogenic plant, Peyote (totally trumps dry bread and watered down wine of some religions) Also they probably don't have compeed and blisters totally slow you down.
Their art work was wonderful, bright coiled threads or beads suck to clay or card creating magical mosaics. I may of purchased a small one, totally impractical for backpacking.
We returned to our hostel to get changed. During the day it is really hot in the sun but cooler in the shade and at night it is rather chilly. By now I think traveling and jet lag had caught up with me and I was beginning to fade and just couldn't get warm, I had on four layers. We headed out anyway, me hoping I would get a second wind. As we walked down into the town we heard a band playing and within seconds it appeared marching along the road with a entourage of people, a massive white trombone and a donkey. Gem said it could be one of the spontaneous street parties fabled to happen in these neck of the woods and indeed it was. It took up residence in the square next to the cathedral and instantly lots of people got up to dance. Then gem struck up conversation with a mother and daughter with her young son (i lurked at the side trying to smile at the right points) meanwhile a man with a large plastic bottle with some browny yellow liquid was going round filling cups. The daughter then took us over to the donkey where the plastic bottle man gave us a small ceramic cup with a long piece of ribbon which you wear round your neck, it was then filled up with Mescal, this is basically tequila but it can only be called that if it is from the state of Jalisco. (The reason for the donkey -it has a box on either side of it in which the tequila is carried, genius, clearly a niche in the Market in the UK for booze mules.) The daughter, Yvonne then gave us her number and email and said if wanted any assistance or a guide she was happy to help. Truly sweet. We said our adioses and the band set off again into the distance, trombone notes reverberating around the tall buildings. We then headed along to a bar recommend in the lonely planet, our bible for this trip. On our way we paused to see a dancing performance where one after the other young couples would some onstage and strut their stuff doing various adaptations of the tango. We had a couple of cocktails and people watched then I'm afraid the lure of sleeping got too much for me and after a quick dinner break we headed back to the hostel. However bed was to be delay for a bit longer as the enthusiastic hostel owner plied us with a shot of tequila and then as soon as we had drank it filled it up again. Thankfully the bottle ran out after the third and rather wobbly we retired to bed at a respectable midnight.It really was what the movies make Mexico to be and a wonderful intro for my first Friday night in Latin America.
I woke to the bells of the cathedral chiming erratically 20 times at 6.48am, once again with no clear purpose, I re-stuffed my earplugs into my ears and fell back to sleep until a more acceptable 9.30. Rejuvenated after a good nights sleep in an actual bed and with the added bonus of checkout at 12 we packed our bags leisurely and put them into the hostel storeroom and headed out for the day. We went over to a market, which was really a street with shops and stalls, and had a some gorditatas from a very popular street vendor (check me out eating like a local, obviously Gem ordered them though!) We then perused the shops, lots of wonderfully decorated cowboy boots and extravangant wedding gowns and party dresses that make gipsy wedding dresses look like body socks! One shop had a festive skeleton bride and groom next to a slightly less poofy option. Mexicans also seem to have a very sweetooth and the array of sugary treats is endless. They are particulary fond of sugaring fruit a bit like glacier fruits (dad you'd love it!) and we purchased some pumkin and also some condensed milk fudge stuff which didn't last very long between us. We then ambled along to an old convent now half ruin, half museum. The walk through the ruin to the museum was stunning with cascades of vividly coloured Bougainvillaea contrasting with blueness of the sky. Not surprising we saw several brides and their grooms posing for photos, however disappointingly not in big poofy dresses. The museum itself housed an extraordinary collection of masks from all over Mexico depicting weird and wonderful traditions and festivals. I went a bit happy snappy (ok so I usually am) but I only captured about 5% of the 3,000 on display with another 9,000 in storage. Have a look at the photos. My fav was the blonde afro mask. Every time you thought you had got to the end you'd proceed into another long room filled with more masks. Towards the end we started chatting to a couple of guys ( yes even me, they spoke english) who were art students and there with their tutor. We said our adiouses and after a few botched attempts at leaving, the place was rabbit warren, we headed to another lonely planted recommended restaurant. It had wonderful traditional food, I had some enchiladas stuffed with green tomato sauce and pork. All over the walls were sepia pics of proud Mexican cowboys and stern looking women, as well as strange artwork and a large pic of Pancho Villa. The music was a stange mix of French cafe style piano music and Mexican adaptations of popular italian restaurant classics such as hey mumbo! What was most unusual was in the loo there were birds flying freely around tweeting as you tinkled. As I washed my hands, after having a rather panicked few mins where I couldn't actually open the cubicle door, one flew right past my head. Very surreal.
We then returned to the hostel and collected our big bags and after a few dithers about our next destination we headed to the bus station and I am currently pre writing this blog on my iPad as we jolt our way to San Luis Potosi just 3 hrs south of Zacatecas. In the background nicolas cage is dubbed into Spanish in some weird film about his son predicting accidents and the end of the world. I am also feeling rather smug as I have just finished this post in the nick of time as I only 1% of power left! Adios...
- comments
Bobby Galloway This is lovely Islay, do write more "a massive white trombone and a donkey" is my favourite, but the Pancho Villa stuff had me for a loop. Tell all. x