On Monday, when we were visiting Toluca, I mentioned that I would like to get a good view of "el Nevado de Toluca", an extinct volcano to the south of the city. With an elevation of 15, 354 feet above sea level, it is the fourth highest mountain in Mexico. Alejandro asked a local where we could go for a view, and we were told to keeping heading south out of the city on a certain road until we came to a hill with a cross on top. There was a path up the hill that we could climb for a view of the volcano. So off we went, Alejandro stopping to frequently ask if we were still on the right road for the hill with the cross. We came to the town of Santiago Tlacotepec and found the hill (or perhaps small mountain would be a better description). Houses climbed part way up the hill, and we were able to drive up until we came to the end of the paved street. We parked the car and looked for the path to the top of the hill.
Looking down at the town of Santiago Tlacotepec (with the zoom lens)
We finally reached the cross at the top.
Upon reaching the top, we discovered that there was a farmer who was burning his cornfields in preparation for the spring planting. There was a lot of wind up there, and the smoke was obscuring the view of the volcano.
So from the hill we followed a ridge that climbed even higher. It seemed as if we should be too high and remote for there to be agriculture, but there was. The dusty path ran alongside plowed "milpas" (cornfields) and rows of maguey cactus from which they make a brew known as "pulque".
Toluca was very far below us.
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| (photo taken by Alejandro) |
Zooming in on the city
Because of the sun's position, and all the blowing dust and smoke, the view of "el Nevado" was not the greatest. Nevertheless, it was a fun adventure, and I can't help but wonder if I were the first "gringo" to tread that path.
How fun to have someone to share your adventures with.......I doubt I would have made it to the top!
ReplyDeleteI've added your blog to my blogroll. Have about 30,000 readers a month. You should see a steep rise in your readership.
Yes, and having a Mexican friend I get to go to places I probably would never see otherwise.
ReplyDeleteThanks for adding me to your blogroll. I shall do the same, although I cannot claim nearly as many readers as you!
¡Muchas gracias y saludos!
I always drove F nuts with my desire to hike up each and every hill, pyramid, or steep alley we ever came across. It's always amazing what you find, hidden treasures, great views, wonderful restaurants.
ReplyDeleteSaludos,
Kim G
Boston, MA
Where there are small hills, but otherwise it's pretty flat.
Have you climbed the Tepozteco in Tepoztlán? Exhausting going up, and scary coming down. That's one climb I have no desire to do again. Pyramids I don't mind (unless they are unreconstructed rubble). I have a special technique that makes the descent of even the steepest ones less scary. I face sideways and side-step my way down.
DeleteSaludos,
Bill
F and I have hiked up there, though I was somewhat disappointed when we got to the top. Not so much by the temples, which were nice, but by the smog which was horrible that day. I didn't find the descent all that difficult, though I sometimes use your technique on pyramids. I also find that if I descend in zig-zags rather than going straight down, it's much easier.
DeleteI'd love to go back to the Tepozteco some day when there's clearer air, and I loved Tepoztlán.
Saludos,
Kim
I had the same experience with the Tepozteco... too much smog for a really dramatic view. And we were in the same area today, and the air quality again was not good. If you're there in the winter, you not only have the smog from Cuernavaca, but the farmers are burning their fields in preparation for the spring planting.
DeleteSaludos
I'm not sure that you qualify as a Gringo anymore - with as much time as you have spent in Mexico over the years!!!
ReplyDeleteOnce a "gringo", always a "gringo". But I have been mistaken for many different nationalities down here, so I guess I don't come across as the stereotypical "gringo".
DeleteI've found that once I gained a decent accent in Spanish that people weren't able to figure out where I was from, so I get all kinds of wild guesses. French? German? Dutch? Estadounidense often seems fairly far down the list, which surprises me.
DeleteI don't know about you, but another thing is that I never wear bermuda shorts in the city.
DeleteI remember one time we went to a fairly nice restaurant for supper. I was hesitant to go because I felt grubby after a day of climbing pyramids. I felt better about my appearance however when an older "gringo" walked in wearing bermuda shorts and flip-flops. ¡Ay!
I can't imagine wearing shorts any time in Mexico City. It's just not done. In fact, when I was in high school, I was told that Mexican men NEVER wore shorts. That, of course, has changed, but I think it still pretty much rules in DF. F had plenty of shorts, but mostly wore them on vacation.
DeleteI am seeing shorts more often in D.F. but mainly on young guys, rarely on people of my age.
DeleteI did however break down and wear shorts in Spain a couple years ago. My cousin who lives in Madrid told me everyone wears shorts in the summer. Well, not everyone, but I didn't stand out in the crowd. Of course I still would never wear shorts when going to a nice restaurant.