So we planned to deposit our luggage again at the hotel's storage room and decided to go outside Taxco starting from the Cristo Rey on top of the hill and to the outskirts at the Las Pozas de Azules in Atzala de la Asuncion, Taxco, Mexico that was initially recommended to us by the receptionist in the hotel when we checked in yesterday.
When we got out of the hotel the Good Friday procession had already been started and there were conflagrantes walking on the streets already. The animas penitentes were walking in front of us crying and carrying two candles on their hands. They appeared to be stooping on their backs facing the ground afraid to be recognized and were seen dragging some chains attached to their bare feet. The placita was already crowded with people, locals and tourist alike.
We decided to go inside the cathedral and uttered some prayers for ourselves, our travels, our love ones, and others. After praying we decided to get some breakfast at La Fonda which was also recommended at the hotel. It took us time to arrived there because of the crowded procession happening on the streets of Taxco that hot Friday morning. The scorching sun was already on its peak at 1000H.
We got to La Fonda and asked for a table to be seated. It was a Mexican buffet resto so we got to pick what we wanted to eat. Since I've heard that the "menudo" was their staple here in Taxco I decided to try a small bowl of it. I spotted it boiling on a clay pot and had checked it out. It was yummy and very delicious. I then ordered the scrambled eggs with green chorizo topped with green sauce from the lady who is cooking omelletes at the corner of the buffet table. I also ordered a cup of brewed coffee with cream and also a fresh squeeze sweet orange juice. When I finished, I also picked some slices of fresh fruits of watermelon, papaya, strawberry, honeydew, pineapple, and kiwi. I was stuffed after that and could not breath anymore. Hehehe.
After eating, we decided to get out of the Centro because it was too crowded there due to the Good Friday procession. We managed to squeeze in the crowd and get out of the crowded streets and decided to use the slopy uphill paved-roads going up the Cristo Rey. Halfway up the hill we saw some taxis dropping off passengers downhill near the placita so we huddled one driver and asked him how much he charge to bring us up to the Cristo Rey. He didn't charge that much so we hired him to bring us up there.
The ride up the hill was very treacherous and scary. It was just riding on your death trap on a roller coaster for about twenty minutes long. I was holding and sitting tightly at my seat because I am afraid we might crash down. Our driver was very calm and confident. He really drove well on that kind of terrain. While driving he was being interviewed by my friend. They both managed to have a casual conversation while driving up the treacherous hilly paved road. The driver had asked and offered my friend to drive us to Las Pozas de Azules for an affordable price. Since he is more convenient at that time we decided to hire him to drive us there.
Ten minutes later we were at the top of the mountain. The road was blocked by several white VW beetle taxis uniformly lining up the side of the one-way street of the hill. We went out of the taxi and decided to walk towards the Cristo Rey since it is of arm's reach. We also told the driver to wait us up at the entrance after several minutes and he affirmed it. The view there at the Cristo Rey, after we went down was stunning. We can see the whole aerial view of Taxco from where we are standing.
We kept ambling towards the Cristo Rey. The statue was made of red bricks about 50 meters tall. He is standing on a post which appeared like a Greek column. His hands were outstretched acting like welcoming and gathering all the people coming there. It can be spotted from the placita but more prominent when seen in person. It was a humongous and gigantic statue. Stunning yet captivating.
At the base of the statue was an open receiving deck for the visitors to view the whole town from the top of the mountain giving the audience a blanket of white boxed houses and buildings on it's slopy hilly terrain. From there I started to snapped some panoramic pictures of the whole town focusing on the Santa Prisca Cathedral and the little placita beside it which was crowded with people at that moment because of the procession happening during that time.
There were also a lot of tourist going up at the Cristo Rey during that time appreciating the beauty of Taxco from there. Unlike the colorful houses of Guanajuato, Taxco's view from the hill was very simple in white and orange yet the uniform structure of the houses cut in a box style, with one or two windows, made it more stunning and pleasing to the eyes. And the uniformly arranged orange brick tiled roofs had made the view more elegant. It's just like being in south of France near the Rivieras sans the Mediterranean sea.
We stayed at Cristo Rey roughly for fifteen minutes then after feasting our eyes with the excellent aerial view of Taxco we headed our way to Las Pozas de Azules in Atzala. Our driver was waiting outside the entrance of the Cristo Rey. The narrow way in going down the hill was been blocked by the taxis going up so our driver decided to use an alternate route going to another sitio on the west side of the hill.
On our way to Las Pozas my friend asked the driver's name and they get comfy with each other talking just like a familiar person. They never stopped talking despite of the slopy terrain and the dusty road. The drive down the hill was even steeper and scary yet our driver was adept in driving the treacherous road and appears confident and brave in his driving. He told my friend that he started driving when he was fourteen. He is now 23 years old, appears young and scrawny. His skin was been dark because of the constant and frequent exposure to the sun. He said he has a 12-month-old daughter and was very friendly and polite to us. We were lucky because he was a very likable person and very cautious with his driving. We trusted him for our experience today and he promised us to keep us safe on our way to Las Pozas.
Prior to heading to Las Pozas our driver stopped at a curve and told us that there was a little waterfall just a few feet from the highway. He directed us to the falls right after he parked near the store nearby. At about 50 meters from the highway was a small falls streaming down a 20 meter slope and I took pictures of it for my online album. There were also a lot of tourist there appreciating the falls. After several minutes we left the vicinity and headed to Las Pozas.
The highway to Las Pozas was paved then was cut short when we were about to go down the mountain going down to the valley at the foot of the mountain. The drive there was dusty and the sun was at its height because it was already 1300H at that time. The drive to Las Pozas was about one hour. It was a bumpy, scary, and dusty ride.
When we arrived at the mouth of the settlement right at the foot of the mountain near the valley, we were greeted by a ten-year-old hunchback boy asking if we needed a tour guide going to Las Pozas. He told us that he will guide us the way for a fee of ten pesos. He appeared pitiful because of his condition but a very lively and free spirited boy. We agreed for him to guide us so we let him in the car and then he told the driver to just continue driving and also told him where to park legally.
We then alighted from the car after parking and we felt the scorching heat of the sun on our now sweaty skin. I was already drenching in sweat and appeared very uncomfortable but I still continued to follow the guys because I was excited to see the famous falls.
We followed the trail going to the falls passing some neighborhoods and houses. The boy instructed us where to go and we followed him where he goes. It took us twenty minutes to go inside the jungle until we reached a rocky stream full of visitors taking a bath and others picnicking at the side of the stream. We continued to amble deep inside the forest and saw more people swimming on a natural blue basin of water and some having party on the banks of the basin. It looks like a hidden oasis deep inside the forest.
A little more above the stream were three or four more big natural basins of crystal blue water, appears close to each other, looking like posies being placed side by side hence the name "pozas", teeming with bathing people and screaming children. My God, it was already packed there in that hot Friday afternoon. I never knew this remote and secret place was been overly crowded at that time of the day.
The cliff right above the stream was dry so technically there was no falls. They say that when there is heavy rain the cliff will drop falling waters from a 100 feet height like white curtains draping the cliff and the view must be stunning as I imagined it. I might checked it out in Google when I have time, but having invested so much time and danger to just see no falls was a huge disappointment. We should have asked first before going there. We could not blame the driver either because he doesn't know. Albeit the five basins of blue water teeming with bathing people was the stunner of the day. It was very colorful to watch from torqoise to ciel blue to dark blue. It was believed to have that blue color due to the chemical in the limestone that consisted the basin holding the water.
After getting several pictures of the blue basins we went back to the car and drove back to Taxco taking the same curvy, steep, and dusty road going up the mountain until we hit the highway going to Taxco. The drive back to Taxco from Atzala was about one hour and we arrived in Taxco at about 1600H asking the driver again if he can drive us to the bus terminal. Good thing he agreed.
We returned to the hotel but still the road at the Centro was still impassable because of the Good Friday celebration. The driver drove us near the hotel again using the slopy hilly road for us to retrieve our luggage and then he dropped us off at the bus station. We paid him awesomely for a job well done and we thanked him for his kind help and for sticking to us for the whole day.
At the bus terminal we bought two tickets to Cuernavaca and from there we will purchase another set of tickets going to Oaxaca tonight. The drive going to Cuernavaca was about two hours and we left Taxco at 1630H. We left Taxco with much satisfaction and full of fun memories after witnessing a more traditional and conservative way of celebrating the Holy Week and wandering its beautiful and wonderful terrain especially the Centro.
The drive to Cuernavaca was uneventful and we arrived there safely. There was no traffic at the highway and there were stalls of blooming cut roses in a wide array of colors along the highway. We had passed two toll ways and then we arrived in Cuernavaca at around 1815H.
When we got there at the bus station we bought two premier tickets going to Oaxaca. They told us that the bus will leave at 2330H and it will be a ten hour bus drive. We then bought the two tickets and decided to leave our luggage at the store in the bus station which charges us 15 pesos each luggage. We left two luggage and decided to roam around Cuernavaca for the last time to have dinner and to pass the time.
From the bus station we called for a taxi and have us dropped off at the Centro in Cuernavaca. The town appeared different from the last time we were there. It appears busy and crowded. At the Centro we ambled around the mercado and went to the entertainment district were we spotted the La Casita Blanca where we stayed to sip mojito and ate nachos to pass the time.
We stayed there for three hours sipping our drinks and talking about our exciting and fun experiences and adventures these pass days in Taxco. We have time to reflect on it as well as laugh at it. We were like little kids making fun of our experiences. It was a good time to get intimate at each other. The restaurant was a chic and conducive place for us to relax. We got a good seat near the swimming pool and enjoyed people going in and out of the place. We were buzzing when we came out of the restaurant but we were not drunk yet.
From the restaurant we ambled around the Zocalo which was very crowded and busy compared to that quiet Thursday morning when we arrived there strolling the place during that time and now it was teeming with many people and vendors selling their stuff. It looks like a mercado there plus it was rush hour so the traffic was really busy. We kept walking around the Zocalo trying to be conscious of our time. At around 2300H we called for a taxi to drive us off at the bus station.
At exacly 2330H they let us in the bus and we left Cuernavaca after that going to Oaxaca. It was already dark when we left Cuernavaca and we were both tired and slightly drank. We went to sleep inside the bus on our way to Oaxaca during our ten hour bus ride going to Oaxaca and has no idea what was happening along the way.
We had a long day today in Taxco exploring its outskirts and had a good and relaxing few hours stay at La Casita Blanca in Cuernavaca. We were just thankful that we had a good and memorable experience today. I couldn't be more thankful about our safety which is of utmost importance for us all the time. Thank God we were still whole.
Whatever happens tomorrow in Oaxaca it will be a totally different magical experience and I could not wait for it to happen. I am very excited and hopeful for what will await for us there. Hopefully it will be a more pleasant and educational one, fingers crossed. For now I must stop here and will continue tomorrow for our new experiences in Oaxaca. Adios mi amigos y amigas! Buen gracias!
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