Today we had our first of two excursions, and we traveled to a state just west of Puebla, Morelos, where we visited the town of Tepoztlan and Tepozteco National Park. We all met at the school bright and early and made the two-hour drive to Morelos. Along the way we made a couple of bathroom stops, and we were closer to the active volcano than we are in Puebla, so we also stopped to take some pictures of Popocatepetl. We arrived in Tepoztlan around 10 and started to make the steep and treacherous trek up the Cerro el Tepozteco (hill of Tepozteco, but definitely more mountain than hill). The hike was quite demanding and took a little over an hour to reach the top. I have adjusted pretty well to the altitude here and I have been running a few times a week, but I was still struggling and had to stop every so often. Bryce and I stuck together and went off the beaten path a couple of times to climb waterfalls and take advantage of photo-ops. When we finally reached the top, we were able to see and climb the Prehispanic Pyramid and take advantage of the amazing views. We hung out at the top for a while, fought off the crazy badgers, and prepared ourselves for the decent. Although the way down was not as physically enduring as the climb up, I was certainly aware of how high up I was and made sure to step cautiously. When we reached the bottom again, my legs were quite shaky. But, I loved the breathtaking views and physical and outdoor aspects of the climb, and I would definitely return to do it again!
When everyone made it back to the bottom, we walked to a restaurant near the city’s Zocalo, where we rehydrated and had delicious chicken enchiladas. After lunch, we walked to the Ex-convent and had the opportunity to walk around and explore for a bit. The entrance for the convent had an amazing design for the bicentennial that will be celebrated this upcoming week. It was a huge arch/entrance-way that was made completely from corn and beans, and then glazed to hold it all together. Make sure to check out pictures of this…it’s something you can’t exactly explain, but is definitely amazing! Once we were finished at the ex-convent, we had some free time to visit and shop in the street markets. Around 4, before the rain could move in, we met up and loaded into the bus to return home. When we arrived back at the Ibero, it was pouring, so Megan, Kendra, and I took a taxi home. I grabbed something to eat and have been working on homework, the blog, and uploading photos since I’ve been back. It was an exhausting day, but definitely fun and worth it. Make sure to check out pictures from this last week. : )
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