Travels Around The World

Puebla

Stepping off the bus in Puebla was like a breath of fresh air. Not only was the air pollution from Mexico City gone, but the pace of life seemed to slow down significantly. Don't get me wrong, traffic is still pretty crazy, but at least you know that the cars will stop for red lights now.

Puebla is an old colonial town full of narrow cobblestone streets. It has a romantic feel to it, drawing you in once you step foot in the city. Puebla is famous for its hand painted tiles and numerous churches that fill each city block. There are more than 70 chuches in the city center alone, making it nearly impossible to go more than a few blocks without seeing a church.

The first church I saw in Puebla

Mural of painted tiles

I arrived in Puebla in the early evening. After taking a taxi to my hotel I decided to walk about the city. The first thing I noticed while walking around Puebla was how safe it felt. The streets were well lit, clean, and lacking of strange crazy people. Puebla is home to a lot of universities, and they cities youth has created a demand for a safe environment afterhours.

Puebla's main cathedral at sunset

After walking around the city for a few hours I stumbled upon some live music at a bar with outdoor seating. This would be my new home for the next few hours, taking advanage of the 2x1 beer special, and the music. The music was an acoustic ensemble playing all the good salsa songs I know from home. The defining moment was when they played "Pile of Stars" (english translation) while downing a cold Cervasa Sol. Honestly, it doesn't get much better than that.

Sitting at the bar with my beer

As the clock began to close on midnight I picked up my stuff and hurried home. Even at this hour there were still people in the Zocolo, enjoying the night, and each other's company.

The next day would be spent in similar fashon as the evening before. That is strolling along the many cobblestone streets of Puebla and taking in all the city has to offer. Unfortunetly for me, the food in Mexico had started to have its revenge on me. Maybe it was the cow brain tacos we had in Mexico City. Thankfully, I didn't eat the Cow Eye Tacos that Zeek had. Those looked disgusting. So thoughout the day I found myself running back to the hotel in order to use the bathroom and recouperate some.

Puebla and its cobblestone streets

Some random church

Another random church

Yet another

The famous Templo de San Francisco

Another shot of the Templo de San Francisco

Unkown

Towards the evening I felt a lot better so I ventured back to the bar I was at the previous night. For some reason the atmosphere wasn't as good. Maybe it was the fresh cold mountain air that seemed colder than the night before. Maybe it was due to the revenge of the tacos seen earlier that day. Or maybe it was the taquetos I ate an hour before feeling like a brick in my stomach. Anyhow, it was still nice sitting on the sidewalk drinking a few beers, just not as nice as the night before.

The next day I packed up my things and headed to the bus station, also known as the CAPU. To get to the bus station I waved down a colectivo and jumped on board. A colectivo is basically a small bus that runs a specific route. You can board and get off anywhere along that route. Once at the bus station I purchased a ticket to Oaxaca and waited for an hour or so.

The first thing I noticed about this bus station was how nice it was. This is no greyhound terminal, its clean, new, and looks like an airport. They even have departure gates with seating and TVs. Way to go Mexico!

Bus Station

Posted by todd at November 18, 2005 12:42 PM