Guanajato, Mexico

This is about falling in love. All kinds of love.

I took a bus from Mexico City to Guanajuato (5-hr ride). Buses are a main way to travel here in Mexico, so bus companies are reliable and competitive. The seats are spacious and they recline. They also show movies on there - although mostly dubbed in Spanish (kinda funny to see "Roll Bounce" dubbed!)

From the bus station in Gto I took a taxi (not knowing exactly what to do from there). The taxi driver thankfully knew exactly where the hostel was located (not surprising considering how small Gto was). We launched into a pleasant conversation about Gto. He was telling me about how people walk everywhere and it's safe. See, he said, pointing to a lady walking in the tunnel, that woman is walking alone.

And by the way when I say conversation I really just mean he was talking and I was catching 30% of what he's saying - porque mi espanol es muy mala!

Guanajuato makes you believe in love at first sight. The city is nestled on a valley; colorful houses hug the hills as they stack on top of each other; narrow cobble stone streets snake over and down and under (i.e. the aforementioned tunnel). You feel like a part of old Europe crossed the Atlantic.

Walking around town is fairly easy - though you may want to watch where you're going because the streets are not in an obvious grid. Landmarks should help: Cathedrals, parks, plazas, fountains, restaurants, etc. You can find small convenience stores and markets next to a cafe or a bar or a dance studio. It's refreshing to see very few chains (you can count 'em in one hand) and a lot of the old buildings very well preserved.

The best part of Guanajuato, though, is the people you'll meet.

Maybe you'll get to meet Ricardo, who works at El Hostalito de Guanajuato (great hostel! stay there!). "I came here 2.5 yrs ago to stay for 3 days. I'm still here. It just immediately felt like home." He'll introduce you to his friends (Carlos the Cheese Guy, or Alberto the Piano Player, or Javier the Dance Instructor), invite you to eat with them at the hostel, and translate for you (if your Spanish is as bad as mine) so that you can converse with the rest of the table. He might take you to a restaurant nearby where Alberto is playing where he knows everyone there.

Maybe you'll befriend another traveler like Mariana, a Mexicana who has lived in Uruguay for the last 12 years. She's a cook and also an aspiring actress. Her English may be worse than your Spanish but, no matter, you will still like talking to her anyway because she will be so patient. You will talk about food, boyfriends, or Gael Garcia Bernal. She'll show you photos of her trip and her friends & family, which includes her guapo brother.

And maybe you will be lucky enough to get Alberto the Piano Player to play a song for you, even if he's never played it before and you have to sing it so he can figure it out. And then he'll tell you he moved to Guanajuato for his then girlfriend now wife. He'll talk about the cities he plays in and the music he likes (he has 3000 songs in his head that he can play).

Like I was saying, Guanajuato is about falling in love.