Tepoztlan Mexico. Cooking Classes, 3
Tepoztlan is a very interesting and unique city in Mexico. Before we left we told some Mexicans we knew that we were going there and they hadn’t even heard of it. It’s tucked away in the mountains and maybe has 25,000 people, the nearest cities being Cuernavaca and Mexico City (which is about a 45 minute drive).
Getting there is beautiful! Most people arrive by plan to Mexico City, the second largest city in the world and just getting through Mexico City itself from the airport takes about 45 minutes. As soon as you leave Mexico City, the highway begins winding up the mountains. I have always viewed Mexico as being desert or jungles, even seaside but this type of climate and geography was very different, closer to an area near us by the Mississippi River or possibly the Rocky Mountains. There’s lots of vegetation and the most common tree we saw were pine trees.
When we actually arrived in the outskirts of Tepoztlan, the streets turned very narrow and hilly, and most of the streets were cobblestone. It was common to go down steep a half block and immediately back up the other half block. If two cars were heading in opposite directions they could barely squeeze through. The place we were staying (La Villa Bonita) was on the hillside up above the city which gave us spectacular views of the city and surrounding mountains.
Its difficult to describe the atmosphere but it was so clear and fresh. It isn’t very hot there but comfortable. With the streets being cobblestone and narrow, not a lot of traffic is present so its very quiet. The closest similarity would be to Venice Italy, although the cities are completely different. With the timing of our arrival there was a weeklong festival taking place and so at night music filled the air and the occasional firework. It was really festive!
Being in the mountains too we were treated to a nighttime storm which was great! At first the rain was so loud but I loved it and helped me in the end get a great nights rest.
Since we arrived in the evening tired we didn’t really explore the grounds so the morning all freshened up gave us a chance to take in the surroundings best. The grounds of La Villa Bonita were beautiful, there was hundreds of trees and plants, flowers, fresh fruits and vegetables growing. There aren’t many rooms where we were staying, probably 6 or 8 but were all arranged under a covered patio and we’d all awake in the morning and congregate there until we all decided it was time for coffee.
Which leads to the amazing kitchen at La Villa Bonita. This would be my dream kitchen! It was probably as big as my old house, opened to the outside and very well equipped. This was the place where we’d spend the majority of our team, eating breakfast, discussing the day ahead (‘Can we make tamales?’) and after going to the market, returning and cooking for 3-4 hours (with lots of beer and wine breaks and the occasional siesta) and at the end enjoying our labor. Above the kitchen Chef Ana has a beautiful patio where you can see miles around, it was fun trying to find places where we had walked and thinking how we had walked so far. We’d also spot houses in construction and think ‘this would be a perfect house to buy’.
To be continued…
Tepoztlan Mexico. Cooking Classes, 2
Tepoztlan Mexico. Cooking Classes, 4
Tepoztlan Mexico. Cooking Classes, 5
