Tepoztlan Mexico. Cooking Classes, 4
One of the things I most enjoyed about Tepoztlan was walking and exploring the city. It is very hilly but after a day we got used to it, besides there are cafes all around to stop for a coffee or beer, there’s no rush with anything in Mexico and I loved that. Most of the week the town was very quiet with many shops closed since most of the traffic comes on weekends when people from Mexico City descend on Tepoztlan to relax.
By the way, when we returned we watched an old Charlie Sheen movie called ‘The Arrival’ and when watching it, it felt familiar, of course because it was shot in Tepoztlan! Themovie was about an alien invasion and oddly enough I swear we saw a UFO when we stayed (just check the photo below!).
Tepoztlan is known as “Pueblo Magico’ which means ‘Magical Town’. There are a lot of businesses and people devoted to holistic living, I think every block had at least two therapeutic massage spas, aura readings, temazcal (a Mexican sweat lodge) and so on. Another thing Tepoztlan is known for is their ice cream, there were many of these throughout Mexico and they all had at least a hundred flavors. The ice cream is a little different than here in that its more icy than creamy.
When you walk, most homes and buildings are behind tall walls, every once in awhile you could catch a glimpse inside and see a wide variety of homes. It was very clean and you can tell people take pride in their city which I think goes back to the 90’s when a large developer wanted to build a golf course in town but the residents refused fearing what it would turn their city into. They also chased out the police chief for being corrupt so the residents I think have a strong sense of community and look out for one another.
The heart of every Mexico city is the plaza and here it’s no exception and was one of my favorite parts. Surrounding the plaza was the markets which reminded me a lot of Ukraine. Fresh chicken, fruits, vegetables all around, little cafes to grab a bite, the aromas made me hungry immediately! This would be a common place we would stop everyday to
get the goods needed for every meal and we’d get to try different things like fresh tortillas, crickets (honestly there’s not much to them), cheeses, chicharonnes, etc. One remarkable insight is everyone on our trip were surprised to see yellow chickens, just because Americans aren’t used to seeing freshly butchered chicken. After we had visited a couple of times and we had our days off, we would come here and grab some fresh tortillas, grilled chicken, avocados, etc to make a quick meal.
Besides the food market there were lots of artisans and craftsman selling their wares. We go to Playa del Carmen every year and are used to walking down 5th Avenue with the endless supply of cheap souvenirs but these were higher quality and nobody was bothering you to ‘check out my new store friend’. We thought we wouldn’t buy a lot on this trip but we packed a suitcase full in the end.
Like I mentioned walking around would get tired of course and would need a bite to eat so would stop into a café for a beer or mojito and a quick snack. I loved this! In my city doing this isn’t very realistic (besides the weather there are no sidewalks or cafes unless you are in a one block area downtown) and the best part is everyone is laid back and in no rush. We’d sit for an hour enjoying the sites and music, then move up a few blocks and do the same. The people were really friendly and were fun to chat with.
To be continued…
Tepoztlan Mexico. Cooking Classes, 2
Tepoztlan Mexico. Cooking Classes, 3
Tepoztlan Mexico. Cooking Classes, 5
