Sunday 6 July 2003
Once again, we lay awake some hours during the night due to a busy mosquito. Despite this, we woke up early this Sunday morning. The streets were almost empty as a contrast to the other days where the vast number of people and traffic gave us a claustrophobic feeling.
The subway was full of people and we had to stand up all the way to the TAPO bus terminal. Our hotel recommended us the “Extrella Rota” bus operator with direct lines to Puebla. The price difference between these business class busses and the budget lines was only USD 2 and we did not want to compromise for that amount of money. In return, we could enjoy a Charles Bronson movie dubbed in Spanish with no subtitles and almost without sound.
It was nice to get reach the countryside and enjoy the beautiful nature. People were less wealthy here and farming was manual work with mule and plough. Occasionally we passed young lads playing soccer and others playing baseball.
We were a bit disappointed when we arrived to Puebla as the outskirts of the city looked worn down but later when we arrived to the city centre, its beauty surprised us. The weather cleared and the sun was bright when we arrived to Hotel Victoria downtown Puebla.
The hotel was cheap, worn down, old but cozy and clean. Later we went for a walk around Centro Historico and examined the charming colonial houses. A lot of the house have hand painted tiles on the walls or are decorated with stucco all over. Some of the decoration was charming other almost grotesque to look at.
We visited the “Casa del Alfeñique”, a real peal of an exhibition. The house must have been a real gem for its Spanish owner with a beautiful courtyard, sacristy, church and a ballroom complete with paintings of the Spanish king Carlos. The Spanish founded Puebla in 1531 and today’s inhabitants are proud descendants from the Spanish invasion.
We visited the nearby permanent market with bricked stalks. It was obviously a very old marketplace and quite cozy to be at and gives the expression that this city also attracts local tourists.
The city of Puebla looks well kept and wealthy. The restaurant-keepers stand on the streets trying to tempt tourists in and on the cozy pedestrian streets, street traders were selling balloons, toys and candy to all the Mexicans and the few foreign tourists. People addressed us in English, which was the first time in Mexico, and later we participated in a questionnaire about tourism. It seems to us that the city lives of tourists.
We had dinner at “Santa Rosa” that is known for the nice interior with tiles and Latin Spanish arrangement. This is the place to taste the local dishes and we went for “Chiles en Nogada” and “Mole Poblano”. Both dishes were more exciting than delicious and shortly after we were full due to the very intense flavors.
“Chiles en Nogada” is a large chili pepper stuffed with dried fruits and meat. The pepper is covered with creamy white walnut sauce and decorated with the bright red fruits from pomegranate. The colors white, green and red symbolize the Mexican flag and were invented in 1821 honoring the first leader of the independed Mexico.
“Mole Poblano” is chicken served in a thick spicy chocolate sauce with fresh chili, garlic, peanuts, almond, anis, and tomato and lot more. The dish made you full in no time. All of it was just on the edge of being too much of all, but still an exciting dish to taste. Due to the election, the alcohol prohibition was still in effect so we had to do without the beer that we really would enjoy right now.
We spend rest of the evening on the cozy square in the centre of the city where clowns performed for the kids and stylish female police officers controlled the traffic. The basic idea of traffic lights seems not accepted for real in southern America, as almost all the traffic lights guarded with police officers.
This was a nice, happy day with lots of positive impressions for the soul. This is beauty and exciting city, with lovely warm sunshine and good mood around people here.