Anywhere I have traveled in the world, I check out the natural world in that area. So I will attempt to show what we’ve seen in Mexico. From our patio, to the parks and to the mountains, we’ll share what we find in the natural world of Mexico.
Author: Deb
A change of climate: up to the mountains
My friend and former coworker Rafael has returned from his visit to arctic-cold Wisconsin, and he and his wife San invited us for a road trip to the Sierra Gorda mountains. Our destination: El Chuveje Waterfalls, and the picturesque mountain town of Pinal de Amoles.
I told a friend about the upcoming trip and she was a bit worried for me; it’s a 3-hour drive on twisty switchback roads, very narrow and very fast, and even the strongest of stomachs sometimes gets twitchy. So starts the internal conversation: I have a cast-iron stomach (no I don’t); I’ve never had car sickness before (yeah, but what about boat sickness? Right?); I’ll be fine (but what if I puke? How embarrassing!) and so on. Uggh, please be quiet Brain.
The drive was punctuated by speed-demon motorcyclists roaring past us in packs, some wearing Go-Pro cameras mounted on their helmets. As they negotiated hairpin turns with no idea what/who was on the other side, I envisioned the Go-Pro recording a LONG unplanned descent to the bottom of the mountain.
While you climb the mountains the climate changes, sometimes with sharp demarcation lines: from scrub and cactus trees, to saguaro cactus, to barrel cactus, and suddenly, to deciduous trees and pine trees. Temperatures went from the 70s F back down to the 60s, and then at the very top, spiking to about 85 degrees, just as we began our foot ascent.
At El Chuveje we parked, paid our 30 pesos each ($1.60), and walked in about a mile. Flowing, standing, plentiful water is rare in these parts, and the pools and gurgling brooks were a feast for the eyes.
The small pools and cascades were pleasures enough, so I was unprepared when we reached the “actual” waterfall.
On our way back we stopped in Pinal de Amoles , a town of 1,600 residents located at 7,600 feet (2,320 meters) above sea level. This former mining town is now thinly supported on a small amount of local commerce and monies sent back home from overseas. It was a holiday weekend, so the locals had a music stage going, with a lively band of 4 musicians playing their hearts out. The young male guitarist whose voice has not yet changed was especially enthusiastic.
The central church was open to visitors as well.
When I visit these small towns I find myself imagining life here. As a teenager I desperately wanted to get away from Cudahy, my “small town” 0f 20,000, which bordered on the big city of Milwaukee. How do the local teens feel? Do you stay here, where everyone knows your name, you are a part of a close-knit community, and all your ancestors are buried in the churchyard? Or do you strike out for new lands, where you are excited but perhaps overwhelmed by all the vast options open to you?
As the day lengthened into late afternoon we continued the hairpin turn descent back to Queretaro. Just like when I was a child, the rocking of the car lulled me into a nice nap. Later we stopped at a pretty historic restaurant to cap off the evening. Thank you to Rafael and San for taking us on this journey!
Ahh… Saturday morning brunch
One of the delights of living in Queretaro is the abundance of restaurants that have an all-inclusive brunch on Saturday and/or Sunday. Most of them run about $8.28 US (150 pesos). We decided to try our first one today, and happened upon La Patio de la Abuela, “Grandma’s Patio”.
The chef’s station prepared eggs to your liking, enchiladas, and fresh bacon at our request, since the bacon in the steam tray wasn’t very crispy. One special treat was the huitlacoche and cheese: a mushroom-like fungus that grows on corn. Huitlacoche can’t be cultivated, it appears when it wants to. I haven’t seen it in the States, so this was a real treat. It was served with a roasted tomato and pepper sauce that nicely complemented the mushroomy goodness.
The taxonomic classification for the cacao tree is theobroma cacao, or Elixir of the Gods. Hot chocolate here in Mexico is slightly more like the original theobroma that Moctezuma reportedly drank all day to preserve his god-like health (50 small golden cups of it, so they say.) It has less milk and more water than our American counterpart, and it is lightly sweetened. And oh, the aroma and taste! I asked the waiter how it is made, and he explained: water, milk, and Oaxaca chocolate. I asked if I could see this, and he smiled and just brought me another cup.
We sampled all of the Mexican foods on the hot trays: costilla (short ribs) with cactus strips; potatoes with rajas (pepper strips) and house-made cheese; shredded chicken in a light red sauce; and a number of other dishes. As the morning wore on the patio started to lose its morning coolness, and the Spanish love songs and the food coma took effect. Time to go out into the day and enjoy.
Street opera
It seems that every walk in this town provides a new delight. This guy has a fantastic voice, and it echoes off the old edifices like a concert hall. I stopped to listen to him for quite a while, entranced. Free opera concert, no tickets required.
Restoring the healthy body
Part of this journey is working on my intent to restore a healthy, flexible, pain-free body. I knew our host here in Queretaro is a Feldenkrais practitioner. I was curious to learn more, so with her help I’ve been undergoing 50 minute guided stretching exercises specifically to improve the health of the back and core. The stretches are very gentle and require no special equipment. Intuitively I think this will be helpful, but time will tell.
One of the many exercises I’ve been doing is shown in this Youtube video. If you’re short on time, jump to the 1 minute mark and watch for 30 seconds or so to get the gist of it.
For more information check out:
I’m combining this with a series of home yoga practices that was devised for me by my friend and yoga instructor Jessica. Her Psoas exercise band is working on my hip issues. She also made me aware of how I press my tongue to the roof of my mouth when I’m stressed, even when I’m trying to fall asleep. Now I’m relaxing my face muscles, and it feels quite different.
I’m also devoting time to racking up 10,000 steps a day, which is a good challenge in this hilly city at 6,500 feet above sea level. And lastly, I’m getting the sleep and stress reduction that I’ve been craving for years.