Sunday drives - Tepoztlan, a getaway spot for city-dwellers

Yesterday we decided to do a very Mexican thing...we headed to Tepoztlan, the charming pueblo 17 kms from our apartment here in Cuernevaca.   Tepoztlan, is a weekend getaway for Mexico City dwellers and was the town where I had hoped to rent a house for this month.  We consoled ourselves by noting that at least our location in Cuernevaca, Colonia Bellavista is on the north side of the city and there is an easy connection to the free route to Tepoztlan. 

I have only been to Tepoztlan once before with my Mexican friend Monica and her daughter and because Monica had lived there when she first met and married Anibel, she had given me a great sense of the small town and what it has to offer, particularly on Sunday market day.  I wanted to show Gene why I thought it was charming, and at least have one day when we are not dodging cars as we wind our way over uneven, hilly and difficult to walk streets here in Cuernevaca.

We spent the afternoon strolling the streets, seeing the sights in the lively mercado, visiting the cathedral and convent, shopping for something I haven't seen elsewhere, which is becoming more of a challenge, having lunch and a drink listening to live music...the best of Tepoztlan! 

We hadn't brought the shoes I would wear to go hiking..so we promised ourselves we would return soon to see the pyramid and Tepozteco...the mountain route of the mystics nearby....

We chose to make a circle drive and wound our way up higher in the surrounding mountains and then back into a very industrial side of Cuernevaca...we feel very smug that our GPS has lead us safely around and we plan to continue the adventure tomorrow with a trip to Malinalco.....

 

This is a holiday weekend in Mexico, Dia de la Constitucion, so we are hopeful that the little town will offer us something to see...maybe not quite as much as Tepoztlan because honestly, I'm not sure I can handle more sensory stimulation in any one day. I found myself remembering the Sunday drives of my childhood, Banff, Cochrane and the countryside of the Foothills around Calgary....times really haven't changed that much!