Wandering with Tedder and Tamara

(this post is by Tamara)

We left first thing this morning from Zacatecas so that we could be sure to get settled in at Guanajuato and see some of the sights before it got dark. We took the toll roads as they are faster and the road conditions are better – so much so that I felt comfortable piloting for a reasonable stretch. We came across another wreck today while I was piloting – an overturned double-trailer semi truck, and Ted managed to snap a couple pictures of it.

We got a little lost in Leon, so I had Ted take the controls there and we got it all sorted out after a glance at the map. Otherwise it was an uneventful ride to Guanajuato. Once in town, we tried finding a couple of the hotels we had researched, but ended up using one of the 'tourist guides' (local boys who take you to hotels, museums, etc) and got a decent hotel on the edge of downtown. The kid just jumped right on one of the side cases and was perfectly happy riding along with us like that (though it scared me to death and gave Ted a run for his money keeping the bike upright). It was a good reminder of how I am continually amazed at Ted's ability to handle the bike, all loaded and through cobblestone streets, very steep and windy. I know from my own bouts at the handlebars that it's not an easy beast.

After lunch in an outdoor produce/flower market, we wandered around the historic center, which is a little too touristy for us. We ended up hiking all the way across town and up a tall hill (we didn't know how far it was and wished we had taken a taxi when we finally got there) to the Museo de las Momias (mummy museum). It is a small and kinda creepy place – and this coming from someone who was fascinated by the Bodies Exhibit in Seattle. The expressions on the faces of these people is quite frightening, and since all the information was in Spanish, it leaves a lot up to the imagination :) They had a section of mummified babies, but they ended up looking like some sort of murderous dolls from a horror film. It was still interesting though, to see the preserved skin, tendons, bones, teeth, eyeballs, etc. I only wish that I had been able to understand the corresponding information about each display.

One of Guanajuato's defining features is the series of tunnels that create a web under the city. These were historically used to transport water, but have been emptied and paved and are now used for autos. There is a fairly sizable network of these, and seemingly very little signage.

We're at the hotel now, taking a break from our long hike around the city, but will most likely venture out this evening for more food and people-watching. Tomorrow, we will spend the day here, then we'll head to San Miguel de Allende on Monday.