On this particular day we found ourselves up early and checked out of our Mexico City hostel, left our bags there for the day, and made our way over to TAPO (Terminal de Autobuses de Pasajeros de Oriente). Thankfully our Uber driver from the day before had informed us this was the bus station we wanted, because we previously left from the station Norte! To get to Puebla City, Puebla, the best, cheapest option was with AU which was about a 2 hour ride and $11 each way, per person. ADO also had comparable rates. The buses left every half hour so we were on our way! The ride was hella scenic-- it takes you right by the highest volcanoes in Mexico-- so I didn't mind kicking back and napping a little.
The arrival to Puebla CAPU station was not what I expected, for one, I quickly realized our destination was not as touristy as I thought. The station is about 10 minutes away from the UNESCO recognized city center, so we Ubered over. Unfortunately, I was a little too optimistic with our drop off location at another ~mercado~ which instead turned out to be a pretty dirty, busy street, with one of the strongest stenches of fish I've encountered. I had to lift my arms to avoid touching what appeared to be a seal or a fish that was really that big. After accidentally stumbling through that part of town, I had weird impressions of Puebla by the time we were dumped off in the tranquil, colonial style city center. We grabbed a yummy desayuno and cafe at Cafe Aroma and planned our short little afternoon walking around. I also learned that my preferred Mexican breakfast of two eggs and salsa is called huevos divorciados!
In just a few hours, we were able to cover most of the ground in the cute downtown area! We started at the Templo de Santo Domingo where there is a famous capilla (chapel) that is completely gold and ornate which you can admire from afar! We meandered through the beautiful painted, color blocked streets over to el Callejón de los Sapos (Alley of the Frogs) which sold random vintage and antique items with a cool energy. We spent more time just around the corner at random artisan booths lining the street. If you like silver, this town (or better yet, a nearby place called Taxco) are good places to shop, too.
I strongly recommend if you are ever traveling to new cities that you spend at least 30 minutes Googling top attractions first, then using Google maps to find the most direct route to hit all your spots. You can then send that map to yourself (via email) and open it whenever you want on your phone to make sure you're sticking to it! But don't be afraid to flow around the city intuitively even as you follow your map-- that's where all the best local discoveries are made!
We had a mini photo shoot in front of Magnolia on Calle 6 Sur (a super pretty block filled with colorful buildings and murals!), window shopped through Mercado El Parián the main artisanal market, then magically appeared in probably the cutest part of town, the Artist Quarter. I wasn't hungry at the time but I really would have loved people watching here over a cup of coffee if I were traveling solo! There were people painting portraits and playing music at every corner.
I snagged a cheap crepe with condensed milk and a scoop of rose ice cream (mmm, always go for flavors you can't get in the States!) and then we traversed over to the oldest library in the Americas, Biblioteca Palafoxiana. This was one of the highlights of Puebla, although we didn't pay to see the actual library, there was a wonderful atrium that happened to have a local youth folklorico group performing. If you know me, you know I've spent a lifetime dancing traditional Mexican songs, so I was so happy to see los viejitos and songs from Sinaloa performed, and for free! I can't wait to get my heels and dresses back on someday.
We ended our day in Puebla by the main cathedral, which happened to have a small Pride event happening in front of it, something super fun to witness! We grabbed some tea and water for our bus journey back to Mexico City, arrived at the bus terminal just in time, and headed back.
Right as we were pulling up to our hostel to collect our bags, we were flooded by a MUCH bigger Pride event, the one in the center of Mexico City! It was truly majestic to see the Zocalo with the Mexican Flag waving high alongside huge rainbow banners with LGBTQ flags, and people of all ages celebrating their love!
We made our way over to the airport for the next big adventure: Puerto freaking ESCONDIDO baby (Kai Lenny is quaking). In hindsight, I think Puebla is perfect for a daytrip like we did it, or with a little more research you might be able to make your adventure last for a few days!
