A Place Out of the Pictures — Tepoztlan, Mexico

Author: AngieLin
Date of Trip: January 2003

This is my journal from a 40-day study abroad program that I went with to the beautiful Tepoztlan, Mexico. This was my first time to visit this beautiful place.

The best thing to do here is to visit TEPOZTECO. It’s a crazy climb up a mountain and at the very top are the beautiful remains of a pyramid. The climb up is incredibly difficult, but there are natives that are able to run up it! Another neat thing to check out are the nightly volleyball games that the town gathers around. There’s also Wednesday and Sunday “mercados”, where the townspeople gather in the center of town and sell souvenirs and such to tourists.

The Ex-Convento and different churches around town are also pretty neat to check out!

Quick Tips/Suggestions:
A suggestion for tourists is to find out about how much things cost before going to buy things. People may try to rip you off because they know you have money, especially in taxis.

Tepoztlan is a pretty safe place at night so you could probably get away with walking around at night without any trouble. But beware of the dogs, especially those in the mountains – they get to be pretty mean. Best Way to Get Around: The best way to get around town is walking as pretty much everything is within walking distance. Although be aware that there are many hills, so if you have to walk somewhere far you may consider taking a taxi if you’re not in the greatest shape.

You can pretty much take a bus to anywhere in town or outside of town as well. You could take a bus to the nearby biggest metropolitan area, Cuernavaca or Mexico City.

Dining:
One of the neatest things about Mexico are the cheap street vendors. They give you a lot of food for not a lot of money. It’s definitely worth looking into, although you have to be careful of where you go.

DEFINITELY do not drink the water, unless you want to see what it feels like to die. Also make sure things are cooked all the way. But for the most part people are careful about what they serve you. Check out the Chilequiles and atole de leche while you’re there!