Guanajuato presenting all its colors

We were brought safely and quickly (apart from the millions of speed bumps in Mexico) to Guanajuato, where Jorsh and Humberto picked us up in the center. When they were walking up to us, it was already clear, how welcoming and empathic those two are. Both are just opening a student residency in Guanajuato. They started their project 'The Next Dorm' in fall 2021 and were about to finish it this February for the next set of students coming to Guanajuato. They bought a house with a huge inner yard. More than 15 rooms and over 50 beds to be rented. Most rooms or dorms held two or three beds. Also, the residence included an already existing terrace with a view over the city and a rooftop gym, which was still in planning. We felt like in a new stylish hostel, apart from the workers still around, with two amazing hosts. They allowed us to stay for free in one of the already finished rooms and be their Guinea Pigs - which we loved to be.

The next day Josh welcomed us with a fresh coffee and recommended us a place to eat Gorditas down the street (El Ausente) , which we did. Gorditas are a kind of thick tortilla cutten open to build a pocket, which is then filled with the ingredients you order I got one with Nopales (Cactus) for 20$.

After our breakfast, Samantha went back to work, while I made my way to the local market hall Mercado Hidalgo. The two-level building hat clothes and souvenirs in the first level and food, butchers, and some other shops, like one Tortilla production on the ground floor. That is also when I first saw how they bring the pigs to the butchers to get cutted. Two guys just put whole Pigs on their shoulders around their neck and ran through the market hall - fun to watch. On one stand I bought some Chimichurri, which Gus recommended us to e.g. put on Pizza, which is typical especially in León, even though it is originally from Argentina. It consists mainly of garlic, vinegar, and mustard - so could only be amazing.

Afterwards, I went up to Monumento al Pipila, which is the cities viewpoint. The walk is nearly a climb, up many stairs and narrow streets, which is all worth it.

Enjoying the view from the top onto this amazing colorful town, located on a mountain slope and its valley I got carried away and finally tried some insects to eat. I was already searching for them in Guadalajara, where they were sold as well, but didn't find any and already failed to find and try them in Asia. The insect which is commonly eaten in Mexico are Chapulines, which are small grasshoppers that are roasted and served with salsa (surprise!), lime, and chips. They did not really taste like a lot, were very crunchy but in the end it felt like you have a lot of flour in your mouth, so quite dry. But I assume that combined with a proper dish, they could be a good additive.

After strolling through the city, Sam joined me again and we had diner at Bahn Mi, a Vietnamese restaurant, where I got Thom Kan Ga, which was very tasteful. We met Robert there, who decided to join us later for the Callejoneados, which is a traditional walk through the streets with a bigger group of people, while a group of musicians is leading the group, playing traditional songs, making jokes, and trying to motivate the group with dancing and other activities. So, bring yourself a drink and join this adventure, even though knowing Spanish is very helpful, but even without it is an adventure. Afterwards, we went to Bar Fly which is well known and recommended in the city, where we spent the rest of the night and the DJ was even playing German songs in between because he liked them.

The next day we planned to join a free walking tour for the first time in Mexico. Unfortunately, the first provider texted us, that there is no tour, for the second tour we went to the meeting point, but nobody appeared. So we walked on our own around the city and caught breakfast at Street Garden, which was definitely one of the best breakfasts I had in Mexico.

After some walking and exploring, we met Jorsh and Humberto who took us by car to La Victoria a restaurant located in a beautiful Villa. The drive took us through the tunnels of Guanajuato, which were earlier rivers running beneath the city. After some floods, the rivers were relocated and now the tunnels are used for traffic, which also brings the traffic off the usual streets as a very positive side effect. On our way back we stopped again at the market to show it to Samantha before we left to the bus station, where our hosts brought us to by car. Unfortunately, the bus we planned to take was booked, so we had to wait for 2h, but went to an Italian restaurant nearby to eat and chill a bit before we went on our short trip (1:15h) to San Miguel de Allende.

So in general, Guanajuato is a wonderful place to spend time, walk through the narrow streets, and be surprised behind each corner to find new and different colored houses with small shops in them. The town feels calm, because of the tunnels and because of the cars driving slow because of the cobblestones and the missing space. Many small restaurants and shops offer a wide range of food and products to explore and the location between the hills offers many points to have a nice view over the city or enjoy a nice sunset. In addition, for us, we enjoyed the time in the student residency, enjoying the hospitality and being inspired by the motivation and ambition of those two wonderful guys. Thank youuu!