Day 12 started for me with an unofficial application talk for my future me, when coming back to Germany.
Afterwards, I picked my laundry, got a cup of refreshing fruits (pineapple and melon), and got Tortas ahogadas at Tortas ahogadas KTortasalu. The place which was closed the day before offered only one table close to a street and is basically a food stand on the small driveway of a house. I was the only customer, but the google reviews brought me there. The owner was exceptionally kind and welcoming and even tried his German skill - consisting of 'Welcome' in German - with me, which I did not understand, because I wasn't expecting that. But I enjoyed the atmosphere, sitting there and also enjoyed the tortas.
The next stop was MUSA, the Museo de las Artes, which held three expositions next to the permanent one of well-known José Clement Orozco. The latter is one of Mexico's 'Big Three' mural artists. As a pupil of Gerardo Murillo, the grandfather of Mexican 'muralismo', he expressed bold political and revolutionary statements on public murals - long before recent artists like Banksy. Two of his works are permanently presented in the auditorium of MUSA (see below in the cupola and behind the stage). Even though dark and kinda depressing, they will have an impressive appeal on the observer or at least on me. The other exhibitions at this time consisted of paintings of Christian Bendayán, a Peruvian artist, who spent time during COVID with indigenous people at the Amazonas, which influenced his work (see 'Peruga' below), 'Las miradas del Mundo', a photography exhibition of Eduardo López Moreno (see 'A couple thing' below), an internationally renowned photographer, winning prices in Paris, New York, and Russia, and an audio-visual presentation of bird voices. In general, the museum is not that big, but perfect for a 45min stop-by.
On my way back to the hostel, I stopped by at a small local market, which is in Mexico the only option to get vegetables and fruits, because the normal shops in the cities (Oxxo or 7eleven) don't sell anything like that, they are better compared to German gas stations. I got some bananas for the travels as well as a Jericalla - a desert similar to Flan or crème brulée - originally from Guadalajara.
After reaching the bus station and running around between different Modulos, we had to take the provider ETN, which is on the one hand side probably the most exclusive and comfortable bus provider, but also the most expensive one. 510$ for a 3h bus ride to our next destination León. As we arrived there, we got picked up by Anthony, a driver that was sent to us by Paty, who will host us for this night. Paty is a friend of Samantha, whom she met at a Photo retreat in Hawaii a couple of years earlier. Anthony was waiting for us with a lovely sign, welcoming us in both our national languages.
The drive took us to a gated community in León, where Cookie was welcoming us into the house. Cookie is the adorable, small dog of Paty, that was first a bit reserved but won our hearts in a rush. After Paty arrived a few minutes later, she showed us her guest room and the whole house. The room was amazingly big, with many different snacks, wine, a minibar, and a perfectly equipped own bathroom - better than a 5-star hotel. The house is a well-designed and decorated 1,5 level house with a huge garden, pool, and pool house.
Afterwards, we went to a Japanese diner by our choice in Restaurant Sato, since we wanted to have a Mexican break after all those Taco days. The food we got was very delicious, having a small starter, steak with plantains and pears as the main course, before being forced to eat 'Banana rolls' with ice creme and maracuja salsa as dessert, after Paty figured out, that I love everything consisting of bananas - thanks for that. The food was super delicious, so was the service and the drinks.
The next day started at 7 am with a morning run, because Paty challenged me. This might have been the perfect start of the day. With Guz, a friend of Paty who was joining us, we ran on a golf course while the sun was rising and the air was still dewy. On our way, we passed a girl who was run over by a car on the street, which just showed me again, how much attention one must pay when crossing Mexican streets. After the run, one of Paty's staff brought as Electrolite, a drink similar to Powerade, but typical in Mexico. We had an amazing breakfast in the pool house, with Chilaquiles, fresh fruits, scrambled eggs, beans, avocado toast, and many more, which the lovely chefs prepared for us.
Afterwards, I was allowed to take one of the bikes they own and went for Parque Metropolitano. The park holds a lake in the middle and an amazingly good-conditioned bike and running track around, passing a pump track, many playgrounds as well as vast amounts of different birds, of which especially the pelicans caught my attention.
Afterwards, one of the drivers brought me to the city center. Without earlier expectations (Lonelyplanet: " There is no real reason to visit industrial León ...") I walked from the main square down Calle Francisco I. Madero to the main cathedral. The city center seemed very clean, surprisingly beautiful, and offered some small shops, cafes, and bakeries (which I could not pass without trying something - a chorizo empanada and one sweet piece).
For the next stop, I went to a leather mall, that Paty recommended to me (Zone Piel). I bought a leather belt for like 7€ and a new cover for my passport for around 5€. Then I made my way to the State Fair of León, where I should meet Chilis, a friend of Paty and Guz. He was very welcoming, took me around the whole fair, which was huge and consisted of a fun part, with many rollercoasters and other attractions, a gigantic food court and three trade fair halls with local products, where Chilis sent me to a Mezcal stand of someone he knew and the woman explained me everything about Mezcal and Tequila. How to smell it, how to move the glass to be able to 'read' the quality, how to properly drink it, and how to breathe while drinking. She told me also about the different aging processes of both liqueurs and that it is always recommendable to try the young/white version if planning to judge on quality.
After many shots, we left and went back to Chilis stand and he offered me my first Carajillo. The drink consists of coffee and Liquor 43 and is similar to the European Espresso Martini, which is one of my favorite cocktails. The next stop at the fair was a traditional show called 'Voladores de Papantla', which is inspired by traditional indigenous dance, which is presented from a 25 meters high pole, where 4 men drop slowly down, head-first while only being secured by a rope, that they tie around their ankles, while the fifth guy is playing drum and a flute on top of the pole. Very impressive and hard to describe, so feel free to google for a video of it or check Wikipedia for more information. The night ended with some games at the funfair and a fairy wheel ride, before we had some late-night tacos at Tacos Los Cuñados, where Guz joined us one more time. Late at night, one of the drivers took us the whole way to Guanajuato to meet some friends of Paty who will host us there.
Overall our time in Leòn was shaped by all the hospitality of Paty, which we're really thankful for. Muchas Gracias!
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