Spanish School in Tepoztlan (Finale)

Kids with their Spanish teacher, Vicki at the Borda Gardens in Cuernavaca

OK, so we traveled from Mazatlan to Guadalajara and then on to Cuernavaca in the state of Morelos. We arrived a little bus terminal 45 minutes earlier than expected because our driver drove like a bat out of hell and I was just thankful that I couldn't see through the windshield to the road ahead from our vantage point. 

The last leg of the bus ride skirted the Southwest corner of Mexico city and, I have to say, it was stunning. Very modern architecture and cool building facades. Mike and I were both very impressed to see LED billboards that were on the street level and had not been vandalized in any way. They would not have stood a chance in downtown Phoenix. 

Since we arrived so early, we had to wait for our contact from the school to arrive. We must have looked like gypsies. There were no seats left open, so we collapsed on the floor of the terminal with our duffel bags, long hair and wrinkled clothes and just stretched out. After the pickup time came and went, Mike asked how we would get in touch with them? No idea. No wi-fi, no phones, no choice but to just wait. 

Not long after, one of our teachers, Vicki arrived, introduced herself and shuffled us out to a taxi. One or two taxi's she asked in Spanish? We said two, to which she shook her head and said, no, one will work. So three adults (including the taxi driver) and three kids squished our way into a 4 seater taxi and started off on the 45 minute drive to Tepoztlan. 

When we left Mazatlan, it was 95 degrees with 90% humidity. Yuck. In Tepozatlan, it was mid-60's and we were literally freezing.

School grounds at Experencia in Tepoztlan

The kitchen shack

I had found the school through online searches. We needed a school that could provide structure for the kids as well as us and where we could all be housed. Most of the schools have home stays available, but it is difficult to accommodate a family of 5. Experencia was able to provide us with two rooms on the property and separate classes for the kids and me and Mike. 

The property was beautiful but very "rustic", as Mike would say. The kids room had a bathroom, but the shower didn't work. "It will be fixed mañana..." It never got fixed during our 3-week stay. Mike and I were in a room without a bathroom. There were bathrooms down a small hill, but it usually meant a trip in the rain to get to them at night. 

The kids met local kids and starting playing every afternoon with them after classes.

We were at the school during the World Cup and it was really fun to watch the games and cheer on Mexico and the US. We would frequently make trips to the Mercado in Tepoztlan to find some satellite tv, beer, appetizers and a crowd to enjoy the game with.

Unfortunately, all of us had contracted whooping cough from a family in Barre de Navidad that had just come down from the states. Luckily, we had the right antibiotics to fight any secondary infection, but we all sounded horrible for about 8 weeks. That coupled with the dampness and constant rain and mud, made for a challenging 3 weeks. Mike also had a horrible allergic reaction to the insides of the rooms. As a result, we had to get a cot moved outside to a space that had a ceiling but not much else. Meanwhile, the kids room sprung a few leaks in the ceiling after all of the rain, so I moved them into our room. Cozy! None of that was terrible, but the small black scorpions that we kept killing in the bedroom was a bit much. Scorpion fatalities in Western Mexico is a real thing and the state of Morelos reports 13,000 stings on average each year. Nice. 

But, that is always how it goes, isn't it? Beautiful surroundings, but there are always challenges. The kids fared very well through it all, no complaints and we were really proud of them. They are up for anything and very adaptable, which I am thankful for. 

The town of Tepoztlan itself is supposed to be one of the places of magical vortex, like Sedona, if you are familiar with that sort of thing. There are quite a few older American expat hippies or hipiteca's (as the local's call them) that have retired here to enjoy the easy going nature of the town, the beauty of the surrounding hillsides and the magical vibe. (OK, I could easily be a hipiteca in my old age :) ) 

We learned a lot of Spanish, of course, but in addition to that, we saw some great sites and adopted some new favorite things. 

Our first new favorite thing is Jamica agua fresca. Hibiscus flowers are soaked overnight in water and then the resulting juice concentrate is added to sugar water for a refreshing drink. We now make our own on the boat.

Dried flowers that you can buy in bulk here, or in packages from your local Mexican food store in the US

Soaking in water overnight (don't boil like it recommends) to make the concentrate

Our other favorite thing is banana leaf wrapped tamales, for which we got great instruction and learned a lot of good techniques to make perfect masa for the tamale.

Cutting the banana leafs to the right size for the tamales

Heating the leafs on the stove to make them pliable for wrapping

Mike mixing the masa with the pork fat for the tamale lining

Making little masa balls that will be used for each tamale

Assembly is masa, covered with the boiled chicken and red sauce then wrapped and steamed. Yum!

Nopales or prickly pear pads are also a new add to our normal grocery shop. We loved them diced up with eggs, or on cheese quesadillas. 

Nopal field in Tepoztlan

Finally, we found a panque de elite (little cornbread muffin loaves) in town that was made from organic corn, flour-less and just the most divine little morsels of sweet goodness you could imagine. I have yet to find a recipe that is an equivalent, but I am working on it!

We also took many side trips to Cuernavaca and to the Palace of Cortez, the Cathedral and other colonial era sites. 

Whenever we took the bus to Cuernavaca, there was always a musician or two who would come on board to play for tips. Which was a nice distraction, given the ride took an hour. The musicians were all quite good as well!

View from the Palace of Cortez to the fortress Cathedral, built in the 16th century

The manmade water feature at the the Borda Gardens, the summer residence of the Emperor Maximilian

Back in Tepoztlan, no visit to the area would be complete without a hike up to the Tepozteco, an Aztec pyramid constructed around the 14th century. It is small in comparison to other temples with only 3 tiers and being about 24 feet high or so. But the hike and view are quite spectacular.  

How many stairs did you say there were?

View from the top - very green and very blue sky. The girls are enjoying the view and that's our own pirate there on the left side of the photo. 

Breaking into our room after forgetting our keys - good thing Pinky is still so tiny

Finally, on our last day, we were treated to a local musician who came in to sing with us and teach us the lyrics of famous Mexican songs. I will have to add pics later that are on Mike's phone, but we had a great time. Who knew that La Cucaracha was the name of Pancho Villa's car?

Well, that about wraps up the highlights of our Spanish school adventure. We did learn a lot of Spanish and it has come in very handy since we left. We are trying hard to keep it up and to keep learning.  I know that the kids will keep great memories of the friends they made and hopefully, the Spanish will stay with them too.