27 February 2015
By morning I am resigned to having a quiet foodless day and staying within easy reach of a bathroom. Gill is still not 100% either so is happy to do the same. We strolled to the Plaza and had breakfast at ‘Al Grano Café + Arte’ (the same café Anne, Lily and I had found last night) – Gill had coffee and an English muffin, and I had a cup of tea. The café was right next to the main bank used by the indigenous peoples and there was a long queue waiting for it to open and families waiting nearby.
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- Waiting for the bank to open
We walked around the square for a while and then headed down the Andador Guadalupano pedestrian mall towards La Virgen de Guadelupe – a catholic church dedicated to the Virgin Mary. The church is perched on top of hill up seemingly hundreds of steps, but it is worth the climb for the views back over the city. It is beautifully ornate but not covered in gold the way we have seen some South American countries. It is being well used by locals and we are not allowed to take photos inside.
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- Steps up to La Virgen de Guadelupe
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- The church
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- Views down the steps
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- Views over the city
We head back towards the centre and stop at lots of lovely handmade jewellery stores, and at another lovely café for toilets and another cup of tea. All the cafes we visit have been really artfully done – often with paintings and interesting decorations. The staff are all really friendly (in Spanish) and they have a lovely ambience with music playing and occasionally a busker outside.
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- Pedestrian Mall looking down to Virgen de Guadalupe
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- Delightful cafes
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- Indigenous people selling their wares
We book a tour to the Sumidero Canyon for tomorrow and then head to the Plaza again in search of the tourist information booth. We are successfully directed to the post office and bank. Then we decide that a massage would be very appealing. I manage to get the man at the information booth to find a place and make a booking for us! We have a 20 minute walk almost back to the church and get there just in time. There was only 1 lady so we had to take it in turns, but it was worth it. And we could have another cup of tea in a café nearby while we waited. Then we head back to the hotel for a siesta.
We meet up with Anne and go into the centre for dinner – Gill was the only one who actually ate – and only chicken soup. I had yet another cup of tea – mint this time. Anne had had a big lunch so was still full. Then we stroll back down the mall and home for an early night.
To my dismay, I started passing copious amounts of blood that evening. I was truly grateful for my first aid kit and the wonderful booklet that had a flow chart for assessing symptoms and providing guidance on how to treat them. For me it is an antibiotic (2 tablets now and then 2 a day for 3 days) – hopefully that fixes it. It certainly stopped the bleeding part by morning.
For this and other similar trips see:
Explore Central America with Intrepid Travel (a range of different travel styles – see my post on travel styles)
Explore South America with Intrepid Travel
Peregrine Adventures Travel Destinations (Comfort and independent tours)
Geckos Adventures Deals for South & Central America (for 18 to 30s)
Note: After people telling me they had booked an Intrepid Tour on my recommendation, I now have affiliate links with the Intrepid Travel group of companies and may receive a commission if you book a tour online within a couple of months after clicking through to these sites. So if you are enjoying my tips and stories and finding them useful in choosing your own travel, please click on these links and help me to bring you more ☺.
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