My first night in Puebla, I arrived after dark, and wasn't really interested in doing much exploring after 36 hours of travel. So a beer in the rooftop bar at the NH was in order. After a nap, a little dinner in the restaurant, which was outstanding. Some poblena soup (a local version of chicken soup), served in the classiest way I've ever seen: the standard soup bowl, with some chunks of stuff in it - cheese, veggies, and the like, and then from a tureen brought to the table, the soup is poured into the bowl. The waiter leaves the tureen with the rest of the soup that you pour it in your bowl when you like. Like how tea is served, sort of. In any case, very classy.
Service in Latin American restaurants is always a little more formal than in Canada or the US - a European influence, I would guess. For that matter, all service workers are a little more formal - for example, I was far more impressed by the condition and cleanliness of the taxi and the uniform of the driver than I usually am at home.
Back to dinner...after the soup, the dish the region is most famous for - Chicken with Mole. Mole is a complicated sauce with cocoa and chillies, and then a whole bunch of other ingredients handed down in family recipies. Everyone's might be a little different, like curry in Indian food is a little different everywhere but ARGHHHH!!! It was incredible. With a very happy belly and a liver bathed in red wine, back to bed.
Sunday was a very relaxed day of exploring the Zocato area - the central square. This area is always the same - a huge cathedral and a huge palace facing each other, with a public square in the middle. I think there is a certain obvious statement made with the cathedral and palace competing for attention - the government and the church are keeping an eye on each other.
I can't figure out how to embed pics here - refer to the gallery.
Afterwards (despues), I met up with my host family who by that time were worried - they had expected me the day before, I never told anyone I had a room, nobody asked, yada yada yada. Communication foul up. All good - I was fed a great dinner, and found the little doll hidden in the holiday cake. More about this, the resulting commitment, the ballon vendor, and 3 Kings Day on Wednesday tomorrow...
