Feeling very glad not to be at work, me and Sam and Lesley headed for Guanajuato, via Leon as the only direct first class bus to Guanajuato from San Luis left at 4:25am and we weren't up for starting our holiday quite so early. So it was quicker to go to Leon and then get a bus to Guanajuato than to get a second class bus. We arrived at the bus station and then took a bus ride through tunnels and down steep and narrow streets until we finally reached the centre. It was pretty but busy and we headed straight for the hostel. It was kind of sweet and old fashioned but basic and small to say the least.
We didn't waste any time though and got out of there and into Guanajuato for some much needed lunch. We went to a little plaza for lunch and had crepes which were nice but the location was the best thing really as it was a vey pretty little plaza.
After that we set about exploring the town, which was extremely busy (all the people that told us that Mexicans leave the cities for semana santa and head for the country and the beaches were wrong! it was heaving!). We were disappointed to findthe diego rivera house museum closed for the weekend and the alhodiga museum was reallyy expensive so we decided to save our cash for the mummies museum the next day instead. We did go to a wax works museum where i felt pleased to understand almost everything the guide told us in spanish! We also browsed around a great market and a book fair and went up the funicular to the pipila monument with stunning views of the city before we went back to the hostel for a rest.
We decided to go to a vegetarian restaurant as recommended by lonely planet for dinner but it was up a street next to a big church. We headed up there but it was church kicking out time and everyone was walking in the opposite direction to us so we were swimming against the flow and the mexicans were shouting at us and telling us we were going the wrong way and the entrance was the other side. It was horrible and to make it worse there was no restaurant when we finally got to the top of the street! So we went back to the square where we'd been for lunch and had queso fundido in a restaurant there.
It was a pretty chilly night and we decided that the best idea would be to buy some beers and head back to the hostel rather than make a night of it.
We were up bright and early the next day and after grabbing a fruit cup for breakfast, headed for the mummies museum - about a 2km walk out of town. It was busy when we got there and we had to queue for a long time to get in and were then shepherded round by a guide in a huge group. It was kind of strange and i'm not sure if i enjoyed it or not. It was interesting but a bit sad and i didn't like the way the mexicans were having their pictures taken with the mummies - it didn't seem nice somehow. When we came out the queue had extended all the way around the building and we were glad we'd gone early.
We had lunch from a bakery and went back to the hostel to eat it. Lesley was feeling tired and so she had a sleep whilst me and Sam headed out of town on a bus for the Valenciana mine. We went down the mine which was interesting and nice and cool! We wandered round the market stalls for a bit afterwards but didn't find anything of any real interest and got a completely rammed bus back, where some slimy guy tried to chat and feel us up, nice.
We went for a wander through the underground tunnels in the city which lesley was interested by and sam not so keen on and then wandered about before we searched for somewhere to have dinner. We ended up in a cafe in the centre which was ok but not the most exciting place in the world, and again decided on a bit of an early night.
In the morning lesley left to go back to san luis and me and sam headed for dolores hidalgo...
