Mexico - Where Colour Meets The Hills At Guanajuato

Hello there!

After a short break and consolidating my first edition of my Travel Diaries, which included my travel posts to 14 different countries, here's kickstarting my second edition of Travel Diaries! For those who are keen to read my the first edition, you can find them here.

I am actually quite excited to start this new country and new series of posts, because it's something that I wanted to do for quite some time, but I needed some time to tidy up my photos and organise my storytelling and places. And this new country is Mexico!

Back in 2009, I had the opportunity to go for a summer exchange programme to spend 7 weeks studying in an university in Queretaro, a small city in Mexico and that was one of my more memorable parts of my life! Going halfway across the globe from Asia, I didn't know much about Mexico so I went there with my eyes wide open, and ready to embrace the different cultures and experiences.

A few months before the actual trip, if you are old enough to recall, there was the H1N1 virus which was quite prevalent in the world, including Mexico, and the trip was almost cancelled. Eventually, the programme was postponed, and the situation got better and travel restrictions were lifted. Even so, many participants of the programme decided not to go ahead for personal reasons. Because this trip was such a rare opportunity, I made the decision to go ahead.

So let the adventures begin!

Here's the series of Mexico posts so far:
Mexico - Flying Halfway Across The Globe
Mexico - A Journey Beneath The Vineyard
Mexico - Where Peña de Bernal Comes Alive
Mexico - A Leap Of Faith At Las Pozas
Mexico - A Garden Of Wild Wonders
Mexico - The Pyramids Of Teotihuacan
Mexico - We Scaled The Pyramid Of The Sun

During my summer exchange, one of the trips organised by the university was to Guanajuato. Guanajuato is a UNESCO site so there must be something special to earn its status.

When we alighted from the bus at the lookout area, I was mesmerised by the view! Just look at that! Friends who know me will know that I look at go up to skyscrapers and towers to view cities from high points, but this was different! It was a natural viewing point, not some tower. I think what made it so special was that the buildings in the city were quite colourful and the backdrop was the mountains.

This was a monument at the lookout point. Took this from online: The Monumento al Pípila is one of the most famous landmarks in Guanajuato, Mexico. Standing high above the colourful city, it commemorates a local folk hero associated with one of the most important battles in Mexico's fight for independence from Spain.

So we needed to head down, and the mode of transport was the funicular. It was a short ride and was not scary at all.

Immediately we saw Teatro Juarez, one of the many beautiful buildings and landmarks in Guanajuato.

More photos from the streets, which was a little crowded as well.

Another major landmark in Guanajuato. This is Basílica Colegiata de Nuestra Señora de Guanajuato, which translates to Basilica of Our Lady of Guanajuato.

The many colours of Guanajuato!

This was another interesting place that we visited, called the Callejon del Beso, which translates to Alley of the Kiss. This is a local myth behind this place which I have extracted from online:

According to the traditional story, Ana, a young woman from a wealthy Spanish family, fell in love with Carlos, a poor miner. Their families opposed the relationship, but their homes stood so close together that their balconies were almost touching.

The couple secretly met at their balconies and could supposedly kiss across the narrow gap. When Ana’s father discovered them, the story ends tragically, with him killing his daughter.

The story is a local legend rather than a fully documented historical event, but it has become an enduring part of Guanajuato’s identity. Today, couples often visit the famous balconies and kiss as part of the tradition.

The alley itself is extremely narrow—often said to be only about 68 cm at its narrowest point, which helps explain how the legend became associated with the place.

And so we went up to the narrowest point! See how close the two balconies are!

Here's the view downwards from the balcony!

That's it for the first part of the Guanajuato because there were many adventures that took place in our day trip here. First impression was me was totally wow, especially at the viewing point. I don't think there's any place in the world that looks close like that, where the colours of the buildings match so well with the hills.

And that's all I have today! Have you been to Guanajuato or Mexico? Let me know in the comments below!

Finally, thanks for reading my post in the community under World Map Pin!