Taxco: 16th - 19th June 2025
16th June – Monday
Today started out fine, then it turned into a mini nightmare but finally turned out fine.
I checked out of Roomies and got a taxi to the bus station and navigated that without a hitch. The bus/coach was very comfortable, with reclining seats and free headphones for the entertainment system, but you have to be quick, the bus gates opened at 10 am and the bus left at 10.05 on the dot. I was there half an hour early so had time to get a cheese and ham pasty which came with enough loose change to use the toilet! On the lush coach I tried to watch Mexican TV whilst trying to view the landscape as it passed me by – Mexico is so beautiful, mountainous and green – a true feast for the eyes, and I really do love the way that most of the villages/towns are on the mountain sides, from a distance they actually look very run down, but as I was later to discover, they are not as run down as Mexico City!
I must have dozed off for the last half hour of the 2.5-hour journey as I woke up in Taxco – OMG, what a beautiful Mexican town, more like what I was expecting, almost true to the scenes you see in the films – stunning – but as dad pointed out later – very Spanish looking. This is where my nightmare started. I wasn’t sure about the local taxi, not after all the warning about the local ones in CDMX, so I tried Uber and as expected they do not operate here, so I had no choice. I showed my absolutely lovely driver where I wanted to go and, in Spanish, asked for the price. It was so cheap at 60 pesos, but he dropped me off before my hostel location due to the town square one way system, but he did point me in the right direction. By now it was pissing down with rain, so I got very wet finding shelter and then tried to use Google maps to find my hostel – FFS – Hotel Suite Taxco does not exist on Google maps! And so, the nightmare began, and in the rain. It actually took me two hours of wondering around, sheltering and asking random people for help, before I found a lovely man who could speak English. He was actually the bookshop owner next to where the hostel was supposed to be. Anyway, he not only found the street that the hostel is on, which is a fucking long street, he also let me leave my rucksack in the back of the shop while I went hunting for it. On route I gained directional help from two other guys, one with no English and the other with perfect English. Anyway, it turns out that the hostel is a good ½ kilometre to where they state they are on Agoda – watch my review! The hostel is actually mostly underground, I’ve had a good look around and only a couple of the rooms have external windows, mine does not – but I do have my own bathroom (unlike the last hostel), there is no fridge but I did see a kettle 
it will do for 4 nights.
So, as you can imagine, I have already seen a fair bit of this part of Taxco and it is so beautiful. I am really looking forward to exploring it tomorrow and will also book a visit to the caves, which is the main reason I came here. Tonight, I’m going to don on my raincoat and get food, after that I will return for a well needed good nights’ sleep. See you tomorrow
A few hours later 
I’ve just come back from eating, there was a place doing a special, so that’s two courses and a drink for 135 pesos but I had a beer so they charged me $180 – I gave a 20 tip but wont be going there again, fried chicken and chips with some re-fried beans mush – lol – I need to improve my Spanish – I know pollo is chicken but not got a clue about fried or beans – lol. Anyway, I needed to eat and that is exactly what I did.
Back at my room, I pulled the blankets back to find black bed sheets covered in white bits and I sniffed the pillows – ug 
. However, the receptionist was accommodating, and without hesitation provided new sheets (not like the debacle I had in Malaysia where they insisted the curry-stained sheets and BO pillows were clean – which they obviously weren’t) Between us it didn’t take long to change my bedding – I am now a very happy puppy and the bed is very firm 😊
Unlike Mexico City, where everyone seems to own one, I have yet to see a dog, and as much as I felt safe in Mexico City, I feel even safer here. I’m definitely in love with Mexico. I hope that wasn’t a bloody mosquito I just saw fly by in my peripheral vision!
17th June – Tuesday
Today has been awesome even though it started with no coffee and I am now absolutely exhausted. When I woke the kettle I saw in the kitchen yesterday was no longer there and after emptying the microwave of good knows what content I couldn’t get it work. I had water to wake me up and by 9 am I had a stinking headache; I dressed and found the nearest café and had coffee – headache gone 😊from there I took a walk and found Lavanderia Azul – yeah. I quickly returned to the hostel, gathered my dirty clothes – clean clothes tomorrow – I cannot wait.
After another coffee and breakfast, I made the brave (perhaps silly) decision to hike up the hill to the Cristo Rey Monument. FFS, it took over an hour to get there, up some of the steepest hills and sheerest steps I’ve climbed in years. At one point the steps were so difficult I had to use my hands to steady myself so I was more or less crawling up them. Why-o-why did I not do what sane people do and get a taxi is beyond me. But it was an inspirational climb. Some of the areas I passed through looked a bit ‘rough’ but nearly all the locals I passed said good morning (obviously in Spanish) and some even offered me directions, so I felt safe.
At the bottom of the scariest stairs ever there was a guy with a plaster cast on his foot, in Spanish he informed me that I had 4 more sets of similar stairs to climb before I reached the top – FFS – there had to be an easier route especially considering taxis cannot go upstairs! Sorry Google, your shortest route was not the easiest and I did manage to avoid 3 sets of stairs by walking the long route. I must admit I did feel a lot safer, especially as stairs make me extremely nervous and falling backwards down stairs would have been lethal.
Anyway, the climb, although thoroughly exhausting, was very much worth it, the view was spectacular and the monument humongous. There was a guy there that I could not watch as he was standing on the ledge taking photos for other people – OMG – I had a good look at the fall – one wrong footing and he would have been dead. I almost got a taxi back down the hill but Google was telling me it was only half an hour to my hostel so I walked, this time a totally different route; the taxi route! By the time I got back my legs felt like jelly and I had to lay down for a couple of hours.
Once recovered I set off for dinner and got trapped by an old lady who gave me a paper menu with a discount on it, I said ‘si’ and she escorted me to the restaurant, there is no escaping little old ladies, I hope she got commission for my custom. The guys at the restaurant were very friendly and the meal, chicken again, was reasonably delicious but I left the re-fried beans slop, by the time I was half way through my meal the restaurant was empty and one of the guys changed the music and put on some old reggae tunes which I found quite amusing.
On route back to the hostel I noticed it was very busy and then two jeeps with armed soldiers, 6 in each jeep all carrying rather large rifle like guns, passed me. I’m so glad I was walking in the opposite direction. I stopped for a beer and then came back to the hostel. I had a look on the internet but I couldn’t see any possible incidents, rallies orprotests taking place, so I really am not sure what is going on out there and I don’t care to go and look. It could simply be nothing but I am now happily tucked up in bed and, after seeing the soldiers, believe I am in the right place 😊
I get my clean clothes tomorrow and have decided not to do any major hikes, instead I will hang around the town centre and catch up on the two days of diary that I have missed, sort my cave visit for Thursday and book my bus journey to Oaxaca for Friday, which actually involves going back to Mexico City first!
18th June -Wednesday
I’ve had a really lovely morning. I went out a little earlier for coffee this morning only to find the place I went to yesterday closed, so I kept walking and found a place called Fresh Co; what a treasure of a find. Bearing in mind I had complained to Thomo about the Mexican food explaining that I could not live here because of the re-fried beans and stodgy rice, which is served with everything, this place had waffles, yogurt bowls and omelettes on the menu. I had a special omelette with mushrooms and spinach and a salad on the side, which had strawberries in it and 2 cups of coffee. I must admit it was expensive at £7, but well worth it. Whilst there I booked my buses to Oaxaca, it’s going to take approximately 12 hours to get there as I have to go back Mexico City first, but it’s only costing £43, so I’m not overly fussed. After that I went to collect my laundry, on route I passed a couple of army guys/police with huge guns, they were very accommodating and happy to have their photos taken. I still can’t find a reason for their presence bar a couple of incidents that happened last year. I read that lynching is popular in Mexico and last September a mob killed a woman who they believed was responsible for the kidnapping of a little girl.
I’m now back at my room, the water here really is hot, unlike the warm stuff at Roomies, so I washed my hair and donned on clean clothes – I feel like a million dollars 😊
Here is a little history regarding Taxco (courtesy of Google AI)
Pre-Columbian Era: Taxco was originally an indigenous settlement known as Tlachco, meaning “place of the ballgame”. The inhabitants mined copper and other materials, which were used for both decorative and ritual purposes.
Spanish Conquest and Mining: Hernán Cortés arrived in 1521 and claimed the mines for Spain. The town, renamed Taxco, became a significant silver producer for the Spanish Empire. Early mining efforts relied heavily on indigenous labour.
18th Century Prosperity: The Borda family, particularly José de la Borda, played a crucial role in Taxco’s development during the 18th century. He struck it rich in the silver mines and invested his wealth in the city, including the iconic Santa Prisca Cathedral. This era saw Taxco flourish as a major mining centre and a hub of colonial wealth and architecture.
19th Century and Beyond: Taxco experienced a decline in silver production in the late 1800s, but it remained a town with a strong mining heritage. In the 20th century, William Spratling revitalized the silver industry, establishing workshops and schools for silversmiths that gained international recognition.
Modern Taxco: Today, Taxco is a popular tourist destination known for its silver jewellery, colonial architecture, and cobblestone streets. It’s a “pueblo mágico” (magical town) that preserves its historical charm while embracing its role as a centre for silver craftsmanship. The city’s light plan, which uses light as a tool for sustainable development, has also earned it international recognition.
19th June -Thursday
Hunger drove me from my room last night, but not for long, I found a place nearby that did extremely good hamburgers, I also ordered chips but they never arrived and when I tried to ask about them the waiter said you had to order them separately. I couldn’t be bother to explain that I had done and to be honest I didn’t miss them. After food I had a short walk around the square and then came back to my room. It took me ages to get to sleep as I found some lumps and spent ages researching. I think they are cists and there are English speaking gynaecologists in both Oaxaca and Playa del Carmen, I did mean to book an appointment today but in all the excitement forgot.
What was all the excitement about? It started with another mushroom and cheese omelette for breakfast, not as nice as yesterdays but the coffee was far better. From breakfast I walked to the bus station, my timing was perfect as the bus for Parque Nacional Grutas de Cacahuamilpa was boarding. And what a lovely bus it was, comfy deep seats and on-board entertainment, which was a true distraction from the scenery. As I have said several times Mexico is so beautiful, but the film was also entertaining and watching TV is helping with my Spanish. Anyway, I got to the caves with over 40 minutes to spare before the next tour so I had a little walk around and found the rope bridge over the river. After a fair bit of deliberation and it taking a while, due to language barriers, to determine with the staff if I had enough time, I held my breath and, fully harnessed off I went. Yes, I was nervous, but after watching one of the operators go ahead of me at running speed, I just kept telling myself that it must be safe. They say don’t look down, but I did several times as I needed to watch my footing, I was so relieved when I go to the other side.
I thought the operator was simply going to turn me around so I could walk back, but no, she led me to the boarding place for the zip line – FFS – I didn’t realise that was the way back and included in the price. Uhm, the thought of walking off the cliff attached to a rope and hurtling towards the other side made me extremely nervous, to the point I was shaking. The operator was having none of it, so remembering how much I like abseiling I did it and screamed for the 10 seconds of the ride. The guys the other side found it all quite amusing, especially when I showed them how much my legs were shaking. But I did it and absolutely loved it and will happily go zip lining again.
The cave was amazing, and what I actually came to Taxco to see, but the tour guide only spoke Spanish. Obviously, I understood some of what he was saying, like stalagmite and stalactites, but I missed out on all his jokes and the details about the different rock formations that he was pointing out. However, I did note that many of the formations he mentioned looked like people and places and one he showed us he said was America and Mexico and then he said something about America that went way above my head but the all locals found it extremely funny. I also heard the locals on the tour talk about me and said I was from England and not America, how they worked that out is beyond me as I hadn’t actually said anything to them.
I think my favourite stalagmite was the one that looked like a champaign/beer bottle, there was also one that looked like farther Christmas, and other that when the tour guide shone his touch from a certain angle depicted two people kissing and third secretly watching them. It did make me wonder how long it took the guides to discover these resemblances; it must have been quite a fun job finding them. The tour was long, 2 hours, and we only explored two of the caverns, they were humongous and so beautiful but I really wouldn’t want to find myself down there alone and in the dark, very scary. By the time we got to the end of the last cavern my back was aching and my sciatica beginning to play up so I was happy to be shown the direction back and followed a couple and their children who had flash lights and were walking super quick. It was really hot in the caves and I had to rest for quite a while before I had the energy to head back to the bus stop.
I was the only person at the bus stop back and several of the others on the tour passed me in their cars but no-one stopped to offer me a lift, not even the ones who I took lots of pictures for. Such is life. After an hour of impatiently waiting on my own for the bus, I was just beginning to wonder if I should go back to the caves and try to get a taxi when lots of locals arrived at the bus stop. It was now 3:40 and one lady informed me that the bus should come at 4pm. I presumed it therefore runs every two hours, but that did nothing to help my now dour mood. What a relief when it did finally arrive and what a joy to see Taxco appear in the distance. From the bus I walked up to the square and took some photos of the church and square. On my route back to my room it pissed down with rain so, soaking wet, I stopped in a bar for food and a couple of beers. I have spent more money today than any other day but it was well worth it, I need to reduce my spending in Oaxaca, I leave for there tomorrow – I hope it is as beautiful as Taxco but not on a hill, I don’t think my body and legs could stand up to the pressures of another hill town.
