2016-09-27 - Day 16 - Leon, GT to Guanajuato, GT (64 km - 1:30 hrs)
I will make a single entry for the city of Guanajuato. There is only a single word to describe this place: Wow, Wow, Wow, Wow!
(I know, those are four words, but they’re the same one, so it doesn’t count.)
This place greatly impressed me. It provides a real show from the moment you arrive until the very end of the day.
Lately, I had begun to find the city visits a bit repetitive. Leon was nice, but it didn’t sweep me off my feet, and I was starting to feel a sense of déjà vu. I felt an impulse to just head south. But I resisted, and Guanajuato turned up in front of me.
The Subterranean Entry #
This city is literally built on and in mountains. The entrance is a maze of tunnels—some modern, but most are narrow, dimly lit, and slightly terrifying. They run for hundreds of meters beneath overcrowded districts. Inside, you find intersections, pedestrians walking on tiny sidewalks in the dark, and a thick blend of diesel fumes from old buses.
Emerging from the tunnels, the city is a beautiful, unorganized mess of trucks, motorbikes, and pedestrians swiveling up and down crazy streets. I fell in love immediately.
The Hotel Gamble #
I had originally booked a spot called Hotel Independencia, but when I arrived, the “parking” was a brick side street so steep it practically pointed skyward. The owner told me I could drive the bike up to the room. I looked at that hill and thought: No way. One slip on those bricks and the trip is over.
Even the local scooters didn’t dare drive up there. I left without a Plan B, but after a few minutes of navigating the mess, I spotted a tiny sign for another hotel. I asked about parking, and the receptionist pointed behind me to one of the nicest garages I’ve ever seen—a tile floor so clean you could eat off it!
A Walk Through Color #
I unpacked quickly and headed out. Guanajuato is a paradise of life, color, and texture.
The tunnels even have pedestrian entrances. The engineering required to build this at the start of the century is mind-boggling.
I ventured up the back alleys toward the El Pípila monument. Even these tiny footpaths are on Google Maps—the technology behind that tool is incredible.
Once I reached the statue, the view was breathtaking. I’ll let the photos speak for themselves. This city is a 10/10. Not to be missed!
