I had never traveled out of the country before. Between school, work, and not having the funds, significant travel had never been a realistic opportunity for me. I spent my childhood climbing mountains and backpacking with my family however and was well equipped for planning trips and responding to unexpected situations as they arose. In addition to climbing and backpacking however, I did have a desire to travel and see new areas. That interest was instrumental in eventually pursuing lifestyle and business opportunities that would lend themselves to that end.
The evolution of my traveling followed a fairly non-traditional route; I was introduced by a friend to flight finding websites and phone apps, and quickly became obsessed with creating the perfect combinations of flight days, times, and destinations that would allow me to experience low key solo traveling to exciting places for prices that actually made the experience doable at almost anytime that the opportunity presented itself.
I was self employed at company that a friend and I had bought, and although the pay was not great yet, I finally had the flexibility in my schedule to take advantage of cheap, inconveniently scheduled flights. As I scrolled through my options, Mexico City popped up. Round trip from Boise, ID for $400. I knew very little about Mexico City or what might attract me there but it sounded cooler than anything else I had done so I saved the flight to my watch list and began looking at my options.
I love backpacking and mountaineering and decided to look at options that catered to that in the area surrounding Mexico City. It didn’t take me long to stumble upon the volcanoes of Mexico and specifically Pico de Orizaba. The third highest peak in North America and its tallest volcano, Orizaba appeared to be a great introduction to high altitude climbing, as well as planning a trip out of country; while not requiring a lot of technical skills. It seemed perfect to provide some direction for my first attempt at real travel and I booked the flight.
I had a few months to prepare and began looking at transportation, lodging, and routes up the mountain. I (along with my limited budget) decided to stay at a hostel in Mexico City and the travel via bus the next day to Tlachichuca; a small village in the plains beneath Orizaba. From there I would hire a jeep to take me to the climbing lodge at the base of the peak. It was recommended to hire a guide but not required and after studying the route up the mountain I determined that the guide would be unnecessary. I made reservations at a climbing lodge in Tlachichuca for the nights before and after the climb and then eagerly awaited my departure in March.
Stepping off the plane into Mexico I was immediately greeted by the warm night air and bustling groups of people and taxis hurrying in and out of the Mexico City Airport. I knew a little Spanish and was able to find my way to a taxi and request that he take me to my hostel. There were some miscommunication and we spent a lot of time on needless detours but eventually showed up at the door of the hostel. I quickly checked in and stashed my gear and decided to explore the surrounding city while I could.
My hostel was a couple blocks from Catedral Metropilotana; the largest cathedral in
the Americas. Despite the trash littering the surrounding streets and the large numbers of police on patrol, it was lit beautifully and its rock architecture impressive. After stopping to get a few photos I ducked into the first restaurant that I could find and ordered enchiladas and a margarita. They were both bad. It was a horrible disappointment to a hungry traveler who had his heart set on ‘authentic Mexican’. I learned a valuable lesson that regardless of where you go, there are bad restaurants and good restaurants and it pays to do your research beforehand.
After wandering the streets for another hour I decided to head back to my hostel and get some sleep. I was invited by the hostel host to a party that they were having on the roof with the other guests, but I was tired and decided that I would head straight to bed. In retrospect I regret doing so; my travels since then and even later on the same trip taught me that the enjoyment of the trip can be substantially enhanced by the people you meet and interact with and I wish that I had learned that sooner.
The next morning after some confusion over the massive amounts of buses available, I found one going the direction that I needed and purchased my ticket. I was hoping for a beautiful ride through the Mexican countryside but unfortunately was hit with the harsh reality of the extensive poverty of Mexico City. Trash littered the streets on a level that I did not think possible, and graffiti covered the sides of buildings and houses.
I dozed in an out for the next couple hours and eventually the bus arrived at Puebla. I wandered around the bus station and finally found the bus that would be driving through Tlachichuca. The bus soon departed and I was on the final leg of travel to get to my destination; at least the portion of the destination that didn’t involve climbing a mountain. The bus puttered along through tiny towns and villages, stopping to let people off and on. As the bus stopped to let a passenger off, an excited boy would jump on the bus and start yelling out what he had for sale. Water, sugar candies, and small bags of chips were all stuffed in his basket and he would run up and down the aisle selling as much as he could before the bus stopped at the next location. Here he got off and patiently waited for the bus going the opposite direction; where he presumably performed the same routine.
Nobody on the bus spoke English and the small towns and villages that we drove through all had remarkably similar names. I knew roughly the travel time needed to reach Tlachichuca but really had no way of knowing where exactly the bus was on its route. As time passed I became more and more concerned that I was going to miss my stop and I began working my way to the front of the bus. I yelled out “Tlachichuca?” to the bus driver and he looked at me questioningly. I indicated that I needed to get off at that town and he nodded understandingly and instantly stopped the bus. I now returned his questioning look but he nodded reassuringly and I grabbed my bag and stepped off the bus into the street. I was in a tiny village that appeared to be in the middle of nowhere and I soon found the name of the town on a building: “Tlachichuca”. By some crazy miracle I had made it. I don’t know what would have happened if I had stayed on the bus, but I was overjoyed at my seemingly blind luck that placed me exactly where I needed to be. I asked the location of the hotel where I had made reservations and was quickly pointed in the right direction.
