Cuernavaca

Well, we were wrong. Cuernavaca is not some beautiful little town in a valley of eternal spring. It is a chaotic, congested, haphazard amalgam of people and way too many cars, bikes, and buses of all sizes. Totally not what we were expecting. Bad planning. I would not recommend coming here unless you are interested in just seeing what life here looks like. It gives new meaning to what urban planners mean when they talk about the perils of a lack of planning.

Cuernavaca does have a few things to visit, but unfortunately our weekend trip planner neglected to research the extent of earthquake damage. Most of the main sights in town are closed to visitors (like the palace where Hernán Cortes lived after he conquered Mexico City and a cathedral that looks interesting from the outside) but one museum was open. It was the house of Robert Brady, a rich American painter who lived in Cuernavaca and jammed a million items into his very nice house. One Frida self-portrait and a few other notable paintings crammed in between figurines, paintings, plates, wall hangings, and random other collectibles of all types.

At least it looks like the ruins at Xochicalco are open, so we will head there tomorrow. Sunday's plan looks like a mariachi mass (I am serious) and some waterfall that may be dry because there has been no rain. I would not say this has been the best choice of places to go, but the beer is good.Læs mere