As a gesture of appreciation for Marta Elena’s excellent hospitality, I decided to give her some flowers as I know she loves gardening. Around the Palacio de Cortés I began to ask where I was going to get flowers and everyone pointed me in the direction of the local market. People on the street were very helpful, whenever I had a question they would patiently stop and try to help direct me. The market was about 7 or 8 blocks down a fairly steep hill and as usual it was a very colorful place. I got a wonderful bouquet of flowers with white and orange lilies for a very reasonable price of 55 pesos. I was also looking for a card to give to Marta Elena and I went through the very basic stalls that sold food, clothes, shoes, toys and many other basic items, but I had no luck, no cards were found anywhere.
It is certainly a very colorful place with a very local flavor, and there were no tourists in sight. The sights, sounds and smells of Mexico come to you in full force and you realize where the locals shop. This is also the main local bus terminal from where all municipal buses depart. What a concussion! Buses that leave every few minutes and queue in the usual chaotic way to leave the market. I was surprised that the buses did not collide with each other … Quite an experience. At 5:30 pm I had my second physical therapy appointment; now I am really getting to know the Mexican health system. Due to all the walking, I have been suffering from inflammation of the tendon and ligament that surrounds my left ankle, and Roxana Villamichel, my local contact in the city’s tourism department, recommended that I visit a local physiotherapist named Ivo, whose Office is literally 10 minutes from Marta Elena’s bed and breakfast. The office is located in a simple 3-story residential building, generally protected by an exterior wall. Ivo is a young therapist in his 30s, always smiling and concerned about his patients. He administered an electrode and ultrasound treatment (to reduce pain) and referred me to a local orthopedist named Dr. Chinchilla, who will fix me with orthotics for my shoes. My experience with Mexican medical specialists has been completely positive. Ivo is always friendly, professional and very knowledgeable and my pain has already subsided significantly. After returning from my appointment with the physical therapist, I prepared to move from one B&B to another and began to pack my bags. My next host was going to be Roxana Villamichel who works for the Department of Tourism of the City of Cuernava. She has been extremely instrumental and helpful in planning my trip to Cuernavaca. Roxana also owns a bed and breakfast called RX Villa in the northern part of Cuernavaca that she runs together with her son Luis. My current host Marta Elena and Roxana know each other, so they decided that the three of us would have dinner together. Marta Elena and I have become quite close in the few days that we have known each other and I helped Marta Elena set the table in the beautiful oasis that is the backyard of her bed and breakfast. Marta Elena is an accomplished gardener and her garden is filled with all kinds of tropical and subtropical plant species that appeal to all the senses. Marta Elena even put some edible flowers in one of my breakfasts as a garnish …
After everything was ready, we sat down and chatted for a while. Marta Elena’s two dogs, Peggy and Kissy, two loving and lively pugs, joined us, while Marta Elena’s Persian cat Billy watched us from afar. He had settled into a net to dry his clothes. Roxana arrived shortly after and the three of us began our delicious dinner. We toasted with some California champagne and Marta Elena had prepared a nice set of cold dishes, including fried eggplant slices with a special sauce, an antipasti set that included cold turkey breast and serrano ham, and a pate made with Roquefort cheese that was very tasty. . Marta Elena’s homemade mango ice cream was the finishing touch to a very tasty meal. Both women run bed and breakfasts, Marta Elena runs hers full time on her own, while Roxana works full time for the city and has some help in taking care of the garden, the kitchen and the house.
It was a wonderful relaxing meal and just after 10pm we finished our dinner and I moved with Roxana to a wonderful area in the mountainous north part of the city. I was a bit saddened to leave Marta Elena, who had become such a good friend in such a short time, but we decided to embark on an adventure together tomorrow to a place called “Las Estacas”, a seaside resort by the river that she had never seen. state, which we would both enjoy. After getting comfortable at RX Villa I downloaded all the photos I had taken and finally went to bed around 1:30 am after another full day ….