Photo: Wild Impatients growing on the skirts of Macuiltepetl.Sunday
It felt like we could almost rest better now, almost, because we still had to sign contracts and the house had to really be finished by the 15th or 16th. Still we decided another day off was very much deserved by all, so we took off to hike to the top of the “Macuiltepetl” Volcano.
Since our last visit to Xalapa, the boys had been fascinated by the existence of an extinct volcano right in the middle of the city, but we did not have time to visit it on that trip. This time, we were definitively going to go up to the top.
Getting there was, again, a feat in navigational skills. Although you can see the volcano from anywhere in the city, and you can tell you are approaching it, there seems to be just one way up to the entrance of the park. Of course, the streets hardly have names, signs are iffy and you can never tell what way traffic is going. I do not think there is one straight street in all of Xalapa! Eventually, and following a Taxi, we got to the entrance to the Reserve.
There are two entrances to the “Macuiltepetl” the one to the Ecological Reserve and Park, the other one for a short jogging road paved in red clay. We took the clay road, but it probably was not the right one to take. It was not very steep, but it took us only half way around the base of the volcano. It was still lovely to check out all the native plants growing freely on either side of the path. There were forests of pink Impatiens, a few Bromeliads here and there, and many fuzzy caterpillars. The path dead ended near some stairs that said they led to the other road, the paved one.
The cobbled road was a much better and it permitted you to choose between going up walking on the sloped road, or taking short cuts that consisted on incredibly steep stairs made out of volcanic rock. We tried the road most of the way up and took a good hour to reach the crater. It is an amazing jungle in there, but the city has used the flat surfaces to add a few ponds, some sitting areas and even a monument. At the top of the volcano there is a lookout tower. It is a precarious structure that has the most wonderful view of Xalapa. Only the bravest will go to the top level, which has no railing and a very sloped floor, but the view is great. Jevon went all the way up to the top, and although Diego wanted to join him, we decided to say no to that one.
Also on the highest point of the volcano, there is a little “museum” of native species. The National Wildlife service has dedicated this little building to saving hurt animals and keeping them as close to their natural environment as possible, it also serves as a way to educate the public about some of the native wildlife: falcons, eagles, reptiles, and insects. The boys found the raptor birds fascinating.
It took us a little bit less time to get down since we used more of the short-cuts (stairs), but it was really hard to keep oriented in the paths since signaling is, as usual, inexistent.
It felt like we could almost rest better now, almost, because we still had to sign contracts and the house had to really be finished by the 15th or 16th. Still we decided another day off was very much deserved by all, so we took off to hike to the top of the “Macuiltepetl” Volcano.
Since our last visit to Xalapa, the boys had been fascinated by the existence of an extinct volcano right in the middle of the city, but we did not have time to visit it on that trip. This time, we were definitively going to go up to the top.
Getting there was, again, a feat in navigational skills. Although you can see the volcano from anywhere in the city, and you can tell you are approaching it, there seems to be just one way up to the entrance of the park. Of course, the streets hardly have names, signs are iffy and you can never tell what way traffic is going. I do not think there is one straight street in all of Xalapa! Eventually, and following a Taxi, we got to the entrance to the Reserve.
There are two entrances to the “Macuiltepetl” the one to the Ecological Reserve and Park, the other one for a short jogging road paved in red clay. We took the clay road, but it probably was not the right one to take. It was not very steep, but it took us only half way around the base of the volcano. It was still lovely to check out all the native plants growing freely on either side of the path. There were forests of pink Impatiens, a few Bromeliads here and there, and many fuzzy caterpillars. The path dead ended near some stairs that said they led to the other road, the paved one.
The cobbled road was a much better and it permitted you to choose between going up walking on the sloped road, or taking short cuts that consisted on incredibly steep stairs made out of volcanic rock. We tried the road most of the way up and took a good hour to reach the crater. It is an amazing jungle in there, but the city has used the flat surfaces to add a few ponds, some sitting areas and even a monument. At the top of the volcano there is a lookout tower. It is a precarious structure that has the most wonderful view of Xalapa. Only the bravest will go to the top level, which has no railing and a very sloped floor, but the view is great. Jevon went all the way up to the top, and although Diego wanted to join him, we decided to say no to that one.
Also on the highest point of the volcano, there is a little “museum” of native species. The National Wildlife service has dedicated this little building to saving hurt animals and keeping them as close to their natural environment as possible, it also serves as a way to educate the public about some of the native wildlife: falcons, eagles, reptiles, and insects. The boys found the raptor birds fascinating.
It took us a little bit less time to get down since we used more of the short-cuts (stairs), but it was really hard to keep oriented in the paths since signaling is, as usual, inexistent.
