Last weekend I had the wonderful opportunity to go with my friend Kel along with her host mom to the small town of Malinalco. About 40 years go Sarita, her host mom, purchased a plot of land in the middle of nowhere. Over time she built an amazing country home about a 20 minute walk from the small town of Malinalco. According to her, when she first bought the property there was nothing there. She purchased the land for both the house and for a road to get to the house from the local farmers and built everything on her own. Over the past 40 years, the area of Malinalco has slowly become a destination for weekend get ways from Mexico City, and it’s easy to see why.Malinalco sits about 2.5 hours (3-4 with traffic) from the city with beautiful structures at the base of one of the most visited archaeological sites in Mexico, Cuauhtinchan. Our band of revolutionary women left Mexico city at 9am on Saturday morning and arrived at the country house about 3.5 hours later. Instead of jumping in the pool or heading into town we decided to get right down into making lunch/dinner. Which we enjoying under the gazebo in the front yard. Drinks followed food as did long talks about revolution, construct of power, and the affects of capitalism- you know, just some light conversation.The next morning we woke up (relatively) early and set out to hike Cuauhtinchan. Sarita dropped us off in the center of the city and we were able to snap some really great shots of the town waking up in the golden light. We made a very enthusiastic friend who unfortunately was not able to join us once we entered the park. The part cost about $60 pesos a person, although if you’re studying somewhere in Mexico make sure to bring your ID and you can get into free.The hike up to the top of Cuauhtinchan isn’t super long, I believe it took us about 45 minutes, but it is relatively steep. On our way down we overheard some kids counting the steps and about 5 minutes into the hike they were already in the 200’s. As steep as it is almost everything is nicely paved and I don’t think I even got my shoes dirty. There are also informative plaques along the way.

By the time we arrived to the top the sun was starting to heat up and I’m so thankful Sarita let us borrow some sunhats as I would have roasted. Upon reaching the top there were a couple of guides offering their services, but we walked past them and toured the grounds on our own. It was really interesting to read all about the uses for the different rooms and structures. We also got a nice panoramic of the city that alone would have made the hike worth it.  After our adventure up we made our way down where we wondered around the Saturday market before stopping at a restaurant for a bit to eat. I am so thankful for all the amazing people I have met during my travels. Kel, T and I all had such a wonderful time eating, talking, and laughing. I love it when you met someone that feels as though you’ve been friends for years.Upon finishing up our food we quickly stopped by the market where I bought some really cool earrings made out of orange peel, and got into the car to head back to the City. All in all it was an amazing trip. I HIGHLY recommend going to Malinelco if you ever have a chance, 100% worth it.