Fernando's brother Cuautli owns a lot of land, and there are some cool places around his property. So we stocked up on dinner and breakfast supplies, some wine and tequila for the dads, and packed two large backpacks and two smaller kids packs with food, sleeping bags, cooking supplies, clothes and a tent, borrowed Cuautli's dog Maya, and we were off. After a 20 minute walk, we found the spot Fernando had picked, just before nightfall. It was under a special tree, a long stones throw from a special place on the top of the mountain called the "hermitage". Since it was getting dark, we set up the tent and collected our firewood, as exploring would have to wait until daylight.
We dined on quesadillas and some homemade Mexican style tomato soup that Liz made us, which was delicious. The dads enjoyed the an awesome $5 bottle of merlot, and the kids feasted on s'mores cooked in the campfire. At one point during the night, Maya started growling, and I saw something really big move close to our campfire. "Wild animals" was our first thought, but upon closer inspection, it was a group of burros. Maya needed just a little encouragement to run them off.
Our fire and tequila lasted until the moon rose, at which time everyone went to bed in the tent. The ground was rock hard, but surprisingly we were all able to sleep OK. A few times during the night Maya would bark at something, and then the sound of running hooves would follow soon after.
In the morning, we were finally able to appreciate what a beautiful place Fernando had picked for us. We walked up to the Hermitage, which sat at the top of the mountain, and had great 360 degree views, including San Miguel from far away. The Hermitage is a stone altar, which used to have a Virgin Mary inside, but showed remnants of flowers and other offerings.
Bryce and Fernando
Me and Fernando senior by the Hermitage
Our campsite, looking down from the Hermitage
We had an awesome breakfast of eggs, cheese, bacon, salsa, and refried beans, wrapped in tortillas or fresh torta bread. Maya got well fed too, as she was working hard guarding camp the night before. More burros appeared, and this time Bryce, Fernando and Maya together ran them off.
Maya the burro chaser
As we were breaking down camp, Cuautli appeared. He told us the tree we were sleeping under is a "guardian tree", and that the place we were sleeping was very special. He led the kids back up to the Hermitage while the dads cleaned up camp, and taught the kids some Indian songs and imparted other Native American knowledge to them. Cuautli is very spiritual, and it was great to see the kids get his perspective on the importance of nature. When they returned, Bryce and Fernando built a ring of rocks around our special tree to honor it.
Looking up at the Hermitage, with Cuautli and the kids
Returning home was trickier than getting there, primarily because the path is harder to find, and Maya (who knows the way) went home with Cuautli. We did a little bushwhacking, and although we eventually found our way home, I got a first-hand awareness of how much prickly, spiny vegetation there is in this part of the world.
All four of us had a great time, and Liz was waiting for us with a delicious lunch of Chicken Mole, beans and rice as we returned.
Bryce and Fernando really have fun together. They seem to be on the same wavelength, and have similar personalities. Maestra Catalina (their teacher) says that when they do an art project together in school, it is impossible to tell which kids did which part - other collaborative efforts by other kids are usually obvious to who did what. It's great to see that Bryce has made a really good friend here, and their whole family is really awesome too.
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