Advice on Pachuca?

[conklinwh]

I found Pachuca much larger than I expected and I must admit a little confusing to get around.
We go there because a friend has a hotel/restaurant in our little town of Pozos and somebody has established a micro-brewery in a restored pulque hacienda just outside Pachuca. I didn't realize the history, or the irony, of the area and having a micro brewery there. In fact that area of the state of Hidalgo is dotted with many old pulque haciendas. I would think having some bicycles would be a great way to explore the backroads and hills.
Sorry if the history is boring but the reason having a micro brewery in an old pulque hacienda is ironical is that in the 1890's pulque was really the drink of the masses and like white lighting in the US, there tended to be a lot of danger in homemade pulque and a lot of deaths and blindness. Diaz decided to "fix" this by bringing in brewers from around the world to brew cheap beer in Mexico and wean the population from pulque to beer.
He was widely successful by 1900 and basically cratered both the homegrown and industrial production of pulque. Thus the many wonderful old pulque haciendas dotting the hills and valleys outside Pachuca.

[julikant]

It is great to hear that you are considering moving to another country for a little while.

Checkout the blog greengagirldotwordpressdotcom (it does not let me post links sorry), her name is Sarah and currently lives and teaches in Pachuca. Just as I experienced when I came to the USA for school, I believe Sarah is experiencing the homesickness there just like I did when I came to this awesome country. Word to the wise, learn to love your new environment so you get the best experience, otherwise it will make you miserable. In a few words, leave America behind while you are in the presence of the locals. When a conversation starts like 'In the USA we do this or that' is a bad idea. I learned the hard way here!

Sarah gives a few hints from the expat perspective. Since I am native of Pachuca, I can tell you many different cool things about it. Food, transportation, and travel is relatively cheap in Pachuca. If you wish to buy a car, then you have to be extremely cautious so you get the best deal.

The group I associate with, meaning friends, are from different Christian churches, and that could be your best way to get used to the local culture.

Needless to say, I have married a beautiful woman in Florida. Now its is difficult for us to make a transition to Pachuca, we envy you in a good way!

El Chico can take you around 30 minutes in a 'colectivo' (shared taxi) or combi (VW minivan which is also a shared ride) I strongly recommend Real del Monte (20 min in colectivo or combi) and Huasca. On the north west side of Pachuca I recommend Ixmiquilpan (Grutas de Tolantongo giant caves).

You definitely must be polite on dining at peoples home and try everything they give you. Remember 'polite bite' always will make your hosts happy. People will definitely understand your need to consume 'American' food and do not be angry if they tease you!

Most of the people are very polite and will go out of their way to try to help you.

Also remember that the culture does not care about your strict agenda outside of work but your friendship. Business comes later, and there is nothing wrong with that there!

I understand the need to seclude oneself but not doing so will help you get connected with people.

We will be traveling to Pachuca at the beginning of August so in anyway we can help let us know! If you are there we would love to meet you and your family.

Good luck with your new adventure and God bless you and your family!

julikant

[Anonimo]

"On the north west side of Pachuca I recommend Ixmiquilpan (Grutas de Tolantongo giant caves). "

The cañon and grutas de Tolantongo are a beautiful, fantastic oasis in the desert. We stayed a couple of nights there 5 years ago, and hope to make a return visit for a longer stay this year in late October or early November.

The caves themselves are not huge, IMO, but the setting and the thermal waters are a marvel.

[grm]

Pachuca, has a few expats. My wife is from that area and say's there are a lot of blonde hair blue eyed people there. (thinks they are German) you will find that there are a lot of things to do and places to go. I envy you.

[CHerr]

So, we're finishing up the process of settling in (read: my wife is finishing up decorating, painting, etc.). We absolutely couldn't be happier. We have a very nice 2bed/2bath house in a safe, colorful neighborhood (Colonio Morelos, for those in the know), just two blocks away from a mercado. We love all of the little shops and restaurants scattered just outside our door, and the proximity to the mercado is a huge plus. We're also a short walk away from some of the more popular shopping and nightlife areas (Revolucion, for example), which is perfect for us - close enough that they're easy to get to, but not so close that we can't get any sleep at night. We have great views of the hills from our bedroom window.

The weather is perfect. We haven't missed air conditioning or central heat once since we've been here, although we are anticipating that we'll have to get a space heater in the colder months since it has been getting a bit chilly at night. It really only rains maybe once or twice a week despite it being the middle of the rainy season, and even then it rarely lasts for very long. I've been in places where people have said that the weather changes quickly, but nowhere has it been more true than in Pachuca.

The food has been great, too, and surprisingly diverse. In addition to pastes and traditional Mexican food (obviously), we've found pizza that rivals any we've had in the United States (this coming from a guy who takes his pizza pretty seriously), great sandwich shops, and some very, very good Italian food. A poster above mentioned a microbrewery - as luck would have it, the owner is a friend of a friend, and I ran into him at a party last weekend. I did not expect to find such a good stout in Mexico. Additionally, there's a bar nearby that specializes in imported and craft beer - it's on the pricey side, even by American standards (50-90 pesos a beer), but he usually has a great selection. And, of course, there's nice places where you can get 6 Indios or Sols and a plate of fries for around 80 pesos. So we get plenty of variety.

We're definitely going to need a car. Our salary has been holding out very nicely, even with buying all kinds of startup house things, so we've already been in the market for a week or two. Cabs have been great for getting around town (although I usually just walk), and buses are very cheap for longer out-of-town trips, but there's just a wealth of places that I really want to visit within about a 60-mile radius of town - too long for a cab, but too short for a bus. Combis are sometimes an option, but they're kind of a crapshoot. Maybe we just haven't figured out their system yet, but if you have an unusual destination in mind, you can be waiting for one for a long time, and there's no guarantee that you'll find one to pick you up when you're done exploring. We've talked to several of our coworkers who own cars, and they've said the same thing - you need one if you want to really explore the region.

That being said, we have gotten to Real del Monte and Mineral del Chico. Real del Monte struck us beautiful, but pretty touristy. We stayed mostly in the downtown area, so next time we're going to branch out a little more and see some of the natural areas around it. We happened into Mineral del Chico during an apple festival, and we loved it. The town itself was gorgeous - narrow, winding cobblestone streets, classic architecture, mountains everywhere - and we tasted just about any apple creation you can imagine at the festival. When our families come visit, we're planning on taking them there for a night.

Our jobs themselves have been great, too. Far less stress and pressure than teaching in the United States. I teach for 24 out of 40 periods each week - and even that is a lot. My wife teaches for 20, and some teachers have as few as 16. We got nowhere near that much planning time when we taught in Memphis. There are a few areas in which we've had to make adjustments, but we're making them well.

Anyway, feel free to direct any Pachuca questions my way. I have a feeling that we'll be here for a while.

[tangolou]

Originally Posted by Isla Verde

Once you've arrived in Pachuca and settled into your new life there, ipso facto, you'll be our experts on Pachuca!

Hi,
I live in Pachuca and arrived here 2 weeks ago. I'm getting around well without a car since the taxis only cost 25 or 30 pesos. I also discovered the Combi, which is a network of vans that take the place of buses here. They are really cheap at only $MX 6.50.

Last weekend I went to El Chico by Combi. It only cost me $11 pesos one way and I enjoyed my visit very much. It's a nice getaway that's close by. I like the city and haven't any complaints so far, except for the afternoon wind that sweeps in from the mountains. But it does clear the air; pollution is not a problem here like in Mexico City. And yes, there are plenty of mercado's, like the Juarez mercado in the Centro. I haven't seen everything yet and have more to explore!

[jholloway05]

Thank you, thank you, thank you for updating us! I have a good feeling about being hired to teach middle school English at the American School for the 2013-2014 school year. I am a single mother of two kids--and a teacher--so I am used to living on an extremely tight budget. I think living in Pachuca would be refreshing! This will be my first international teaching job, and I like that you said it wasn't as demanding as American teaching jobs. So I guess I want to know anything--ANYTHING!!-- that you think would be helpful to share, both as an expat living there and as a teacher. (Also, would love to hear about the school and the staff.) Thanks again for posting!