Iztaccihuatl-The white woman is about 95km away from Ciudad de Mexico. There are second class buses leaving from the TAPO terminal near San Lazaro station off Line 1 (linea uno). Second class buses in Mexico does not refer to suspicious buses or disgusting seats or no aircondition (actually maybe no air conditioning, but then global warming fellas!). Second class buses refer to really good buses that run (at least leave) on time with very comfortable seats operated by companies called “Sur” or “Volaris”. And no they do not speak English. If you struggle a lot, they will pity your ignorance and call someone with adequate knowledge of English to help you. It is ok to be a tourist in a foreign country that do not speak the languages you speak, but please care to know how to politely say that you do not speak their language and that you will greatly appreciate their effort of helping you.Â
Coming back  to the nitty-gritty: Sur and Volaris run plenty of buses to the town of Amecameca. That is the nearest town before you lose contact with the civilisation. No need to buy bus tickets more than a day ahead of time. There are plenty of buses. They were extra nice to give us an “open ticket” ( a ticket with which you are not obligated to take a bus leaving at a particular hour) for the way back. We honestly had no idea how long the hike was going to be. So a ticket without any time printed on it is just what we were looking for. Once you have the ticket look forward to a journey of about an hour to Amecameca. Amecameca is a small town in its true sense. Once you are outside the bust station, there will be taxis waiting. The destination is “La Joya”. Negotiate for a return trip. The hike should not take longer than a couple hours. Depending on your Language skills and Negotiation techniques a return trip can cost anything between M$600-M$800. Â
On the way to La Joya, you will need to pitstop at the checkpoint called Paso de cortes. This is the first clear view of Izta on one hand and Popo on the other. Oh how they are silently still in love. That view on a bright morning is undoubtedly an unforgettable experience. Rumours are that there are “collectivos” (small 12-14seater vans) to Paso de cortes from Amecameca. We did not see any in reality. At Paso de cortes you will need to register your name and a tentative time when you want to come back. Then as an experienced hiker you will try to ask for a map, only soon to be disappointed. You will be assured that the trail is well marked. Yeah, you will again be let down, but rest assured that this pair of lover-mountains and the valley will make it up to you. And no, you won’t be lost. If we could, you definitely can.
Paso de cortes -> La Joya: 8km long dirt road. Yes, roll up your cab windows, this is some serious dirt, volcanic dirt. No joke, telling from experience. We walked back to Paso de cortes. Walking on that dirt road seemed never ending and every passing car bathed us in that volcanic dirt. We did get offers for ride, from a spectra of people ranging from drunk creepy dudes to friendly ones apologising for not being able to offer a ride for they were going in the opposite direction. We, a pair of brave-hearted girls, refused all the offers until after an hour we started begging to the lord of valcanos for a ride. Finally, an open police truck was God’s way of ridiculing our adventurous souls.Â
Going back to the beginning of the hike, the trail head at La joya is a large parking lot where the cab drops you. Be sure you carry plenty of water (1lt a person should be good enough). Altitude will give you a nudge within two to three steps. But worry not, if I could, you can! The terrain is full of lose rocks, so it is important to have good hiking shoes with grippy sole. The following trail guide was found on the internet. We carried a copy of the trail description with us. But unfortunately, for us, it was of little to zero help. I will quote it however.Â
13140ft: a deserted parking lot, La Joya
From here, it’s very important you veer right and take the trail that heads up the hill. Do not continue straight as this lesser used trail eventually descends down into the valley below.
13950ft: second saddle: crest of a small ridge. 1.6km from La joya.
14860ft: .8km from the crest, the third saddle.
15470ft: Grupo de Los Cien hut”
The second day, that we did not do, apparently require a day of acclimatisation at Los Cien Hut, level 2+ scrambling and crossing a couple of permanent glaciers.
Memory from that hike is being cherished in this blog not just because it is fresh in my head or because my friend’s mom is really insisting on writing a travelogue, the wild, unmarked, almost untouched nature of Mexico easily beats the mapped-out national parks in the US or the overly crowded Indian hill-stations. Such experiences demand a tangible record, solely on the premise that memories fade away with time.