Tepoztlan, Pueblo Magico, Morelos.

What brought me here? Bear with me for a moment and I will explain.

Some years ago I was awoken to the most horrendous industry of canned lion hunting in South Africa. I was always well aware of the hunting that has for the last three centuries decimated wildlife but to discover that lions were now being bred for people to kill was something that I could never have imagined. If you are unfamiliar please go to Blood Lions educate yourself and become aware. Did you know that in the continent of Africa there are only perhaps a little more than 18,000 wild lions left. Some organizations say the figure could be as low as 15,000. They are hunted, poached, ravished by disease in some areas and their territory being squeezed tighter and tighter as mankind expands. Yet through a constant push to save the most iconic of species throughout history their numbers are dwindling, it is a tough road. Then on the captive bred lions it is estimated that there are close to 10,000 lions which all end up either as a trophy on someone’s wall or killed for the bones to be sent to far east because they are running out of tiger bones. Corruption and greed prevail. You are probably thinking OK Stephanie now you are talking about lions in Africa what the hell has that got to do with Tepoztlan?

When one becomes involved in spreading awareness of the atrocities and hardships that lions have to survive your search engines, technical or self-induced take you further. Take you deeper. One of those threads took me to the demise of captive lions and wild cats. Eventually that led me to Mexico and a scamtuary called Black Jaguar White Tiger. From the moment I set eyes on this place, the bells went off. This is wrong. Really wrong. For more information hope over to this Facebook page called BJWT Watchdog and get the real story. Then as social media does what it is supposed to do, I met a lady who is determined to change the face of animal laws in Mexico. We had to meet. With my love of Mexico and the opportunity to meet this incredible lady I came to Tepoztlan in November 2016 for a flying visit.

I was told by many that you do not find Tepoztlan, Tepoztlan finds you. Well she found me all right. The moment I returned to Holt, that was it, I was moving to Tepoztlan. No more cold winters for this lady. No more frozen paws for Seven.

One would think of loving the beach, the ocean I would venture there but no, it was the mountains, the magic of Tepoztlan was where I wanted to be. Who knows down the road I may find a little village on the coast but now it is the dead centre of Mexico where we hang our hats. Many say that Tepoztlan is like what San Miguel de Allende was like years ago but with better landscape surroundings. SMA is larger and has always been and is now quite expensive to even find a room. That’s what happens when places become popular, articles are written that it is best place to retire and bang what was once a secluded town with a lovely mix of people becomes a real estate persons dream. Tepoz is nestled in a valley only an hour away from Mexico City. The weekends are filled with what we British called Day Trippers but come Monday morning the streets are quiet and life resumes a normal pattern. Some fear that Tepoz is becoming the way of SMA and will fall into the too expensive category for many. But for now, it is holding its ground and offers a complex variety of life styles, from peasant to luxury.

So that’s how I ended in Tepoztlan. It is definitely a learning game I must admit. New country, new life and a new language. A new challenge. We have our down days like anyone else. Then I wake up in the morning to a beautiful sunny day and life is good.