Holiday Inn Morelia

... down the highway, blasting out Manu Chao and taking in the impressive scenery bathed in bright sunshine. The journey lasted little over three hours and we arrived in Morelia in time to explore the city before sundown. Unwittingly we had parked in the redlight district, and we would later return to find a prostitute on the corner and the man we had paid to watch the car engaged in a huge fight with some other locals.<br><br>Back in the city centre we saw a number of cathedrals and some ...

... spoke more Spanish that night than ever before in my life. I've definitely felt some improvement in recent weeks, after feeling like I made no progress at all during the first month of travelling.<br><br>On the Sunday we visited a traditional local town before begining the long journey home. We probably spent more time on the bus than off it over the course of the weekend, and I soon learnt to expect at least double the time when a Mexican tells you how long something will take ...

... so I´ll be able to join in! (By the way, it was free - as is everything here!)<br><br>Tonight I´m going to hear the state orchestra of Michoacán playing Sibelius and Wagner - also free! We in the US and UK could do with taking a leaf out of Mexico´s book on the availability of the arts to the public! <br><br>Tomorrow, off to a volcano - Paricutin. Hope to have more pictures later - I´ve borrowed a camera from my family.<br><br>Love to all. Waiting for lots of replies!

... now a museum (pictures attached!) and the classrooms and refectory are still used for conferences. Reminded me of Haileybury! The cells where the monks lived had windows which catch the afternoon sun. The windows each had a built-in bench on the left side so they could use the natural light when they were working. Too bad for the left-handed monks! Also visited the church and town square.<br><br>Tupátaro - small adobe church with Romanesque arches ...

... dialogue and not much action, so it would have been hard to follow without a working knowledge of the plot. The acting was excellent, and there is something very charming and gallant about Spanish that seems to lend itself to Chekhov!<br><br>Tomorrow I´ll attempt to add pictures - I´ve taken more than 200 already - yikes! There´s supposed to be "quema de castillo and juegos pirotècnicas" at the cathedral at 9 tonight. Not sure what that is, but I´ll go find out!<br>

Morelia, state capital of the smallest state (also Morelia), was yet another pretty colonial city, with nice plazas, parks, churches, walkways and even an aqueduct. It's chief attraction was being the starting point for trips to see the Monarch butterflies - our tour stopped en route in the gold mining town of Tlalpujahua, yet another well kept colonial gem and we also got a very long boring tour of the mine ...

I was fortunate to catch a lift between Uruapan and Patzcuaro (60km) with Aline and Oscar, the owners of Casa Chikita B&amp;B, which was where I had been staying in Uruapan. Patzcuaro is located just off the autopista midway between Uruapan and Morelia, a forty five minute drive from either. We didn't leave Uruapan until 16.30 hours as they had been waiting all day for a car to be delivered. They were heading to Morelia with some friends and ...

... up - I'd encountered him previously in Zacatecas - and we went out for a bite to eat. It was becoming a routine: the five blocks, slightly uphill, to the zocalo; the passage under the arcades behind the cathedral; the wide, open Plaza de Valladolid with its ornate fountain; round the side of the church of San Francisco and into the commercial centre. I found the locksmith wrestling with my lock. He was scruffy and unshaven. The scent of sweat filled his booth. Again he ...

... on a fait 45 minutes de voitures pour rien, enfin pour qu'il nous montre les différents clubs de la ville, tous plus glauques les uns que les autres. On a fini par atterrir dans un bar où l'on pouvait jouer au billard... Le type a fini par partir (il avait entrepris de nous coller toute la soirée et entre temps il avait essayé de tripoter une fille d'Israël) et on est rentré ext ...

... but we came up with a great solution for it. we are going to put a piece of fabric on the ceiling droops down between each rafter. I think it will look very cool. I am going to try to attach some pictures so that you all can see what it first looked like and soon (hopefully) I will attach pictures of the finished project. Once it is finished I will have a place for you all to stay so I hope you are making plans to come visit! See you soon, Andy