Hotel Aranzazu Acueducto Morelia

... a million people were crowded together waiting for some light show. It took 20 minutes for us to fight our way accross the square to the restaurant we were going to for dinner. When we got to the restaurant, I noticed it was right next door to the next tube stop down the line. Hmmm. Diego then went to great lengths to explain the difference between a tour leader (which he is) and a tour guide. Basically, a tour guide knows some useful information and a tour leader doesn´t. <br><br>Our ...

... piggy-back rides (for Holly, not me) over river-like drainage runs and deep puddles, we were staring up at the huge pyramid from the base. Streams of water shoot down from protruding stones along the sides, and the steps looked steep, numerous, and slippery! By the time we got to the top we were utterly soaked, cold, and triumphant. Me and Kisiev let loose our best barbaric yawps in the direction of the other pyramid, and I felt more alive, with water ...

... vestiti in modo macabro tipo Halloween, i bambini ci provano con "dolcetto o scherzetto", ci sono venditori di cibarie in ogni dove.<br>Ho visto una mostra interessante sulla storia dell'inquisizione, allestita all'interno del vero palazzo che fu dell'inquisizione, attuale facoltà di medicina-radiodiagnostica. Anche se in spagnolo ho compreso quasi tutta la narrazione dell'audioguida; la chiesa ce l'ha sempre avuta la mania del controllo e dell'annichilimento del pensiero ...

... film festival was underway, but only later did I find out that Quentin Tarantino, one of my favourite directors, was also there that night to unveil his WWII epic "Inglourious Basterds". We stayed to watch an impressive firework display before returning to the bus to commence the festivities. <br><br>By the time we had driven up into the mountains and started drinking it was about midnight, but after a few drinks the tiredness ebbed and we began to get into the party spirit ...

... 2 separate Rotary clubs in Morelia (there are 8 total). The Camelinas club was helping on the elementary school and the work we did on Tuesday and Wednesday at the orphanage was with the "El Club Rotario Morelia Industrial" We had a fabulous meal and then set off to the elementary school a little after 10am. The drive to the elementary school (Aracurio School) is well over an hour. The school is located in a small village in a very tranquil setting ...

... a few places to go so some of us went there but it really sucked because there were poor people coming up to our table begging for money and they would just stand there. This one lady stood next to me for a few minutes with her hand out saying something about comida or dinero and I was like "No, lo siento" but she just stayed. None of us gave anyone money. We are gringos but we are not completely stupid. Then we went to Tzintzuntzan which totally made up for Patzcuaro. Tzintzuntzan ...

Normally the beginning of the vacation is like the night before Christmas: full of anticipation, excitement, and expectation for what is to come. Melissa and I were amped up as we rolled into LAX for our redeye to Mexico City, having no idea what the next 24 hours were to bring. We had a late night McDonald's snack before boarding our Mexicana flight. The first part of the leg was smooth sailing. We arrived in Mexico City airport on time, with ...

... visit to Guanajuato, I arranged to meet them for drinks later. In the dormitory I took the wheels of my bike before secreting it beneath my bunk. That key would definitely turn up, I told myself. There'd been six of us in the end. Asides from the girls, there were two Californian guys who were part of a language exchange in Guadalajara. And an Icelander, the first I'd met, bearded and taciturn. We found a cantina and got the cervezas in - uno, dos, tres... I'd wanted to ...

... the phoenix, we managed to get the sub titled one not the dubbed Spanish version! Tuesday we managed to blag another free bus ride, getting a bit of a challenge now, this time west to another beach, Playa Caleta. We did mean to go across to the island, but by the time we had finished lunch we only had 1 hr so set up on this beach instead, avoiding the annoying Americans from our hotel who insist on speaking ...

One of our favorite side trips this year was a two night, three day side trip to Michocan, a nearby state so we could visit the winter home of the Monarch butterflies. There are five sanctuaries in the Sierra Madre mountains that are the winter home to about 20 million Monarchs that migrate annually from south eastern Canadan, northeastern US and the Midwest. They arrive in late November and stay to March in a state of semi hibernation, clinging in clumps of millions to ...