Hotel Del Mineral Zacatecas

... that has been so greatly enriched by the legacy of the Roman Catholic Church. For more information on the Camino go to: http://www.caminodesantiago.me.uk/ Today the "Camino" has become largely a tourist destination and officially one can walk, cycle or cover it on horseback in order to get a "certificate of completion". There is no requirement to be Catholic - anyone can walk the "Camino". In case you are part of the lucky few who ...

... over Guanajuato, to which she replied .......... Well - she didn't reply, she was just enjoying the scenery. So I took my cue from that and did the same thing, all the while taking an overabundance of photos. In retrospect as I look at the photos, especially from the top of Cerro de la Bufa, I find it hard to repeat my previous assertion that the view here is not as beautiful as the view from Monumento el Pipila. Well ...

... are very few ex-pats living in the area. He described Zacatecas as a relatively safe community, conservative and a place where change comes slowly. Most amazing is that John teaches the Náhuatl language spoken by the indigenous people of the same name. In the process, his department won the Guggenheim award for native language study, in association with Yale University. http://www.h-net.org/announce/show.cgi? ID=136853 Additional notes: We have to give ...

... people carrier to offer me a ride around town to the road that leads off to Jerez. The family consisted of three generations – Arturo and Norma, their daughter Eua, her husband Jose and their baby son, Jesus. Within a minute of them dropping me off, Arthur pulled over to offer me a ride the rest of the way. He was a jolly old chap and was a great laugh to practice my Spanish on. Remarkably he had ...

... the beautiful people shake their booty, but the best bit being the 20 minute train ride to get there, rattling through the tunnels with intoxicated youths serenading each other. I don't usually plug hostels, but where we stayed, La Villa Colonial, really was rather ace- nice enough rooms with great views and cool roof terrace to play drinking games til 5am etc., but the one who made it all happen was Ernesto, the owner/manager/chatty ...

... it involved about half an hour of being firmly chastized by a fat, sweating cop in the middle of the road who wrote me a speeding ticket and, just for good measure, wrote one for my Dad. Since we were only going about 20mph at the time I figure he was just having a bad day. An extremely helpful (and bilingual) passerby, however, helped get everything straightened out. My first time going off of pavement ...

... and used whatever type of shoring they could find to keep the roof forms together and supported. Let's just say this would not pass code in the states. Alvaro's response to the materials used was "Concrete is Strong!" Afterwards we had a lunch of soup and tacos at their house which was very good. We then were on our way to La Feria or the state fair, where we went to buy a ticket for the Vincente Fernandez concert tonight. The Feria was like any fair ...

... CEPE bus and six hours later, we arrived in Zacatecas. It was in this city that I would again become acquainted with the already too familiar tequila, and learn that hangovers in high altitudes (Zacatecas is 2500m above sea level - one of the highest cities in Mexico) definitely don't mix well. Ah, the price you must pay for having a bit too many 2x1 tequilas at Cactus Club...... While that was (and always ...

... mêlée he left behind, the bull pursued a teammate towards the posts at the far end of the ring. A cheer went up and it was one-nil to them. The game continued in the same fashion: the bewildered animal goaded from all directions; occasional drama as a player was felled, then rescued by his teammates; and, now and then, a 'goal' at either end. Still not quite believing what I'd got myself involved in, I remained outside the fray, taking to the summit of the wall if the ...

... plateau. After months of negociating towns and cities laid out on a grid system, I found orientation somewhat disconcerting at first. But it was seldom anything other than a pleasure to lose oneself amid the plazuelas, callejones and arcades of the old town, surrounded by elegant colonial architecture and the hustle and bustle of a sophisticated but welcoming populace. Besides, there was always the reference point of the Cerro de la Bufa, the church topped ...