Hotel Santa Rita And Spa Zacatecas

... going up the teleferico (cable car) to La Bufa, the big hill where the first church was built - the nuns were flogging their version of egg nog, called rompope, so had to have a sample, before rolling back down the hill. Tonight was the opening concert of the International Cultural Festival, the main reason I was here for so long - Ricardo Arjona tonight, other big name acts every day until the 18th. This week the main stage was in the Plaza de Armas, a really pretty ...

... even the jeans did not prevent scratches. I'm sure that every plant in the area has prickles or spines of some sort. I eventually got to the highest point after about two and a half hours. A beautiful view! On the other side of the hills was the big lake that we visited the previous day. It was huge! Apparently over 65km long and 15km wide with many arms. It looked like Queen Charlotte Sound. After sitting for a while and chilling out I wondered why I ...

... so popular and fun to observe all over Mexico. The attached link has some additional information on "Quinceanos" (meaning fifteen years) and the "Quinceanera Celebration": http://www.mexico-child-link.org/Lucero -15th-birthday.htm Our vocabulary of superlatives already got a good workout at the Jardin Enrique Estrada and the nearby aqueduct but there was more to come. Our search for "banos" caused us to stumble upon a five ...

... Avenida Hidalgo, the main street of the city situated at 7950 feet. We discovered right away that you don't need to go to the gym in this town. Just walk a lot and you'll get plenty of exercise going up and down hills. The huge beautiful Zacatecas Cathedral on Plaza Hidalgo was directly down the street from our hotel, just to the left of the trendy Mercado Zacatecano. The front of the cathedral has elaborate carvings in its red-stone exterior and ...

... it was turned into an abstract art museum. This was a personal highlight of my visit - I really liked the works by the main artist on display, Manuel Felguerez (the museum is called Museo De Arte Abstracto Manuel Felguerez). And it was also pretty wild to walk on the catwalks of an ex-prison and look at art instead of inmates. At some point we met up with a guy from Germany, Joerg, who we spent a lot of time sightseeing and ...

... box (essential for replacing the shock). All he wanted in returne was to photocopy my Dads shop manual. Getting the bike fixed would've involved a lot more suck if not for him. So, that's it. Nine days in Mexico (it feels like it's been a month, but in a good way). Tomorrow Dad and I are off to points south and, when there're things to report, I shall report them forthwith. Till then I hope you all are well, Matt

... one of a pair of clowns, their faces smeared with paint and their bulky forms clad in a uniform of baggy black pants and white shirts striped blood red. The music died and the compère announced that it was time for prayer. The crowd fell silent and the performers stood with heads bowed and arms clasped tight to their breasts. We prayed together for the safety of the riders and for a successful day's competition. Finally the performers turned and walked back towards the ...

... The jardin is small but lovely, with outdoor restaurants and nice shops. There is a wonderful "sweets" store with a huge array of local specialities. We brought back hard candy "bones", a roll of fruit leather with cajeta, multicolored fruit bits, and a couple of skeltons sitting on a chair.....made from hard candy. We enjoyed our time in Guanajuato, it was a completely different experience from San Miguel

... of two drunken foreigners and Luis sent him off to bed, before leading us on a brief but enthusiastic tour of the bakery. We peered into the oven as he outlined the baking process in words we did not understand. Then we sat down to eat sweet scones and drink more tequila. It wasn't strictly necessary to go to the night club afterwards. But the girls looked good and there was a live rock band playing. I recall a long conversation with a local fighter about the art ...