Intercontinental Hotels Presidente Guadalajara

... second I was about to grasp it. Looking down I was confronted by the biggest insect I have ever seen in my life! At first I had no idea what it was, but my American friends recognised it as a Praying Mantis from its distinctive posture. It had a fearsome leap but eventually we managed to trap the beast in a glass and release it into the shrubs outside.

I could sleep easy again. Or so i thought.

The next night I was awoken by a tickling sensation as ...

My twenty-first birthday conveniently fell on a Friday this year, and I made the most of it with an eventful four day weekend. It was certainly a birthday to remember, despite tentative plans of going to Las Vegas being scuppered by a collective lack of funds.

The celebrations started on Thursday night in "Mutualista", where I saw a number of familiar faces from both CEPE and last week's trip to Michoacan. After a couple of poor ...

... we had heard from Mexican immigrants who sought work in the promised land, but had failed to realise their dreams across the border. He was very repentant of his former ways and now strove to keep his friends from violence and robbery. Many of his companions had resorted to drink and drugs but he assured us that noone would harm us here.

The next day we enrolled at CEPE, the University of Guadalajara's language centre for foreign students. We have Spanish classes ...

... beans, and toasted bread in her stove-top panini press. She either starts frying the egg when she hears me coming down the stairs, or just has a bizarre 6th sense to detect when hungry young people are in the vicinity. While I eat, she brings me hot water for my instant coffee, and starts making the sandwich that I´ll take with me to school. We chat over breakfast (I eat, she watches), and at some point after I leave for school, she sneaks ...

... meet some really great folks and become fast friends with a few. A lot of the people here actually study or work in Guadalajara, and most are from Mexico, so I've been hearing (and speaking) lots of Spanish and improving a ton. My telcel phone is filling up with names and numbers, and I have offers (that I'll definietly take advantage of) to stay with some new friends in Monterray and Mexico City. Surprisingly, hanging around and playing Lotteria ...

... By this time the party was massively packed. My first night out without Joss felt very weird, I missed her so much and wanted her to be here to enjoy it with me. My first night out in Mexico was, well, unexpected.

Saturday, 8 August, Day 196

Guadalajara

I saw Obama today. Or not really Obama, more just his car amongst a convoy of cars. You see I went to lunch alone and ordered some sort of enchiladas. The awesome thing about Mexican ...

Guadalajara was an enjoyable whirlwind filled with enjoying family and visiting sites! We attended family gatherings each evening and were well fed by Virginia, Socorro, and Aurelia. We visted El Centro and learned quite a bit on our guided tour of the Orozco murals there. Of course, we had to stop by the indoor marketplace San Juan de Dios and also visit our favorite restaurant in the area, La Chata ...

... Suegro, suegro, prestame a tu hija" "Stepdad, loan me your daughter" -To effeminate men: "Hay que cagar, el culo no es bodega" "Your a&& is for s$$$ing, it's not an entry way" -To white girls: "Guera, coqueta, enseñanos las tetas" "Flash us you white ho" -To white guys: "Guero, guerito, a ti te gusta el pito" "Whitey , whitey you love the (insert phallic sinonym here)" -To me: "Hijo de Bush" "Son of ...

... me up for a few days. We pull up outside her house and as the electric gates open i see a swimmimg pool directly behind a 5-a-side soccer pitch with mini goals and nets. Her home is gorgeous and i meet her son Jorge and her eldest daughter Rocio. that night we go for some traditional Guadalajaran food in what they tell me is the fastest fast food place in the world. Before i sat down i had the plate of food in front of me. it was that quick. in fact i dont ...

... assez bonne menteuse merci. Prête à faire abandonner son complice sur le bord de la route. Une partie de l'argent avait déjà été retrouvée dans une autre craque, celle de deux sièges. Nous avons été ainsi arrêtés sur le bord de la route, avec tous les autres passagers, pendant au moins deux heures. À la fin, il y avait au moins 5-6 agents de police sur l'affaire. C'est à force de patience que l'argent est finalement presque tout sorti (au propre et au figuré). Personne n'a été arr ...