Vista Bella Morelia

... enormous clumps in the branches of the trees.
But the real trouble with the trip was that the driver/guide and the two other tourists all spoke very little English. Although they made an effort to include me, by the time I got back to my hotel there was absolutely no doubt in my mind that if I want to enjoy traveling in Mexico, I have to learn Spanish - and pronto! It's different from travelling in Asia, in that in Asia many of the locals speak at least a little English ...

... By the end of the night we could barely move amidst the crowds and witnessed fights breaking out among groups of drunk Mexicans. As we were leaving at around 2am a younger generation began to arrive for a rave that was taking place on the island. It seemed that here - somewhat like Independence Day - the Day of the Dead was just another excuse to party and get drunk. We had been hoping for a more authentic, traditional experience but I guess you have to travel to lesser known ...

After my first week of classes I decided to visit the neighbouring state of Michoacan. A couple of Mexican guys called Hugo and Raul were taking a coachload of students to party and see a bit more of the country. I was the sole Englishman but it was a real international group, mostly comprised of Germans, French, Mexicans and Americans.

We arrived in the state capital Morelia on the Friday night and took a brief tour around the city centre. It was fairly lively as the annual ...

... pretty fluently. Exciting! I've started buying the local newspaper this week too, and can get much of it!

I seemed to hit a big bump in classes around Tuesday where I couldn´t say anything right, but seem to have gotten over it a bit. Conversation class has started to be really fun - Lupita (see picture several entries ago) really keeps us on our toes and keeps the ball rolling. Also went to Conversation Club a couple of times and both salsa classes this week ...

... last hour of each morning an ESL teacher (also a piano teacher!) from Wisconsin who is about my age. After 3 hours of classes on Monday morning with just me and the 4 "kids" I was relieved to meet the other two, especially Carol. I have hung out with the Wisconsin group a little. ¡Todos son muy agradables! Each week new people come and some leave. The freaky musician is leaving - I don{t know if we{ll get someone new!

We have four hours of class per day ...

... set around a plant filled garden and patio.

Hotel Posada San Alejandro, Serrato No.5, Tel: 01 (434) 3426133, Web: www.posadasanejandro.com . This Hotel had the friendliest and most welcoming staff that you could ever wish for. The spotless tiled rooms have cable TV and are set back from the street, so you are insured a quiet night’s sleep. They offered an excellent single rate of 250 Peso, which was a lot lower than the advertised rate.

It is with great sadness that we have to say goodbye to Monika and Paulina. We have had a fantastic time with them here in Morelia, thanks so much for hosting us, showing us around and translating everything. Last night Monika's friend Onel Peralta had us over for a wonderful Mexican dinner of burritos, he spoke no English but his son & wife did and we learned all kinds of things about ...

... en direction de la Maison du Gouverneur. Là nous découvrons beaucoup d'histoire et de magnifiques fresques ornant l'intérieur de cette bâtisse majestueuse. Nous nous rendons ensuite à la Cathédrale. À notre entrée nous découvrons toute la richesse à l'intérieur. La construction de cette église fut commencée en 1660 et terminée en 1744, 84 ans plus tard....on espère qu'ils n'étaient pas payé à l'heure! Ses 2 tours s'élèvent à plus de 60m ...

... as the steel bracket attaching the bumber snapped, and the bumper is now strapped to the roof of the bus. I was a little irritated, but Laura wisely said "if this is the worst thing that happens to the car, we're lucky". That statement, fear of law enforcement (and the fact that he disappeared) probably saved that kid from a sound beating. The preserve is basically a national park. We paid our fees and hiked through the vendor gauntlet, up a ...

We finally arrived in Mexico City two days ago. Javier picked us up from the airport and drove us to his home town, Morelia (about 3 hours away). On the way we stopped in Toluca, where he studied, and ate our first mexican tacos. After a couple more hours on the highway we passed through about 6 toll booths which we found out that one company would build 20-30miles of road and quit, then another company would ...