Katherine's Mexican Adventures

Caye Caulker - Belize, San Jose, San Carlos and La Fortuna - Costa Rica

2009-01-13T05:51:00.000-08:00

Caye Caulker, Belize - first few from New Year´s!

San Carlos, Costa Rica - Zoo for orphans

La Fortuna, Costa Rica

Love to all!

Katherine and Ben

XXX

TULUM!!!!

2008-12-27T09:30:00.000-08:00

Sooo we are in Tulum but will be leaving in the next few days after a lovely...mostly...start to our holidays! The bad news came yesterday when my camera decided to take in water and slowly die? Not just bad news but the worst possible :( Anyway i have a lot of photos from the start and unless we can find a cheap camera or somehow manage to get this replaced/fixed before the end of our holiday...highly doubtful...this will be it! Not the end of the world as it is clearly faulty and will be repaired or most likely replaced but i just wish it happened at the end of the 2 months, not the beginning! Anyway what have we been doing....LOTS of snorkelling and to be honest...just lying around on beaches a lot! Christmas was REALLY fun! We're staying in a great hostel called Lobo Inn run by a Mexican lady and her German husband! They have a little boy who's about 3 and a little rat-bag, and another little boy on the way!! They are so lovely and the place is very well run and has a very chilled atmosphere and we've met some really lovely people. The family cooked a giant christmas dinner for all the guests and then we had a pinata! Quite a traditional mexican chrsitmas and it was really cute to see the kiddies with the pinata. Then some foreigners (including Ben) were blindfolded and had to try to hit it while it was being pulled away from them...very funny! Anyway the whole night was lovely and then we went for a midnight swim...all made for a very nasty hangover the next day which i spent in bed...yes all day! But worth it all the same! What else have we done.....We went to Playa del Carmen..about 45mins north and caught a ferry over to Cozumel..a very toursity island but with great snorkelling. It was really expensive so we just went snorkelling off the beach a}rather than getting a boat out to the reef...thought we'd leave that for Belize...unfortunately i won't have a camera then now though! GRRR!...Ummm anyway...ill put some pics above! Hopefully ill be able to sort the camera situation out and will post again soon! Love to all! Katherine and Ben XXX

Back to Barra

2008-11-16T10:45:00.000-08:00

Sooo Soph, Carlos and I were going insane in our house and in Guadaalajara in general so decided to escape for a few days!! So Wednesday after class we packed up and headed for Barra de Navidad once again!! It was the perfect place to go to relax, nothing to do but relax, eat swim and sunbake! And you could take a boat out to look at turtles or go fishing if desired but we decided against it and spent our time on the beach reading under coconut trees, narrowly escaping a coconut that fell one afternoon! When we arrived it was early in the night so we found the hotel we had decided to stay at and had dinner then went to bed relatively early. For the next 2 and a half days we moved from the hotel, to the beach, to the restaurants and bars. The town is tiny! One evening we went to watch the suset and have a margarita (or 2) and we met a lovely american couple had been out fishing for the day and caught a yummy big fish which they had taken with them to the restaurant to have cooked. They gave us some of the fish which was sooooo yummy! Then we bought them a drink in return and had gotten up to leave when they told us to sit back down as they had bought us drinks! They were very nice! Anyway we went back to that restaurant the next night and scored a margarita each on the house!! They liked us i think!! Anyway i haven't really got much to say as we didnt do much but lie on the beach...and stupidly get rather sunburnt, so here are a collection of photos!!!

Oaxaca - PHOTOS (a small selection of my 400+ photos!!)

2008-10-22T13:12:00.000-07:00

DAY 1 - 16/10/08

We're here!!!

Inside the amazing church - this depicts the family tree of Guzman, the Spanish monk who founded the Dominican order!The outside of the church (La Iglesia de Santo Domingo)The following few images are from inside the museum that adjoins the church! Check out the nice views!

We foind this quite amuzing! 16th of October, world day against McDonalds, a protest against the promotion of rubbish food, exploitation of workers, cruelty to animales and harm to the environment...
Aaaah, and the church lit up at night!

DAY 2 - 17/10/08

El Tule - 2000 - 3000yr old Cyprus

The following few are from Teotitlan del Valle where we visiting the weaving house! Note the photo with the different flowers, seeds, rocks and brightly coloured wool. The lady is grinding Cochineal beetles! And the cute little baby who was very interested in us...her father said to her 'look Nila, tourists' haha!!

Next stop...Mitla! The geometric patterns were amazing..and the stairs, which were actually seats, were quite steep!Strange little taxi's that were around Oaxaca hehe..cute hey?!Hierve el Agua, the petrified water falls and pools, breathtaking!

DAY 3 - 18/10/08

Market Day, in and around town and the markets!
Chillies, chillies and more chillies!!...And more chillies A lady weaving in the Artesan market!
Aaargh, Mexico's obsession with death...with a twist..or maybe a bulge?!Grasshoppers anyone??! Not too bad..a little crunchy, then gooey :P Home-made chocolate...even some for diabetics?!

DAY 4 - 19/10/08
Monte Alban!! INCREDIBLE!!

DAY 5 - 20/10/08

Llano Grande - a walk in the clouds!A scary bull in the mist :PThere were so many pretty wildflowers, this is one of the varieties, and one of many photos! i would love to come back around Easter as apparently THAT is when there are wildflowers?!And we came across a hunter who had caught a deer for a village party to be held the following Saturday!Finally we reach the very cold, windy, very beautiful destination!!DAY 6 - 21/10/08
Our last day :(

ENJOY!! xxxxx

OAXACA (Wah-Hah-Kah)

2008-10-22T11:21:00.000-07:00

What an amazing week!!! Words, nor photos can do this place justice!!! After 2 bus trips totalling, 16 hours we finally arrived in Oaxaca city in Oaxaca State! Isolated from the rest of Mexico by a barrier of mountains it is rather different from the Mexico i thought i was beginning to know! Oaxaca city lies in the junction of 3 valleys. The wet season has just come to an end so it is beginning to look rather dry however the mountains remain cloaked in clouds with light rainfall and fertile soils and cyprus forests! Oaxaca city is 1550m above sea level and has a population of around 263,000! It has a large indigenous population and the state is the poorest and most indigenous in Mexico! Famous for the export of cochineal and its amazing traditional textile weaving! It also has a rich history and has been destroyed by earthquakes twice (1854 and 1931). OK, now...

DAY 1 - 16/10/08

So half way to Oaxaca we arrived in D.F. (Mexico City) and had to catch a taxi to the next bus station. Carlos (our housemate) had given us a tutorial about catching taxis there and gave us phone numbers of reliable companies/drivers! We were told NOT TO CATCH THE GREEN ONES as they were renowned for kidnappings! Anyway, in Mexico at big central bus stations and airports etc, there are offices where you prepay for a cab and get a ticket which you then take outside and give to a driver in the line! So these are generally legit. and safe!! So we bought our tickets and went out and there were only green cabs! I didnt want to get in them but Soph assured me it would be ok! So in we got! My side didnt have handles!! I freaked out the whole way planning how we would get away if someone was to jump in Soph's side! Anyway i must have looked terrified as Soph kept asking if i was ok and that we would be ok :P ...which we were, but after being told specifically not to catch the green cabs and then getting in to find out my escape route had been taken away, i was naturally a little petrified! Anyway midnight came and another bus trip! 6am and we arrived in Oaxaca, checked into our hostel and slept for a few hours!! So after a sleep and our first lovely (included) cooked breakfast we were off to explore! A short block or 2 away and we were in the Zocalo (town square, public gathering space - always gorgeous!) and were greeted by a lovely hippy who offered us a hostel to stay at before telling us that there was great pot and mushrooms from the surrounding mountains if we wanted any?! I'm not exactly sure how he got the impression that we were into that but anyhoo we declined the offer and had a general chat with him for a little?! We spent the rest of the day checking out the museums and churches around the centre. There was an amazing church, La Iglesia de Santo Domingo which was built between 1570 and 1608! It was breathtaking...and for me to say this about a church...you can imagine! The entire interior was decorated in 3D releif with rich warm colours depicting various scenes including the family tree of Guzman (the Spanish monk who found the Dominion order). The church has been resurrected twice due to the earthquakes with extensive resurrection after the earthquake of 1931 which left 70% of the city uninhabitable. Here we ran into some friends from class who had also come to Oaxaca, for a 'conference'/piss up?! There was also a fantastic museum adjoined to the church which tracked Oaxacan history from pre-hispanic times to the present and had great views from its open windows of the surrounding mountains and cactus garden below!! As night approached we went to the market for a hot chocolate (they hand made chocolate there...it had cinnamon and nuts and coco..and was awesome...) where s little boy threw toys at us the whole time, then went to back to the Zocalo where there was a music/dance festival happening before hitting the hay for a big day ahead!

DAY 2 - 17/10/08

10am and off on a tour (in Spanish - we understood)! First off El Tule, described by our giude as "the bonsai of Mexico." 58m wide and estimated to be between 2000 and 3000 years old the cyprus tree was amazing! From here, to Teotitlan del Valle, a Zapotec (indigenous) village famous for weaving! A model indigenous village, we were told, with 0% alcoholism, equal rights for men and women, and its own system of elders who have not been influenced/bribed by political parties. Here we went to a weaving house and told about the process from spinning the wool, to washing it (with a natural detergent from a root), to dying it (with natural dyes from rocks, flowers, insects..you name it), to the weaving proces itself! The dying process was incredible using seeds, flowers, indigo and cochineal beetles extracted from the cactus, dried and ground! At this stage the insect produces a deep earthy red, add a little lime juice - bright blood red, and then add a little bicarb soda and the deepest royal purple you had ever seen!! They are able to make avoer 300 shades of reds with the dye from them!! I bought a lovely rug dyed entirely with Cochineal of varying shades of red!! Next stop - Mitla, another Zapotec town built on pre-hispanic ruins! The ruins we saw had great geometric patterns and were elaborately constructed! You could even see traces of the original paint! Unfortunately, there was another site but the Spanish built a church on top of it in 1590. Next stop Hierve el Agua ("The water boils" (or looks like it does anyway :P)). One of only two places in the world (the other in Turkey) with petrified water falls! Cool mineral - ladden water bubbles up from the ground and deposits its minerals which over time as they have spilled over cliff tops have formed impressive pools and what looks like frozen waterfalls! All on top of a mountain above a gorgeous view of the valleys below!! Next stop lunch then a Mezcal (like Tequila) producer for some samples...anything from straight, to flavours of fruit, coffee, coconut..even aphrodisiac flavour (don't ask..i'm not exactly sure??) Anyway when we got back we had a little rest then went out with our classmates! Dancing and drinks, then 3am...street taco time..then home to bed after a breif encounter with a sleazy Mexican man who invited us to a 'place' with Mezcal...but not a bar..another place 'just for us...yeh right!!

DAY 3 - 18/10/08

Market Day!!! Infamous markets of Oaxaca..the artesan markets were a little over-rated, mostly made up of traditional clothes or second rate woven rugs! The food markets, however left nothing to the imagination once they were in full swing (we had to come back a few hours later)! Mat, you will love the markets here, so much fresh produce, 1 billion types of chillies and herbs and spices galore!! We sampled home made chocolates (made with ground up cocoa, cinnamon, almonds and sugar) and Chapulines (grasshoppers fried with chilli and lime (of course!) - crunchy then squishy guts...not bad, but not good?)..For lunch we had stuffed chillies (Chiles Rellones - again, a Oaxacan specialty)! After that we felt like little gorditas and retreated to the hostel for a rest before El Noche de Luces - a cultural festival in the Zocalo.

DAY 4 - 19/10/08

Tour to MONTE ALBAN, ancient Zapotec capital!! This ancient city is perched on a flattened hilltop 400m above the valley floor close to Oaxaca with spectacular 300o views, first occupied around 500 BC. Its history has been divided into 5 stages ranging from the levelling of the hilltops, building of temples and palaces and tombs and red buidings and the extensive underground construction of tombs and stone carved heiroglyphics until to population reached its peak at around 25,000 before the cities collapse in around 700 - 950! The site was AMAZING!! I have never seen anything like it! It was very easy to imagine how life was lived here!! I am reading a book at the moment called 'A Visit to Don Octavio' by Sybille Bedford about her travels to Mexico after World War II..her words describe this the ruins of Mitla and Monte Alban a little better than mine however still don't do them justice...

"Those walls, those flights of stairs. They are there; putting across what they were meant to...Conscious works of art...carried out to create a precise atmosphere...They glorified, and induced submission to, a certain pattern. They were not meant to impress, not by splendour, not by beauty, no by intimations of another vision, but with strength, with will, with inflexibility of purpose; to exclude hope, to overwhelm with power. They succeeded. It appears colossal...entirely successful, entirely frightening.'

DAY 5 20/10/08

Llano Grande. 3000m above sea level - a remote Zapotec village in the thickly forested highlands of the Sierra Norte and one of the 8 villages which make up "Los Pueblos Mancomunados" (The Commonwealth of Villages). These villages have for centuries pooled the natural resources of their 290km2 territory which includes pine and oak forests, sharing the profits amongst the families of each village. The need for extra income, and to step a modern population decline and maintain the sustainable use of their forests and ecotourism program was establish in around 1996. The bus trip up was gorgoues winding up and up and up the mountains with spectacular views back around the valleys below! Zapotec speaking natives on the bus were intrigued by us and eventually worked up the courage to ask where we were going! We passed, cattle and goats and men on donkeys and eventually arrived in Llano Grande, a tiny village consisting little more than a new tourism office, a few houses and a corner store. We alked the short distance to the tourism office, paid 220peson for a guide and were on our way through the jungle to Pierda Larga ('big rock'). We had read that it would be colder up there but did not expect 6oC!! I however, was a little more prepared to drew the short straw in only being given a giant raincoat/TENT while Soph got the nice big warm rain jacket, however once we began to walk we quickly warmed up! We walked through the cloud covered forest past an array of wildflowers, cyprus trees, bromiliads and agave (cactus). the guide explained the uses of various plants from a natural aspirin to mint for tea and cooking! The aspirin got us up those big hills :P The walk was generally quite flat and easy and at the peak we had only gain 300m in altitude, but to a wopping 3300m...BUT the altitude was a killer!!! Generally it was painfree but a slight incline and we could barely breath!! A very weird feeling to be that short of breath!! On the way up we also passed some hunters who had caught a deer for the village to eat at a fiesta they were having on Saturday...a lovely little experience to see them and the dead deer...very cool!! So we passed forests, and clouds, and cows, and a donkey and crossed little streams and climbed fences until we eventually arrived to the rocky crag with what was supposedly supherb views! The entire valley was covered in a blanket of clouds, though it was still the most amazing view of the soluhoette of the rocks and trees! I wouls love to go back again for a clear day!!! Here we took a few happy, cold and windy snaps then headed back down, passed a scary bull in the mist. We had a hot chocolate whilch waiting for a bus/collectivo taxi..whichever came first and whichever we managed to chase (literally) down!!! 2 hours later and a bus finally arrived and we had the most painful trip back (though the views and sunset were spectacular)...a screaming child, peak hour, headache and cold wet feet!! Quick bite to eat and sleep...aahh!

DAY 6 - 21/10/08 LAST DAY...iQue triste! :(

So a little depressed, we woke up, though thankfully my headache had gone! Breakfast then we packed up, left our bags behind and had our last walk through the streets. We alked up the hill to a centre for street children and donated 400peso between us! The centre began in 1986 though was officially registered in 1996 and has over 600 children as part of the program with around 50 per day! Many of the children are from surrounding ethnic groups who have escaped from political violence in western Oaxaca and work in the streets shining shoes and selling stuff to support their deeply impoverished families...the centre sponsors and cares for them offering a meal and having craft lessons and English lessons and generally giving them a break! Following this we checked out another church and re-visiting La Iglesia de Santo Domingo before checking out the markets again..and making some purchases and heading to the Hostel to collect our bag and make our way to the airport...we couldn't bear anouth 616 hour bus trip!!! Now we're 'home' and back to the harsh reality of uni :P busy few weeks coming up i think with final works to put in motion soon-ish??!! Love to all....AND MAKE SURE YOU COMMENT.. I HAVEN'T DONE ALL THIS WRITING FOR NOTHING XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Manu Chao!!

2008-10-11T10:16:00.000-07:00

STUFF!!

2008-10-11T09:44:00.000-07:00

OK! So i know i've been slack...BUT over the last month we haven't done too much! Here's a few little things we did get up to though!!! We went to a Manu Chau concert (he's a Spanish artist, pretty big in the Latino World...similar to Cat Empire i think?!) It was lots of fun but i think became passively high...no smoke machines, but none were needed, it was quite funny!! We also went to a football/soccer match which was a litte too crazy! Atlas v Chivas, the 2 big Guadalajaran teams that play in a national league! Soo we arrived and were told we couldn't take our bags in, so we gave them to a friend to run home, then we were told we could take our cameras in but not cameras with batteries as the batteries could be used to throw?? OK?? So we ditched them which was really annoying as the atmosphere inside was AMAZING!!! So then on the way in with only my wallet, phone a packet of gummy bears and a packet of chips i was frisked!!!! AND my chips and gummy bears were taken?? Figure that one out...apparently i could have sling shot the gummy bears?? Who knows! But it was very upsetting as i had only just bought them!! We arrived a few hours early to get good seats and watch the hype grow! The supporters from each team were separated to either end of the stadium (VERY good idea) and we sat somewhere in the middle away from the craziness! Both teams were crazy and somehow managed to get flares in and threw them down to where little firemen stood with helmets and stamped them out?!) When they all jumped in unison the entire stadium shook...quite scary! Then over the loudspeakers "For your safety do not jump in the high sections" and "for your safety do not throw flares, they are illegal" so that made me feel better :P Anyway so i sat there in fear the whole game, and then we were told that we should leave early to avoid the violence...OK??? So off we went before the end of the game BUT we still didnt quite avoid it! We dawdling along and i said i Soph "i think we're going the wrong way" and she said "nah we're following the girls back to their place to get our stuff" i then repeated "no i think we're going the wrong way" at which point a fight broke out in front of us, and i grabbed Soph and ran the other way with a barrage of riot police running towards us and the fight....got the adrenalin running but all was fine we just went another way!! We also went to a park near us that had heaps of squirrels and a strange tribal ritual?!! And thats pretty much it apart from class, lots of frappuccinos and sleepins!! Soph and I are off to Oaxaca next week though...it was the one place i knew i wanted to come to when i came over here so im quite excited and will have lots to write about!! We got excited as we found $3 flights lastnight but then the takes brought it to $150 haha so we're still not too sure how we're getting there yet as it would be a 16hr bus ride :P we're thinking bus to Mexico City then flight to Oaxaca but i'll let you know all about it anyway?! Bye for now, love to all!! xx

The week that was.....San Blas, Puerto Vallarta and Barra de Navidad

2008-09-17T12:06:00.001-07:00

Where to begin?????

WEDNESDAY 10 SEPTEMBER (Guadalajara to San Blas)

So after class Soph and I went home and packed and were on the bus to San Blas (via Tepic) at around 3:30. After an hour of bumper to bumper traffic we were finally leaving the outskirts of Guadalajara and 2 hours later we arrived in Tepic freaking out as the last bus was due to leave for San Blas at 7 and it was 7:20, little did we know we were in a different state that beleived in day light savings so it was all ok. Tepic was a very old run down city which after half an hour of waiting for the bus and getting hassled by a few men and feeling a little uneasy i decided i didn't want to go there again! Anyway we got on the bus and met a young girl who liked to be called "Barbie". She was around 16 i think and spoke a LOT (a lot of which i think was crap as well...). She told us all about herself and asked a lot of questions and told us all about her family and her (make believe - we think) boyfriend and her sister who got married at 12 and had her first baby at 13. She was quite a character and we had a good laugh!! Eventually we arrived at the very quiet and VERY wet tranquil fishing village of San Blas, population 9000, though i think we only saw about 10 of those 9000? San Blas was the quietest town ever situated on swamp land with tropical jungles backing onto isolated beaches..note the swamp land as there were a BUTT load of mosquitoes!!...so anyway we arrived to a deserted and flooded San Blas...there was so much water that no cars could drive on the streets. So it was dark, wet and deserted with not even a taxi in site so Soph and I dragged out the Lonely Planet (LP) to find the map and where our hostel "Stoner's Surf Camp" was...after a kilometre of wading through the river, that was actually the street we eventually arrived, had some food and climbed the ladder into our raised cabana/bungalow!

THURSDAY 11 SEPTEMBER (San Blas)

Soph and I woke up at some rediculous time (though it was light) to something eating our bungalow but drifted in and out of sleep for a few more hours. When we decided to get up and explore we discovered just how cute our bungalow was (complete with our coconut tree and deckchair) and just how close to the beach we were. It was dark and wet the night before and we woke to discover we were not just close to the beach but we were actually ON the beach!! The puddles had dried up a little and we decided to grab 2 bikes from our camp and go and explore the town. We decided to go and check out the 18th century Spanish fort and temple "Cerro de la Contaduria" and ask about hiring a boat to check out the jungle and fresh-water spring. The Ruins were a little disappointing as they had been 'done-up' a little but the view was nice all the same and it was at this point that we discovered why there were so many mosquitoes with the swamp land that surrounded the town. After this we were both hot and sweety and decided to make our way home as we needed to seek shelter back at the camp under the Palapas with an icy lemonade. We stayed here for the rest of the evening, went for a slow wander along the beach and watched some pelicans fish off the pier and helicopters land at the Naval base (yes, strangely this lonely little town has a naval base?) and then invited an English lady to come for dinner with us (for seafood yum yum) and then waited for our travel buddies (Carlos our housemate and his friend Tycho, he's dutch) to arrive. So we sat there and came to realise that the camp lived up to its name, and that the LP didnt lie about the amount of mosquitoes and that feral cats really do kill the wildlife, and then the boys arrived and we decided it was time for bed with an early start the next day.

FRIDAY 12 SEPTEMBER (San Blas to Puerto Vallarta)

Up bright an early for a boat trip through the mangroves, past mountains and crocodiles and birds and crabs to La Tovara, a beautiful and strangely blue freshwater spring in the middle of the jungle at the bottom of a mountain. Here we went for a swim and played with the underwater camera and i was the only one brave enough to test out the rope swing but was too short to reach it anyway :( After that we returned back to the camp and packed up and chilled out for the afternoon until our busto Puerto Vallarta (PV) arrived. After a slight delay we were on our way! Not far into our trip it started to rain...and it didnt stop! The low lying towns in the valleys had been hit quite hard and resembled the wet and soggy San Blas that we had arrived in only a few days earlier. With rain falling as we drove along things were not about to improve for them either! Slowly but surely our bus began to leak, drip by drip which occassionally turned into a trickle!! We drove along and came to a floodplain that resembled a giant lake on either side of the road! We then came to a low-lying section of the road with us stopped at one end and at the other end som 200m or more away, oncoming traffic also stopped! It was here that i thought we would be turning around and heading back for San Blas! After around 5minutes of contemplation the bus driver bit the bullet and decided to head straight through it..it was scary, with giant waves breaking from either side of the bus! Eventually..after 5 hours (it should have been around 3 hours) we arrived in PV, had a bite to eat and went to bed sleeping very badly due to the extreme humidity...YUCK!

SATURDAY 13 SEPTEMBER (Puerto Vallarta)

What a day!! Soph and I parted with the boys and decided to go horseback riding crossing a river and up a mountain to a water fall (and the set of where The Predator was filmed). So we were off on a bus to where the tour was supposed to leave from at around 2pm. We arrived at 1:30 and were told the previous tour was not back and to come back in half an hour....the guy (the owners 20yr old nephew) also made a comment to me which went somewhere along the lines of 'did you bring your swimmers..anything could happen' so off we went, already doubting our decision. When we came back the previous tour had still not returned and after waiting for around an hour, and Soph being proposed to by an old man, the young guy brought out 2 horses, one aptly named 'El Diablo' (the devil) and the other which looked like it was about to keel over!! Soph was not too used to riding so decided she wanted to ride El Diablo, not the half dead one one then off we went with the young guy and his friend (just like a very awkward date?). After a slow ride up with the 2 guys evetually meeting the other tour and picking up a horse each then proceeding to drink beer the whole way we eventually made it. When we arrived they dragged out more beer and some pot to smoke and at this stage Soph and i didnt feel comfortable to get our clothes off and go for a swim haha! Eventually we decided we would go back and Soph decided she wanted to ride the old/dead horse meaning i now had the plessure of riding El Diable. Half way down it began to pour and El Diablo started to get a bit wild so i had to keep it on a very short lead and hang on tight! So with us both soaking wet and the horses tired we continued down the hill until i heard Soph's horse slip behind me. I turned around and saw Soph sliding down its neck to the ground...luckily she escaped without seriouss injury and seemed more concerned for the poor horse (which we later found out had just given birth a few months before and was still recovering!). The scenery was beautiful as you can see in the photo but as you can also see the state of the horse means we will not be back to that tour operator! We eventually got home and went to the best fajita restaurant EVER ("Fajita Republic") and were thoroughly spoilt by the owner who insisted on giving us numerous dishes on the house! After that we went for a walk along the beach walk and checked out the nightlife! Soo anyway PV was my least favourite place. VERY americanised and the Machismo culture is very strong, meanging it was difficult for Soph and I to relax and enjoy ourselves with the attention we were getting!

SUNDAY 14 SEPTEMBER (PV to Barra de Navidad)

Soo today was the day that we packed up and got out of PV YEY!!! We set off on yet another bus to Barra de Navidad, a beautiful little town nestled between the Pacific Ocean (with clean water and yellow/white sand unlike PV and San Blas) and a lagoon. This town was my favourite! Very cute, laid back and not at all touristy (well for this time of year anyway, and more for Mexicans rather than Americans and Canadians)! We spent most of our time here just chilling out and relaxing, and drinking and playing cards when the rain hit again! We stayed here until Tuesday 16 (Independence Day and t he last day of our long weekend) and then made the slow trip back home with the long weekend traffic jam starting on the outskirts of the city!! Que triste!!!

Sooo since then Soph and I have decided to drop one of our classes as it was really bad and made us cry..once that happened we decided it wasn't worth it! Apart from that we have just been catching up on homework! Adios for now!! Love to all! xxx

Cut Copy - Guadalajara 9/9/08

2008-09-17T12:06:00.000-07:00

Sigh! A little slice of Australia in Mexico...made us oh so happy...well ok that, the accent..and the beer i guess!!! AND we got the "Aussie Aussie Aussie" happening!! YEY!

Lago de Chapala, Chapala y Ajijic - 5/9/08

2008-09-06T17:36:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Soph and i got up early and made the trec to the bus stop to catch a bus to the town of Chapala on Lake Chapala about an hour south of Guadalajara. Lago de Chapala is Mexico's largest natural lake and quite picturesque, although over the years pollution has made it a lot less pretty! Water levels are only just back to normal after the drought of 2000 but pollution and run-off ensure the lake stays a lovely brown colour! Although one bonus is that the fertiliser run-off has nourished water hyacinth which is pretty but fast growing and has clogged some of the lakes surface! The climate around the lake is like Spring all year round attracting what is probably the largest US expat population around! ANYWAY now that you know a little about the place i will continue...so we arrived at around 10 (i think..can't remember) and walked the 7 or so blocks from the bus station down to the lakes side. Here we took in the scenes, were hassled to take a boat ride with a few local boat operators (which we declined after seeing the state of the boat, and water, deciding that the boat was likely to fill with water or sink and that if this happened, although it was hot, the water was not at all tempting and that would probably come out with 2 headds) from here we went for a walk west down the lakeside and had a frappaccino and blueberry muffin(g) (as it said on the menu hehe). Here we met a very exuberant Amercan man who was from Crete a little town near Chicago and owned a house on the lake and was there to check up on it. We sat down and then decided to ask him if there was anything to do there and whether we could hire bikes. He proceeded to tell us that people only come here to die (i.e. retire) and that no you couldn't hire bikes. His friend then corrected him and told him you could, but alas we were unable to find them anyway...very disappointing, HOWEVER they did tell us we should cycle to Ajijic (pronounced A-hee-heec), a little town (perhaps more populated by expats than Chapala) which has a lot of lovely (expensive) houses (for americans and canadians primarily), cobbled streets, touristy boutiques and gallery after gallery of mexican art. After our coffee and muffin(g) we explored, trying to find the damn bikes before giving up and catching a bus to Ajijic. There were mansions all along the lakeside so we had trouble deciding where one town ended and the next begun so we sat there looking at a very bad tourist map of the area looking completely perplexed when a young guy from the area (originally from Mexico City) told us that he was going to the central plaza and would tell us when to get off. So after around 10 minutes we arrived, parted with the guy, helped an old lady step down from the bus and we were on our way in and out of boutique jewellery stores and galleries. In one gallery we met another american expat (who also spoke a LOT) who thought i was someone she had met before then proceeded to tell us about the area. She had been travelling down here for 35 years and now worked in a little shop with 3 other ladies. Each lady specialised in a different type of artwork and would travel around Mexico collecting peices to sell in their shop. She told us about some great places to see around Guadalajara, gave us some warnings and advice about mexico city and told us about a restaurant back in Chapala that cooked the best prawns/"shrimp" she had ever had! Sooo after seeing a few more galleries, meeting a funny little lady selling blankets under some gumtrees (who possibly though we were crazy as we got a little too excited about the trees) and checking out the lakeside from this end we travelled back to Chapala and had lunch there (when we eventually found it)! I had garlic and butter prawns and Soph had steak and it wasn't too bad though Mat's prawns are definitely still my favourite!! After that we sat there for a bit watching a soccer game from the window then wandered back to the lack to relax and watch the start of the sunset before catching a bus back home! We arrived home at about 10 very tired..well i was anyway and while everyone else went out i had an early and much needed sleep! All is going very well..uni is a little frustrating due to the language but we are getting by! And i have began to plan christmas with Ben. We are going to spend Christmas and New Year at Tulum in the Carribean south of Cancun and then travel down to Costa Rica..that's all i've decided so far but im really excited already! AND Soph and I are both SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO excited about our adventures for next week now! We have a long weekend due to Independence Day (which is going to be HUGE) and have decided to go to the beach somewhere!!! We are not sure where yet but decided we needed a change of scenary and are going to leave straight away to make the most of it!! Anyhoo i'll tell you all about it in my next blog...we leave on Thursday (your Friday) and will get back Tuesday night (Wednesday) Bye for now! Love always forever and a day!

K xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

WhEn iT RaInS It PoUrS

2008-08-31T08:48:00.000-07:00

Wow! What a week!!!! MONDAY - we had to attend our first classes, enroll in subjects and generally get through the mexican administration bureaucracy... in spanish...not knowing what the hell we were doing. We have a week to enroll, and finalise our coursesand once the week is up, no changing! To add to this, the mexican way of life...stuff not getting done, teachers not showing up, paperwork getting lost AND MEXICAN TIME!!! Sooo first things first, we chose a selection of courses which interested us, an interesting mix of american imperialism, mexican culture and identity, economics and the environment, colonial history and local development adding to a total of a three day week AWESOME!! Next we went and sampled all the classes. So, 7am Monday morning we were sitting in our first class (watching the sun rise outside GRRR), with 7 of us in the class, in total. What we thought would be contemporary north american politics was in the end the history of the U.S. so not quite what we expected. After this first class which finished at 9.30 we decided to go to the international office and try and get our student numbers (as you cannot enroll in any course without a student number). We were told to come back at 10. We came back at 10 and we were put in a room with everyone else to fill out a form and were told 15 minutes. 1/2 an hour later they said that our numbers wouldn't be ready until lunch so come back at one (THIS is what i mean by mexican time). Meanwhile we were panicking that all the classes would be filled before we got our numbers to enrol! The next class we had was environmental economics which would have been extremely easy if we understood...well we did understand most of it and the content was generally 6th grade geography :P What is an ecosystem? etc...Subject number one! So we then went back to the international office at one thirty thinking we would surely be able to get our numbers...we should be so lucky BUT eventually they got around to it but then our password to gain access to the uni's website still wasn't ready. At that stage we didn't care, all we wanted was our student number so we could enroll. We arrived home exhausted... listening to spanish for a good 5 hours, and not getting much sleep the night before. Tuesday was another 7am class (cultural history of colonial mexico), this time the teacher didn't show up. While waiting for class to begin, and me coming down with the flu and not feeling well at all Sophie then proceeded to tell me "you probably don't want to hear this right now (and she was right) but i looked on the net lastnight and it said this class doesn't start until next week" haha so yes i was VERY impressed. Anyway , we spoke to the other students and they said the teacher was really good so we decided to take a punt and have that as subject number 2. Now, enrolling...because we had no access to the uni website we had to physically visit the heads of the different departments and get them to enroll for us. First stop was geography an hour wait to see him but that was two subjects down. Next was to go to our next class; local development and globalisation (right down my alley!!!) We understood about 50% of what was being said and decided that was enough to go by haha! Through the afternoon we tracked down the head of the history department and enrolled in Colonial History ...three down, one to go. Wednesday a nice 8am start....National Culture and Identity. The teacher spoke nice and slowly and was used to having exchange students so that was good. We were encouraged to participate as well which was both good and bad....i was asked to comment on a reading we had (which i couldn't understand haha) and replied with a simple "i agree with them" whilst pointing to my group...naturally everyone laughed at me haha...Anyway three hours later it had finished and we were happy to tick that off as our fourth subject. We waited 1/2 an hour for the Head of International studies to return to her office and finally enrolled in our final class. YEY!!! 4 DAY WEEKENDS HERE I COME!! Sooo Wednesday night we went out and Soph got pretty trashy which made for a nice quiet Thursday until around 3pm. We then went to Gallerias, a huge mall and had some retail therapy! I bought 2 tops and a pair of jeans and felt very happy!! The wonders of shopping! Friday was pretty cruizy but we went to our friends house party for a little that night...yesterday we went into the city and saw the International Mariachi Festival which was lots of fun and quite different..it is an annual event and hosts mariachi bands from all over Latin America..and a few from the States and Canada..none from Australia :( we were a little dissappointed! Anyway then after it POURED and it took us an hour to get home.....So here are my photos and explanations...

1. Here are some photos we took on Friday of our place.....

1.1 Me in our hammock under our mango tree...yes i know, its a hard life.....

1.2 ...and my hard life continues with me on our sun chair on our roof or as our landlord calls it, our solarium...with the picture of cancun he put up in the background :) 1.3 The view from our roof/solarium with looming clouds...unfortunately in this photo you can't see the distant mountains!

2. The following photos are from our day at the Mariachi Festival...the biggest celebration of Mariachi music in the world...it occurs at the end of every August and lasts for around a month i think with various events...This is the opening parade!

2.1 Oh a lovely Guadalajaran day. The cathedral and blue sky in the background....or so we thought?

2.2 Some local entertainment. I swear i saw this guy move...then i went up to him and could have sworn it was actually a statue..he was so good!!2.3 Me, Carlos and Soph at the government palace..

2.4 And the festival begins....yes, this is pretty much all the police do! And this photo avidly captures the style of transport and safety in Mexico....20 people packed into a 5 seat car, or 10 onto a motorbike..atek your pick, but this really is normal here haha

2.5 Lots of horses....policeman on horses, kids on horses, and women it pretty dresses on horses..2.6 Then came float after float of mariachis from everywhere of all shapes and sizes...2.7 AND the dancers...2.8 AND THEN CAME THE STORM...great timing..just as it finished!! Here you can see it looming just as the final float rolls past and confetti is thrown!

2.9 So it started absolutely pouring while spectators and performers were trying to get home...we found a stinky STINKY garage thing on the side of the road to shelter in...and who should join us...

2.10 BUT 3 horses, a little mariachi, his dancing sister, and their dad!!2.11 So after waiting for the rain to subside...with NO luck....and attempting to hail a taxi...with NO luck....we resorted to the buses...attempting to avoid the passing torrents of water..with NO luck...all in all, a very soggy Saturday!

Sooo eventually we did get home!!! Although the beginning of the week was stressful and tiring, once i went shopping things did improve!! And the rain was exciting and funny so all was not lost!! I hope you are all well AND I'M WAITING FOR YOUR COMMENTS??!! All the best, take care, love to all! XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

~LoBbY~

2008-08-25T14:40:00.000-07:00

Soooo our landlord Sinhue owns a few houses that cater for students (mainly international and most were German!!) and organised a night for us to all meet and go out together.....here is a selection of photos from the night! It was a lot of fun....though not so much the next day! The photos of the club don't really do it justice (it was HUGE) but you can get some idea?!

This photo is of everyone in our house, from left to right - Carlos (Spain), SOPH!!!, Arlyn (Mexico), Sinhue (our landlord - he's about to move out), Elena (Spain)!! They are all really lovely!! AND we just got a new housemate!! Her name is Erzu and she's Mexican too!!!

So yeh it was a fun night!!! We had our first day of class today!! A lovely (pffft) 7am start (Yes, i was sitting in class and the sun was just coming up grr), getting up at 5:30 YUK! We had 2 classes and tried to deal with Mexican beurocracy, without much luck so we are yet to actually be enrolled! Classes were ok but we didnt understand very much...well we got the gist of what the teachers were talking about but yeh???? The teachers seemed nice and understanding but we'll see how tomorrow goes and hopefully manage to enrol?! We only have 2 days of uni per week at this stage..maybe three? And start at 7am both days and finish at around 2...AWESOME!!! And the Mexicans are all really lovely and explained stuff to us after class..speaking slower than the teachers :P we are just stupid gringas afterall :) xxx

ORIENTATION SESSION

2008-08-20T13:56:00.000-07:00

Well today wasn't as eventful as yesterday thank goodness!!! BUT we had our orientation session to the university!!! Soo early start and a walk in the rain and we were on the bus bumping along to CEPE (the international office)!! There were lots of students from everywhere (and HEAPS from France and Germany!!). We understood most of the important stuff i guess. There was a guy who spoke nice and slowly who we understood quite well and a lady who was extremely difficult to understand so we are a little shell-shocked and unsure at this stage!? Sooo they just spoke about Mexico and Guadalajara and Jalisco (our state) for a bit and spoke about the culture and things to be carefull of and how to register our visas and subjects and general stuff like that. Because we have been here for a while we had sorted it al out already so that was a relief that nothing new was mentioned! They had a little performance by a dance group who performed a local dance which was fun (see video) and then they served lunch but we decided to come home! AND we have a new housemate...a spanish guy, so we're just about to take him for a walk to show him where the shops and everything are!! Soooo anyhoo, best be off to do that and get some drinks for tonight...we're going out with the other Aussies... :D YEY!! Adios! XXX

MaRiPoSa=bUtTerFly, lAdRon=ThIeF, MY DAY!!!

2008-08-19T17:32:00.000-07:00

Eventful day!!! Today Soph and i slept in then decided to go to the park that we went to go to yesterday that was closed, and to find where this bus goes that goes past near our place!! Soooo we caught a bus into the city and went to go to catch a bus to the park! We went to get on a bus but we asked the bus driver if it went to this park and he told us we had to catch another one! So we went and leant back against this wall...then i noticed that there was this guy who also decided not to get on the bus (even though he was mexican looking and i'm sure would know which bus to catch) and he kept looking at my bag...soo i decided he was a bit dodgy and held my bag close to me!!! (sooo he must have decided i wasn't worth trying to rob) THEN our bus came and he went to hop on it and we were standing there and the bus was open and no-one was getting in and a guy started pushing me in the back to get on (but to also distract me i think)!!! Meanwhile i kept my eye on the dodgy guy in front who proceded to get very close to Soph with a sheet of black plastic over his hands (so as not to be seen) and put his hands into her bag!!! He had opened it and had his hand in...which i didnt realise at the time but went to grab her bag so it wasn't near him..felt his hand in there and grabbed it out and told him to go away (accidently saying it in the polite form instead of the impolite form HAHAHA)!! So anyway Soph managed to get away with all her money, cards, phone, camera and ipod stil in her bag but was quite annoyed!! After telling him to go away he muttered something (not nice i'm sure??) and we jumped on the bus and gave him the finger as we drove off!!! We're not sure how many were in on it but i think the guy pushing me to get on was in on it too!! BUT we survived our 1st interesting experience and have now learnt the word for thief...and some not so nice phrases of varying levels of obsenity and abuse!!! After that experience our day improved!! We saw the lions again and got a photo (see inserted). We were a bit sad after seeing them though because they had no water and were pretty scared! Anyhoo we then went to the park (Parque de Agua Azul). It is a pretty big park in the city and it has a giant bird aviary and some little bird cages (see the photo of the toucan!!) and a BUTTERFLY aviary! We took some photos of them too..soo pretty! Anyway so we chilled there for a bit and had a dogdy hamburger (which may have been cat haha..there were some skinny ratty looking cats and kittens hanging around) and then caught a bus back to the city to find a bus to catch home...the bus that we saw near our place and proceeded for an hour to try to find it..which we eventually did..YEY for us..now i'm home and exhausted!! Oh and this last photo is of the little baby japanese turtles that they sell on the street sometimes...they're so little and have green stripes..for around $2..anyway i'm off to make dinner and wah my hair!! Orientation session tomorrow so we have an eary start! Ciao for now! XXX

Hola!!

2008-08-18T13:40:00.000-07:00

Well i thought i had better give you all an update so i don't get in trouble!!! Salsa night was fun though we didnt stay out too long! We were dizzy from getting twirled around the dance floor...wow can they dance!! Friday i slept all day then made pizza for dinner (very yummy)...i think my travelling and late nights talking to Ben followed by early mornings caught up on me! Saturday we went to our lovely little markets just down the road...soo cute and great fruit (half a kilo of strawberries for 30c) Saturday night our first housemate arrived, a lovely Mexican girl (with a car yey!!!). She then took us to see her 'friend' (soon to be boyfriend i think?) play basketball. He plays in a Guadalajaran team called Tecos which is in the Mexican League so they're professional players, but the game we saw was one in the pre-season! Then we us 3 and half the basketball team squished into her car and we dropped them home!! Yesterday we went and met a spanish guy who is studying at our campus and his italian friend and then went and saw Julius, our friend from UNSW. We checked out his house then went and had coffee then went home! We also had a few beaurocratic issues with Australia with Sophie's bankcard not working and centrelink rejecting my claim telling me that Ben and i are in a 'marriage-like' relationship because we apparently live together?? Hmmf...i got angry and it got me no-where dammit!!! Anyhoo...today we had had another nightmare with trying to register our visas BUT we managed to score ourselves some lawyers who did it all for us so it was pleasantly easy!!! Soooo new interesting things i have discovered about life in Mexico????

Mexican circuses drive around in trucks with tigers on the back to advertise
Car security in Mexico - interesting??? See exhibit A (below)
EVERYONE who has a job as a gaurd of any description carries a gun with bullets strapped to their chests...even those outside surf shops??? hmmm??
If you decide to go to uni at Tech de Monterrey (the other...private uni) and live in Residencia you will be breathtested if you arrive home after 11pm and if you go over the limit 4 times (or something) you WILL go to Residencia AA and rehab HAHAHHAHA (NO im deadly serious, our friends live their!!)
I got to celebrate Ben's birthday for 2 days (once in Australia and once here) YEY!!!
We found Mexico's Kath and Kim....see exhibit B (below)

Well that's all for now..we're going out for sushi to celebrate sorting out our visas!! Adios amigos!!

XXXXXXX

Miercoles 13 de agosto, 9:25 de la noche!!!

2008-08-13T19:24:00.000-07:00

Hola!!! Welllllll........Not too much to fill you in on?? Soph and I are pretty much settled into our new place with a few little glitches like running out of gas and having cold showers and finishing our dinner in the microwave but apart from that its been smooth sailing?!! As yet we still have no housemates..apartently the Mexican girl was coming today but its nearly bedtime and she's not here yet so maybe i misinterpreted our landlord?? The Spanish girl and guy (not a couple) are moving in in about a week and we will still have one/two spare beds i think?? So who knows what/who we will get!! Should be great with spanish speakers though which was our aim so we've had good luck so far! We're slowly exploring our little neighbourhood and discovering its better than we originally thought in terms of access to shops etc...w a neatly hidden gigantic mall a few blocks away AND a train station which we managed to get into the city on the other day...very exciting and much more comfortable than the bumpy, squishy, hot buses!!! Today we met up with the other aussies who are at the other uni and from USYD and Melbourne!! We had coffee, some laughs and i got to meet some more people which was great!! Tomorrow night we're all heading out to a guy from England's house for pre-drinks then to a salsa bar to learn some moves!! HAHA should be great fun and my introduction to the night life which is lots of fun and laughs..especially due to the stares we get for being such bad dancers hehe!!! There's a big bunch of us going so don't worry i'll be safe i promise!! Ummm what else?? Soph and i just had dinner and made a stir fry (we now have gas thanks so a late night banging on the door and visit from the gas men who precariously balanced a ladder up to our roof..hitting a few power lines on the way, and filled up our tank which is on our roof aparently?? strange??) OK so a few more interesting/strange things i have noted......

Mexico has no sense of OH&S...one small example comes from the numerous times i have tripped over on uneven footpaths, other grander examples come from the gas men, huge holes in the footpaths that drop down meters into a big black hole, or men metres up in the air on scaffolding dangling in the breeze on little swings...terrifying to watch!!
Mosquitoes are a lot quicker here than in Australia - one little bugger has been buzzing around my room since i moved in and i have yet to catch him..mid you i did give him a mighty fright this morning and he shat himself and zoomed up to the roof so i couldnt reach!!
I'm actually not that short compared to what you may all think...Mat be prepared you will get stared at a lot...if only you were blond tooo!! I'm actually quite tall here...WOOHOO maybe i should stay and join the basketball team?!
Pirate videos are awesome!
The Mexican 2-step is NOT!

That's all for now!!!! Off to beddy-bies! Love always, forever and a day, Katherine! Adios amigos! xxx

Hi NANA!!!!

2008-08-13T17:17:00.000-07:00

Hi nana,

Glad Mat is showing you my blog and all the exciting things i have been doing! Mexico is lovely and the people are very fun and friendly!! There is tonnes of art and culture and history so i think you would love it!!! I sent you a postcard so you should receive it in about a week...keep an eye out!!! It should take 2-3 weeks to arrive so i would give it another week or so!! This little note on the other hand is instantaneous - modern technology!! Paul was saying he showed you some of my blog already so that's good!!! I hope you are doing well and enjoy hearing about all the wonderful things i have been experiencing..and the not so wonderful of course (but mostly very lovely!!). Maybe if the internet cafe has Skype you could call me?? I'll stay signed in just in case!! Have a lovely lunch with Mat and i may give you a call tonight or another night soon..when you're home!! Take care! Hugs and kisses, Katherine xxx

2008-08-11T08:10:00.000-07:00

2008-08-11T07:57:00.000-07:00

Mi casa es su casa!! (MY HOUSE!!!)

2008-08-10T22:48:00.000-07:00

Hey guys, thought you'd appreciate these!! The photos of my room dont do it much justice..and YES it is already a bit messy!! But check out my nice neat cupboards..i give it about 3 days!!! You cant really see the paintings either but they are really bright and pretty! Soph and i are getting some photos of home developed this week too!!! Ill run you through them with a guided tour from top to bottom!!

1. and 2. The front of our house/fortress - nice and safe with big metal gates!!

3. 4. and 5. MY BEDROOM
First my door with my itty-bitty desk, palm tree (yes its real) and two lovely paintings. The one on the left i bought in GTO and is of a street there (along with a man with his foot up a donkeys bum..i think he's tightening the saddle strap?) The one on the right is from our landlord and is of Don Quijote on his horse! You can also see my lovely bedspread and in 5. my feature wall..so happy and fun and pretty!

6. stairs leading to our bedrooms and bathroom. my door is to the right straight in from of the other staris going up to the other bedrooms!!

7. and 8. The bathroom. Nothing too exciting! The toilets are normal but you cant put paper down them as the sewerage system cant cope with it, so yes your icky paper goes in the bin next to it!!

9. and 10. The living room and a little bit of the backyard..and the landlord's dog..its a funny/crazy thing with different coloured eyes..and BEN its like dana and has its tongue sticking out all the time hehe!!

11. The dining room

12. The kitchen!! DAD- see the normal fridge!!
13. Front door and stairs leading up to our bedrooms (to get your bearing - the living room is behind and kitchen and dining room behind and to your left)
14. and 15. View down our quiet little street!! Check out how nice the cars are..one thing i've noticed that is quite interesting..all the cars are quite decent!!

Adios for now!!

XXX

My week in Guanajuato - the GREAT and the the not so great!!!

2008-08-10T20:43:00.000-07:00

Well...mum and dad..you wanted to know the whole truth..good and bad...and nothing but the truth (I've already told you anyway but here goes!!)

INTRODUCTION - History

Guanajuato is THE cutest little city EVER!! Population around 78,000. Built near some mines during around 1558 and was the richest of the silver 'veins' for around 250 years producing around 20% of the world's silver! It is also the location of the first rebel victory during the Mexican War of Independence (led my Miguel Hidalgo - the region's hero). The spanish eventually reclaimed the city and held the infamous 'lottery of death' where the citizens names were drawn at random and the 'winners' tortured and hanged....lovely people the spanish!! (Circa 1810 onwards??) Anyway independence was eventually won!!

The city is built in a little valley - all crammed in!!! Some 'streets' or callejones (back lanes) are a mere 2 feet wide and there are only a few car-friendly streets (all one way in the centre). Funnily enough i had the best time getting lost in amongst all these little quaint winding callejones with a lovely and cute surprise around every corner!! There was a river that went through the city but in 1905 it flooded the city so it was diverted and the old river bed has been turned into an underground tunnel to detour the city!

THE SIGHTS AND THE NOT SO GREAT!!

We were a little over-enthusiastic and saw everything there was to see in the first few days (which was good as we later learnt!!). After a four hour bus ride (first class style - a.m.a.z.i.n.g. buses!!), eventually finding a hostel and a couple of sangrias later we were well and truly settled in and in love with the city! We walked up to El Pipila (a statue of the local hero from the independence movement - he apparently strapped stone slabs to himself for protection from the bullets and burnt down the gates which housed all the spaniards so they could all be killed - according to legend he either survived or didnt, i like the former) at dusk and got a lovely view of the entire city and surrounding valley. We also checked out the town a little and got photographed by strange old men (we're visiting exotic creatures here you see!!!) and checked out the local artwork - gorgeous ceramics, SILVER and paintings (i have a few on my wall and a great bedspread).

Over the following few days we saw all the GTO (Guanajuato) had to offer...and just in time as i also contracted the 'Mexican 2-Step' - equivalent to Bali Belly etc etc - Whatever you want to call it and haven't quite recovered and think of lost a bit of weight from not eating...fun times! We went to El Museo Iconografico del Don Quijote. Don Quijote is an infamous book in the spanish world and this museum was dedicated to artists depictions of the story and characters (predominantly Don Quijote and his horse Rocinante and Sancho Panza). There were paintings, clocks, sculptures, chess peices - EVERYTHING! it was really cute and amazing to see - i then went and wought a copy of the book so that when i can read better i can see what all the hype is about!!! We also went to El Casa del Diego Rivera (famous artist for those who don't know!!), his home and birthplace until he was around 6 when his family moved to Mexico City, now a museum of his earlier work!! He was born here with his twin brother in 1886 (his brother died when they were 2). The house had some antique furniture which belonged to the family as well. It was really interested to see all the different styles that he dabbled in...i had no idea!!! Still life, cubism, abstract, indigenous styles - everything!! We also went to the Mummy Museum (Museo de las Mamias) and came out feeling empty and disrespectful! Quintessentially depicting Mexico's obsession with death, this museum is not for the faint hearted! The first were removed from graves in 1865 to make room for more bodies (probably from the mines?) and to the grave diggers surprise, not skeletons but mummified remains with grotesque forms and facial expressions preserved in only 5-6 years due to the soil content and dry conditions. Now there are around 100 mummies, many have been exhumed because families couldnt afford the upkeep for their grave sites..but hey, i guess they can still come and visit for a pretty penny and watch tourists laugh and take photos with them?? Soph and I couldnt take photos and dare not buy a thing and came out feeling empty!! There was lots of baby mummies and the smallest mummy in the world..and her mummy...a woman and baby who died during birth! There is also a woman who was buried alive (though they thought she had died) who is screaming - very gruesome!! So anyway we went through there quite quickly!! The next day we went to Cristo Rey - a huge statue of Jesus about an hour from the city in the middle of no-where on top of a hill. The second biggest Jesus statue after the one in Rio, Brazil!! 20m bronze statue erected in 1950. The drive up was gorgeous winding up the hills and down the valleys, but the statue itself was over-rated, as neither of us are religious but most people seemed to be in awe and people would crawl up the the church at the bottom on the knees! We met a lovely girl from Mexico City at our hostel and she said that people crawl all the way from their house to the church there!! Crazy catholics...and sore knees!!! The drive down wasn't so lovely..the day after my first 'episode' but once Soph opened a window for me so i could cool down and i passed out asleep (i dont know how down the windy bumpy road with my head banging against the window but anyway???) i felt a lot better...well like i wasn't about to spew all over the lovely Mexicans in front of me!!

We also checked out all the churches which were all under renovation (must be this years project??) and the theatres and all the little silver shops! We both bought a lovely bedspread made by some locals, and i bought some lovely red earings made from coral and silver - OH AND MUM...i bought my first charm for my bracelet!! Its a little frog because the town got its names because of all the frogs that used to be there!!!

Anyway after a noisy bus ride back with a screaming toddler we're in our new home..ill take some photos and add them later!! I'm still a little ill but think i'm getting better...and yes mum i promise ill go see a doctor if im still not well in a few days..i found an English-speaking doctor in my Lonely Planet!! I had a lovely time otherwise and can't wait to take all who come and visit to Guanajuato - more of a tourist town with a European feel but very lovely!!!

Love you all lots and lots and miss you too!!

xxx

My house!!

2008-08-03T18:31:00.000-07:00

Hey guys!! You can check out my some photos of my house on this site: http://www.casagdl.com/

Click on Nuestras Casas Residencias on the left at the top and the changing pictures in the bottom right-hand corner is of our place. Under Areas Comunas Espacios you can see our kitchen (not the blue one) and backyard. When we move in i will post some pics i've taken!! The pictures dont really do it too much justice for how nice it is!!

Sábado 2 de agosto

2008-08-02T15:03:00.000-07:00

Today Soph and I went and paid the deposit for our new home!!!!! Such a releif, and it only took us 2 days to find an awesome house!! 2 storeys with a nice big kitchen and nice big bedrooms. It is fully furnished with a nice big double bed for any visitors who want to bunk with me :) Nice big backyard and access to the rook with a GREAT view of the city. The landlord said he was in the process of putting in a pooltable and solarium on the roof with lovely palmtrees in pots that were ready to be added!! AND we have 2 big mango trees and a lime tree in the backyard!! Its really nice and spacious and will cost 2500peso per month ($250) and is fully furnished, includes cleaning once a week, gas, electricity, internet and everything else and once a week a lady will come and collect our washing to do for us for a small price! Spoilt!! We move in on the 10th but we're going to drop our bags off on Monday and go travelling to Guanajuato (east of Guadalajara) for a week. After we paid the deposit we walked to the main road and caught a bus back to El Centro (the city centre). The bus is close to our place and goes straight past our campus! Then we walked through town and saw some clowns and buskers (see below) and i decided it was about time i took a photo of the horse and carts for you to see! They trot around town and offer you a ride though i'm yet to take up the offer. We assumed it was a touristy thing but are yet to see foreigners in them haha! After that we walked to the markets and got an icecream on the way and gave some money to clowns and buscers then bought some food for a picnic (avocado, tortillas, lime and tomato) and caught the bus to El Parque Mirador Independencia, a beautiful park on the edge of the city which overlooks the surrounding valleys. The city goes right to the edge!! We walked around and took some photos (including panoramas!! I will show you all when i return!!), had our picnic and then had a nice cool drink. You could also see the river which was filthy with all the run-off from the city and surrounding suburbs and villages! It would be very unhealthy! Everynight when i return home and have a shower the water running over my grubby little toes is black for a minute or so :P and everynight it rains so the filth from the streets would all run into the river too! But they make every attempt to keep the city clean! People are always sweeping up and (i'm not sure if you can see in the photo but...) the horse poo falls into a little pooper scooper carry bag! The humidity builds and builds all day and then there's a nice storm...a big one is on its way tonight, the sky is black and i can hear the rumbling! The photos below are of the park and Soph and I havin our nice cool drinks looking over an amazing view! We're both so excited to have found a place and finally be able to go travelling! Guanajuato is a short bus trip away (around 4 hours i think) and has a lot of museums and a mummy museum with the worlds tiniest mummy!!! The family stoped paying for the upkeep of the graves and they were dug up, only to discover that they had been perfectly preserved in a short time so the most grotesque ones (i.e. a woman giving birth and the tortured screaming face of someone buried alive) are on display!!! Anyway I'll tell you all about it!! Soph and I are off to our favourite Taco stand (Rico's Tacos) soon for dinner then planning our trip away! Oh and some funny things from today....I've decided i need to were a sports bra to ride the bus..and to hang on tight! i was nearly bumped off my seat today! I need to speak clearer near niosy streets...i was buying sunnies and the old man who owned the store (who had lovely kind eyes) asked where we were from and once i'd answered said he knew we weren't American and that Europeans were much nicer (thinking i said we were from Austria!!) Anyway i'm sure there's more but i can't remember just yet! Take care and i'll write again soon!

K xx

First lot of photos!

2008-08-01T13:04:00.000-07:00

Oh and sorry, the first lot of photos are from around the city centre! The murals are by Orozco and are located in a government guilding. the other pictures are of Las Cabanas which used to be an orphanage and has murals too but i havent seen inside yet...it stretches over 2 blocks i think and has lots of pretty coourtyards with class rooms and stuff surrounding it..ill check it out soon and add some more photos. there are also photos of the cathedral (inside and out)..vey pretty!!! Hasta luego!

Cathedral at night

2008-08-01T12:54:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone!! Went out with some Argentinian girls lastnight to a bar just down the road!! It was pretty fun! Soph and i also looked at a house and we will look at another one this afternoon! Just a quick post as we are about to leave but ill be in contact soon and let you know when we find a house YIPEE!!!

2008-07-30T19:40:00.000-07:00

2008-07-30T19:16:00.000-07:00

Estoy aqui!

2008-07-30T11:48:00.000-07:00

Hola!!

Well i've arrived safe and sound and avoided the earthquake in LA. It measured 5.8 and i didnt even notice haha! I just checked out the city and went for a LONG walk to my campus. Soph showed me around and we just went out for lunch! The food is really greasy but the entree of salsa, corn chips and guocamole was good! Its really hard to sleep at the hostel..it didnt help that i had no sheets or towels but i think i'm getting some today! The city is really clean and well looked after but once you leave the city centre it gets a bit dirtier but much better than i thought it would be! Its REALLY humid and i'm struggling to get used to it after being in sydney! I also get bombared by really cute begging children who stick stickers on you then ask for money. I'll have to learn to run away quickly or i'll run out of money quickly! Anyway I'm off to have a siesta before we head to the markets at 2 to meet up with some Aussies Soph has met!

Ciao

K
xxx

Leaving in 5 days!!!!

2008-07-23T23:38:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my new blog! Keep tuned for all my news as i travel around South and Central America! I will add photos, videos and write whenever possible!!