Hello all !!I will do this entry and then I will go and start the packing process for the 2nd last time. Tomorrow I am off to Florida for a few days before heading home...it has been a great adventure on this continent and I would recommend it to any and all of you. I have been in this area for a week enjoying the hospitality of friends from Calgary and my brother and sister in law. The walks on the beach , the sea food and the companionship have been a treat. Guaybitos and LosAyala each have great beaches and [View Full Entry]

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Quick note...Oaxaca has been a real pleasure . The zocolo is the busiest one ...and possibly the largest one...so far. The state band , marimba bands , indiginous musicians playing pipes and guitars along with pop and jazz musicins playing at the reestaurants around the zocolo made music a nearly constant thing. As usual the churches architecture ranged from gothic to baroque to mexican baroque which is WAY out there in terms of ornate. I don-t undeerstand the need for all those churches other than to provide employment ... Monte Alban a Zapotec ruin was impressive. Set in a very dry [View Full Entry]

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I realized that I didn´t talk too much about San Cristobal. It is such a mellow place nestled into the mountains. The area is pretty and the people I encountered were friendly and kind ...which has been my experience throughout this country. The hospitality offered is sincere and as a fellow travellor said the actions are all geared toward making your experience in their country a pleasant one. In San Cristobal there is a large indigenous presence. The woman of the different tribes have specific costumes. One group wears the most amazing blue=green=purple embroidered on black or indigo cot [View Full Entry]

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Before I close the book on Palenque I must tell you that my last morning in Panjan I woke up early enough that I decided to head back up the mountain one last time.The mist was still in the air and it was flattering to the surroundings . The mountains (big hills) of the region are beautiful . They are beautifully rounded and green with trees and plants of every shade imaginable . The journey in the collectivo takes about 5 minutes and you are climbing the whole time .Palenque looked great ... but it was still souless...I am glad though [View Full Entry]

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I´m in the jungle and I really am enjoying it. The bus ride from Campeche was quite uneventful ...5 hours actually but it was pleasing to see the landscape change from the chapparral of the Yucatan to the rolling hills and trees of Chiapas. It truly is beautiful and lush. Agricultural endeavors seem to be a prosperous . The cattle , goats ,and horses are fat and healthy. No chickens in sight though. Someone said that there are not a lot of them farmed around here.It seems they raise more turkeys in the area. I am staying at a place in [View Full Entry]

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Merida was a really interesting place to visit. I lucked out again with the hostel I chose to stay at. It was quite large and the cliental included children under 10 (two different families) ,the usual 19-35 crowd. married 40's from France ,Sweden, and Belgum and 3 women my age.What a mix! One night lying in bed hearing other voices outside my window I thought it was a bit like a summer camp. A pleasant experience . Each evening at 7 there were salsa classes and twice @8:30 a man entertained us by singing and playing a guitar. He had an [View Full Entry]

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I have a few more pictures to show...here goes [View Full Entry]

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Hey...San Miguel was just what I needed . I was on overload for a bit ,so I spent my time there just hanging out.I confess I even left the Lonely Planet at the hostel when I went out !!I lucked out with the hostel I was staying in . Not only did I have an apartment but I had a BATHTUB! I also had a great owner who was happy to share information and help with travel arrangements . San Miguel de Allende has been a gringo enclave for many decades, since after the WW2 .. It is a pleasant town [View Full Entry]

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Well here I go again. Rereading the blog I wrote from Guananjuato I was surprised that I hadn´'t mentioned 2 other items. I arrived at the Centale la Autobus ( always found away from the center of the town )around 3pm and following Lonely Planet directions found the city bus to carry me INTO town about a 20 minute ride. I mentioned that the town was in a valley but what I neglected to say was that we had to drive through three different tunnels to enter the city. The first took 18 seconds ,the 2nd took 8 seconds and the [View Full Entry]

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As you can see I have moved on in my journey. Guadalajara is an interesting place and it was a great place to begin the adventure . However it is a big city and one does get tired of big cities. So I escaped, with a young woman from Switzerland ,on a day trip to Lake Chapala .Wow what a beautiful sight that lake was. Nestled in the hills with mist rising off it Alex said it reminded her of Lucerene . Ajijic is charming with it's cobbled streets and very laid back atmosphere. The huge walled areas were impressive as [View Full Entry]

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