The only reason that I decided to stay on an extra night in Merida was so that I could go to the bullfight. The bullring is a short five minute walk away from where I'm staying, and as Larry was driving us to the bus station to book our seats he mentioned in passing that there was a bullfight coming up. So although I do not support bullfighting in principle, I made a random decision to buy a ticket to go, which meant staying an extra night. I figured that this is the one and only opportunity I would have to go and it would be an experience I wouldn't get elsewhere. I knew absolutely nothing about bullfighting before I went. It was fascinating, although I was taken aback at how close to the action I ... read more

Guadalajara, and more specifically Tequila, had been recommended by several people as a great place to visit. Tequila being the town that is, as well as the home of the drink. I've always fancied a world tour of birthplaces of alcoholic beverages, so what better opportunity to visit the home of Tequila? So after an uneventful drive to Guadalajara...well nearly uneventful....we arrived back at the airport to return the rental car ahead of schedule and were able to take in downtown Guadalajara and the historic centre in the afternoon. Maybe we've been spoiled by the charms of smaller centres but Guadalajara was a little underwhelming. The main attraction is the Cathedral, which is very impressive indeed, and on each side boasts a handsome plaza. We walked into the downtown area and viewed the Cathedral, the plazas, ... read more

Oaxaca has been a real treat, and two days here was simply not enough, although that's a constant refrain wherever I travel to. The population is around 270,000 and it has a very small town feel to it. The people are friendly, there are many ankle-breaking cobblestone streets and pretty coloured buildings - it's a very inviting place. One of the things Oaxaca is famous for is its food, and particularly mole, which is a generic name for many different sauces, and so my first priority was to find a cooking class. This wasn't hard to find, and within a few minutes over breakfast we were booked in to the Casa Crespo's cooking class just a few blocks away. The class started with a discussion of the menu and we were asked to choose what we ... read more

Wow - Cuba - what a country, what an experience! I have had such a fantastic time over the last week or so I don't know where to start...so why not at the beginning. Ater a routine flight from Mexico DF, Lucy and I arrived in not just a different country but what felt like a different age. Within seconds of being on the road we saw the old cars that Cuba is famous for, along with the revolutionary signs "Viva la Revolucion!" and pictures of Che Guevara. We were whisked in a Lada taxi to our hotel, on the edge of the Parque Central, the Hotel Plaza, arriving in an old hotel with a beautiful pink art deco style lobby. The rooms didn't quite match up, but no matter, we were already bewitched! First up ... read more

Happy days, holidays at last! Finally the day arrived when work finished and the holiday started. I got good news at the airport - I got an upgrade to Premium Economy, yippee! I was very impressed with Air New Zealand's service, and the premium economy seats. I even managed to sleep for about 3 hours or so, almost unheard of for me. Then at long last we made it to LA. Our hotel, the Custom Hotel, was only ten minutes or so from the airport which was nice and easy. By the time we got in and got settled it was mid afternoon and we were ready to hit the town. We asked at the front desk for some recommendations. The service was fabulous, however that then sparked the conversation with Lucy for the next half ... read more