I started to catch a cold last weekend, Colin had been sick first, so I thought I was just getting what he had and it wouldn´t be too bad. So on Saturday we hiked up an old volcano that has a lagoon at the top and it was really beautiful. The spanish school we joined is great-- every day there are activities you can participate in, which is how we went up to the lagoon. The other students are also really nice and they are from all over the world. I enjoyed the hike but was feeling a bit weak, and [View Full Entry]

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It has been a awhile since I last wrote a blog but the last time I went to use the computer I got some horrible news. It was really strange... after an adventurous morning, Colin and I returned to our hotel for a siesta. I layed down on the bed and tried to sleep but I could not stop thinking about my grandparents. Earlier I had just been telling Colin about them and how they are the world to me, and I kept thinking about how special they are (my grandma passed away last year, but I still think about her [View Full Entry]

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Palenque is in the thick of the jungle. The Palenque ruins consist of about 4,000 buildings or something like that but there are less than 100 that you can visit because the rest are overgrown with jungle. The exploring is great out there. I feel like I´m in a Idiana Jones movie because the temples rise through the bush and there are vines draping down everywhere and it´s like I should be searching for buried treasure or an old relic. Today Colin and I went back to the ruins (we went the first time on Colin´s birthday, the 12th) and we [View Full Entry]

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Hey everyone, so much has happened since the last time I wrote-- it is hard to sit down and use the computer when there is so much going on outside. Also when Im outside I feel like Im another world experiencing all of these new things, and then when I go to the computer it´s kind of like Im back in the US since my mind frame changes and it takes me a while to get back into typing. I feel like I have de ja vu writing this because I just spent almost an entire hour writing a long blog [View Full Entry]

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Im really behind on my blog right now because I have been so busy exploring that I have not had much time to use the internet. So I´ll try and update right now, if I can remember all of the amazing things I´ve been doing. I made it to Guadalajara in good shape and I was immediately impressed with that city. It is so beautiful, like an old European city, with an amazing cathedral and wonderful architecture. Also the people are unbelievably friendly- they would come up to us all the time to ask if we were enjoying our visit and [View Full Entry]

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Hey everyone, Im traveling with Colin and he is keeping a blog as well. He is a very good writer and poet with a whole different perspective from me, so you might want to check what he has to say about it all. His site is just like mine but instead of Tess write Niloc (Colin backwards), so its www.travelbog.org/Bloggers/Niloc. Enjoy!!! [View Full Entry]

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We made it to Mazatlan no problem! Luckily the hurricane was mostly a little bit north of here so there isnt too much damage, and the weather has been perfect for us, although it is really hot, so we have been here for 5 days now and I absolutely love it! We found a really cheap hotel to stay at that is by the bus station, and all around us are the super delicious home cooked Mexican food stands. Colin and I have been eating amazing meals for only 20 to 30 pesos (which is like 1.50 to 2.50 dollars). I [View Full Entry]

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Im back in Guaymas- Colin and I had a wonderful week in San Carlos and now this afternoon we are taking the bus down to Mazatlan. Last weekend a big hurricane passed through Mazatlan and we saw some footage on the news that looked like lots of places were flooded. When we saw the storm on the tv, we were like oh shit where is that, and they were like Mazatlan is devastated, and we were like wait thats where we are going. Then we decided it was a good idea to follow the news more, plus it helps practice spanish. [View Full Entry]

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Things have finally slowed down and chilled out and life is good. Colin and I took the bus down to Guaymas and then headed out to a small beach pueblo called San Carlos that is absolutely beautiful. We decided that traveling too fast and not getting enough sleep was adding some unecessary stress, so we are staying here for a while. We also learned that renting places for a week is much cheaper than for a night or two so now we have a sweet apartment style hotel room to live in for the next week that is right on the [View Full Entry]

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I finally made it to Mexico! It felt so great to walk across the border south of San Diego, say goodbye to the USA, and march right into Tijuana. I have been in Mexico for 5 days now, but I have not written much and I have not felt very inspired to write yet becuase I think I´m still just absorbing the newness of everything. At first I felt like such a gringa (fresh off the boat) but now I´m starting to get more used to la vida Mexicana. Colin and I already faced our first detour... We passed quickly through [View Full Entry]

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