http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Mexico/Puebla/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from North America , Mexico , Puebla en-us Sun, 12 Oct 2008 19:16:57 BST Sun, 12 Oct 2008 19:16:57 BST Feeling much better now. Thanks to some good old Mexican medications. Honestly I hate taking stuff but my illness was ruining my visits.Anyway after Xalapa I came up to Puebla known as the City of Angels. This city is considered a college town. I did notice a lot of young residents. They seem to make a majority of the population at least from where I was hanging out. This city has a lot http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/Mexico/Puebla/Puebla-City/blog-327253.html Hi allWell we managed to make it out of Mexico City a bit worse for wear but are hopefully on the the mend now... We arrived in Mexico City after a 6 hour bus ride from Guanajuarto to be absolutely bowled over by the sheer size of the place. I guess in land span it isnt that different from sprawling Auckland but instead of suburbs with 14 acre sections there are just miles and miles of densely http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/Mexico/Puebla/Puebla-City/blog-296195.html While this trip is exciting and fun and educational there definetley are parts of it where I wish I wasn't traveling around in a group so large. Sure the immense amount of Americans made the initial adjustment to the culture really easy and eliminated the first shock of being completley confused by a foreign language they also tend to inhibit some of the travel experiences. The worst part of tr http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/Mexico/Puebla/Puebla-City/blog-290924.html En toen was de cirkel weer rond. Nadat we tien weken geleden vertrokken uit ons Puebla zijn we weer thuis bij onze lieve Mexicaanse familie. We hebben in Mexico Cuba Belize en Guatemala de afgelopen weken zo'n beetje het hele alfabet afgereisd van Acapulco tot Quetzaltenango en van Caye Caulker tot Zihuatanejo. De busreizen waren lang de bestemmingen geweldig de ontmoetingen hartverwarmend o http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/Mexico/Puebla/blog-287008.html Ik had net zo goed vijf benen kunnen hebben een derde oog of een staart uit mijn voorhoofd. Met 1.96 meter ben je in dit land gewoon een freak. In de stadsbus zit ik met mijn knieen tegen het hoofd van degene voor me te bonken met schaatsen hadden ze bij lange na niet mijn maat ja het is hier buiten 30 graden maar dat betekent niet dat je hier binnen niet kan schaatsen in de spiegel in de ba http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/Mexico/Puebla/blog-264056.html 17.17h.Reanudaremos las crnicas desde un atasco mexicano. Todo iba sobre lo previsto hasta que hace unos instantes nos hemos topado con un incendio que ha obligado a cortar la carretera que nos debe llevar a Papantla Veracruz ldquola ciudad de perfuma el mundordquo la capital de la vainillahellip Ah nos esperaban los mundialmente famosos ldquoVoladores de Papantlardquo esos tos q http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/Mexico/Puebla/blog-263444.html Hola Senores y SenorasSorry for the lento updates here tenia michisisisimo flojera lo siento. Anyway bilingual apologies aside I'd like to update ya'll on mi vida aqui en el gran estado de Puebla. Hace 2 semanas o algo asi yo fui con los otros intercambios a un lugar se dicen Cuetzalan. About two weeks ago I went with the other people in my group to a pueblo outside of Puebla city called http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/Mexico/Puebla/Cuetzalan/blog-254903.html Today Manuel and I went to visit the kids at the orphanage DIF one last time. When we first got there most of the kids were out on a field trip at the circus. However one of my favourite kids was there so we spent a bit of time with him Rojelio We tried to visit the computer room that we had spent the past month setting up but the security guards would't let us in. We heard from one of the ki http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/Mexico/Puebla/Puebla-City/blog-249714.html 20208. We caught an early flight from Guatemala City to Mexico city arriving just after lunch. We went straight to the Australian Embassy and sorted out my emergency passport within a couple hours which was great and a big relief Once that was sorted we caught a bus to Puebla where we met up with Angie and are currently staying at her place. Thanks Angie Since our travel plans were already m http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/Mexico/Puebla/Puebla-City/blog-249049.html The final day of the program. Today all of us went to the orphanage to spend some time with the children and say goodbye. We painted a mural for them as a token of our appreciation which turned out a lot better than I had anticipated. The children sang a song to us and when it was time to leave everybody was emotional including the children. I was struggling to hold back tears particularly becaus http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/Mexico/Puebla/Puebla-City/blog-243898.html Es oficial yo he visto mi primer partido de futbol That means it's official I saw my first soccer gameHey guys and Mom Dad because I know you're reading this too which I think is super awesome by the waySo here's another update. This weekend is Carnival you know the last time you get to sin before Lent. That means that everyone in Mexico goes to a little dor http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/Mexico/Puebla/blog-242812.html Day 28 of Project. After 3 hours sleep we caught a bus to Cholula 30 mins from Puebla for a day of tours. First stop was the pyramids which was pretty cool. We bought and ate some crickets which were really delicious and tasted like salty chips. Afterwards we visited 3 churches but I stayed on the bus and slept after the first 2 churches. In the afternoon Shen Trish and I were in the street and http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/Mexico/Puebla/Puebla-City/blog-242563.html Day 27 of Project. Today was a free day. Nine of us went to a lake in the middle of nowhere for a swim. We drove in Ivanrsquos pickup truck for 1.5 hours to get there along some dodgy roads with 5 people in the ute tray. The lake itself was beautiful and we had an awesome time. We sat on a tree over the water drinking for most of the time but there was also a tree swing which was a heap of fun. http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/Mexico/Puebla/Puebla-City/blog-242541.html Day 26 of Project. After a big night and 2 hours sleep we awoke at 8am and had our last Spanish class where we submitted our work for assessment. Afterwards we had Mexican cooking class which went through until 2pm. We spent most of the time waiting for the damn mole poblano to be cooked which took a lot longer than expected. I hung out with Angie in the afternoon and at night a bunch of us went t http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/Mexico/Puebla/Puebla-City/blog-242539.html Day 25 of Project. Today marked the last official day of our projects. For Krish Shen and I that meant looking back and reflecting on what we had achieved in the last month. Unlike some of the other projects our results were tangible and the children now have a fully functioning IT room complete with 10 donated computers and a fast internet connection. To celebrate we took some of the kids to an http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/Mexico/Puebla/Puebla-City/blog-242535.html Day 24 of Project. Today we took our students to the Zocolo town centre so that they could photograph some of the city and the buildingschurches. They absolutely loved it as they dont normally get to go out. After spoiling them with oreos and mms we worked off their sugar high by playing tag outside the main cathedral. We then walked around and took them to an arcade where we all played some v http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/Mexico/Puebla/Puebla-City/blog-241923.html Day 23 of Project. The end is near less than a week to go now. We held our first computer class and taught the children mouse control using Windows paint. We then moved onto good old youtube and browsed the internet. We also held another photography lesson and the children got to take some cool pics. At 3pm we had Spanish class and then afterwards I went for some drinks with a couple of the inter http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/Mexico/Puebla/Puebla-City/blog-241078.html Day 22 of Project. Today we worked at the orphanage and had Spanish class in the afternoon. Shenny got his hair permed. It looks hilarious. The dude is full Chinese but has the kind of hair you would expect from a 70s African American hair commercial. In other news I had a heated confrontation with the hotel manager. A few days ago Angie the Mexican translator was a guest of mine at the hotel a http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/Mexico/Puebla/Puebla-City/blog-240699.html Day 20 of Project. Happy Australia Day We left at 7am on a 4 hour bus ride to Cuetzalan. The trip there was amazing. We climbed higher and higher and the roads got narrower and bumpier as we spiraled up to the city. At times the visibility was so bad due to the fog and clouds. We were literally in the clouds or higher. We stopped a couple times along the way to see some waterfalls and cascades wh http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/Mexico/Puebla/Cuetzalan/blog-240345.html Bueno bueno mis amigosYo se que no he escribido nada por mucho tiempo. Lo siento y desculpame it's not that I've been busy or anything. It's pretty much that I forgot the URL to this blog. Oops btw they totally say oops here too. Apparently that has international meaning...Anyway a couple of updates. Two weekends ago I went to Cuernavaca with Honor Elena and Austin and my GOD was it trul http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/Mexico/Puebla/Puebla-City/blog-240074.html Day 19 of Project. We finally got the internet at the orphanage working although now there is a problem with the power supply so not all the computers will work at the same time. We will have to fix it next week. We also spent some time with the children taking photos for the upcoming photography competition. After finishing work at the orphanage at the usual time of 1pm we had a free afternoon t http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/Mexico/Puebla/Puebla-City/blog-239456.html Day 16 of Project. The parts for the computer room at the orphanage finally arrived so we spent the day plugging everything in and crimping all the cat 5 cables. Everything should all be finished by the end of the week. We ate lunch at a dodgy seafood place. In the arvo we had Spanish class and then some tours.Day 17 of Project. Continued to work get the computer room up and running. I also spent http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/Mexico/Puebla/Puebla-City/blog-239354.html Day 15 of Project. Today we went to visit an NGO specialising in human rights and in particular womens rights. We were there until after lunch listening to various speakers etc. It went on for way too long and I got really bored. In the afternoon we had spanish class but I spent time with Angie. We then had a discussion cafe with the group where we had some finger food and a chat. In the evening w http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/Mexico/Puebla/Puebla-City/blog-238833.html Arriving in the city of Puebla population over 2 million we were greeted by the biggest bus terminal we had ever seen. In other Mexican cities there were often individual terminals for the different companies and at least they were split between first and other classes of bus. But in Puebla they were all in the same location hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of them. We were only staying for o http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/Mexico/Puebla/Puebla-City/blog-238196.html Day 14 of Project. Today I hung out with the girls and went shoe shopping went to the markets and then to a fair. In the evening we were going to watch enchanted in fabiolas room but ended up watching take the lead with antonio banderas. Ive never felt more gay in my life but I think the girls appreciated my company. To be honest it was quite a good day. http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/Mexico/Puebla/Puebla-City/blog-238190.html Day 13 of Project. Today was a free day so went shopping with kirsten and shen in the markets. Didnt really do much else. Shen got his hair braided and now looks like a narco. We had 4 hours of spanish class but i was going insane after 2 hours and so had to leave. At night 8 of us went to a club and danced and had a good time. http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/Mexico/Puebla/Puebla-City/blog-237832.html Hey everyone The first week was rough but its getting better little by little. On Saturday we went to Teotihucan Ruins of the ancient Aztecs. The bus ride was 2.5 hours and I slept the whole time. It was freezing when we got there but by noon we were stripping our layers off which resulted in mass sunburns including me. There are 2 major pyramids built with the same base as the egyptians ca http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/Mexico/Puebla/Puebla-City/blog-237751.html Today was an extremely beautiful day we woke up late and then went to lay out in the sun yes in shorts and tank tops in the middle of January And this is supposedly as cold as it gets here we ordered Papa Johns which by the way is very expensive in Mexico this came to my suprise But it was delicious We hung out with some of our Mexican friends and Dina our friend from Chicago she has http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/Mexico/Puebla/Puebla-City/blog-237483.html Day 12 of Project. Today we had Mexican cooking class. We learnt how to cook a variety of Mexican dishes and cocktails which was a lot of fun and took up most of the day. At night a bunch of us probably around 25 went out and partied. We all started out at this seedy lower class pub with a live band but it was too packed just enough room to stand yet alone move so we all relocated to this kar http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/Mexico/Puebla/Puebla-City/blog-237475.html Determined to make one more tourist stop before returning to Mexico City we spent New Year's Eve in Puebla. Given the cityrsquos population of over a million and its claim to fame as home to amongst other things the chocolatebased sauce mole pronounced 'mohlay' a retired Popemobile and a local Oktoberfest we imagined that New Year's Eve would prove a lively date on the calendars of http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/Mexico/Puebla/Puebla-City/blog-237474.html