http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Mexico/Veracruz/Xalapa/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from North America , Mexico , Veracruz , Xalapa en-us Fri, 05 Dec 2008 00:49:21 UTC Fri, 05 Dec 2008 00:49:21 UTC Hello Family and FriendsAll has been progressing well down here in Xalapa. With two weeks left of formal classes I am beginning to receive the first real set of work I've been exposed to since beginning classes in September. So I have just been trying to remember what time management is like and get some things done in a timely fashion. We have to do a lot of reading for our written expression cl http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/Mexico/Veracruz/Xalapa/blog-350990.html Hello EveryoneI know I have been very outoftouch the past week or so. There have been many developments on my end including a change of residence from the home stay program to a beautiful new house with three other Canadian students from my school. Though I was not looking forward to living with three english speakers an opportunity arose to move out of the house where I had been living since http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/Mexico/Veracruz/Xalapa/blog-343723.html Hey AllA few friends here happened to hang out with a basketball team from Monterrey that was in the city for two days for a game against the Xalapa Halcones the local semipro team. The players invited us to come to the game and left us six free tickets at willcall which was really neat. Here are some courtside photos from a fun evening at the university basketball arena. http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/Mexico/Veracruz/Xalapa/blog-339139.html My host mother had to spend the day at a junta a teacher's convention more or less in Xico. This small town famous for it's waterfalls and lack of things to do is located about 20 minutes from Xalapa. It's an incredibly beautiful town though. I tagged along for a little three hour walking tour while the teachers convened. http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/Mexico/Veracruz/Xalapa/blog-337186.html Hey AllAt the moment I'm sitting in the school library looking out across the rooftops of orange spanish tile with a beautiful backdrop of blue skies and white clouds. This particular day has been very relaxing just doing a little bit of studying for exams which are next week and listening to music on the computer at school. My birthday came and gone with little excitement but was pleasant none http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/Mexico/Veracruz/Xalapa/blog-335558.html Hello AllThe week has started again and I'm back to lots of reading and writing for classes. But not before some relaxed weekend fun with the family.On Sunday the family went to a very local open air market called mercados on the outskirts of the city where they like to buy fresh produce. The people of the town close six very large blocks and all the local farmers craftsmenwomen and cooks s http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/Mexico/Veracruz/Xalapa/blog-331899.html Hey AllI'm sitting in Jaurez Park just a short walk from my house using some free internet from our friends next door in the government building. How nice of them to extend their lightningfast and free wireless connection to us in the park.Not much has been going on just going through my daily routines with classes hanging out with my my friend at the Univ. of Veracruz a couple times a week. http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/Mexico/Veracruz/Xalapa/blog-330810.html Hello Friends and FamilyI know that I have been out of touch for a couple weeks now. My apologies. School is now in full swing and my work has kept me quite busy. There is lots of reading and comprehension that rob the hours of the day from me. Everything has been going quite well down here in Xalapa. The weather is a little crazy much like Victoria with the frequent showers throughout the day http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/Mexico/Veracruz/Xalapa/blog-328250.html This is a short entry.I'm still not feeling good. Didn't really do much in Xalapa pronounced Halapa or even get to enjoy what I actually got to do. I visited the local archeological museum which had some interesting artifacts from the different indigenous people that lived in Mexico. I hardly had any energy to walk around. I had to keep taking breaks as I moved through the exhibits. I als http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/Mexico/Veracruz/Xalapa/blog-326406.html On a short day trip to Veracruz we stopped along the way to check out where Hernan Cortez lived during his immobile times in Veracruz when he wasn't conquering other places. Here are some of the pictures of the ruins of his and other homes in the small village. http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/Mexico/Veracruz/Xalapa/blog-325066.html Xalapa is famous for it's beautiful parks and numerous lakes throughout the city among many other things. The family and I took a trip to Bicentenario Park with the dog Sammy. http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/Mexico/Veracruz/Xalapa/blog-321729.html First Week of School Ftbol and PanI wake this morning around 9am pack my bag and walk to my school. The doors are open but the compound is quiet and still with only a few of the staff members noticed by their black collared EEE polo shirts pacing the walkways. Today is Friday and the first day of my extended weekend something I will enjoy every week here at La Escuela para Estudiantes Extra http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/Mexico/Veracruz/Xalapa/blog-320539.html Here's some pictures of my new house in Xalapa. The numbers are not in order but correctly orientated as if you walked through house as seen. More on the way. http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/Mexico/Veracruz/Xalapa/blog-319723.html Acclimation and a Mexican SundayI have spent the past couple days walking around ldquoel centrordquo or center city with my host mom Yolie. My days have been less than eventful most of them consisting of long waits while she runs errands in stores and talks to people on her phone but Irsquom seeing lots of the city by spending time with her. From what Irsquove experienced with my host fa http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/Mexico/Veracruz/Xalapa/blog-318614.html Five hours to Xalapa. http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/Mexico/Veracruz/Xalapa/blog-318026.html Hello EveryoneI have arrived and settled in at my new home in Xalapa Mexico I arrived Wednesday night around 8pm after a fivehour plane ride to Mexico City and another five hours aboard a bus to Xalapa. The plane ride passed in a sleepy daze but the bus ride was beautiful cutting through the expansive countryside of eastern Mexico. Incredible fields of green vegetation stretched as far as the http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/Mexico/Veracruz/Xalapa/blog-317979.html Hello EveryoneI have arrived and settled in at my new home in Xalapa Mexico I arrived Wednesday night around 8pm after a five hour plane ride to Mexico City and another five hours aboard a bus to Xalapa. The plane ride passed in a sleepy daze but the bus ride was beautiful cutting through the expansive country side of Mexico. Nearing Veracruz the terrain became quite mountainous and a thick m http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/Mexico/Veracruz/Xalapa/blog-317657.html UntitledThis morning we went to the Universidad Veracruzana to hear two different lectures. The first was by Dr. Rodrguez who presented on ldquoThe Impact of Climate Change in Veracruzrdquo. There were many different aspects presented on the enviornment and how much of a negative effect man has had on the area of Veracruz and the need for conservation. Interestingly most of the research i http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/Mexico/Veracruz/Xalapa/blog-184001.html Xalapa from CaliforniaFrom the city of Puebla we headed to Xalapa. Pronounced HALAPA On our way we headed went to a childrens orphanage for boys called IPODERAC. Its a great place which serves street children who are runaways or abonded. There are 60 boys that live there and are sent to school taught independents life skills socializing skills and technical skills. The boys range in a http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/Mexico/Veracruz/Xalapa/blog-183688.html Whats up Well for those of you back home Anna and I made it to mexico but I think we might be illegals here because we didnt stop at the border and fill out a tourist card. oops. anyway the Rainbow gathering was good but it rained the first two days and was very muddy and Anna got poison ivy on her butt. There was such an elitest vibe there like who can be the biggest hippie It should be abo http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/Mexico/Veracruz/Xalapa/blog-178112.html Hey everyone we are in the mountains on the gulf coast in the capital of veracruz. We arrived here yesterday after a day of driving from xilitla. In xilitla we stayed in a castle on the top of a mountain with a beautiful view pool marble tiled wide hallways an orchid garden and a 40 min. walk to Las Pozas. A man named Edward James built himself a castle in the jungle with amazing architectu http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/Mexico/Veracruz/Xalapa/blog-178111.html Hola Nous revenons en franais...Chacun son tour. Et puis j'ai le bonheur de dire que j'ai retrouv mon relecteur... Notre dpart de Xalapa vers la ville de Mexico Mexico DF tait prvu pour lundi le 9 avril. Aprs notre voyage Orizaba et El Pico au dut avril il ne nous restait que trois ou quatre jours Xalapa. Depuis l'automne pass je parlais de notre voyage http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/Mexico/Veracruz/Xalapa/blog-156109.html Hola The week ending on Easter Sunday is known as Semana Santa or Holy Week. It fell on the first week of April this year when we were in Xalapa. The majority of Mexicans are observant Catholics and Semana Santa is taken very seriously. Schools take two weeks of vacation and many people go to the beach at this time. When we were in the little village of San Agustinillo on the Pacific c http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/Mexico/Veracruz/Xalapa/blog-154352.html Hola One sunny afternoon we decided to visit the Clavijero Botanical Garden. Located just south of Xalapa this 20acre garden is a regional botanic garden committed to the study and conservation of native flora and especially threatened and endangered species. The Clavijero Botanical Garden boasts an amazing display of plants native to or grown in Veracruz. Different sections are reserved http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/Mexico/Veracruz/Xalapa/blog-153051.html Hola I hope you weren't expecting a real ode...after all we are on holiday and I am officially offduty for any type of literary creativity... But I had to mention the fascination with shoes that Veracruzanos seem to have. Every block even in small towns has at least 5 or 6 shoe stores and they are full and busy Somebody told us about a little town 32km away from Xalapa called N http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/Mexico/Veracruz/Xalapa/blog-153039.html Hola Beauty comes in all forms and Mexico is no exception. One natural beauty is the town of Xico pronouned HEEco and its surroundings. Xico is about half an hour's bus ride from Xalapa and the road winds through lush green hills of coffee plantations and banana trees. It was a hot sunny day when we went there and we set off by foot in the general direction of the Cascada de T http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/Mexico/Veracruz/Xalapa/blog-152278.html I helga var supergjengen Sarah og Raymundo Hank Sean og meg i Veracruz berre for sleppe litt unna Xalapa som kan vere litt keisam til tider. Me gjorde ikkje s mykje anna enn ete mykje god sjmat og dra til akvariumet i Veracruz der me sg haiar og fuglar og masse masse fisk. Ganske artig sj s mange forskjellige eksotiske fiskar. I lpet av helga fann eg og Sean ut at m http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/Mexico/Veracruz/Xalapa/blog-151584.html Som de fleste av dykk sannsynlegvis har ftt med dykk har eg alts flytta ut fr mi mexicanske familie og inn i Casa Naranja det oransje huset saman med ei hyggeleg kanadisk jente p 21 r som heiter Kristina. Her er nokre bileter av mitt nye hus som eg er svrt glad i. Det var fint bu med mama Clara men ingenting i verda slr kunne bu for seg sjlv og gjere som ein sjlv vil. Min nye f http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/Mexico/Veracruz/Xalapa/blog-150301.html Etter nokre dagar i Xalapa att der me tok nokre tattoveringar og piercingar reiste Sarah eg Laura og Shamira til Catemaco. Eg kjem sannsynlegvis til ta med mamma og pappa hit for det er ein nydeleg liten by ved sidan av ein stor innsj som er brun ikkje av forurensing men av algar. Catemaco har g eit rykte p seg for vere full av hekser shapeshifters og...UFO'ar. Bra utgangsp http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/Mexico/Veracruz/Xalapa/blog-150290.html Sean eg Sarah Hank og Raymundo kjrasten til Sarah reiste til Acapulco for to veke sidan og p vegen dit stansa me i Taxco ein nydeleg kronglete by i ei fjellside som er kjent for slv. Alle butikkane i byen sel slv nydelege smykker til ein vanvittig billig pris. Me tok ikkje oss tid til shoppe men trur eg m reise tilbake ein gong. Sjlve reisa til Acapulco gjekk smertefritt ha http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/Mexico/Veracruz/Xalapa/blog-150287.html