Monterrey, mas mas MAS

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Monterrey is a fantastic transition for English-speakers to become accustomed to Mexico/Spanish. I began with three nights in a hostel, El Cafe Organico Amatle. Definitely come here if you're in Monterrey. It's $10 a night, clean and the staff are helpful beautiful people. I met fellow travelers from Israel, Canada and Australia. Had a spontaneous trip to a site overlooking the city, Pico Norte, with Carlos. He's Latin-Canadian, really helps to have a Spanish-speaking person with you. Amazing views of the city.

Julio, my couch surfing host is very fluent in English (more so then some US natives I know). He's very helpful and has shown me parts of the city to visit, as well as helping me with my Spanish. "Chicharron" is my new favorite Spanish word. It sounds cool and means the best food on earth. It's a general term, meaning something like "over-fried," and "carne chicharron" is basically thick bacon with lots of extra crisp and more fat. I want to marry it. Who knew that eating an entire kilo in a day would give me crazy diarrhea? I probably consumed enough fat for two months. I randomly made three friends today in downtown Monterrey who were dying to help me find a translator book and simcard (phone situation sucks, long story). Their English wasn't fluent and my Spanish certainly isn't, so we managed to tenuously but enthusiastically communicate. More hugs from new people!

I also stayed with one other couch surfing host in Monterrey who was coincidentally a friend of my first host (it's a close-knit community). Again very helpful, loving, intelligent people. Their fluency in English again made things easy. "Pretty fly for a WIFI" is the name of their wireless network. They're young guys with a proclivity for adventure and partying, so we got along well. The northern Sierra Madre Oriental mountains are spectacular and so accessible.

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Photos

Art with the walls
some creative stuff at the hostel I stayed at, Cafe Organico Amatle in Barrio Antiguo in Monterrey

more art
At my first couch surfing host's apartment

Dandi
He was one of my second couch surfing hosts