Gemma's World Teaching Journal

Villahermosa (Final Trip in Mexico)

gemma — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 13:31:00 GMT

Villahermosa was a few hours further south than Catemaco and seemed to mark a transition point on our trip as we were entering the state of Tabasco which has a very different landscape and feeling to Veracruz, where most of our trip had taken place up to that point.

However, Villahermosa failed to impress us. We arrived in a busy, and not very pretty city and got stuck in loads of traffic. The hotel we had booked had no parking and was really difficult to access, so as we couldn't find anywhere within a few streets of it to park we gave up and started looking for a different hotel which did have parking.

The hotel we ended up in was nothing special and it did have parking but possibly the tgtest and most awkward parking ever. Once we'd got in we went for a walk down by the river and had a drink. The river was nice but again, nothing special. We had a wander round looking for fod and browsing the shops and ended up having dinner in a sort of mid range hotel restaurant.

By this point we'd decided just to spend the one night in Villahermosa and in the morning we'd go to the sculpture park and then move on to Palenque. So we got an early night and headed out to the sculpture park in the morning. Unfortunately the traffic was crazy and the car park was rammed. It tok over half an hour just to drive through the carpark, not find a space and get grumpy and angry.

W drove to a shopping centre nearby but didn't think it was worth parking there and walking back and eventually decided to go to the Yumka safari park, near Villahermosa. For a Mexican safari park it was quite fun and we had a nice morning there. The irst part is a walking tour through Mexican woodland / jungle - there were wild pigs, iguanas and birds roaming around free and pumas and other wild cats in cages - they looked like the hapiest big cats in cages I'd ever seen as there were really active and playful which was nice to see.

The next part was the African and Asian safari on a tractor pulled trailer. It was nice and quite fun to see all the animals, but not as impressive as some other safari parks. When you got to the end of the traler ride there was an area with a restaurant, aviaries and a few other small animals as well as hippos in a small lake. We had lunch and relaxed there for a bit before taking the rest of the trailer ride back.

We didn't do the lake tour because you had to pay extra for that. We were all set to give up on the sculpture park and just drive on to Palenque, but as we got to the toll booth we suddenly made a U turn and headed back into Villahermosa for a quick walk around the park before leaving.

And I'm so glad we did. It was by far the best thing abut Villahermosa. It was beautifully laid out, the sculptures were interesting and the whole park was lovely. We got round in about an hour and a half but I could've stayed longer and I really enjoyed the time we spent there. It's a good reason to visit Villahermosa, even if there's not much else I could recommend about the town.

After that we headed on to Palenque, before it got too late.

Catemaco (Final Trip in Mexico)

gemma — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 11:47:00 GMT

We drove onto Catemaco from Veracruz, glad to be on the road again and excited to be venturing further south and to the first patch of rainforest we would come across. Catemaco is famous for two things in Mexico: being the witching and sorcery capital of the country and having the world's most northerly patch of rainforest.

We arrived and started searching for the campsite we'd read about on the internet. We found it eventually and although it wasn't that close to the centre it seemed nice, green and spacious and with a pool so we set up there. The long term RV residents scared me slightly with their tales of a tarantula that lived in a hole onsite, not far from the swimming pool, but they said it rarely came out and luckily I never saw it!!!

It was extremely hot there, and so we drove into town rather than walking. We had a little walk about but it was very quiet and there didn't seem to be much to do except the lancha lancha! tours on the lake which didn't inspire us much as we were a bit lancha-toured out by this point. (If you've spent any time in Mexico you might know what I mean - anywhere with more than a small puddle of water is surrounded with people desperate to sell you lancha tours). Ed bought a pair of shorts to replace his old ones which had finally fallen apart and then we headed out to Nanciyaga - a sort of eco-resort in the rainforest. We got there and it seemed totally deserted - we weren't sure where to go and after wandering around a few paths and over a bridge we decided to head back to the car and do it the next day instead.

We headed back to the campsite for a swim and then barbeque. It took a while to get the bbq going and it was dark before we got anything to eat. The temperature dropped (thankfully!) in the evening and we had a pleasant and not too sweaty night's sleep.

The next day we went back to the Nanciyaga resort and found our way to reception and took a little guided tour of the resort and the rainforest. It was quite good fun but the information was mainly focused on the replica statues dotted around the place than the rainforest itself. They were also keen t tell us about the celebrities that had visited, mainly Mexican telenovela stars which meant very little to us but also Sean Coney who had filmed Medicine Man there and Mel Gibson who had filmed Apocalypto around the Catemaco rainforest.

We did get mud masks on our tour which was quite fun and drank well water out of little leaves - they gave you the option of having a spiritual consulatation with a shaman but you had to pay extra for that so we thought we'd give it a miss. The tour was nice enought but a bit silly. I'm sure it would be a nice place to stay though. We had some lunch in their cafe by the lake and then wondered what to do for the rest of the day.

We ended up heading to some waterfalls called the Salto de Eyipantla. It took us a while to get there and a long walk down some steps, but the waterfall was beautiful and despite the sweat pouring off us in the heat of the day it was a nice place to visit. After this we were yet again stuck for what to do and went to the supermarket in one of the nearby Tuxtla towns to get more bbq food! We headed back and had amuch earlier and more successful bbq than the night before.

We thought about going into town for a drink but couldn't really be bothered and just relaxed and had an early night at the campsite. The next day was a bit unplanned and we had provisionally planned a night camping on the beach not far from catemaco, but we'd heard about some other beautiful places nearby, so thought we might check them out en route.

Veracruz (Final Trip in Mexico)

gemma — Sun, 9 Aug 2009 19:38:00 GMT

We arrived in Veracruz in the afternoon and went to the hotel to see if we could check in a day earlier than planned. For a very cheap hotel it was ok and it had a garage which meant we didn't have to leave the car out on Veracruz's busy streets. Once we'd got settled in we went for a walk down to the waterfront. Veracruz immediately felt more European than other places we'd visited in Mexico. The waterfront felt like a mixture of an industrial port but also a tourist town. The streets were wide, the architecture was mixed and I can't pinpoint exactly what it was about it, but it didn't feel Mexican.

We walked for quite a way before heading back to the hotel. In the evening we went to the main square which again had that European feel to it. Lots of tourist filled restaurants under archways around a big open plaza with trees and music. It felt much more cosmopolitan than many of the other towns we'd been to. Despite all this we ended up with (expensive)gorditas on a bench in the square for dinner!

In the evening we decided to go out. We'd heard that the bars were in an area a bit further along the coast, so we got on the bus and headed out that way. We didn't see much in the way of nightlife and got off the bus at a little town. We walked back to the seafront (the bus had turned off the coast road) and saw that there were a few bars open but not many at all. We debated what to do for some time and eventually went and had a drink in one of the bars. The atmosphere was far from exciting though and so we only stayed for one drink before getting in a taxi and heading back to the hotel.

Maybe Veracruz has slightly more rocking nightlife than we discovered but for us it was a bit of a let-down.

The next day we got up a bit late, grabbed a pastry from the bakery across the road from the hotel and decided to do cultural things. We went to a kind of fortress thing that was the only remaining part of the wall which used to surround Veracruz when the Spanish settled there. However it looked pretty small and it cost quite a lot to go in. Apparantly it had some beautiful gold treasures in there, but we were happy just to see it from the outside and move on.

It was an incredibly hot day and to escape the heat we wandered into the (free) Naval Museum. It was air-con heaven and actually quite an interesting little museum with nicely set out displays and info about Veracruz (as well as the rest of Mexico) from pre-hispanic times to modern day - all with a nautical theme.

After that we grabbed lunch in a little square near our hotel. It was nice to sit outside in a square sipping a smoothie or agua fresca and whilst we sat there relaxing in the shade, we decided to go out to the fortress of San Juan Ulua - a Spanish fortress on a little island linked to the mainland by road.

We drove round there (it was quite far out of town)and were happy to find out that Sunday was free entry day for everyone! The fortress was huge and impressive, although now it's not used for anything. Next to it is the huge dockyard and I was mesmerised watching all the crates being stacked onto the ships. The fotress itself was interesting and we enjoyed walking around it despite the heat of the day.

When we got back into town we visited the fototeca which had a nice display by a Mexican photographer on. We spent some time there before goign back and chilling out at the hotel.

We decided to head out to the area where the supposed bars were again, but this time in search of food and in the car. Lonely Planet had listed a bar/restaurant which sounded cool with sushi and a ocean view deck. However it is now some crappy little seafood shack or something. We ended up at a really nice Italian restaurant, where we splashed out and had a really delicious meal with wine and dessert. The food was excellent and we both enjoyed having a bit of luxury.

Afterwards we stopped at a beachfront oxxo for a little walk and a gaze at the full moon, which was low in the sky and a beautiful orange gold.

The next day we got the bus to the aquarium plaza. We arrived a bit early and the aquarium wasn't due to open for another 45 minutes or so. We were descended upon by people selling boat tours to the Isla de Sacrificios which we brushed off but were actually quite interested in. howvere the aquarium had to come first so as soon as it opened we got in there!

It was a really great aquarium with loads of interesting fish and interactive bits and pieces to play with ( a little bit dated but fun all the same). The tubular aquarium room where we were surrounded on all sides by fish and coral and sharks was really impressive. It was one of the best aquariums I've been to and I really love aquariums so this is high praise indeed!!!!

We went to a litte stall in the foodcourt in the shopping centre which the aquarium was in for lunch. I had a really weird but surprisingly delicious banana and cheese dish.

After this we went in search of lancha lanch tours to the Isla de Sacrificios. We were sold a tour and after some umming and ahhing decided to go. However it didn't quite turn out to be what we expected. We knew we couldn't get off at the Isla de Sacrificios but we expected to see a bit more than what we did.

We literally sat just offshore for about 5 minutes while the guide explained a few things about it and then left. The remaining hour and a half was spent at Cancuncito - a little sandbar in the middle of the sea where you could go snorkelling and swimming. That's if you had your swimming gear with you, which we did not. I wasn't even wearing clothes I could swim in and so after wading about in the shallow water, holding a few bits of sealife that the boat tour guide had found for us wile snorkelling, we sat down in the boat and did absolutely nothing for about an hour unil everyone else had finished swimming and enjoying themselves. It would've been a great trip if we'd had swimming stuff as the water was warm, crystal clear and not too deep but as it was it was disappointing.

We sat in a beach bar when we got back and had a drink looking out to sea before heading back to the hotel for a bit of relaxation.

Later we drove out to soriana and picked up a few things for a picnic that evening. We drove down the coast a bit and stopped to have our picnic on the beach, but it was a bit too windy and we were eating a bit too much sand for our liking. We drove back to the beachfront oxxo and ate our picnic on a bench on a little plaza in front of the beach.

We planned to get up early the next day, take some photos of the things we'd missed ou on snapping in the previous two days and then get out of Veracruz and head for Catemaco...

Costa Esmeralda (Final Trip in Mexico)

gemma — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 19:41:00 GMT

We got to the Costa Esmeralda in the afternoon, it wasn't a particularly long journey from El Tajin. There were so many trailer parks along the coast that it was difficult to know which one to choose. We figured that they would all be much the same and chose one that had a pool and palapas so that I had some shade to sit in as I was still not recovered enough to go out in the sun.

There was absolutely no-one else there and we pitched the tent next to a palapa with a picnic table underneath it so that we would have a nice spot for our bbq later on. The campsite was right next to the beach, and we had a little walk along the beach (well covered in sun cream, of course) and spent the afternoon relaxing.

We went out to buy some bits and pieces for the bbq just before it started to get dark, and with some difficulty got the bbq going and had our first, very satisfying meal off it.

It was hot but not unpleasantly so and we had a very nice first night in our tent. After our camping in the rough experiences in Toluca, it was quite nice to have lights and civilisation nearby! the mosquitos started to be a nuisance here and we needed to cover ourselves in spray - even this didn't prevent a good few bites.

The next day we woke up early and walked along the beach to see the sunrise. It was a bit cloudy and so not the most spectacular sunrise ever, but it was a nice morning, and I was enjoying the time I could spend outside the shade of the palapa.

We spent the day relaxing, reading books and Ed did a bit of sunbathing and splashing about in the sea. I was a bit jealous as the sea looked wonderful: shallow and calm and great for playing in, but I didn't risk stepping out in clothes that revealed anything more than my ankles! It was a nice relaxing day though with a bbq lunch to finish off the buns and sausages we had opened the evening before.

Later on, when the sun was less strong, and there was a good amount of shade over the pool, I had a dip with the rubber ring in the campsite's little pool. It felt nice to be in the water, and I stayed in there, splashing about until the sun started to go down.

For dinner we decided to head out to a pizza place which we'd seen on the drive in. We missed it the first time round, but saw it on the way back, and although it wasn't exactly a fancy restaurant, we had a very enjoyable pizza dinner.

We had another night under canvas but decided that the next day we would move on. We intended to go and stay at another beach between the Costa Esmeralda and Veracruz, but it didn't quite turn out that way.

We got up fairly early and drove down towards Veracruz. We'd planned to go to Zempoala, where there were some ruins, and on the way down we spied a sign for more ruins - the Totonac tombs at Quiahuiztlan. They were a short journey up a dirt track, and despite a hefty entrance fee there wasn't actually that much to see. The tombs were interesting and there were beautiful views over the sea (just down the road was the site of where the first Spanish fleet had landed - they certainly choose a beautiful bit of coast to arrive on!)

After we'd wandered around for a bit, we followed a track which led up and up and up. We soon realised that it was not taking us to any more ruins, and that it was almost certainly just leading up a very big rock, which would have great views but it was hot, we didn't have any water, and couodn't really be bothered. So we turned back and headed back to the bliss of the air-conditioned car.

We continued on to Zempoala, which was a very intereting site and which looked quite different from the others we had seen. The stones had been smoothed away - i think they'd come from a river, and they had a beautiful and distinctive look to them. There was also a huge tree which would've been hundreds of years old, and I loved the idea that we were sitting there under a tree which would have been there all those years ago when Zempoala was a real town.

After that we had lunch at a little comedor next to the site. The food was really nice and filling - we discovred that in Veracruz state sopes (one of our favourite Mexican snacks) are called picadas but are still really delicious.

We decided to go to Chachalacas and spend the night there, either camping or in a cheap hotel. However when we got there, the beach didn't seem that nice and the town was pretty grotty too. We tried to follow signs to the sand dunes, but never got there. Instead we found ourselves at a dead end and a rubbish dump. It was huge, filthy and there were skeleton like dogs with no hair and sores on their exposed skin everywhere. The idea of people living in conditions like this really upset me and after that I just wanted to get out of Chachalacas. I didn't really care about having another night at the beach and preferred the idea of just going to Veracruz a night early. As we were only about 50 km away, that is exactly what we did.

Papantla and El Tajin

gemma — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 16:00:00 GMT

We travelled down to Papantla, and I was in some discomfort due to my sun burns. The temperatures down there were even higher than La Huasteca and I have to admit that I didn't enjoy my day in Papantla that much. We didn't stop at the hotel, which was outside the town, on the way in. We drove right into the centre (which was pretty tiny), parked and went to find lunch and explore. It was so hot and I just wanted to be in the shade all the time. The central square was very pretty and had a huge stone frieze along the front of the church which Ed photographed in sections on my phone as I'd left my camera in the car.

We had lunch at a little cafe overlooking the square which was really cute and the beautiful lady who worked there made me a delicious salad as they didn't have much in the way of vegetarian options on their menu.

Afterwards we went shopping and bought a huge bottle of vanilla liquer as the only options were tiny or huge and we didn't think the tiny option would satisfy our vanilla liquer needs! I wanted to go back and relax in the hotel, but before that we headed up to the volador monument, which was up a really long windy track. We only stayed up there for a matter of minutes as it was incredibly hot up there and it also seemed to be a meeting place for Papantla's teenage couples...

The hotel was ok and I was glad to just sit back and relax with the air con on. We decided not to stay 2 nights in Papantla as planned and to do El Tajin in the morning and then head on to the Costa Esmeralda in the afternoon. That night we had a few drinks, watched a bit of very fuzzy TV and go an early night in.

In the morning we got up early, checked out and drove to El Tajin, which didn't open until an hour later than the book had said it would. We browsed some stalls and had a coffee while we waited for it to open and finally we walked in to one of the most beautiful ruins I've seen in Mexico. We were one of the first visitors of the day and despite the early hour of our visit it was exceptionally hot and humid.

The ruins were stunning, from the notched pyramids to the ball courts and stone carvings, I just loved it there. It was very green and there were trees and grass all around the site which made it immediately different from other sites I'd visited before. The other thing I loved about it was the way the structures were all really close together which made it feel like a real village and I could imagine the people wandering round there hundreds of years ago. What I'd loved about Monte Alban at Christmas had been the space and emptiness and it was exactly the opposite of this that made me fall in love with El Tajin.

We saw a volador performance after our walk around the site, and did a bit of shopping in the museum shop.

Then we got in the car and drove down to the Costa Esmeralda to chill out at the beach and have our first night in the tent....

Tampico (Final Trip in Mexico)

gemma — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 14:50:00 GMT

We arrived in Tampico fairly quickly - it was only a short journey from La Huasteca. Our first impressions weren't the best, it seemed noisy and busy and not very clean. We found the hotel which was possibly the worst we stayed in on the entire trip. Saying that, it wasn't totally horrible - just a bit old and past it's prime.

We wandered into town, which was ok but nothing special. We had a great smoothie from a nice little juice, smoothies, milkshakes etc. We didn't spy anywhere that inspired us for dinner and the smoothies were pretty filling and so we went back to the room for a while before plumping for a pizza for dinner, in the hotel in front of cable TV. After our clssy start in the spa we'd taken a step down in th world, but we enjoyed it!

The next day we headed for Playa Miramar - we went out there fairly early in the morning and it was just miles and miles of golden sand and it was totally deserted. We found a little spot and not wanting to get stung for a deckchair fee later on in the day, put up our little umbrella and lay down our mats on the sand. We got changed and ready for the sea and went for a swim. The water was shallow and wonderful for swimming so we had several dips in the sea.

I enjoyed lying under the umbrella and relaxing, although it was extremely hot. Later on in the day I went for a walk up the beach and noticed a weird thing on the shoreline. Getting closer I could see that it was a rather pretty blue jellyfish. It didn't look too friendly so I started walking back to our little camp to inform Ed of this unwelcome visitor, on the way I spotted two more. Swimming time was over.

Over the next 20 minutes or so more and more of them washed up on the beach. They were a bit scary. We stopped a small child from grabbing one and getting stung. His stupid parent decided to pick them up with a stick and flick them further along the beach from where they were sitting which to my mind was a bit of a crap idea and wouldn't stop anyone getting stung.

I also noticed I was looking a bit red and so we packed up, had a quick shower and then went to one of the few beach bars which was open for a drink and a bite to eat. The food was good and we enjoyed chilling out in the shade gazing out in the almost deserted beach.

After that we started to drive back. I wanted to stop at a supermarket and pick up some suncream and aftersun for my red bits. When we got back to the hotel and I took my clothes off to put the aftersun on the full extent of my horrific burns became apparant. The sun umbrella had clearly not provided the protection I had assumed it would and I was red. Very very red. The pain was unbelievable. It was not one of the best nights of the trip for me as every move I made hurt.

I was glad that we weren't staying in Tampico much longer and were getting away from the beach the next day. In the morning we went out to take some photos of the city and found a much prettier plaza, which made Tampico a little better than the boring place we thought it was. But it was definitely time to move on and I was excited about the ruins to come...

Taninul (Final Trip in Mexico)

gemma — Thu, 9 Jul 2009 10:34:00 GMT

We collected our (again automatic) car on Sunday morning, packed it as quickly as possible, said goodbye to our old house and watched as our friends started to move in to what had been my home for almost 2 years. And then we headed off to our first destination - a night at the spa hotel Taninul deep in the La Hasteca countryside in San Luis Potosi.

It was a long drive and after the midway point we began to feel nervous as the car was making a bit of a strange noise. It got worse and worse - a kind of grinding noise when we breaked and eventually even when we weren't breaking. We made it to Taninul without any disasters but had decided not to go ay further in that car. So it was a day of mixed emotions - frustration over the car, joy at being in a beautiful tropical spa resort and a twinge of sadness.

Despite frequent phonecalls to the car rental company and not so many returned calls from them we managed to relax and enjoy our day by the hot sulphurous pool which was fantastic to just lounge about in (if a bit hot). In the evening we had massages and a nice dinner at the restaurant there. We were still worried about the car but knew there was nothing we could do until the following morning so we crashed out in our huge bed.

Taninul is a really beautiful resort, the building is pretty from the outside, there's greenery surrounding it, the sulphur pool, a normal pool, tennis courts, mango trees, birds and animals everywhere - a nice little tropical paradise and highly recommended if you can get a good price on a room like we did.

The next day we got up, determined to enjoy the time we would have left there. We called Hertz again and they said they'd bring a new car at about 2:30pm. So we had some time to kill. We did this most effectively by getting covered in 2 different types of mud! The firs was from a little pit next to the sulphur pool - it was filled with a thin greenish mud which we splashed all over us, dried off in the sun and then washed off under the mini waterfall which came from the sulphur pool. Then we'd seen other people covered head to toe in thick dark mud and we knew we just had to do that!

Some boys working there got on their goges and dove to the bottom of the sulphur pool. They emerged with yoghurt tubs full of that thick black mud we'd admired and we began spreading it liberally over ourselves. It was good fun and we enjoyed waddling around in it as much as we enjoyed washing it off in the sulphur pool (where it had come from in the first place) and finding soft pinky skin underneath again.

By this time we were ready for a shower, check out and lunch and then we just had to wait for the new car to arrive. Which it did eventually - and joy of joys it was a manual!!!! It took a while to sort out all the documents and the guy who had brught the new car out was none too keen on driving the other one back to SLP so there were many frantic phone calls back to the office. The new car really was new - only 2 weeks old, so we happily loaded al our stuff into it and finally headed for Tampico and the Gulf Coast.

Nevado de Toluca and Valle de Bravo

gemma — Tue, 19 May 2009 22:33:00 GMT

After a week and a half of no work to avoid the dreaded swine flu we were bored out of our brains and decided to rent a car and head to Mexico's 4th highest peak, an extinct volcano called Nevado de Toluca.

We picked the car up in the evening and headed out early the next day. It didn't take long to get to Toluca but it took almost the same time again to get to the Nevado de Toluca! There were no signposts and noone we asked seemed to know where it was (well they could point to the big mountain on the horizon but they couldn't tell you a route to get there by road!)

Finally we found the right road, more by chance than anything else and just as we were getting there realised that we'd forgotten all the food we'd bought especially for the trip! We stopped off at Oxxo to stock up and then headed up the mountain. We had to pay to get into the park and then also tell them that we'd be camping and pay for that too. We didn't stop at the campsite though, and just headed up to the top. You could drive as far as a little hostel (which wasn't open) and then hike the rest of the way up. You could feel how thin the air was and the short walk to the crater lip was exhausting!

Once up there we had a little picnic whilst admiring the views of the crater and its lakes and were befriended by a little dog. We decided to walk down into the huge crater and the lakes. It wasn't easy walking down because we felt so tired and because the path was gravelly and steep. It was stunningly beautiful though and we really enjoyed walking round the crater and seeing the two lakes. The second lake was much bigger than it had first appeared and we realised that we had only been able to see a tiny section of it from where we had eaten our picnic.

Once we were about 3/4 of the way round the crater i felt something drop on my head. Paranoid that it had come from a bird I got Ed to check it out and he told me it was a blob of ice. Very odd...

Within 15 minutes it was hailing/sleeting/snowing hard and we were in a volcanic crater, dressed unsuitably and desperate to get back to the car. It was tough hiking back out of the crater and we were wet and cold by this point. When we finally got to the downhill part to the car i felt so relieved, and once we actually got in the car, switched on the heating and had some sugary drink and biscuits i felt good again. Until I rememebered that we were camping.

We got down to the camp site area and even though it was later than park closing time the entry gate people were still there. So we asked if we could leave and get our mony back for camping. They looked at us like we were crazy and asked "why?" We politely pointed out that it was snowing and we hadn't expected that, but they said no. We could pay extra to stay in the little hostel next to the camp site, but the price they were asking was stupid. I was all for just leaving and going and finsing a cheap hotel in Toluca but Ed said we'd paid and so we'd stay... So we did!

We set up the tent and tried to make a fire (pretty unsucessfully). Everything was damp and even when we did get a fire started it didn't burn well and never had big flames to keep us warm. Once the sun went down it was a little spooky at the deserted campsite and although there was moonlight from the nearly full moon we felt safer inside the tent. It was very very cold that night and even with all the clothes we had brought on and 2 blankets we were freezing and had to hold each other tight in order not to freeze. The sounds of howling dogs and other animals around the campsite were quite eerie and i'd be lying if i said i didn't feel a little scared that night and grateful to see morning.

We got going as early as we could, but it was still bitterly cold and there was ice on the ground after the freezing night we spent in our tent. Sitting in the car with the heating on was, again a great treat.

We drove on to Valle de Bravo the next day. It's a pretty little town around a lake which I'm sure must be nice when all the shops are open and everything. However we were looking to get away from people and towns rather than go to the centre of even a pretty one like Valle de Bravo.

We went to an internet cafe to find out about camping in the area and found one camp site in a posh hotel with swimming pool etc and one in the forest. I quite fancied the idea of civilised camping but I don't really need to tell you which one we ended up at do i?

We drove down to Velo de Novia, some pretty waterfalls in a woodland setting with a few families picniking and barbecuing around it. We had a little picnic lunch there ourselves and decided to come back later and camp the night there.

We went back to the town though to go to a lookout point on a big rock about the town. The views were loveley but it was swelteringly hot and this time it was the air con I was glad of when we got back in the car. We bought a few extra supplies for our night of rough camping and headed back to Velo de Novia (getting some hot quesadillas on the way) and set up the tent. There were still a few people there at this time but not many.

We were waiting for them all to go some we could have a wash in the river. i decided to go first but it seemed that I hadn't waited long enough as a whole group turned up whilst I was trying to get soapy in the river (luckily I had a swimming costume on). Ed waited till it dark and i wa the only one there to see him get naked in the river!!!

This time we did manage to get a pretty good fire started and had fun roasting little marshmallows on twigs on it. Despite the fact it was full moon night, the tree cover was quite thick and once the sun had fully set we couldn't see a metre ahead of ourselves without a torch. It wasn't scary like the Nevado de Toluca campsite but quite weird to be totally alone in a dark forest!

The next day we woke up early (before sunrise), pcaked up and headed into town looking for sopes. We didn't find any and walked for miles before having chilaquiles at a little cafe on the lakeshore.

Then it was time to head back to SLP and drop off the car.

It was a nice little adventure but I think we'll limit the amount of rough camping we do on the final trip...

Guadalajara - Easter Part II

gemma — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 20:44:00 GMT

We left Mexico City early in the morning to get a bus to Guadalajara. It was a long journey but eventually we got there and took a really long taxi ride from the bus station to the centre where we found our hotel. It was fairly nice and had a pool and gym (which we didn't really take advantage of). After getting settled in, we went for a walk into the centre which was pretty and very busy. We weren't sure what to do for dinner but ended up just buying a few empanadas (they seemed to be hugely popular and had loads of stalls selling different flavours - i think it must have been something to do with the church and Easter cos all the stalls were around the church). We sat by a fountain in the main square and then walked back to the hotel as it was starting to get dark.

In the morning we had the buffet breakfast at the hotel which was huge and we really enjoyed stuffing ourselves! We then headed to the bus station to go to Tequila. The bus left later than we had expected and it took ages to get there. The traffic was really heavy and I started getting a bit anxious about how long it was taking, but eventually we got there. We followed the crowd and ended up in the centre, passing a huge number of souvenir shops selling all kinds of tequila related bit and pieces.

We saw the signs for Jose Cuervo and followed those ones as we'd heard that the Jose Cuervo tours were the best organised and we wanted a good day after all tht travelling. They offered various tours but we plumped for the VIP tour which took us out to the fields to see the agave being grown and harvested,a visit to the Hacienda, the factory tour, the cellar tour and tasting and the tequila tasting at the bar. So we did it all really!

We had an English speaking guide which was good for my mum (although she found the mexican accent difficult to get her ear round...) We headed out to the field first where we saw the plants, learnt a little about them and saw demonstrations of the harvesting of the plants and how they got the "pineapples". (See my pictures - it'll all make sense). Ed had a go at hacking down a plant and took a "baby" plant away with the intention of planting it when we got back to SLP (he never did though...) Then we went back to Tequila town and went to the Hacienda which was beautiful.. It's used for events now and I can imagine how perfect it would be for a wedding or special day.

We then moed on to the factory tour. I'm glad we'd seen the harvesting in the field cos when you saw the pineapples you would've never worked out how they came from the big blue spiky agave plants you'd seen in the car on the way into Tequila! We saw the whole process, tasted a sip of white tequila (a bit too strong!) and learnt more about the history and the processes involved.

After that we headed down to the cellar where we tasted the Reserva de la familia tequila, and were guided through the tasting process which was quite fun. It was much nicer than we had ever imagined tequila could be and my mum even wanted to buy some to take home (in the end she didn't as it seemed impractical to carry it half way around Mexico before she left!)

Finally we went to a bar where they brought us some little snacks and a margarita. It was a fun tour and Im glad we spent the time and money on it.

There was a paper making workshop in the gallery next to the bar and so we decided to do that as well. We made paper from agave fibre and ended up carrying around wet sheets of paper for the rest of the day! They were very pretty though and when we finally go back to England I want to print a photo of our day in Tequila on one of the pieces we made.

Then we went for our tequila tasting in another bar. They gave you 3 types of tequila to try. None of them were quite as nice as the Reserva de la familia, but we had fun trying them all and got a little bit tipsy before heading to a restaurant for a very late lunch.

After lunch we had time to do a little bit of souvenir shopping, a quick wander round the town (which was very pretty) and then we headed back to the bus as we were all hot and tired.

We had chips and guacamole in the hotel bar for dinner as we were too tired to venture out.

The next day we got up at a reasonable time and I went for a swim in the hotel pool on the roof before heading out, getting on Oxxo breakfast and then off to the bus station again. This time we were heading for Chapala - we'd been told i was an idyllic little lakeside resort and very pretty and peaceful... The buses were rammed, this should've been a warning sign!

We got to Chapala and it was fairly busy but we walked down to the lake front which was swarming with people and had a little walk along until we came to a load of cheap restaurants where we had a strange lunch of chips, quesadillas and guacamole. It was nice enough though and the little restaurant was right on the lake front and was pretty quiet as it was out of the main area. There was a park next door and we contemplated going for a walk around but when we found out we had to pay to get in decided against it. I wish we had gone into the prk now because by the time we got back to the centre it was rammed. It was also incredibly hot and i started to feel a bit claustrophobic and just wanted to get out of there! I'm sure Chapala is lovely but not at Easter!

We had read that Ajijic, another little town on the lake was quieter and so we got on a bus and headed in that direction. We asked the bus driver to tell us where to get off but he didn't and i think we missed the main part of the town. We got off the bus at the side of the road and walked dow to the lake - it was sweltering hot by this point and I was feeling more than a little fed up with the day, which had been less than successful. We reached the lake but there was nothing else there and so we started walking back in the direction we imagined Ajijic was in. Finally we found some cafes and restaurants and sat down for a well deserved drink. It was quiet and peaceful (and I think it was Ajijic but can't be sure!) There wasn't much to do there and we headed back for the bus after sitting in a cafe for a while. There was an italian restaurant on the main road where we were waiting for the bus, and it was so hot just standing there that i managed to persuade ed and my mum to stop for an hour or so at the italian restaurant for a drink and a bit of bruchetta and salad. It was really nice and great to get out of the heat.

After a while though it was inevitable to face the blistering heat again and wait for the bus. It came quite quickly the second time but it was busy! It was a sweaty ride back to Chapala and then a long queue to get tickets for a bus back to Guadalajara. We were glad to get back after a bit of an odd day.

In the evening we went out looking for food and ended up at Sanborns restaurant. The food wasn't great and they put meat in my pasta so I had to send it back and wait for another one.

The next day we got up a bit late, headed down for a second go at the buffet breakfast and then decided we wanted to do a city tour. We'd seen a couple of bus companies in the main square so we headed over, compared prices and plumped for Tapatio tours, which offered a city tour a a tour of Tlaquepaque - a suburb of Guadalajara with craft shops for one price.

W took the city tour first, and it was hot hot hot on the top of that open double decker bus! It was nice to see at the sights and I think my mum enjoyed not having to walk everywhere.

We got back to the main square feeling hungry and had lunch at a resaurant overlooking th square. We wanted to do the Tlaquepaque tour and figured if it lasted about the same length of time as the city tour, we could just squeeze it in before going to the bus station. So we waited for the tour bus and headed out there. It was all going well until we arrived in Tlaquepaque and they announced that the bus would stop for 40 mins for souvenir shopping. This was not what we had anticipated and started panicking about time. We had a very quick look around and then decided to get a taxi back to Guadalajara, get our bags and go to the bus station.

It was a shame that we didn't get to complete the tour but it would've been far worse to miss the bus back to SLP. We had a comfortable journey back on a nice ETN bus. We arrived back late evening , showed my mum the house and went to bed!

My mum only had a couple of days in SLP - the first day we just relaxed at home, did some cooking etc and enjoyed a peaceful Sunday with no pressure to do or see anything. We went to the cinema in the afternoon and Ed made mole for dinner which went down very well with my mum.

On Monday I had to work in the morning, so after I finished me and my mum went into town for a bit of sightseeing and souvenir shopping and delicious cappucino at Chaires. My mum bought loads of gifts for her friends and enjoyed seeing the town. We made it back in tme for lunch with Ed, and then I spent the afternoon at home before going in for a couple of hours of work!

Tuesday was the end of the holiday, and I went out to SLP airport to say goodbye to my mum. It was a fun and very busy Easter break, we did loads and relaxed very little!

Mexico City - Easter Part I

gemma — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 21:45:00 GMT

I was really excited to meet my mum in Mexico City for Easter week. Ed and I got th bus down to Mexico and headed to the airport where we got a bit confused... I didn't know my mum's flight number, only the arrival time so I found that on the board (it was a bit delayed) and patiently waited there. I started to get a bit paranoid because noone was coming through the gates we were waiting outside. I looked at the screen again and somehow got the impresion that I was in fact at the wrong terminal. So we finally found out how to get to the other terminal (not easy) and when we got over there it was so quiet and her flight was not on the board. I started having a massive panic and went and asked at the information desk at the same time as ed was calling my mum to see if she'd landed yet.

So we were in the wrong terminal and had to go back to where we were before. It was a shock to see my mum cos she looked so different from the last time I'd seen her. We got a taxi to the hotel, who had no record of our booking. I showed them the confirmation email they'd sent me and they apologised and said they had no free rooms, so they sent us to a partner hotel which looked really shitty from the outside but was actually pretty nice when you got into the rooms (and was a lot lot cheaper) However it wasn't as close to the centre and it was abit noisy.

After we'd got settled in, we went out for a walk and to find some dinner. We ate at a restaurant on the Zocalo which had very nice food and was in a really beautiful hotel (way out of our league!) We walked around and saw some street entertainment and all the little stalls around the zocalo after dinner, but really it was just exciting to see my mum and chat to her in real life rather than on msn!

We knew we needed to get an early night, as we were heading out to the ruins at Tula the next day, so we went back to the hotel (its location wasn't great, a bit of a dark walk back from the centre)and tried to get some sleep.

We woke up early, took our bags back to the other hotel (they had rooms available for the rest of our stay) and got on the metro to the bus station (the metro was a bit scary for my mum, but it was all ok). At the bus station we bought the tickets and then bought a breakfast of tamales to eat on the bus - my mum's first mexican food treat. The bus ride was quite long and a bit cramped but we were excited about visiting the pyramid there. We knew it wouldn't be as impressive as Teotihuacan but knew that it would be a nice experience (especially for my mum) all the same.

It was a lot less commercial and touristy than Teotihuacan, but on the blazingly hot day that we went there were plenty of hats available as well as quite a lot of other stalls selling various souvenirs. The site itself was really nice. Two pyramids, two ball courts, Toltec warrior columns and various other bits to see. We loved the Toltec warriors and the pyramids were a nice manageable climb for my mum - not too exhausting. As with all archaeological sites we spent some time there admiring everything and enjoying the peaceful atmosphere that you tend to find at these places.

After we went into the town of Tula, helped along by a friendly woman who called her taxi driver husband to come and pick us up and take us there. In the town we went to look at the church but as it was Palm Sunday it was an bit too busy to go in and have a look around. We had a cup of rose petal ice-cream and then started to wander around the town. It was incredibly hot though, and so we sat down for a giant sope in a little market as a late lunch. We headed back to the bus station and Mexico City after this and had a little bit of time to relax in our new hotel room (with king size bed!!) before heading out for the first of many very nice dinners.

We went to Cafe de Tacuba where there were Mariachi playing and the atmosphere was great. The decor was fun and we'd heard that the food wasn't that great but we really enjoyed our generous portions of good Mexican food. I had delicious Chiles Rellenos which I couldn't finish (of course Ed helped out with that). We really enjoyed our meal and concluded that it had been an excellent day all round.

On Monday we got up a bit later, and took a long long metro ride to Xochimilco. At Xochimilco there are canals built in the past by indigenous people to grow plants in the fertile soil of the lake. Now it's a place for boat parties and tranquil cruises along the waterways. We weren't exactly sure how it worked and though we may have been ripped off a little bit price wise. We went on a 2 hour trip on a brightly painted gondola. It was great fun and we had drinks on board, various food selling boats stopped along side us and tried to sell us snacks, ed bargained for a rug that my mum didn't really want but as he'd worked so hard to get the price down she bought as a birthday present for my grandma in the end. There were mariachi boats that you could stop and get to play for you next to your boat as it drifted along and you could definitely see that it would be a great place to have a party!

We had a lot of fun and were sad when our 2 hours were up. We walked into Xochimilco town, but there wasn't a lot to see, and after a paleta got in a bicycle taxi back to the metro station. The taxi driver must've been strong to pull all 3 of us up the hill, and despite it being a slightly uncomfortable ride we had a lot of fun and giggles on the way!

The metro was very crowded and sweaty on the way back, and we were glad to finally get back to the zocalo and walk back to our hotel. We had a cocktail at the bar there and then took some time to relax and unwind before going out for dinner at Los Girasoles, which had some of the most delicious food available in Mexico City - it comes very highly recommended and we had a really wonderful dinner there. The food was interesting and innovative and the restaurant was beautifully decorated and a nice place to spend an evening.

It was a little chilly after our meal, but we had planned to take my mum up to Plaza Garibaldi (the mariachi plaza) and surprise her with a serenade. She twigged on to what we were doing and desperately pleaded with me not to, but Ed was already deep in negotiations (which took ages!) with a mariachi band. Eventually they sang for her and by some miracle it was a song she knew (i'm not sure if this was a good thing or not!) We had photos and my mum was embarrassed and on the way home we couldn't stop laughing. I think she enjoyed it more when it was over than when it was going on.

The next day was our last day in Mexico City and we haeded to Chapultepec Park where we took a little train ride and then went up to the Castle which was beautiful! We spent most of the moring walking round and admiring the place and wishing we could live there...

We went to the food area in the park to get lunch, but Ed got a bit annoyed with all the food sellers shouting at him and trying to sell him a seat in their patch. In the end we got an Ok lunch, nothing special but we didn't expect it to be at a stall in the park.

We went to the zoo after lunch, visited the butterfly house which we really enjoyed (i liked it better 2ns time round as this time i knew i wasn't going to have to face evil spiders afterwards!) We took loads of photo and a butterfly landed on my neck - it was all quite magical.

We wandered for a bit and eventually went to the snake house, where we saw loads of snakes venemous and non-venemous and an alarming number of them seemed to be native to mexico. Mum was a bit exhuasted after that so we headed out of the zoo which was closing fairly soon anyway, and got a bus back to the zocalo - rushed back to the hotel so we could get ready for our night of glamour at Miralto restaurant.

We got all dressed up and headed to the Latin American Tower where we shot up to the 43rd floor. It was really beautiful and I've never been to such an elegant restaurant before (at least not as a guest!) We had a table next to the window looking over the east of Mexico City towards the Zocalo, which was great. We arrived when it was still light and ordered a cocktail before our food.

The food was really delicious especially my roasted tomato soup. We saw the sun go down and had great views of the city at night. Even the toilets were special there. They had amazing views of the city and one of the cubicles had a glass wall on one side looking out over Mexico!

It was a really lovely night and a great way to finish our stay in Mexico City before we headed on to Guadalajara the next day.