So, I bought a watermelon today, because you get more water for less $ than you would if you bought bottled water...

That´s all...

Well, here I am...

Okay, so getting here was a little uuugh, but I guess it makes arriving even better. The 2 plane flights with a 13 hour layover, and a 5 and a 3 hour bus ride finally got me to Morelia at 2 this morning (I did sit by a sweet middle-aged man rockin´a mississippi mudflap mullet, prison tattoos, and a white denim shirt with the sleeves ripped off on the bus, and watched The Golden Compass, Alvin and the Chipmunks, a movie about soccer, and one about a famous acting dog). I´m staying at Hostel Allende, where everything is great, but the mold on the walls. Hey, what can you do?...
Anyway, this morning I talked to a couple women from Ohio, and made a reservation for a tour on the first day of Dia de los Muertos (which leaves at 6pm and returns at 4am). I have no idea what I´ll be doing for the second day. Then I walked around and looked at sugar skulls at the markets, and saw some ofrendas the school kids have done in front of the churches for school projects. I bought a chicken on the way home (my first real food since leaving Colorado), that came with a couple buns. Then I bought a jug of water, bananas and... pear flavored drinkable activia yoghurt!!! I´ve tried to order it in the states and can never get it.
Morelia is beautiful and people have been nice, but I really miss talking to people. Having actual conversations, not just asking for directions, etc, hopefully this will come soon. I´m going to read through someone´s guide book tonight, so I have an idea of what to do tomorrow.

Mom-their "Walking Men" at cross-walks actually move, the little lights flash all around!
Boys-In the bus station in Guadalajara I watched dubbed History Chanel shows about absinthe, big foot "Pie Grande," and fish noodling. Interesting...

23 days

Well, as most of you know, I leave for Mexico in 23 days!  I can hardly believe it myself.  Anyway, I will fly into Puerto Vallarta, and hopefully find a bus headed for Patzcuaro where I plan to stay for Dia de Los Muertos celebrations.  Then I'll go back to PV where I take a 45 minute boat ride to the tiny town on Yelapa.  In Yelapa I will be volunteering at La Casa de Imaginacion.  Not exactly sure what I'll be doing there, but I'll let you know when I find out.  And then... who knows!?!?

This summer I read an entertaining book about travel called "Smile When You're Lying," and found the perfect quote for traveling in Latin America:

"Life isn't perfect below the border; I'd known that going in.  But sometimes you just have to have faith that you've brought enough nerve to deal with the unexpected, enough cash to make more friends than enemies, and enough perspective to judge a place for what it is rather than for what you've heard it's supposed to be."