Meaningless, meaningless

Quick update on our tour so far:

Spent 2 nights in Mexico City centre in a gorgeous hotel with a room that opened onto a courtyard/restaurant.  But it was pretty expensive so we moved to "Hostel dos Fridas" in the Zona Rosa (cosmopolitan bit) for 3 more nights.  It was full of pictures of Frida Kahlo, her being a native of the city, and all.  A German girl thought she had malaria and Tom had to act as translator between her and the doctor as she had no Spanish.

We did a lot of wandering there and went up a big tower to see the city.  Also a day trip to pyramids at Teotihuacan (try saying that quickly after a couple of Coronas) where we met another German woman, who we bumped into the next day at the Museo de Antropologia and had dinner with later on.

Then on to a town called Tula for more pyramids and a very chilled, Mexican couple of days (not really any tourists around).  Some kids wanted to take a picture of us because we were so obviously foreign and pasty.  (Tom reckons it was actually because he's so gorgeous.  Hmm.)

Now we're in Guanajuato, which is heaving with tourists, but very cool.  It's built into a ravine and full of winding alleyways and houses stacked up on top of each other all the way up the sides.  I'm dragging Tom to a baseball game tomorrow morning, then in the afternoon we might go to a museum of naturally mummified corpses, some only 5 years old!  People in Mexico seem to be a bit obsessed with death -- they even have a "Day of the Dead" in November, so I'm in good company.

Other highlights:

traffic police blowing whistles at every junction

a basket of bread being brought out with every meal whether you ask for it or not

cafe con leche being a mug of hot milk that you pour very strong coffee into, a bit like hot chocolate.  Mmmmm....

parrots outside our hotel room in Tula

sunshine, and lots of it

Mexican Spanish being a lot clearer and slower than Spanish Spanish

Tom's finished his coffee now so time to go make guacamole.  We're staying in a hostel where we've got our own little apartment with kitchen and everything.  So we're attempting to be domestic and Mexican.  Arriba!

w00t!

The day has arrived. My suitcase is packed and shut (just), my to-do list is all ticked off and I'm about to catch a train to London. Staying at Tom's tonight then off to Mexico in the morning. Arriba!

Yohann and Magda will be uniting in holy wedlock on the 8th April and taking us all on honeymoon with them for a week. Before that, Tom and I will be exploring Mexico city and environs, then taking our chances with long-distance buses.

I'll be flying back on my birthday (April 17th) and arriving back on my dad's (18th). With a straw donkey and a sombrero for each and every one of you.

Have fun.

I've just added some of my existential angst to the argument board.  It's totally against the rules and against the ethos of the board but I thought it was better to put it there in the hope that it would lead to some discussion.  It always amazes me how little I know of what you lot believe -- all I know is your triggers.

Here y'are

And it's poorly strucured and totally unedited.  So ner.