World Neighbor, Carlos and the Crafts

Carlos was a very knowledgeable guide. He told me about the local flora and fauna as well as the local politics. He was happy to have a chance to practice his English. He spoke English very well but it was about a month since he last had some practice. The Monarch butterfly mating season is a popular tourist attraction in the area and the season was now over. This meant there were less English speaking tourists to practice with.








Carlos my Guide, Interpreter and Good Guy...

Carlos told me that while international tourism was generally picking up, this area was still largely a place for national visitors. In Morelia, I did find myself being the only pale skinned gringo walking around most of the time. This made me somewhat of a novelty but everyone was very nice. Unlike Cancun, which is almost nothing but tourists in the resort areas, Morelia is populated with mostly native Mexicans. It is a very relaxed place with no vendors yelling out "Hey Honeymooners!" trying to sell you their imported Chinese crap. On the contrary, Morelia and the surrounding areas are all about century old crafts, artisans and their traditions. As with most big city areas these cultural treasures are becoming scarcer. But the outlying P'urhépecha Indian areas are still managing to keep the traditions alive.









World Neighbor's Wonderful, Award Winning World*












* OK....so I gave myself an award and a pat on the back...

World Neighbor and the Autobus

I made it to the bus station, grabbed myself some agua and hit the Baño. The bus to Morelia is very comfortable and they even gave me a little carry on dinner box with water. I took my guidebooks recommendation and took the ETN bus line "directo". I'm glad that I did. Aside from a few quizzical looks as I butchered my minimal Espanol with my best American accent, everyone was very helpful and nice.

World Neighbor's Edu-tainment Extravaganza

World Neighbor Speaks Spanish…¡Mierda!

Although I know very little Spanish, I am muddling my way through the day in Mexico fairly well. I have to train my ear to "hear" Spanish. You can really pick up quite a bit through context and similarity of words with a common Latin base. You just have to listen and pay attention. Something that could benefit us all…

The driving lanes through Mexico city seem very slim. Just enough room for one car and a sliverof air between you and the car next to you. I am eternally grateful that I opted NOT to drive. I would have been run off the road. I could see me completely lost with my white knuckled death grip on the wheel…¡Mierda!