Sunday, July 3, 2011

Morelia!

After two whirlwind days in Mexico City, Shayna and I, joined by Candace and Carrie, have made our way about 4 hours west of DF (Distrito Federal) to Morelia, a lovely colonial city which is the capital of Michoacán state. The bus ride here was pleasant and it was easily the nicest bus I've ever been on. The seats were super roomy, each one with an individual TV screen on the back, and there were about two dozen movies to choose from. I went with Taken, a movie I had seen before, so it was a nice little Spanish workout. Also, the bathroom on the bus was super clean, and it has to be said that in general the bathrooms here are really nice. This is such a nice surprise after so many sketchy bathroom experiences in Asia.

We're staying at a place which is kind of an "in the know" little inn and we basically have the place to ourselves. There are about six rooms altogether, of which we are occupying three. There's a couple from New Orleans in another one, but they are leaving soon. The inn is owned by an American woman who splits her time between here and Chicago where she runs a business. She should be here at some point while we're here. We have a living room and dining room area and a very well appointed kitchen. Tomorrow we're planning to go to the market to stock up on food. Tonight we went out for dinner near the cathedral and saw the weekly fireworks show. It's raining again, so I didn't take pictures, but I plan to later. Speaking of rain, we've seen an impressive amount of rain since we got here. I suppose it could be annoying, but we're going to be here for so long that I don't really mind. Besides, it's really nice at night; it kind of lulls you to sleep.

So far I have an incredibly positive impression of Mexico. The people are really friendly, helpful, and quick to smile, the food is phenomenal, and the weather is mild. I feel really at ease here and although I'm aware of my surroundings, I feel completely safe. I'm also traveling with three other women, which is a totally new experience for me, and it's actually pretty awesome. It's nice to be able to go do something while someone else watches your bags, or have someone to process a new experience with. Maybe I'm maturing as a traveler. :)

A view from the bus to Morelia.

The window of one of the many shops that sell quinceañera dresses in Mexico City. There was a quinceañera party at the family restaurant last night and we got to witness part of it... over the top!

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