Guanajuato City, Mexico

The ridiculous view of San Miguel de Allende from the top balcony of the B&B.

more photos at my Flickr set

Ahhh! My buddy has gone back to Zihuatanejo, Mexico and I ain’t there! My other buddy is in Sayulita and I ain’t there! I am supposed to be there in the warm place where fond, exciting, sometimes fuzzy, visually stunning memories are made.

Most of my photos are in storage from this trip but I digitized one of this cricky old bridge to nowhere in town.

I want to go back to Zihua to visit people I met there 10 years ago, laugh with them, have a reggae seafood cookout party in the jungle, dare to endure the tequila bar, swim in the blue bay, hang on la ropa and get sunstroke(ok sans sunstroke), find local restos and eat tacos! Actually when you get tired of La Ropa beach, scramble along the coastline to Las Gatas beach(mostly locals) further southwest, snag an umbrella and chairs and yourself a chilled white wine and fresh oysters(tipping gets you awesome service!), after all its a vacation right?

Zihua doesn’t have to be expensive if you can find the right place, I was lucky enough to stay at my friends apt above some stores in town, across from the liquor warehouse, which served to entertain me one night, think it was a heist going down! She had been renting this colourful 2 bdr place with a roof deck with hammock and bougainvilleas for 6 years years at about $150/month, score!

Another place I stayed at was the Hotel Sotavento(formerly Catalina and Sotavento Beach Resorts), well it was cheaper then and I had the good luck to know the owners relies. Clinging to the side of the hill, this old hotel really took you back in time, the rooms are basic, huge, way too big for one girl, and had a breezy front hall, and furnishing were def from the 70′s.

This is the former monastery now converted to the Cultural Museum of Oaxaca, full of interesting colonial and pre-Columbian art and artifacts. It is adjoined to the Santo Domingo Church (building commenced in 1572 by Dominican friars). Someone there informed me that the monastery was acquired by the military during revolutionary wars and also used as a jail.

Here is a photo of the layout of the church and adjoining monastery

Outside the monastery there is a ethno-botanical garden. Fascinating cactus and plants growing out of the hot sandy soil. Wait, it that the magical tequila plant I see?

My friend Karis and I visited Oaxaca City in 1999, the same year this museum restoration was completed. Looks moody in the photo? Well I think the photo captured my experience very well; as while I was in the Santo Domingo Church part, I started to feel terribly oppressed and anxious. By the time I told my friend that I was leaving the church and got outside I had broken out in hives on both forearms. Eeek!

Well the church is an amazing architectural beauty full of glided artwork, frescos and reliefs. Though there were the token tortured souls figures, the interior is magnificent. Definitely visit. Check out these flickr photos

We were strolling down a hot street in the Mexican port city of Mazatlan, tired of looking at churches, sightseeing French influences in architecture and yet-another-museum, the thirst was getting to us, it was 11am. Thoughts of holiday beers in the morning simultaneously pop into our minds, we looked at each other knowingly.

Dean hears a faint sound of music coming through some doors we pass, he stops, calls me back and says do you want to go in here for a beer? I peek in, its all local and say why not, we head in. All male heads turn, checking out us gringos(Asian gringo?), I say male heads because there are no gals there, just the voluptuous waitresses in spandex. This place is lo-cal only. Two coronas please! We pound another two and exit, that was fun we confide, eyes blinking into the bright afternoon outside.

Sometimes you can make surprising discoveries by poking your head in random or interesting doorways.

Best place to hang out in the eve for a bit is old Mazatlan along the water’s lookout where you can see mad cliff divers, devour fresh young coconut with the juice and eat bbq corn on the cob slathered in butter and chilies. Mmm…