Circle of death is a drinking game which does what it says on the tin. I really hope Saxon found his camera and ipod. It was in his hand here but went missing in the food mission that happened next....Oooops
Next morning, as per plan, I was bright and breezy due to early bed and shower, ready for Art to show me and Clarita (hostel volunteer programme co-ordinator) round his charity, Feed the Children Vallarta. What started off with feeding kids who were arriving hungry at primary school has transformed into an organisation that feeds thousands every day from amongst the most vulnerable poor of the city.
We saw one of the daycare centres for working mums and then the School of Champions. If 14 years ago children were not going to school at all but sifting garbage at the dump, when I was there the school had 60 children not only attending school (prerequisite for all) but getting extra English, Maths and ICT at the School of Champions. They are on the cusp of getting a crop of secondary kids through and that obviously would be the sort of thing that would interest me - curriculum development, delivery, teacher training for locals and volunteers etc. Put simply, the kids who speak English can escape the poverty and unpleasantness of the neighbourhoods around the dump if they choose to, those who don't will probably never leave.
So off to Guadalajara it was. On the advice of Hakan who gave me a flier as I was leaving, I headed to a hostel called Degollado (near the theatre of that name pictured). Was a bit put off by his talk of partying as I was going to Guadalajara for its picturesque centre, as described by other travellers, which sounded like the perfect place to do some study and chill. All this in the new way of travelling which doesn't involve long-term planning and worrying about when I get to which country, but which allows a feeling of what I need next to arise and then chooses the best available option to make that happen. Well, it worked out brilliantly.
Not only was the centre beautiful as promised which I saw on arrival when eating in front of the cathedral (pictured from rear), but I had breakfast with two Argentinians and two Mexicans. All in Spanish. Pretty tough going but a real bonus that I hadn't expected.
I went out for a toasty morning walk in the sun after breakfast and in the evening the centre was pretty lively too. Got lots of study done but also got invited out to a birthday party by Martín, one of the Argentinian guys. This was my first properly Mexican social evening and it was great. In a Cuban restaurant with a lovely bunch of people and including an hour's dancing to some serenading musicians who'd come in to try to make some cash. Wonderful.
Also went out for drinks the next night, with (as pictured), Martin, David (arg), a french guy, Yugo (dropped us off after the previous night's birthday party very kindly) and Robert, a Mexican student who was also running Martin's short film course at uni. Didn't get to see any filming due to battery probs. Was great night - very much looking forward to meeting up with Martin in Argentina.
The city also afforded me one of my choice travel moments - a swim in a beautiful empty pool surrounded by lush green plants and flowers and with the sun blazing overhead. Yummy. Shades of the drive south from Cairns in 2005. Took me right back...
Again going on recommendations, I moved on to Guanajuato the next day, Sunday 10th. Another really comfortable bus ride, but this time, no blaring film but a much more comfortable headphone setup. Guanajuato is supposed to be the most beautiful town in Mexico, and I have to say that, thus far, I can't disagree.
The main square was quite simply stunning. This was two minutes walk from the hostel. Can't complain. A lot of the tourists were Mexican too, which I was happy about. It's a real town of culture as well. This theatre just on the way to the main square. In fact, as often happens, I was too busy enjoying things to take photos so I took these walking to the bus station!
I actually left the day a major international performing arts festival, the Cervantina, started.
Not very smart you may think, but I'd already had my time in Guanajuato due to the fairly ceaseless partying after the first night where I wondered down into town for 45 mins only to find a rocking bar, Los Lobos, 2 mins UP the street from the hostel on my way back. Once I heard the sound of the Smiths coming out of it, I was in! Made friends with load of Mexicans playing pool.
Attached myself to a pretty girl from Singapore for lunch and a museum the next day and then the party stepped up a gear with Joe from New York, a fellow teacher and traveller, and Josaphat, a dreadlocked Mexican who'd grown up in the States like so many, who was young and full of confidence! The reggae bar, bar fly was absolutely cracking that night and even better the next night with a rather gorgeous Mexican yoga instructor/circus performer and a very pretty Scottish theatre producer, plus some more locals, from Aguascalientes this time. Danced my socks off and had a great time but realised definitely time to move on.
Here I am on the way to the bus station (just to prove I'm not actually living in a tent in Basingstoke and making all this up with the aid of the internet). So set off for Mexico City without knowing whether I would stay for a couple of days to do the things Joe had said were good, or just go straight through to Oaxaca. Definitely feeling the need for another chilled few days of study à la Guadalajara. You'll just have to wait and see what happened? (sound of chair legs scraping, as people fidget restlessly on the edge of their seats :)))))
Ta ta,
love,
s
x
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