San Miguel de Allende: Time for an update. Well, on the road again, after being in Guadalajara for a month. It was a great time! But let me start with today and work my way backwards.

Arrived in San Miguel de Allende, a very beautiful colonial town near Guanajuato. It is the second most gringo populated city in Mexico, behind Lake Chapala. Lots of expats come here to retire. A nice town, very colonial, but the gringo presence is very, very evident. No offense, but glad I only stayed one night.

Before this we were in Guanajuato, my second visit on this trip. Very beautiful town, maybe my favorite in all of Mexico. Not counting Isla Mujeres, of course. We were there two nights, and just walked the streets, spent time at the park reading, and just enjoying the ambience of one of the most beautiful cities in the world.

And before that we were in Zacatecas, another colonial town full of spanish architecture and churches. There was a culture festival at the time we were there, so we were able to check out some concerts. Great place to visit!

When I say we, i`m referring to Vincent, my friend from spanish school who is from Montreal. And Jen, who I met in Nicaragua, and traveled with for a bit, until she headed to India. Now she is back and will travel Mexico with me until about the middle of the month. She`s one of the best travel partners. Always good times with her.

The month in Guadalajara was great. Met lots of great friends, visited many near by towns and pueblos, and spent the entire month with a wonderful host family. There are a few pics on Facebook.

My first day, walked into the school, and asked where I should register. They asked me if I was there for beginner lessons. No! I said emphatically, I was an advanced student! Here only to improve my skills. They looked at me suspect, and asked again. Then referred me to someone else, who asked me again. I was insistent that I would only take advanced courses, since I was paying for them. Then they asked for my name again, and said they couldn`t find my info on the computer. Great! I thought, they lost my registration info. Then one of them asked, wait, are you here for english or spanish lessons?

LOL, the whole time they thought I was there to learn english, and at a beginners level. I knew then that I must really, really look Mexican. But eventually I was squared away and began my course. Scored a 66% on my first exam (a ¨D¨), horrible! Then a 88% on the next. I guess I was a bit rusty with the whole exam thing. But I got into the swing of things, and I do feel that my grammar is much improved.

My brother comes tomorrow, so i`m excited about that. One week in Mexico City! Also get to see my tio`s and primos from there; I wonder what they`ll say about my spanish. Improved? And the fact that i`ve lost over 20 pounds, and grew some hair! lol.

I`m leaving in about an hour, should take about 4 hours to get there. I can`t wait!

Love you all,

Love you mom, see you in about two weeks!

Michael