Feliz año! Happy new years! :)

I brought in the new year with setting off fireworks and drowing myself in mango juice, which was perfect. I hope you all had good start to the year <3

My first week and a half here has been a whirlwind of no sleep, constant thirst, and lots of queso.

My first day was a 21 hour day, not getting back to the hotel until 4am in the wee hours of Christmas morning after hours of eating, drinking, present-opening, and crazy banter between Danni's extended family.

I was so out of it the next day that I forgot that it was Christmas until I saw someone dressed as an elf walking down the street. The streets of Mexico City were empty...it's 20 million people off with family and friends :)

A visit to a botanical garden in one of the 16 neighborhoods of Mexico city later, we were on the road to San Juan del Rio, a two hour drive north to the state of Querétaro.

Some highlights while I have been here in Querétaro:

1. a hummingbird flying into the house (I've never seen a hummingbird before, it was wicked cool)
2. climbing this huge 65 million year old monolithic rock called La Peña Bernal (third largest monolith in the world after spain and brazil)
3. the puppy that we adopted for about an hour
4. night biking and running at a nearby park
5. musuem of the dead and walking around the city

6. food! (mexican stone-ground cinnamony chocolate, piña coladas, a sweet hibiscus drink, corn tortilla quesadillas, something called gorditos with heirloom giant corn)



gorditos! fired black corn meal outside with cheese, and filling (meat, beans, or corn, etc.)



We took a two-day trip to Mexico City. The highlights of that were going to the National Palace, where there are murals of Diego Rivera lining the four walls of the historic building where the presidential offices are located. They reccount Mexico's history from the Aztec migration to Spanish takeover and the current struggle of power between bank, church, and state. In this building, we were also able to see the Mexican declaration of independence and their constitution. After that, we went to Frida Kahlo's house. No big deal..



Figures in Teotihuacán Aztec ruins in Mexico City




Overlooking the old Basilica of Guadalupe



More pictures to come!