Arrested Development - Ex-Pats Mexico

41) Kingdom of the Monarchs, Anguangueo. In the Fir forests of Morelia, to a sanctuary http://santuario-monarca.com.mx, the end of a 2,500 mile journey for the butterflies. The first arrive the first days of November, the same as Day of the Dead, and therefore some locals believe the monarchs are the returning spirits of the departed.

42) Risen from the Dead, Guerrero Viejo. In 1953 this frontier town established in 1750, was flooded to create the Falcon International reservoir. Periodically the water recedes to reveal the town, and when it does it reveals the original ghost town.

43) A Sheltered Lagoon Made for Snorkeling, Yal-Ku. An hour south of Cancun is touted as the best spot on the coast for snorkeling. Excellent varieties and a casual atmosphere

44) Rubber Soul of the Campesino, Zacatecas. The joy of a pair of well made huaraches. Avoid the cheap knock offs in the resort areas, stick to central Mexico where you will also find some trimmed with red and turquoise stones.

45) Where Mexicans Bare their Souls, Mexico City. The author claims that these are not seedy dives, but civilized, almost formal drinking establishments. "Each cantina has its own style, but almost all of them share several key traits: uniformed waiters offering exemplary service, a trio of musicians strolling from table to table playing songs on request, lots of men playing dominoes, plenty of good tequila and cold beer, and tasty home-cooked botanas (snacks) served free with each round of drinks." There are six places mentioned if anyone is interested, I would have to tag along to ensure accuracy.

46) Morelia's Casa de las Artesanias, Morelia. Housed in the former convent of the Church of San Francisco, a gathering place for Morelia's varied crafts including copperware, wood carvings, guitars.

47) Healing Waters at Balnerios, San Miguel de Allende. While the colonial delights are the prime attraction, many don't realise that there are numerous bathing resorts just outside of town, all fed by natural hot springs. The biggest and most rustic is http://www.escondidoplace.com.

48) Ancient Maya Plasterwork, Cacaxtla. A uniquely preserved interior walls of a temple. "Cacaxtla remains a surprisingly undiscovered gem of ancient Mexico.' The picture shows vivid colors of mayan blue and red.

49) Batter Up: Baseball the Mexican Way, Monterrey. Called the "King of Sports", baseball is extremely popular in Mexico, and the games are lively, with great snacks and cold beer.

50) A Hotel Bullish on History, Zacatecas. A picturesque city, with many attractions. They also converted the oldest bull ring in North America (est. 1866) into a five star hotel. http://www.quintareal.com.

Palacio de las Artesanias
Beautiful building and the muesum downstairs is worth a visit. The shops upstairs mostly sell tourist junk with a few exceptions. First time I saw the Cocucho jugs

#43 Yal Ku lagoon. Now you are talking about my backyard. This lagoon is a couple blocks from our place in Akumal. It is beautiful and inexpensive compared to Disney type places like Xel Ha and Xcaret. You pay to park and enter, not sure how much as I have a resident card to get in free. They are now bringing several vans of tourists a day so it is not as unknown as it once was. Either go early or late and miss them all. Even with the vans there I've not seen it crowded. I can't honestly recommend going there in the rainy season. All of the cenotes in the interior flow to the Caribbean underground and these lagoons are the mouths of these underground rivers. They are unique because of the mix of fresh and ocean water and the protected areas they provide for reef fish and turtles. If you consider the rudimentary sanitation used in the interior and that all of this ends up in the rivers during the rainy season, you will understand why the bacteria count goes up at that time. In the dry season, the limestone rock that comprises this peninsula does a good job of filtering but when there are torrential rains water floods into the rivers unfiltered. It is at that time that you will see algae blooms from the increased nutrients in the water. So, come and snorkle in the winter but not in the summer. That is true, by the way, of all of the cenotes in Yucatan. It's safer to swim in them in the winter.