The band were great, we heard them all the way down the street, wanted to investigate. Cheap beer, even got some cake. Top night. And there was no tall guy standing in front of me, blocking the view.

The news was quite clear: Angangueo was hit by a severe storm and mudslides caused the entire town to be washed away, evacuated and the residents refused to return. The town is alive and well, despite the damage and loss of life, and Simon’s Restaurant is still here. There is considerable damage as you head north out of town, with whole sections of land cut off and isolated, but the locals are carrying on.

Breakfast at a cafe/tienda, stacked with figures, mugs, bowls, plates and a complete Nativity scene.

On the ferry “Chihuahua Star” for the next 14 hours, heading for the Mexican mainland. Jungles, ruins, rainforests and await.

Five days of Spanish later and I’m ready to get back on the road. The school and its teachers have been first-rate, readying me for the next three months. It’ll take a little bit more vocabulary and sone studying, but I think I’m good enough to interview people to get the info I need. Omar, one of our teachers, below. And a useful guide to a pig.

Stunning blue sky today, fruit on the trees and mucho Español.

After breaking a ball joint & shock absorber on the painful road to and from the whaling stations, we were not amused to see the road to San Francisco. It was 27 km of rocks, and took about three or four hours. I vowed to get the shock replaced *after* the return leg, hoping we didn’t take out anything else… Update: good point, Top Gun… It’s the road from the highway to San Francisco Sierra - the first 9.5 km is tarmac and then it’s a nightmare :)