Author Archives: KHNolan

Every time I step onto the streets of Guanajuato, I am surprised by another beautiful vista. Even if I have seen it a dozen times, I haven’t seen it in this light, this time of day, with these surrounding elements. It takes my breath away and gives me giggles of delight! A key reason forContinue reading “!Me Encanta Guanajuato!”

It seems I feel that each city I visit is the one I like best – but I think I mean it this time. Guanajuato is situated in a deep and narrow valley making for interesting driving routes, home construction, sound sharing, and views! It grew up around the rich silver mines and also boastsContinue reading “!Hola Guanajuato!”

I’m sitting in a cafe enjoying my last full day in Coatepec. These past two weeks have been different than my time in other cities. I have just been enjoying daily life – no spectacular tours, no grand sights, just the ordinary beauty of a town half the size of Bellingham. All aspects of theContinue reading “!Adios, Coatepec!”

About half the size of Bellingham, Coatapec is a breath of fresh air! With an elevation around 1,200 feet, the climate is quite tropical and cooler than Veracruz – yay! We are in the rainy season, but the rain has generally kept to late afternoon and evening. The morning temperatures are a humid 67 degrees,Continue reading “Beautiful Coatepec, Veracruz”

I am not fond of travel days. I find transit centers to be hot, loud, crowded, and my knowledge of the way things work remains low. My stress levels go up and my Spanish skills go down. I spend a lot of time breathing, grounding and trusting that people will help get me where IContinue reading “Veracruz and Boca del Rio”

(I now have reliable and fast internet . . .) Our final Wednesday excursion was to the state, and town, of Tlaxcala. It is a small state with a rich history – starting with Tlaxcala being the first state who formed an alliance with Hernan Cortez! This was my favorite tour – this place isContinue reading “!Adiós, Puebla – numero dos!”

(I currently have intermittent and slow WiFi, so I will post in two sections.) After a whirlwind three weeks with the Spanish Institute of Puebla, studying Spanish, visiting sites, and getting to know my host family, I feel at home in Puebla and have found a second family. Sofía, my anfitriona (I always struggle withContinue reading “!Adiós, Puebla – numero uno!”

Independence Day, celebrated on the night of the 15th of September, is a family holiday for most of the people I talked to. They gather, make and eat traditional dishes, dress in traditional attire, place traditional music and have fun. Meanwhile the streets and parks are crowded with other partying people doing much of theContinue reading “Here Comes Independence Day!”

1. Despite being the third largest city in Mexico, it feels like a bunch of smaller towns set really close together. The dominance of native speakers is refreshing. I find both of those aspects beautiful. Yes, they have colorful buildings and their churches are amazing. Puebla’s beauty is not as attention-seeking as San Miguel deContinue reading “I Love Puebla! Why?”

I wasn’t sure I would get the opportunity to host Sebastian before he starts school. But the stars aligned and he flew as an unaccompanied minor on a direct flight from Seattle. His flight was scheduled to arrive at 5:20 am. So, I chose to spend the night at the Mexico City airport in aContinue reading “Puebla . . . And Sebastian!”