The Mummy Museum

Wow, this was the coolest museum I've ever been to. It's so wrong, but it's so cool at the same time.

The guidebook sort of whizzes right by this one. Mentions that it's grotesque and that's about all there is to it. Other than the view from the El Pipila monument, this is certainly the highlight of Guanajuato for me. You'll just need to take a look at my pictures to see why this place is so crazy awesome.

I highly recommend seeing this place.





















A combination of the soil conditions and a dry climate of the mountainous area caused the bodies in the local cemetery to dry out naturally before they could decompose. The bodies were placed in tombs, seven rows high; apparently, those in the middle row were more likely to have been naturally mummified. However, only those who failed to pay the grave tax (approximately $17) were ever exhumed.

June 19, 2008

I got an early start this morning. I climbed up the winding pathways to visit El Pipila taking a few wrong turns along the way. But as long as I was going up, I knew I had to be going in the right direction.

I am on top of a mountain where there's a monument called El Pipila. El Pipila was a Mexican independence hero. The view from up here is breathtaking. I've been sitting here admiring it all morning. Have I mentioned how much I LOVE GUANAJUATO!!??

Emailed with some friends and with dad sitting here for hours. I feel at peace.

18:24

Just finished eating my first meal in Guanajuato. I had Chicken Enchiladas, but they were nothing like the food back home. Potatoes and carrots all over these. Pretty good and really cheap. Coke and enchiladas for only $5. :)

June 18, 2008 16:30

I've been sitting in the Jardin de la Union for about 15 minutes. It's beautiful, relaxing and makes for great people watching. There are mariachi bands playing at the restaurants along the Jardin.



I really can't wait to feel more comfortable talking to the locals. Even asking where something is is proving to be quite the challenge.

My hostel - Hostal Del Truco - is right next to the Jardin. While the hostel itself is pretty shabby the people who work there are really nice (even though they don't speak English) and you really can't beat this location!

There are some really cute guys around here!!

I wonder if I'm going to have a roommate at the hostel? Right now it's just me - would be nice if it stayed that way.

Feels weird writing in a journal...my handwriting is so bad and it's hard to make some of the letters because I haven't written anything in a LONG time!

June 18, 2008 9:30 a.m.

At the ATL airport. My adventure is finally here. I'm not sure what emotions I'm really feeling at the moment. I think mostly I'm worried that I don't know enough Spanish to really experience what I want to experience while I'm in Guanajuato. I think it will probably be easier once I get into Spanish classes in Guadalajara. I'm also worried about the lack of money coming into the business, but we'll get into that later.

Back In Time

This is the first time I've been able to get online since arriving in Guanajuato, Guanajuato, Mexico. (No, that's not a mistake. Guanajuato is the name of the town as well as the name of the state.)

My dear friend, Kareina, gave me a fancy shiny journal to keep with me while traveling. I haven't actually written anything on paper in years so it's been an interesting experience in itself. The good news is now, I have some random musings of when I've been out and about in Guanajuato. I think I will type up my entries so you all can have a peep inside of the science of Amy.

Sorry these are late...but I'm going to write them as I wrote them in the journal.

Packing Sucks

I would like to state for the record that packing sucks. Packing sucks hardcore. Packing sucks ass.

Yes... packing sucks.

For real, yo.

So...I love to travel.  You know this.  I know this. 

Problem is...travel requires money.  

The past year or so I've been trying to figure out how to make money while traveling.  I have a mass communications degree so travel writing seems like an obvious choice.  

Problem is...I doubt my writing is interesting enough for anyone to care.

Some writers, the best writers, just have a way with words.  Something I definitely don't have. Hell...that's not even to mention my poor grammar. 

Problem is...It takes me way too long to write a stupid blog entry.  How am I supposed to write real articles?

Seriously. 

Problem is... I make way too many excuses.  

Mexican Adventure Awaits

I booked a one-way ticket to Mexico leaving June 18! I couldn't be more excited. But I have to admit I'm a little scared at the same time.

My main reasons for going:

1. To learn Spanish. (Unfortunately, I'm a complete beginner and this scares me more than anything else!)

2. To get the TEFL certification so I can teach English as a foreign language. This certificate will allow me to pretty much go anywhere in the world and be able to support myself while doing it. If you know anything about me, you know I'm all about going anywhere in the world.

3. The adventure of a lifetime. Three months in a foreign country excites me to my core. I'm going to see so much and learn so much. I hope I'm able to meet some good people while I'm at it!

Primary reasons I'm scared...

1. I don't know Spanish and I hardly ever want to talk to anyone in a foreign country if I don't know their language. I feel stupid. I know I need to get over it, but I can't help the way I feel.

2. I'm traveling alone all over Mexico. At least I hope to. I fly into BJX which is close to the city of Guanajuato. I plan to stay in Guanajauto three or four days and then jump on a bus to head to Guadalajara which will be my home until at least August 3.

3. I'm not sure where I will go after August 3, but I am pretty sure I am going to stay in Mexico until the end of August when I will fly to San Francisco, CA to start a fantastic cross country adventure with Christy.

I'll keep you posted!

Hosting a Foreign Exchange Student

I tend to do things sort of sporadically. Like last August I decided to temporarily host a foreign exchange student named Allan from Mexico. Allan is still with me today and will be with me through the end of the school year. He's awesome and we have a lot of fun together. This has truly been an amazing experience for me, and I'm so glad that I just went for it instead of thinking about all of the reasons not to host this year. And believe me, there are tons of reason that I shouldn't be hosting right now.

Believe it or not, I'm seriously considering hosting again next year. I may even get involved with the organization and help provide support to other students in the area. It's given me something else to focus on other than myself and all my day to day shit.

So many people ask me why I decided to host. I think it mainly has to do with my love for life. I feel I have a lot to share and that I could provide a fun experience for a teenager living here for a year. Then there is, of course, my obsession with meeting people from other countries and of learning about different cultures.

The picture above is the first week that Allan was with me. The picture below was just taken last week when I took him to the Gavin DeGraw concert and a special meet and greet before the show.

Gavin DeGraw

Gavin DeGraw has a new album coming out next month. Check out this cool Gydget that I made for him.

What to Blog About?

My wonderful friend Christie inspired me to start this blog. Now...the question is, what should I blog about? My life, my career, my dreams, my travels, my thoughts, my music....the list of what I could blog about goes on and on. I tend to think the best blogs have more focused topics, so perhaps I should just focus on writing about my travels or my opinions on music? Hmmm...what a dilemma?