Lets Be Adventurous!!!

Real de Catorce (Royalty of 14) is sort of an enigma. Supposedly named after the 14 Spanish soldiers killed by an ambush by the indigenous population. It is now considered a ghost town with a population less than 1000, but at one time was one of the most prolific silver mines in the world, with some still operating to date. We rented a car to make the 2.5 hr journey from San Luis Potosi. Twas a simple ride that included a 20 or so mile ride on a inclining cobble stone road from the highway to the town nestled in the mountains. The most intriguing and startling part of entering the city is the 2.4km one-way alternating tunnel that is the ONLY way in and out of the town by car. Check the sped up video I made of us entering. It's definitely becoming more of a tourist hot spot with some artist built instagrammy locations, but pretty cool nonetheless. Probably our favorite part of the town was the host we stayed with. Most of this trip has been through Airbnb and every now and then we g...

Our last two stops in the area were Las Posas, near Xilitla and Sotano De Las Huahuas (Basement of the Birds). This was a difficult day, mainly due to the heat, the humidity and hiking for farther and longer than either of us expected. The pay off was just barely worth it though at both sites. Las Posas is an interdimensional portal of sorts and fascinating to say the least. We really didn't know what to expect from the social media pictures and website which really make it look awesome. There is definitely a tourist vibe on the main street leading up to the house that serves as the entrance to the 80 acre sculpture garden, but the wares and vendors were a welcomed part of the experience. It was built by the surrealist Edward James in the 60s creating a fusion between the organic and the artificial, between the jungle and concrete, which merges the two worlds into one. Supposedly after he acquired the land he had planted thousands of orchids that had died because of a frost the nex...

  The next area we explored is known as Huasteca Potosina...AKA... waterfalls galore!!! Generally, when adventuring in this region, the best base is Ciudad Valles, which has lots of tour companies available, though we decided to be our own tour guide. Part 1 On the way in to the region, we stopped at the wonderful swimming spot Media Luna. Being fed by a pure fresh water spring, it gracefully branches out in coves and streams. The color and temperature of the water is dreamy and the location has suprisingly nice facilities and food options. There are so many swimming nooks, we wanted to try them all and had a relaxing yet invigorating time. With the 4 days in our little rental car, we decided on just three of almost countless recommended waterfall destinations. Tamul, Tamasopo and Casacada de Micos, are all quite unique and varying distances from Ciudad Valles. Our 1st adventure took us to Casacadas de Micos, where the main attraction is following the river down increasingly higher...

  Suuuuup Fraaaanz!! How ya? We have been just GRRRRREAT!!! Here is an update:  Oh, I have been updating more frequently (almost daily) on my Instagram. Check it out: @sirjackson_esq After such an amazing adventure taking the hot air balloon over Teotihuacan, we saw the ruins from the ground, then headed to Santiago de Queretaro that evening. We love this town and lived walking distance from anywhere we wanted to go, views of the city, street food, museums. We loved that we seemed to be the only of of country traveler/tourists there. Everyone was so welcome and friendly. So much history in Queretaro too. A few times it was the capital of Mexico, its an UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the "cradles" of Mexican independence!  Next stop was San Miguel de Allende and I have some interesting perspective from when I lived there for two weeks in 2000 and now, 23 years later....woah!!! Such a beautiful city, but has it changed. The buildings look about the same, but soo...