Allende

And on our return our host insisted we stop off at Capri to eat Empalmes...another version of taco...but it was absolutely delicioso, I wanted to take pics but we polished it off before we could even think...

Allende town

The Empalme restaurant

Mezcal isn't complete without it's mate, Sangrita!

Customized guacamole...

Mask Museum

The mask museum in Zac was possibly the biggest highlight for me as we wandered around an abandoned church now converted to a museum with a huge collection of masks...possible a 1000 or more from all over Mexico show casing different cultures, colors, styles of art, beliefs, textures, materials...needless to say my favorite were the colorful ones celebrating the Dias dela Muertas in all monstrous glory!

Sugar Cane candy making festival

A colleague invited us to his ranch in Allende for a family tradition of harvesting sugar into candy. The day was gloriously warm and nicer after passing a dangerous stretch in Monterrey where black outfitted balaclava clad militia pointed massive freaky guns into our car. Masses of family were there and we were introduced to many cousins, aunties, uncles. Everybody ate through the day while occasionally casting a cursory glance at the massive pot that had bubbling cane juice brewing with orange rind. End of the day after the orange has suffered enough boiling it was then transferred into many little take away boxes, some of which we took away too and marinated with tequila...

Lucha libre...

Went to watch mexican wrestling on Tuesday. It's basically faked acts of beating each other up where no one really hurts each other but makes acrobatic moves of lunging and attacking. Quite ridiculously fun.

The winning team posing for us

The pink team in action

Egging on the losers

Lucha libre masks for sale

Zac Churches

Made of the pink sandstone naturally available in the area...contrasts beautifully with the spotless blue sky

Zacatecas street food

Fresh off the grill tamales, honey from cactus, freshly baked cakes, chopped and ready to cook cactus, home made cheese and quince...aah heaven!

Zacatecas Streets

Zacatecas

Lovely hostel, with a view to the main city cathedral at 6:30 AM.

Off to Zacatecas in an overnight bus...

to the central Mexico mountains, apparently an old colonial silver mining city...Our Lady of Guadalupe stay with the bus :-)

Monterrey downtown, Barrio Antiguo

Was apparently quite an artsy, fun, alternative neighborhood till it fell to the wrong hands a year or so ago...

peeps of life here and there...

Closed restaurants

Empty streets

'Hindu' restaurant

Habita Hotel Sky Bar, San Pedro

flanked on either side by the ever present mountains...

Que' Sabroso!

Had an amazing meal at an 'underground' restaurant called Fonda de San Francisco. Now only if the beer not been flowing with such generosity I would have been able to document the last two Sabroso items too! :-)

Chicken with pastilla

Corn fungus with plantain salsa

Chicken with stuffs

Goat cheese, cactus strips and  honey

La Fonda interiors

Revellers, us.

Shrunken skull wall art