This video comes to you from the beautiful state of Chiapas, Mexico. The video gives you all the persuasion needed to make up your mind to take a trip.

After climbing to the top of the falls where I shot this video, we explored a little and found some banana trees and secluded parts some tributaries leading into the falls. Of course, we bought some souvenirs and went swimming, too. Be sure to check out my Agua Azul photo post to see these pictures!

Hello to all,

I hope that everyone has been well over the past couple of weeks, and that you haven't worried too much about me, since I haven't posted in a while. We've been keeping busy and enjoying the beautiful weather here in Puebla (playing a lot of basketball and developing a nice farmer's tans), where we had been for the 2 weeks until last weekend, when we went to D.F. for the first time. We got really lucky with our trip, as we were able to stay with a friend from D.F. who goes to UDLA with us. At her house (there are pictures) we were treated like honored guests, and in order to show our appreciation, we made them dinner on Saturday night, although this was just a small gesture compared to what they had done for us.

I won't go on too much about D.F., since the pictures do most of the talking for me, but it was the closest I have felt to being home since being in Mexico, due to both the luxuries of the house and the organization of the city (not what I expected from the 10th largest city in the world). Also, I put up pictures from Veracruz during carnival, and Chipilo, a town of Italians about 30 minutes south of Cholula. Make sure to check them out by clicking on the slideshow and then going to the D.F. and Veracruz-Chipilo albums. And don't worry, there will be more pictures to come soon! Two friends are coming to visit, and the plan is to go to Acapulco next week. Lets just call it an early spring break. Also, I started to write a little bit about some of the minor differences between what I have experienced so far (food, drinks, prices, the little things...), so when I get some time (we actually have some school work this week!) I will be sure to post it. I hope all is well and I am still waiting on your packages!

Até logo,

John

Just to let everyone know, I'm skeptical about the address which I was given by my host family, so if anyone really has any desires to send me a package, card, or whatever, I am posting the address to la UDLA, which I am sure is right. On a couple of side notes, we figured out our Spring Break plans, which we are all pretty excited about. The time spent in each place and activities are not set in stone, but what we know is that we are going to start off by heading down into the state of Chiapas, one of the most unique regions of Mexico, in reference to both people and nature. In Chiapas, we want to get a feel for the strong indigenous community that makes up almost all of the population, as well as visit some banana farms and coffee fields. Palenque and San Cristóbal de las Casas look to be our two destinations. After Chiapas, we leave for Puerto Escondido, a coastal town which is supposed to have one of the better beaches in Mexico, not to mention a laid back atmosphere. We figure that were in the tropics and need to take advantage of that, but we want to be far away from the gringomania in Cancun, so Puerto Escondido looks to be our best choice. I don't know if we are going to be able to travel before Spring Break, but I will definitely keep everyone posted on that. When I get some time I'm going to post some pictures of the house and the room up, as well the family. Hope everyone is doing well, remember to check the address at the bottom.

Cuídense,

John

Address:

John D'Alessandro

Lista de Correos

Universidad de las Americas Puebla

STA Catarina Martir

Cholula, Puebla C.P. 72820