Friday night I went to a small town (5,000 people) called Metztitlán which is in the state of Hidalgo to visit Janet, another person in my group. She has the most rural site of anyone in our group. Not really a whole lot going on in Metztitlán, but it is in the Barranca de Metztitlán which is a biosphere reserve (basically a natural protected area) and is gorgeous. The town is set in a valley so it is surrounded by mountains dotted with cactus. There is also a pretty convent and church (as there are in most Mexican towns). The weekend was fairly low-key, with a lot of catching up, some walks around town and up into the roads that lead out of the valley, sampling of some handmade tortillas, and catching a Metztitlán sunset from the roof of Janet’s apartment. 
I live in the city, which most people would assume is pretty noisy, and while we do have the gas trucks and traffic in the mornings, it does not even begin to compare to the racket from the roosters (for cock fighting) next door to Janet’s apartment that begins at 3am every morning and never quiets down. Guess that is about it for now, Thursday marked the 6 month mark for the Mexican vacation.
