BonVivant

Comida típica Canaria. I wish. The only thing that's "Canaria" here is the spicy sauce I brought back from Lanzarote. But the meal is Lanzarote-inspired. The potatoes, red and green sauces are essential prerequisites. Purslane and mixed Turkish pickles One of my favourite fish, haddock. Cooked in the oven. Sizzling crispy garlic on top of the fish when ready to eat. Green sauce is eaten with seafood on Lanzarote. (Coriander, parsley, pumpkin seeds, olive oil, lime juice...) Dry Riesling Bought it here: Ja, I vas zere, at Trossen's last June.

Long day travelling. A flight to La Paz (in Baja California Sur), then 3 hours by bus and another hour in the taxi to reach the whale watching location. Baja Sur is usually warm already in February but this year it's so cold and the hotels don't have heating (ceiling fans are useless now). Just missed the bus and had some time to kill until the next departure. The only meal today: We experienced moderate turbulence during much of the flight but it got bad just before we started to descend. Bouncing up and down in our seats, whole plane was shaking like in an earthquake. Felt like we were losing altitude uncontrollably as we dropped so fast. On top of this the plane dipped sharply a couple of times in the middle of the fast descend and turbulence. All the passengers were still (and probably gripping the armrests hard) during this, some women in the rows in front of us shrieked each time the plane dipped. This was not a normal approach, let's hope the landing gear wouldn't break upon landing! Touchdown was very hard but thankfully nothing unfortunate happened. During this harrowing turbulence there was not one word from the flight deck! Turns out "that's Volaris for you", I was told. ------------------------------------------------------ Next day. This time we could stay no longer than a couple of days to see whales at Bahia Magdalena. Got up early and got back from whale watching early in the afternoon. Rested, and then ate something and the day was over. It's like this every day when you are here solely for the whale watching. There are several types of hot sauces but this was the "hottest" for me. I always order a ceviche of almejas chocolatas, so here it is again. It used to have avocado slices on top and the portion was bigger. The guacamole had no onion by request. There's more than enough onion in my ceviche. ------------------------------------- The only thing that had fruits and yoghurt. The yoghurt is usually sweetened so I can't eat it. There's only 2 tea spoons worth of it. The partner ate the yoghurt and teeth busting crunchy granola for me. Papas con chorizo (potatoes with Mexican "chorizo", a type of minced meat/sausage). After an hour in the taxi and 3 nauseating hours in the bus going round and round, up and down the mountains we arrived at Loreto. Cold and windy, unlike previous times. Immediately hit the supermarket. Price of avocado is not bad, actually. I have seen over 70 pesos before. But then it's no avocado paradise Michoacan so be glad that the avocados here are still the high quality stuff (buttery, flavourful, and Mexican grown). Every day in Loreto we like to eat a big cup of soursop ice cream from a shop across the street. First meal in Loreto is always at this restaurant. The 3 chickens are still around. Salsa looks the same, but not the taste. Scallop aguachile A piping hot and heavy molcajete "Surf and turf" with cactus and peppers. Unfortunately, we don't want to return after this. So much has changed. The menu, the prices, employees, the experience, the food, the restaurant. Also, many gringos have found out. We enjoyed these tamales more. From a street vendor next to a supermarket. She got the sign translated, I see. Got 1 of each, asked about chocolate sauced chicken and she said yes she had it. We got it, too. Beer alongside. February is probably mango season. Every time we are here the (super)markets are full of ripe mangoes, many crates of them to choose from. We ate 4 mangoes over the kitchen sink every day. How to know you are a Baja Sur repeat visitor? Employees at hotels, restaurants, pubs remember you. And the wifi connects automatically. An employee at this craft beer bar recognised me at once. Good to see him, too. The only craft beer bar in town. Head brewer is an Irish expat.

Then I would make sure that we would not run out of beer 🍻 Thanks! There are challenges travelling in Mexico but for us it's mostly logistics. I love it a little bit more after every trip.

Slowly returning to my usual routine. Slowly. There's still the rest of Mexico photos to sort but can't deal with that during the week. Feels a bit strange not eating corn tortillas all day long. But I'm most happy to be eating cheese again. 16 month old Comte and 3 smelly ones. This blob has some quark, horseradish, prawn roe and North Sea shrimp. Made a pot of broth with the shrimp shells Sardines in chipotle sauce (bought in Mexico). Not spicy at all and the quality of the fish is inferior to Portuguese/Spanish/Greek/Moroccan/Croatian etc. Love visiting Mexico but also love to be home again.

This pozole specialist is located in a busy area with lots of shops and people. It's time we visited them. Prawn pozole. Spicy and very prawny. Rojo Blanco With chicharon and part of a trotter. This one and the prawn are our favourites. The other 2 (blanco and rojo)... oh, pah-leeze. Move.Over. We got a sampler of 4 types. Yessss, I still have some room in my rucksack. For more chillis. A week in Guadalajara came to an end. Last day do get the chili shopping done. All the chillis at this shop inside the market are of high quality. The seller was so happy to see us again (yesterday we got a couple of kilos) The yahualica flakes are for on my pizza Didn't get this birria seasoning. Jalisco being the birth place of birria. Time for my fruits again A popular carnitas stall inside the market We each got a plate of 4 "surtido" (mixed meat) All the meat cuts are strangely red. I was curious about "barbacoa". It's deep-fried (flour?) tortillas filled with savoury bean puree. In front of me To my left To my right Last of the beer in Guadalajara Small glasses Now we went across the street to another craft beer bar So dark inside. Totally different atmosphere, not to mention more expensive. Had 2 beer and left quickly. One last bottle. Some governments' fear-mongering campaign does work. Hardly any tourists in massive Guadalajara (Jalisco) and even rarer in Morelia (Michoacan). We enjoyed both places and would return, especially Michoacan. Great food there. We survived mega city Guadalajara, maybe we'd give MEX a go in the future.

There are many food stalls on 2 floors inside the market. We are back there eating. I ordered one with green sauce. Turns out, the "parrot" (perico) is a big flour tortilla filled with meat and whole beans, topped with lots of melted cheese. Needed some eggs and they don't make them without the bean puree and red sauced tortillas. The "food court" is well organised, the stalls can be big or small, no concrete benches like in 2 other cities I have visited (Oaxaca, Morelia). One thing is the same everywhere, though, the stalls all vie so furiously for customers. Repurposing a chilli sauce bottle. They also use drink bottles. Chilli shopping Second time seeing habanero seco Another spelling is "pulla". Same pronunciation. Mexican marjoram . Leaves must be big. Mine in the garden is much smaller. 2 different colourss of hibiscus. Darker has more color and lighter red has more taste. I notice Mexicans order a glass or a whole pitcher. My chilli collection so far. I had to check how much room I had left after filling my bag with these. Back to the market... I might regret eating these blood cockles. Nothing happened but next time I would rather them cooked. These are not hairy like ones I ate in Asia. Prawns in a spicy sauce. Not really "spicy". Some toursits be like "I don't like Mexican food. Chillis in every thing. Too spicy" Errr.... not always. Snacks. Very sweet jackfruit (pods). Red balls are tamarind with chilli. Sugarcane juice. The chilli/salt/lime trays are for other fruits. Next to the sugarcane stall is another fruit stall and they have these beautiful wild pineapples that busted my lips. I saw the sign there every day. Not sure why they think it's "flor de maguey". The name they use is pre-hispanic but pretty sure it's no flower of agave. Some big celebration was happening in the centre. Huge press presence, also a bigger presence of police and security. It was probably the birthday of the city, Guadalajara. So many designs Bart is entrepreneurial Cotton candy Boy noticed me with a camera and he smiled. I wasn't even trying to make a photo of him but he didn't stop smiling. PS: New to me on this trip that a bunch of sites are blocked, either partially or completely, by some internet providers. Surprisingly this site is partially block. Did not experience this on previous trips.

A soupy dish with chipotle, corn, chickpeas, rice and avocado. A bit like pozole but not exactly. Not a fan of soggy bread/tortillas but I'm willing to try it more than once just to be sure and then I can slag it off. We took a bus to Tequila today. Maybe because it was a Sunday or it's always stupid busy and deafening in Tequila every day of the week. It's like a giant stag party. Everyone was drinking Tequila sitting down or walking. I had to leave the centre to find silence (near impossible in Mexico). In a quiet area just off the deafening centre I saw an open window... It's Jose Cuervo distillery. But our destination was Casa Sauza Sauza's agave farm near the distillery. Their other farms are much farther away. An employee demonstrated how to harvest agave No leaf and in full bloom. Framed by an arch seen from inside the distillery. Couldn't make any photos inside whilst doing the tour until now. At the end of the tour we got to make our own Tequila drink. Enjoying the drink in Sauza's inner courtyard. I took a few sips. Mixed drinks are not my thing. Found a simple restaurant at the end of the street very close to Sauza and it was full of Mexicans, in a residential neighbourhood with no other restaurants nearby. Everyone ordered a plate of 4 or 5 tacos like these. We decide to try them ourselves. Quesadilla with chorizo Grilled meat A communication mistake. It was supposed to be either this or the grilled meat, but young daughter who took our order thought we also wanted papas rellenas and carne assada. Luckily were very hungry. Btw, papas rellenas is actually mashed potatoes. We have had it a few times. One time it also had cactus in the parcel. The bus to Tequila looked quite normal here. It took so long because the driver stopped for every single person that stood by the roadside. Once inside it became apparent that it's possibly the oldest bus. The door couldn't close properly, the rubber seal all round it was warped leaving visible gaps. It rocked side way like a boat in rough seas when going over (speed) bumps. Couldn't stretch my legs. We had to wait for some time at this intersection. Something was going on in Tequila, a big group of cowboys was crossing the road. And I thought the bus on the way to Tequila was the oldest one still in use. The one we took on the way back was older. There was about 3 buttons on the dash board. Really, Mercedes? Young driver was eating chilli drenched potato crisps and blasting music all the way to Guadalajara. Finally, back in our room after a loud and interesting adventure. No chillies in this pozole blanco. Could be regional or personal/restaurant's own recipes. I'm always happy to try pozoles everywhere I go (in Mexico that is). This was in Oaxaca last year. I have just had a prawn version and it was something completely different (in a good way).

Back to the same restaurant today because we wanted to try their pozole. Pozole with both chicken and pork The restaurant's own dish of eggs (underneath the sauces), pork belly and chicharron. I chose 2 types of sauces and 2 types of meat. Took a bus to Chapala, a lakeside small town, to meet up with our acquaintances again. Thous shall not pass. Coot faces the pelicans. Men in costumes A coconut every day Our acquaintances chose this "Argentinian" restaurant on the pier. 2 meat, 1 spinach and cheese and 1 caprese (last one for myself) My favourite empanada in Argentina was caprese. This restaurant's version is very different, mainly the pasty. Parrillada for 4 Today's beers Thanks! I ate a big plate every morning in Madeira (another good place for fruit lovers).

Brought to table as soon as you sat down. A busy restaurant, clean and efficient. The queue starts at around 8:30am (we got there at 08:00). At lunch time the queue gets stupid long but seems locals and Mexican tourists don't mind waiting. Omelette filled with chorizo (not Spanish chorizo) Rancheros At my hotel... oh god, no more earthquakes! And besides, I'm on 7th floor. Typical Mexican chairs and how they are being made. We kept in touch with a pair who shared the whale watching boat with us last year and used to live in Guadalajara but now lives in Ajijic. We took a taxi to a birria restaurant half way between the 2 places to meet up with them. Massive restaurant with outdoor and indoor sitting areas. They are famous for their tradional Jalisco style birria. Our acquaintances only eat birria here. I tried this for the first time. Has tequila in it. Our acquaintances ordered a plate of meaty goat meat only and a plate of mixed meat (surtido) including organ bits and blood. Very savoury bean puree. The broth is used to cook the beans, probably. Melted cheese. We couldn't finish everything. Our acquaintances took the leftovers home. Back in Guadalajara later. New beers on chalk board.

First breakfast at the central market in Guadalajara. We sat right in front of the tortilla maker. She lifted the tortillas, charred them briefly on a hot surface and into a tortilla basket. Reached over and put the basket on the counter whilst standing in the same spot the whole time. We can't get a lousy coffee for $2,50 at home Salsa-drenched sandwich filled with slow-cooked meat/carnitas. I rather this than Porto's version ("Francesinha"). One of the times that you don't use your bare hands Transparent shoes. I did see transparent boots in Reykavik. Many old phone boxes are still around, some are still plugged in. The partner is so happy for me being here in fruit paradise. I can eat fruits in my weight multiple times a day. Never walk away from a coconut stall Chili shopping at another market far away from the centre. First time seeing habanero seco. If the seller has a bunch of good quality chillies I make them happy by buying almost every type. He was delighted to see this photo I made of his chilli display. Chile de Yahualica has Denomination of Origin status. Lunch at a big restaurant with outdoor sittings and a stage for a mariachi band. Ordered 2 of their specialities. Goat birria. The other dish is a butter tender cut of beef in a green sauce. Jalisco is the birth place of mariachi. The performance is a big attraction at this restaurant. The stage is in the middle of the outdoor sitting area. Today we tried another beer bar. It's very small with a few taps. Worthless list of beers without stating the styles and alcohol percentage content which makes it harder to order. We didn't stay long. Back in my hotel room later. Bought a few bottles at Nacional Morelos taproom in Morelia and took them with us to Guadalajara. Theirs is better than many of the beers here.

Made it to the capital of Jalisco (4 hours in first class bus. Leg room big enough for the almost 2m tall partner this time). Peinecillo is a cut of beef Fatty flatfish a la plancha Craft beer bar closest to my hotel is 15 minutes on food. The streets are full of cars and people it's fine to walk back at dusk. Quality of craft beers from Guadalajara (and this state) is OK. Hardly saw tourists in Morelia and only a handful here Guadalajara. So much fear-mongering about travelling in Mexico. If you do a search you'll get endless results asking about safety. Certain governments are hellbent on telling their citizens to avoid many places in Mexico (including places I have visited). Many of those citizens will tell you it's safer in Mexico than in their own cities/countries! Just use common sense, be humble and respectful. I am only there because I have a house and to cook my own food, planning my escape from (food) hell again. It's different every year. Some years the holidays happen to be closer to each other. I have to plan them with several factors in mind: weather conditions, avoiding high season, costs, availability of flights, best time to see certain animals etc.

Second part contains market photos. I bought more chillies, some of which have no name in the photos. They told me the names at the time of buying. These dried prawns were tempting. They said for soup stock. Red corn Blue corn White corn All the herb stalls have this thing Probably for boiling and drinking like a "tea" Mamey. I kept seeing strawberries. Aromatic and sweet papaya

Every morning at 08:00 I go to the market for fruits and fresh tortillas. Tried another stall this time. Pineapple and papaya. 10 pesos worth of fresh corn tortillas. You can buy them by weight. We can't finish a whole kilo (about 13 pesos). These avocados are twice as big as ones we get at home, literally butter with avocado taste. When you eat an avocado grown in Michoacan (biggest producer and best quality) you'll know why some people say avocado is like "butter from the forest". We hate giant bananas at home but love these tiny bananas in warm countries. Ran into a juice stall somewhere inside the market, time I had more fruits. Milk + fruits are called licuados. I sometimes forget to tell them to leave out the sugar and cinnamon. Sugar + cinnamon ruin everything for me and then the partner will have to drink it. The other day I mentioned the mamey ice cream didn't taste too much of mamey. I wanted to know for sure if it's the dairy that suppresses the mamey taste so I ordered this milk drink to find out. As I had suspected, this drink tasted just like the ice cream in liquid form. Now I know, mamey is best eaten as a fruit and by itself. Michoacan is the birth place of carnitas. Tried it at this unknown restaurant in a residential area. The owner of my lodging goes here sometimes for carnitas. He said "there's no tourists here". It's very dark inside and the lighting over my table is yellow (apologies for the crappy photos). Pickled vegetables Second time trying to drink beer at this beer bar, and finally it's open again after their 2 day break. Very bitter beers, the way I like it. Best craft beers so far on this trip is at this bar in Morelia. Emloyees were most kind and friendly, like almost all Mexicans I've encountered. This second bar was a disappointment. They were also closed for 2 days, but today they had only 1 (one) beer on tap. Music was so loud it hurt my head and I had heavy duty earplugs. So we fled in record time. Bought 3 bottles to go from the first bar. 17 century aqueduct. They say it has 250 arches but I didn't walk all the way to the end (several kilometres in length). These are not stuffed. They are flat and whole. I have seen them served as is on the same plate with beans/rice/other things. Nothing at all like the incredible Pasilla Oaxaqueños. Pasilla and Oaxaqueños are 2 different types of chillies. And sorry I have bad news for you, Pasilla Oaxaqueños are rare in the rest of Mexico so you need to go to Oaxaca to buy them. I will have to return to Oaxaca someday. My 3 kilos won't last forever.

To market, to market. On a shopping spree (chillies, avocados, ginger for the bus rides, fruits). Be still mi corazón... cheese! Red and green chorizo. After a week I've only noticed 2 bald men. The gene is not prevalent here. At home (we are one of the top baldest countries) it's every other men. In Albania I counted exactly 8 in my 3 weeks there. "Chinese" garlic And right opposite... the same garlic but then "Japanese". Thin-skinned purple potatoes I bought the first chillies here. Then I couldn't stop when I saw more chillies at other stalls. Got pasilla, pulla and morita. Pasilla and pulla are used a lot in the gastronomy of Michoacan. Bought my avocados here, but later found a avocado specialist 2 streets away selling for 25 pesos per kilo. These spiral pods are called guamuchil in Mexico. I ate them decades ago in Asia. They are quite dry. Interesting fruit (covered in chillies) Bought a small bag and ate it when I got back to my lodging. I felt a tingling sensation straight away like when eating pineapple, but with these it got more intense by the second. My mouth and lips were on fire it was unbearable so I decided to stop eating. As I moved my hands away from my mouth there was blood everywhere (on my hands and the fruit). Ran to the bathroom to look in the mirror... blood was dripping from my lips. Whoa. I have multiple allergies and turns out I'm badly allergic to bromelain in this fruit. 2 other people ate the fruit but didn't experience any discomfort. Butchers and carnitas shops (for takeaway) everywhere. They usually have this display of chicharonnes in front. A big vessel in which to fry the chicharon Wandered far away from the market and happily ran into this shop. It's my favourite thing to drink and eat at the same time. My system can't digest coconut milk or cream but no problem with young coconut meat and the water. I drank all the water in a plastic bag, now eating the meat. With chilli sauce, lime juice, salt. The Mexican way.

The next morning in Morelia. Had to hit the market looking for fresh fruits. Going through the food section first was a mistake. Fresh fruits after breakfast then. It was early in the morning so less than half the stalls were open. After walking round and looking 3 times I picked one that had more people eating. The stallholders were vying furiously for customers. The setup is very much like in Oaxaca (but not as atmospheric). Chilli sauce on the counter. Not very hot. Chicken broth My second dish being prepared Forgot to ask what this this was on the counter. Green pepper schnitzels? Now I must have fruits. One of the best things about visiting warm countries is eating (tropical) fruits. They are always perfectly ripe and flavourful every time. I got mango and melon, in big chunks. Standard size is tiny pieces. I miss Oaxaca's fantastic fruit stalls. One can get a massive bowl of mixed fruits and other fruity things. My first chicharon taco. Wonderfully light and crunchy. 2 surtido (mixed meat and probably organ bits as well) and 1 shoulder. This is a busy local restaurant not in the city centre. Had to wait a bit for a table. Both were good but if I had to choose... surtido. The meat was enough for 2 tacos. Late in the afternoon at a chocolate place near my lodging. We are desperate for chocolate as we eat it every day at home. Hard to find pure/100% chocolate here. This contains 100% cacao. Please rise for the national anthem of Mexico. Thanks for the chocolate, chillies, vanilla, corn, avocados, pumpkins and many more! Wooden frother Re limes I buy at home, they come from Brazil. But lately they also come from Spain. It's good to have choices.

Leaving Macheros after breakfast After a nauseating 4 hour journey on endlessly winding mountain roads we reached the capital of Michoacan where we had our first meal in Morelia. Nice salsa picante but still not "super hot*" for my taste. The partner liked it. (*I like heat level of scotch bonnet chillies) Finally, an IPA. The brewery is far from the city centre but they do have a tap room 3 streets from my lodging. Going there tomorrow to make up for the 2 days they were closed). Ale brewed with native Michoacan blue corn. OK/interesting beer. Uchepos are steamed fresh sweet corn puree. Served with a red sauce, some green peppers and fresh (double cream). So good! Sweet and fluffy. If it were me I would eat uchepos with cream and fresh cheese. An idea for when sweet corn is in season at home. Corundas is a type of Michoacan-style tamal(es), but the texture is super dense and totally different from the typical tamales in other parts of Mexico. What the corundas look like. I broke the top one in 2 so you can see the thickness. This restaurant makes corundas in this shape, but usually they come in triangles and are thicker. There's some tender pork on top in previous photo. Mexican limes are tiny and not too sour. Much better than the crap we get at home imported from a certain country. The little "bowl" is actually the hard shell of some fruit, similar to coconut. We demolished the salsa picante and got another bowl, twice as big. Cecina is a super thin big sheet of beef. Michoacan-style is deep-fried. In Oaxaca I had them grilled over coals. The restaurants sells molcajetes But not this one right behind where I sat Yesterday was Sunday. Mexicans love to go out on Sundays, to sit in the park, socialise, have a picnic etc. After the meal we walked to the centre and just to enjoy watching them. Street musican. The ipad replaces music sheets now? There are many ice cream shops in town. I saw mamey flavour and bought a cone. No mamey taste! I still remember it in Oaxaca last year. Mamey is intensely aromatic and sweet.

Breakfasts Today's visit to another monarca sanctuary at Cerro Pelon. First we walked to the start of the trail, which is right in the village here. Everyone got on their horses and the horse-handlers walked with their horses, either between 1 or 2 horses to the start. The trail got rough almost immediately. Again, ankle deep in fine sand, a mini dust storm with every step the horses made. Now imagine 20 horses in row. I wore a face mask and it turned brown like the dust. A lens cloth for cleaning my spectacles also turned brown, but I didn't find out until I got back and sat down to clean my glasses. Anyway, it's a rough ride. The trail, besides being very dusty, is also rocky. I trusted the horse-handler and his horse with my life. My horse is not very experienced or maybe not very bright. I was afraid it would put a foot wrong, literally, and take a tumble. One hour going down and a little more than one hour going up. I held my breath all the way down, focusing all my energy on not falling off my horse. Luckily, he responded well to his owner's certain sounds and words/phrases. What an experience. Glad I did it. That's Cerro Pelon where the colony is located. Altitude is 3000+ metres. Monarcas choose these specific areas and altitude to overwinter so you must go high up there to see them. But when they arrive on the first of November the mountains are still cold you can already see them everywhere in the villages and towns. Clusters of monarcas on branches. As soon as the sun came out they started opening their deep orange wings. And when the sun disappeared (being blocked by clouds) they closed their wings. It went on and on like this for some time. The clusters when zoomed in a little more The Sheriff, aka my horse. A metal badge on his head is a sheriff star. He gave me a few frightening moments when he wanted to take a different path or just being wayward. My very skilled horse-handler, young Alejandro. I gave him a nice tip. He worked so hard with the horses getting me to the colony and back safely. No specialised footware, in control of 2 horses, walked the trail without stopping. It's steep and rough. It took a lot out of me (anxiety-inducing trail, lots of pain after the rough ride). I just wanted to take a photo of the horse but he posed for me anyway. Food after the horse ride. The guest house's restaurant has a small menu, everything is cooked home-style by female employees who live here in the village. Filled with beans and cheese. No (red) sauce. Fried trout with crispy garlic Some beers bought at the bus station in Zitacuaro and brought with us to Macheros to drink in our room. Macheros is a village of about 300 residents. Life here is simple and peaceful. Villagers still use horses on the farm. To be able to live here you had better be content with a simple life, have no health problems, and no carsickness. The next big town (of a few thousands) is half an hour away. The road to get there is endlessly winding with many speed bumps (if you don't have carsickness you might develop it here). All the towns and villages in this region have monarca murals and paintings, entrance arches, monarca this and monarca that everywhere you look. The monarcas are much adored and also a source of income. Tourists like ourselves flock to this region in monarca season (November-March), and Mexican themselves are equally crazy about monarcas so they come here in droves. Knabe und Schmetterling (Wilhelm Hey) Boy and Butterfly Knabe: Schmetterling, (Butterfly,) kleines Ding, (little thing,) sage wovon du lebst, (tell me, what do you live on) daß du nur stets in Lüften schwebst? (that you always float in the air?) Schmetterling: Blumenduft, Sonnenschein, (Butterfly: scent of flowers, sunshine) das ist die Nahrung mein. (that's my food) Der Knabe der wollt ihn fangen. (The boy wants to catch him/the butterfly) Da bat er mit Zittern und Bangen: (then butterfly asks with trembling and trepidation) Lieber Knabe, tu es nicht, (dear boy, don't do it,) laß mich spielen im Sonnenlicht. (let me play in the sunlight) Eh' vergeht das Abendrot, (before the sunset passes) lieg ich doch schon kalt und tot. (I'm already cold and dead.)

First monarch sanctuary we visited today was Sierra Chincua in Michoacan state. Took some time to get there by car, like 2 hours, I think. I sat next to the driver/guide and still fell physically sick because of the hundreds of speed bumps. Every 10 or 20 metres there's a speed bump, you practically have to stop before driving over each one. They are not painted and thus hard to spot. Ambulances here have to deal with them like all the other vehicles. Entering Sierra Chincua sanctuary But first you get on a horse. It's a short ride in the dust to where you get off and from there follow the trail. It's an easy walk but the dust is so fine and ankle deep you are cover in a thick layer of it, all the way to right under your knees. And of course the dust gets into your shoes and socks. We could have walked all the way. We did exactly that on the way back and paid the horse-handlers the full amount plus extra tips anyway. Start of the trail Thisaway Where you get off the horse on the way up. The horse-handlers wait here to take you back to the entrance. Orange clusters in the middle are monarchs hanging onto branches. They huddle together to keep warm. When the sun shines they open their wings to absorb energy. When they are ready they take flight turning the sky orange. It's hard to photograph them in flight as they are so fast and you can't get any closer (there are ropes to prevent you from entering protected areas). From a lowly larva to the prettiest of creatures! There's this beautiful poem by Wilhelm Hey "Knabe und Schmetterling" (Boy and Butterfly). Copy/paste the texts to your favourite translator. Giant thistles. Saw them all the times in the woods here. They also come in yellow and orange. Many souvenir shops on the way back to the entrance. Guide says "all made in China. Terrible idea." Until it's cheaper to set up a factory and cheaper to produce them here. It might never happen. 2 avocados. The guest house get avocados from their family farm and the variety is hass. The leaves are not eaten. Beef tacos. Meat is not marinated, no trace of spices/seasoning. Peppers (capsicum) come from the garden. Came with the trout so I tried it again. Mild tomato soup with shredded tortilla. It's to cleanse the palate. Their trout speciality. Very nice. Still affected by jet lag and altitude, and today's adventure. I went out like a light from 6pm till 6am.

First dinner in Mexico and I wasted no time eating avocado. When in season a kilo costs about 20 pesos. Good guacamole, not too much onion. Prepared and served in a molcajete (Mexican volcanic rock mortar and pestle). Pan fried local farm-raised trout. The water from the mountain is good (and safe) enough that locals drink it from the tap (we don't). The same water is probably used in the trout pens, they don't taste swampy. This came with the trout. A little sour and weak, shredded tortilla. Basically quesadillas with tomatoes, onions and avocado. Had to take it easy on my first day. Any quick movement and you feel it in your head and heart at this elevation. On top of that I also had a splitting headache due to jet lag and altitude.

I like Moldovan food. Like Albania, it takes a bit of this and a bit of that from its neighbours and invaders. Moldova is also a competent wine producer.

Let's go to the city! But it's not just any city, it's a mega city. Ciudad de México! I have been at the airport a bunch of times but it's the first time I had to exit it after passport control. Ay ,caramba! So good to see you again Benito (as in Juárez, international airport)! Immediately grabbed a taxi to the bus terminal to catch the first bus to a small town in the mountains 2 hours away. It's a massive city from the air, and it's really massive seen from the taxi. Streets are full of cars in pitch black at 4:30am. Getting off the bus in Zitacuaro and another taxi ride to a small village deep in the mountains on the border of Mexico state and Michoacan. We are staying at this lovely guest house, the only place to eat and sleep here. So tranquil and green. Best thing is a hot shower and breakfast after 24 hours straight without sleep. But first coffee. Everything in this part of Mexico is about the butterflies. But it's not just any butterfly, it's the mariposa monarca! Btw, we are off the grid here in Macheros village. The hotel has to build their own communication tower and there's no cell phone service/signal. With cheese My favourite: with tomatoes and onions. Fruits, fresh juice and corn tortillas. Chilli poster in the breakfast room One of the avocado trees in the guest house's garden Some of the things I've brought to give away. I am giving the camera and Chile wool bag (which only this camera fits in) to someone who works here at the guest house, a family member who's also a butterfly guide and one I had been in communication with. Some T shirts, 2 brand new blazers, shoes, headphones, bag, Bolivian cookery books are for the 3 ladies who work in the kitchen. There are also toys, slippers, new underwear and other things that are not in the photo. My rucksack is suddenly half full! Tomorrow off to see the monarcas in one of the sanctuaries. 2 hours on horseback up a steep trail to reach the butterfly colony. It feels fantastic to be back in one of my favourite countries!

Kenneth, yes, I made them. You won't find this combination in HK or anywhere. When on holiday I do "traditional", at home I do what I want. Besides, it's so easy to make your own dumplings at home, not to mention it's one of the most rewarding therapeutic activities. Next time I'll add the prawn roe or fresh roe to the mince. Pumpking Clams! In HK. Boss and an employee at the next table. The restaurant

Qofte is Albanian version of (Turkish) kofte, but simpler. Korçan sausage is a bit like Turkish sucuk, or kielbasa. Thanks! Most people don't know about the existence of Albania, or where it is actually located. Even if they know Albania exists they say "aren't they still under communist dictatorship?", or "isn't there still a war going on?". So far only one person I know wants to visit Albania and that's my former teacher. Nobody else. It's not on anyone's bucket list. So, thanks everyone, for going to France/Italy/OZ etc.! I have also been to this least visited country round these parts. Cheese hall at the central market in Moldova In some less popular countries people seem kinder, too, and appreciate tourists. I bought cheese from this stall in the cheese hall. The ladies gladly posed for me.

Cue The Three Degrees' "When Will I See You Again" Dumplings (filled with beef mince, Speck and calf's liver) Prawn roe brought back from Hong Kong Froze the roe in small portions. They only need a quick toss in a hot wok/pan to release the intense prawny taste. Egg-tomato soup and steamed chard (Turkish market probably sources green house chard) And a Belgian beer Are we in love or just friends? When will I see you again, Hong Kong and Macau?

Lunch at a nice Korçan restaurant a few streets from my lodging. The food is in the style of the town Korçë located in south-eastern Albania. Best qofte. Don't want to have to come back to Albania so I can visit Korçë for the qofte and Korça beer! Korça sausage Mixed pickles. Very nice. Chewy, warm, fluffy, big pittas. Grilled mixed vegetables. Oh wait, mostly courgette. Grrr.... Most expensive item is lamb's ribs. Except there's no meat on them. The fat and bones tasted good, though. Lamb's ribs are most common lamb thing on menu in Albania. What happens to the rest of the lamb then? I never saw other cuts. Yoghurt sauce for the qofte and lamb's ribs Whilst the country is changing for the worse, mainly the capital, the beer scene is changing for the better. One small step at a time but it's better than on my first trip. Then there were only domestic weak industrial beer and one private brewery in Tirana. This small supermarket hidden between apartment buildings in a residential neighbourhood carries foreign beers! I can't even find Aventinus Eisbock at home anymore! Italian supermarket chain Conad also stocks Danish beer, but mostly Italian. All rubbish, though. I had this before in Alsace Kaon and Birra Tirana (both brewed in the capital) used to be common, now it's hard to find. From Montenegro The dark one is quite good. Chocolatey. Finally, probably the only Albanian IPA. Nobody could tell me if there are more Albanian craft breweries besides this one. The only non industrial brewery in the capital, or the entire country. I went there every day to drink beer on my first trip. The young brewer showed me round the tiny brewery (only a few small fermenters right inside the restaurant in photo below) and we chatted for a long time every time. He couldn't brew other styles besides "Weissbier", "dunkel", "pils" etc. The reasons? The government wouldn't allow or approve of other recipes and styles. He learnt English from an American peace corps man who stayed with the family when he was a boy. The same American later also introduced him to beer and home brewing. Unfortunately, the brewery is either a victim of Covid or a bad business decision had been made. Well, like the saying, everything has an end, only the sausage has 2. I flipped through the cookery book (in English) when I exited the arrival hall and again before going through security. Don't want any more cookery books! I had 5 kilos of Iranian red pistachios in my bag and I liked that better. Glad I got to experience the "old" and new Albania. It's a trip like no others. I got to meet with some strangers I took photos of. Never thought I would be taken with this country but turns out to be one of the most bitter-sweet, mixed with intense (emotional) memories and the kindness and hospitality of Albanians I met along the way. So apparently I'm a "badass", because according to Albanians I not only returned to the country where they all want to leave, but also that I came in the winter. No tourist in their right mind would want to come here in the winter, they said.