Buenas dias amigos! After just two weeks back on the road with the Boyne, it feels like we've never been away - except for the fact that we're in a new country. After a well earned summer holiday at home, we reconvened in the city of Monterrey, and began to acquaint ourselves with the delights of Mexico.

View over Monterrey and surrounding mountains

A sprawling centre for business and industry, we found our first city remarkably flat, though surrounded by dramatic mountains which looked like they may have been home to a hobbit or two. The old part of the town was interesting, with several inviting bars and restaurants where we were soon made very welcome. We also had a warm reception from our Mexican management team, who organised a variety of parties and nights out, and even a serious morning's go-carting.

Cast, crew and our Mexican hosts enjoying a day's go-carting

A few of us brave girls ventured out of the city to the nature reserve of Chipinque. Here we spent the day hiking half-way up an enormous mountain, the top of which we couldn't even see (though the heavy mist covering it probably didn't help). As if the seemingly vertical hill climb wasn't enough to leave us gasping for air, the views really were breathtaking.

Michelle (massage), Naoise (singer) and Carolyn (sax) half way up the mountain

We found wildlife watching an excellent excuse for regular rests, and saw all sorts of exciting things, including beautiful migrating monarch butterflies, bizarre looking caterpillars and an impressive flock of at least thirty huge birds of prey with very scary beaks.

Our relatively calm first week was followed by a hectic one, squeezing in three different towns - Queretaro, Puebla and Aguascalientes. This, combined with some very long bus journeys, proved to be somewhat educational. Some of the sights you can see along the roadside are shocking. It is clear that whilst much of the country is very wealthy there is also a great deal of poverty. Suddenly twelve long hours in the safety of a warm, dry bus, knowing a hotel restaurant awaits us, doesn't seem so bad after all.

The centre of Queretaro was just beautiful, featuring many picturesque squares connected by quaint streets. Puebla, though larger, was also gorgeous. From here, myself, Carolyn, Charlene (dancer) and Pat (fiddle) visited the village of Cholula, home of the largest pyramid (by volume) in the world. It remains unreconstructed and so covered in vegetation. In fact, it could easily be mistaken for a small hill... though my guide-book definitely said it was a pyramid...

Pat, Carolyn, myself and Charlene, in the shadow of the largest pyramid in the world

We had great fun exploring the archaeologists' tunnels, then climbing to the top (no mean feat, though of course we were well practised by this point) and looking around the ornate church at the top. By the time we'd reached Aguascalientes, we were pretty exhausted from all the travelling, shows and frantic sightseeing, though we hardly needed an excuse to spend our spare time at the hotel. Once a monastery, this has to be the most beautiful hotel I have ever seen.

Myself, Charlene and Carolyn sampling a local speciality in Queretaro

The food here in Mexico is nothing like I expected. I was not quite expecting Taco Bell, but I never imagined that chicken in a chile and chocolate sauce could ever taste so good - a local speciality, "mole poblano" (pronounced mol-AY, and nothing to do with small furry animals). However, tempting as they sound, I'm yet to try the "brains quesadilla", and the "spinal chord soup". Maybe next week

Speaking of next week, it's off to Guadalajara next. See you next time!

A night of mole poblano and tequilla: Anna (physio), Michelle, Charlene (troupe), Aislinn (troupe), Carolyn, Pat and myself