Today was a day for the mountains.

As you may know, I haven’t left Monterrey since arriving in town a couple of weeks ago. Which is kind of a shame, but between finding an apartment, starting classes, and getting settled in, I just haven’t had the time. To be honest I’m not quite sure I have it now, but fortunately it doesn’t matter. Today was a day for the mountains and I didn’t even have to leave the city! I only needed to go to southwestern Monterrey* to visit the Chipinque Ecological Park. I know it sounds pretty mundane, but trust me, it’s part of the Sierra Madres and a great deal more impressive than it sounds. Also more secluded. My limited experience with Monterrey has taught be that crowds are its most consistent feature. Crowds of people, cars, buildings… and mountains. [If it’s beginning to sound like I’m fascinated with this whole “mountain” concept it’s because I am. I mean, I come from Florida, a state that – for all its beauty – is wholly devoid of the concept and here I am in a city named for them.] So yes, crowds everywhere and everywhen – except for today. The reason for this will no doubt be clear once you look at the pictures below, but how was I supposed to know it was going to rain?! More often than not even the weather report is pointless. Honest! I’m fully convinced that there isn’t a television station in town with a meteorologist on staff – they just are necessary. Every day is just “hot” or “sunny” or both. In the morning there are clouds but by the afternoon the wind gets rid of them. It’s nice in a rhythmic sort of what, and very consistent. Or so I though. So, yeah, to make a short story long, my decision to head out was bit spontaneous and yeah, it rained for the first since I arrived - but it was still great. There were so few people that more often then not I could pretend I was the only one there, the only one who had ever been there, in some amazing but forgotten piece of real estate. I was still pretty high up when the rain started but even if it killed the view it allowed me to meet a nice regio by the name of Alejandro who was patient enough with my Spanish.** [Here’s hoping this means I have a hiking companion now, because for all their friendliness none of the extranjeros seem to want to climb a mountain anytime soon.] So, despite the rain I can’t help but find this city to be so immensely redeeming that it hurts.

* Quite close to my apartment, as the crow flies, but impossibly far the way the roads are set up.
** Oh, and yes, despite my statements to the contrary my Spanish still needs a great
deal of patience.



Nothing inspires hiking confidence like the heavy cloud cover and the Virgin Mary!