Sunday 24th July (I think)

DD and I spent yesterday and last night in Coscomatepec, which is 24 km north of Cordoba, at the hotel of a business colleague of his. Grand View Rancho Santa Barbara is situated in the foothills of Citlatepetl,(Star Mountain) in the Nahuatl language, with a 360 degree view of the town and surrounding mountains. At 5611 metres high it's the highest mountain/volcano in Mexico {according to Lonely Planet as are rest of descriptions} and the 3rd highest in North America: only Mt McKinley in Alaska and Mt Logan in Canada are higher. It's commonly known as 'El Pico' de Orizaba and can be seen from miles around. DD has a great view of it from el Tec.
The town itself is very pretty: steep cobbled streets, pink church, Zocalo and just a nice feel about it. It's famous for its bread: baked in wood ovens using oak; saddle making and hand rolled cigars: Winston Churchill and de Gaulle are said to have been clients. The main crops seem to be Sugar Cane, Maize and Chayotes - small green squashes which are grown over stakes: much like vines on the terraces of houses and restaurants in Europe. You can see them in my pics.
There were also lots and lots of donkeys, cows, sheep, goats, pigs and fowl everywhere. I haven't seen much livestock in the fields I assume because of the climate being so hot, but in the mountains the pastures go really high up, like in Switzerland, and it's much cooler than farther down so, in Cosco, every house we passed had its quota of piglets, turkeys etc running about - it was lovely.
Here in Cordoba I'm keeping busy - 2/3 hours of study in the mornings (weekdays only!), then a walk somewhere and I'm doing a bit of cooking and helping with the washing etc.
So far I've made a few soups (Mexicans don't half eat a lot of soup! At least once a day), Chili Oil, Lemon and Cinnamon Oil and a new red and white tablecloth. You could spend days in the fabric shops - and there are so many of them.
Talking about food: DD and I ate in a restaurant in Cosco yesterday afternoon. He had beef and I pork (a plate full), garnished with Picaditas: small fried tortillas, one with green sauce and one with red,a few fried potatoes and spring onions, platanos machos (fried banana)and salad. You always also get a dish of pickled vegetables {to soak up the cholesterol!}, tortilla chips and sauces while you're waiting. We had 2 Beers each (me Corona and DD Negro Modela) and the bill came to mx$212 - about £10. That would be dear side for here. Comida Corrida at lunchtime in restaurants and comedors is prob. from mx$35 (£1.80) to mx$70 ($3.50) for soup, tortillas, meat, rice, a simple pudding and a jug of Agua de fruta: water made with fruit puree: pineapple, orange, or mango etc.
Will upload a few more photos now - hasta luego x