Sayulita is a surfer town on the south west coast of Mexico. Beautiful beaches, market stalls and some delicious 10 pesos tacos (that's only 50p in sterling). The hostel we're staying at is the partner hostel to the one in Puerto Vallarta but the people here are much friendlier and on our first night we're already joining in a Pilates session by the pool which is run by a girl staying in our dorm. We collectively decided that we'd rent the surfboard from the hos...

Saturday morning we woke early to catch the bus along to Puerto Vallarta. By we I mean Bev, who's also on a placement here, Jorge and his sister Vanessa at whose house we're staying, and Arnold, a French foreign legion mercenary who is actually Swiss and as it turns out a complete misogynist (his generic answer to anything he didn't agree with being "That's a woman's view.") We booked a couple of days off our placements so as to be by the beach for Bev's 20th on...

Friday night was an early birthday celebration for two friends here, both 20 at the beginning of next week (the 28th and 29th). We started off in a bar called bananas, but soon moved on, a little tipsy at this point, to a vibrant but sweaty salsa bar. Within no time we're approached by what seems like a multitude of Mexican men sporting pervy moustaches. Their forward ways practically force us away from the sidelines and to join in the antics with encouragement f...

Monday was my introduction to the orphanage where I will be working for the next month. A short, bumpy bus ride from downtown Guadalajara, the orphanage is a small but relatively well staffed respute for those with two major misfortunes in life; cerebral palsy and orphan hood. Often the two are interlinked for many can't afford the time, money or resources involved in raising a disabled child. I am working mainly with toddlers and babies, a small ward which cons...

I had vaguely planned to get a bus out of the city and visit lake Chapala today, but waking a little later than expected (probably due to the margaritas) and being invited to the Sunday market persuades me that maybe it's best left for another day. Although apparently one of Guadalajara's smaller markets, the vibrant colours of pyramid stacked fresh fruits and vegetables, the enticing smell of tortillas con carne and the gentle buzz of Mexican shoppers is a wond...