When we were asked at US and Mexican Customs if we were carrying food, our reply was "only Christmas pudding and mincemeat". At Helen's friend's home in Mexico City, we were treated like gods for bearing such gifts, and the kilo of mincemeat soon found its way out of my rucksack (at long last) and into pies. It's been great to enjoy a family Christmas in the middle of our travels, including two turkey dinners (one on Christmas Eve at a neighbour's house). It's ne...

Yes, you read right! They look like Cornish Pasties, and some even have traditional fillings like meat and potato, but others have Mexican fillings such as red mole and green mole - a chocolate and chili sauce pronounced mole-ay; so no, it isn't an underground animal! The pasties were actually brought to this area by miners from Cornwall, so we felt obliged to go down into one of the mines and have a look at the conditions in which they used to work, to extract ...

Relaxing in a pool of hot spring water in a subterranean dome, we watched the last rays of sunlight shining through a long tunnel that has been designed to align exactly with the Winter Solstice sun. The Mayan Baths were designed and built by a man from Connecticut who only opens them to a handful of people one night a month, so we were very privileged to have been able to visit on such a special evening. It's in an idyllic setting, and I drank my first ever tequ...

Not long after arriving here we were sitting on some steps at a plaza waiting for the man to cook us some cheap and tasty tacos. It wasn't surprising to find street food available at nearly eleven at night, but a little cafe selling all kinds of hot chocolate was a surprise. But then again, the lively bars were only just beginning to get going, and this is a city filled with students, after all, and famed for live music and entertainment. It has a unique feel, an...

Our first so-called "chicken bus" from the historical town centre to the marina was full of kids playing loud music on their way to school. So, although we have started our journey at a tourist resort, it wasn't long before we felt we were experiencing the real Mexico. From the marina, it was a two hour return trip over rough sea to the Marietas Islands. This is where La Playa Escondida (Hidden Beach) can be found, after swimming 200m through a tunnel. We picked...