On the way to Cozumel, we landed first in Mexico City and then changed planes to arrive at our (almost) final destination. I joked to my dad, that I wanted to leave the airport, take a taxi to the bus station and buy a ticket to Salamanca. He looked at me like I was weird. Why would I want to go to Salamanca, a pretty average city in Guanajuato when I could go to paradise?

Simple: family. I miss them.

Salamanca has become my “happy place” since I visited on my own three years ago for the first time in about 15 years. I was overwhelmed with the kindness and hospitality of my family out there. I ate great food and visited beautiful cities. Thankfully, I was there long enough to get to know all my family out there and I left with a melancholy feeling. I was happy to return to my parents, siblings and home. I was happy for the time I spent out there, but I was truly sad that I had to be separated by a border and hundreds of miles from such great people. Prior to my trip, I’d never given any serious thought to how immigration splits up families. I was lucky enough to grow up close by to my grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. However, I felt truly sad when I realized that my dad didn’t have that opportunity and was separated from his family.

Now I go back every chance I get. I went in December 2005 for my cousin Teresa’s wedding. I was only there for two days. I returned in August 2006 for my cousin Beatriz’s quinceañera. The trip came in the middle of a rough summer.

I had not planned to return to Salamanca this summer. The trip to Cozumel was pretty expensive and my work schedule only allows me to be away 5 days tops. But then my parents decided to go to be padrinos for a quinceañera. That was all the motivation I needed to ditch work for a few days and buy another plane ticket.

Five days wasn’t enough last year, and it definitely was not enough this time around. At least I didn’t forget my big memory card and got plenty of photos.

Short photo essay after the jump.

We arrived early Wednesday morning in Guanajuato and caught a firey sunrise on our way to Salamanca. I slept most of the rest of the day.

Thursday morning we went to Querétaro to visit the Schoenstatt shrine so my mom could give thanks for everything going well with her operation.

Later that afternoon, we visited the Mosqueda side of the family in the rancho. Although I was bitten several times by mosquitoes, the view might have been worth it.

Friday evening we went to the double quinceañera for Adriana and Andrea, two of my cousins. My parents were Adriana’s padrinos. My family gets a kick out of Ozo (my monkey), so I took him too.

I went to sleep late on Friday after the party and woke up early on Saturday to join my parents and a couple of my dad’s cousins on a trip to Morelia, Michoacán. We visited my great-aunt, Jesús and her family.

Beatriz and Edward have the best smiles in Guanajuato. I spent Sunday with my cousins at the Balneario Quinta Mosqueda outside of Salamanca.