tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5384130716264288362024-03-05T16:12:38.750-08:00Crossing LatitudesAn Overland Journey through Latin AmericaAneta and Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06033961849066324016noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-538413071626428836.post-8858496135839117992013-02-18T16:38:00.002-08:002013-02-18T16:38:16.117-08:00Colored Pollitos to Bubbling Water<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><img height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRv7Jpuu-w7kwoit9CXenny9yUbMhPDiuk5YYOBMLRSxFDkeQPOrF8XIeH5N9KOnpeNvKcoaRs82m-GoZfr4mn9187vma8Ig-1iIDpuCIKzK2FWL0UdH_H1ysWd_Gp10DFL5BI-nrqZ5M/s1600/P6120289.JPG" width="640" /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We are jumping back quite a bit, months actually but hey we have to at least try to catch up sometime. We will be going back and forth on posts so bear with us. Our blog is for us to remember and to share our experiences and info with you even if it is a few months behind or a half a year in this case. We are currently updating this post from Jaibalito, Guatemala. Life here has been full of practicing Spanish, making friends (out of clay mostly, easier that way), hosting people, Teaching Pilates, Guiding Hiking around the Lake and border runs to Mexico. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The following took place in June of 2012</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We must say that Oaxaca so far has been one of our most favorite spots we have been so far. It could be that we were there for six weeks and were able to meet some great people who we will never forget, you could say it is the Chocolate that permeates through the streets or the availability of fresh produce from all over the country. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Oaxaca has a lot going on. For our interests it can be divided into five different sections, the <i>central city</i>, and outside of the city in all four directions of the <i>North, South, West and East</i>. There is always an event to attend to in the city itself from<i> museums, galleries, magnificent churches, great food and dining, salsa dancing and music</i> from all over every night of the week. In our case, we mostly liked to hang out at the local Mercados :) </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The area to the East of Oaxaca is a popular tourist route that<i> s</i>ome call the Mitla Tour with several stops that are minutes from the highway. The best day is on Sunday to catch up with the Tlacolula Tiange (weekly Mercado) which fills the streets with cheap deals from goat soup, Oaxacan pottery, wood work and textiles, the weekly turkey or your colored chick and don't forget all of the Chocolate and Mezcal tasting that is offered on the streets. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The "Hall of Smoke" can not be missed, here you can buy some fresh cut meat, onions and peppers from the side vendors then turn around and grill them up on the charcoal grills that run the entire length of the hall. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"> We opted for a bowl of "Chivo" goat soup which is pulled fresh from the bone. <i>Oaxacans can Cook! They are all about tasty food.</i></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtTrJkA9mDC4TPhfxm0bwtVDd0JM_xzR_kK3ASixV0Qm_nMY4e5332bW9xhEPU-oVshB5Aw5xVmDCBOz0jeZnc69zq66__1jpJAFdJWRhfI909CnNC8-cn0ZR-uc7j-Lfp_2VNqkAIJf4/s1600/P6120327.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtTrJkA9mDC4TPhfxm0bwtVDd0JM_xzR_kK3ASixV0Qm_nMY4e5332bW9xhEPU-oVshB5Aw5xVmDCBOz0jeZnc69zq66__1jpJAFdJWRhfI909CnNC8-cn0ZR-uc7j-Lfp_2VNqkAIJf4/s1600/P6120327.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">Aneta's favorite man, the <i>Cacoa</i> bean grinder man who makes her most sought after concoctions.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">A quick stop at the Yagul Archaeological site was our first in Mexico which was a quick stop at that and a lunch stop.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">After a quick lunch at the ruins we stumbled upon the <i>Valle Oaxaca Distillery</i>. It puts out some quality <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mezcal" target="_blank">Mezcal</a><i> </i>and one of the most fun and best tours of any distillery we have ever been on. We were honored with a private tour of this very classy and authentic distillery. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">The fly by pic.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Harder than it looks</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Standing next to a pile of Pina's from the Agave</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">T<span style="font-family: inherit;">he </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.19791603088379px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">piña or </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">ce</span>nter of the Agave/Maguey plant is roasted in large pits with hearty oak, surrounded with large rocks for a few days. This is where it receives it's distinct smoky flavor and differs from Tequila which are both made from the Agave plant. Some people do not take a liking to Mezcal however just like any product there are horrible Mezcals and there are super smooth ones that stand up to the finest Tequilas.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Aneta receiving the full explanation on the Mezcal fermentation process (in Spanish of course).</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLzxYbOlzXFAHW0Su8nvHYSmjVluAcjEUOEv4C2SaZw0qqXTEJ_s3R_XZW_-QePrQIP6vP-OO_CugScF4nads2u2nZH4YP_ep0J2_iSeUqevYFa6y4VktFGPLOeVKqiNJFUCng2ji4QB0/s1600/P6120428.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLzxYbOlzXFAHW0Su8nvHYSmjVluAcjEUOEv4C2SaZw0qqXTEJ_s3R_XZW_-QePrQIP6vP-OO_CugScF4nads2u2nZH4YP_ep0J2_iSeUqevYFa6y4VktFGPLOeVKqiNJFUCng2ji4QB0/s640/P6120428.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We were fortunate enough to have a taste straight from the barrel.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Straight from the barrel! Love his facial expressions.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">After some tasting in the back we were treated at this full service Mezcal bar with every flavor of Mezcal.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Our bartender going all out.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Best tour of a distillery yet</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">After Mezcal tasting, the ruins of Mitla was our next stop down the road. When we pulled into town there was a pushy textile seller that wanted us to come into their store, so we did and took a few pics of the dresses Aneta tried on, (mostly took the pics so she could see what the dresses looked like on her because they did not have a mirror) we left without buying anything and were accosted and they wanted to charge us 10 pesos for the pictures, we told them to get a mirror and we wouldn't have had to take any pics.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiWeDMYwdA_lB8s97Xb9NXsr-wGQb9XPxI5NQwQ3O5Ahw-ygiBD0KrlNV3L3FpKe03kqDlsXdoYZ6hthOZdlmmhV6jO1sv8XqSS0LoqRC2lQ5p98Z0IkO5QP9KEgnLNU3KwEtyV0QPX-A/s1600/P6130478+(Medium).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiWeDMYwdA_lB8s97Xb9NXsr-wGQb9XPxI5NQwQ3O5Ahw-ygiBD0KrlNV3L3FpKe03kqDlsXdoYZ6hthOZdlmmhV6jO1sv8XqSS0LoqRC2lQ5p98Z0IkO5QP9KEgnLNU3KwEtyV0QPX-A/s1600/P6130478+(Medium).JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">Mitla, built by the Zapotecs, is known for it's ornate stepped-fret mosaics in several differnet designs made from small finely cut stone pieces that are fit together without the use of mortar, there is no other site like this in Mexico. It was a very important city in the area functioning as a power center between 950 A.D. and 1521 A.D. until the Spainards came. The Spainards then put a church (real smart guys) on top of the spot which the <i>Zapotecs</i> believed led to the lord and lady of the underworld to keep the <i>"Devil"</i> from escaping.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqlrgqYeYNWsWn5tIoKntP5vpOLuGgoZrawKB3bsHjw7AHwFysQklFb5U8sFvEIeRi-KGWnvnNqQ07RbDMzp5T5y9K9AWF7SE0UzdQbLcVJuX-AJHQIGQ3-9FXlsXBuxT1eZ6tyKR2CEk/s1600/P6130488.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqlrgqYeYNWsWn5tIoKntP5vpOLuGgoZrawKB3bsHjw7AHwFysQklFb5U8sFvEIeRi-KGWnvnNqQ07RbDMzp5T5y9K9AWF7SE0UzdQbLcVJuX-AJHQIGQ3-9FXlsXBuxT1eZ6tyKR2CEk/s640/P6130488.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Mitla Ruins</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirMCeUdi5QsbB7tvqJS651mnhwJGJPYI9EnYAnPq5p81wZgUOEPKm-RFuz3_SKMLBCfAkbCniRgOuD3bFvIEBbe8lPPNkH3pAGsOrwMh54xydn-cQOpoZXd4_-w95bpz-wG4xl3w5qZic/s640/P6130500.JPG" height="480" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">"!Con cuidado Aneta!"</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUUi7CE93QmlEsTH5imC_XnyaXjx5AVQbuLj4ALmk2wZdOju2Y8k15vAsV2IpwyOm_m4KdgNvezzBugkoCYK_Wg96sGaXcchG5gnFuLx6G56CuWs4dU1__jREmj7Num0y5Rnfa-jp_oNc/s1600/P6130485+(Small).JPG" height="480" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">check out that fret work</span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaeVMpCtazbWuLaqKlFxRlDzYPh2QOR2wJoNnu8304bwh_kkTlB0ZkjNld0GE-WloZ2vrPSqPWcSzcdE55iMjxlZVHzYEn6pivjZjfys44X3Awf5FzAt9MUl9_96dE6vUTFb9D_llP1bg/s1600/P6130513.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaeVMpCtazbWuLaqKlFxRlDzYPh2QOR2wJoNnu8304bwh_kkTlB0ZkjNld0GE-WloZ2vrPSqPWcSzcdE55iMjxlZVHzYEn6pivjZjfys44X3Awf5FzAt9MUl9_96dE6vUTFb9D_llP1bg/s1600/P6130513.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">On our way to Hierve de Agua. On the way even before we left Milta we noticed three hitch hikers that didn't look too shady. So we pulled over and they said they were going to Hierve where we were going. They were from Czech Republic, Spain and Mexico. Until now we have not been able to give anyone a ride except for short rides on the bumper to locals because in Steamboat we took out our back seats and we do not have room but on this day most of our stuff was back at the apartment.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Our last stop was Hierve el Agua which means the water boiling, however it is just bubbling water really though. It was very rocky, steep and windy mountain road but we made it and the views were worth it. The site is known for it's calcified formations that look like waterfalls from a distance that formed over thousands of years. I believe that there is only one other site like this in the world which is somewhere in Turkey. More on it here, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hierve_el_Agua" target="_blank">Hierve el Agua</a>.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqvQ4WQ9Tfsr1j-PqPIXhZMw7Cl6phbP9SLP3yUV6Hm3h6VWlctQPoAZIJIaezeB-bMTe4byyrFDGOARPQ9gpJ1C8is04U1g4cULwkMdNq0bNspTRuVo1HCTMGzqU5NGTU1REpQJfkdnE/s1600/P6130517.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqvQ4WQ9Tfsr1j-PqPIXhZMw7Cl6phbP9SLP3yUV6Hm3h6VWlctQPoAZIJIaezeB-bMTe4byyrFDGOARPQ9gpJ1C8is04U1g4cULwkMdNq0bNspTRuVo1HCTMGzqU5NGTU1REpQJfkdnE/s1600/P6130517.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Load up!!!</span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMUTn_77_qDF4_FlbhN4g1DZDfBPBOOvimn0Yi4qc1bQ6BCGsIROvDc1-KqE3ko-jeAwZUOFx4izXbUQZmHTSm3VweWHDxc0S9QU9imuZfITv9gGiVUS7aB-SM-WubJGSmGxgYbUvi0iA/s1600/P6130549.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMUTn_77_qDF4_FlbhN4g1DZDfBPBOOvimn0Yi4qc1bQ6BCGsIROvDc1-KqE3ko-jeAwZUOFx4izXbUQZmHTSm3VweWHDxc0S9QU9imuZfITv9gGiVUS7aB-SM-WubJGSmGxgYbUvi0iA/s1600/P6130549.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">It was late in the evening and cooling off quick but these four (I was a bit sick and didn't want to agitate it any more) decided to take a dip in the pool which is right on the edge of the cliff, it is like an infinity pool in the mountains.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPiz_Y5qY-CHlMzhtGWhe7MF8iRnSNAM8VDF7LyWLc8Z69WhBUTaXEqXbVNHjRLNXtuuyyxI8Ye2JNt2MR4PR6YZb9ytPTgsaG9nzvn6bMSZCPTcQlGB_rCnrtE2bKakh2clftZMqPydw/s1600/P6130531.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPiz_Y5qY-CHlMzhtGWhe7MF8iRnSNAM8VDF7LyWLc8Z69WhBUTaXEqXbVNHjRLNXtuuyyxI8Ye2JNt2MR4PR6YZb9ytPTgsaG9nzvn6bMSZCPTcQlGB_rCnrtE2bKakh2clftZMqPydw/s1600/P6130531.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">The calcified rock that basically looks like a waterfall</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Oq7_dDWiCY06JevSG2AeTK-O6USV9kSLaY4lJbqwrzUC6RIWNw3AK5vcr83ae2rtliIJrL5vFHE8o30SMX35AtYZKWFcYPMdXC-VkLuCMZk_5YpCexZiQFkWLW6qjwI9CaI6NiyBLFw/s1600/P6130525+(Medium).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Oq7_dDWiCY06JevSG2AeTK-O6USV9kSLaY4lJbqwrzUC6RIWNw3AK5vcr83ae2rtliIJrL5vFHE8o30SMX35AtYZKWFcYPMdXC-VkLuCMZk_5YpCexZiQFkWLW6qjwI9CaI6NiyBLFw/s1600/P6130525+(Medium).JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>Adios Amigos, till next time....</i></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho0O2MXjuJ4m8TyKSfbeXXINifUtlVXoU_EbY2FFFiVdjE4YWftm0vg1QIg6NZ5tw-c8UCGYhyphenhyphenPWY7aHzh-6DUsDOxyaTtKG5VNcydmd7E61MM_JoeYUUJV7KRwH7HjA-XJjWiA8QeyAM/s1600/PB240258+%2528Medium%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho0O2MXjuJ4m8TyKSfbeXXINifUtlVXoU_EbY2FFFiVdjE4YWftm0vg1QIg6NZ5tw-c8UCGYhyphenhyphenPWY7aHzh-6DUsDOxyaTtKG5VNcydmd7E61MM_JoeYUUJV7KRwH7HjA-XJjWiA8QeyAM/s1600/PB240258+%2528Medium%2529.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">On Friday, December 21th, 2012 we were awaken at 5am by an incredible wind. Avocados and Oranges were bouncing off our roof left and right. The end of the13th Baktun was here and according to the Mayans we were now entering a new era. Some "loco gringos" thought that this was the end of the world and with the extreme wind and trees falling all around it almost felt like it for a second but we are still here. At 7:30am I went to make some fresh Jaibalito coffee and breakfast for the three of us: Aaron, Travis and myself only to learn that the electricity was out again... so we ended up going to breakfast at Hans's.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVnkKOaYEnzXbiyg2MRgpQTolDtlqyiOCFSTdiF2twMe7arBGYKmNbXSuGV9t6aWciiiAV1arZMjNR_gtpfaVXp9Q_MC9VuOI8E7fkku-Om2ElH8X2AtgdHH03rFx6zZY6io579E0NFPw/s1600/PB120621+%2528Medium%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVnkKOaYEnzXbiyg2MRgpQTolDtlqyiOCFSTdiF2twMe7arBGYKmNbXSuGV9t6aWciiiAV1arZMjNR_gtpfaVXp9Q_MC9VuOI8E7fkku-Om2ElH8X2AtgdHH03rFx6zZY6io579E0NFPw/s1600/PB120621+%2528Medium%2529.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">These two were in a heated debate on whether the world was going to end, it was going on for days...</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Travis came to visit us in Jaibalito for the night and later that day Aaron and Travis were driving to Guatemala City to meet with Travis's family and friends as they were arriving for Helga and Travis's wedding on Sunday, the 23rd.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCsSeMYnXn5PEkD6p6IgAA3yKXEYa5GyPS933aWatA-Clhx4VOjAbThlby5vWajPDXHjbDcqiS-vqmS38TT_eMOoY-5pmmE4JPPVdU34l6T5UTCF_AUrtfYGcj50B3Ybb5a5SJXLmr1P8/s1600/PC230642+%2528Medium%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCsSeMYnXn5PEkD6p6IgAA3yKXEYa5GyPS933aWatA-Clhx4VOjAbThlby5vWajPDXHjbDcqiS-vqmS38TT_eMOoY-5pmmE4JPPVdU34l6T5UTCF_AUrtfYGcj50B3Ybb5a5SJXLmr1P8/s1600/PC230642+%2528Medium%2529.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Congragulations Helga and Travis!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The wedding was very beautiful; Helga and Travis both looked amazing, happy and so much in love! It was very exciting to see them and meet both of their families. The wedding took place at a beautiful hotel complex of <a href="http://irtra.org.gt/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=59&Itemid=89" target="_blank">Los Hostales del IRTRA</a> with amazing landscape, several swimming pools, fountains, spectacular restaurants, tennis courts, gym, and spa. When we arrived we were surrounded by very confident and colorful peacocks strutting around the property. A new and very different side of Guatemala for us! The day after the wedding most of us went to the <a href="http://irtra.org.gt/index.php?option=com_content&view=section&layout=blog&id=7&Itemid=126" target="_blank">Xocomil Waterpark</a> and had a great time racing each other down the slides until Travis was trapped in one of the rides; fortunately about twenty minutes later and unharmed, he was out. :) On Christmas Day we went to Helga's Cousin's house for a wonderful Christmas lunch with delicious traditional Guatemalan food. Yummy! Congratulations Helga and Travis!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Our past couple of months have been filled with visits from friends and family (Aaron's Dad and his fiance), studying and practicing more Spanish, dinner parties, picking and drying coffee, making new friends and saying "Adios" way too soon, taking tons of pictures and worrying that we lost them all but finding them again later, teaching Pilates, and leading Hiking trips around the lake. More on all of this later, but for now let's all enjoy the New Year. We are planning to leave Guatemala in early February for El Salvador and the rest of Central America before heading to Colombia. We are hoping to be in South America by May as long as all goes as planned.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We hope All of You had a wonderful Holiday Season and we wish you could have been here with us as we miss everybody very much during this Holiday Season. We are sending you the best wishes for the New Year 2013: great health, happiness, love, prosperity, and much more.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">According to the Mayans, the 14th Baktun offers hope and change for the better. To the new era and the new beginnings! See you next year. HAPPY NEW YEAR!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Salud!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Aneta and Aaron</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Aneta destroying her first CoCoNuT </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM LAKE ATITLAN</span></td></tr>
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Aneta and Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06033961849066324016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-538413071626428836.post-60019762757229101432012-10-03T18:21:00.001-07:002012-10-24T16:13:52.239-07:00Jaibalito Update<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">All right guys, we agree it is high time for an update! Since some of you already managed to track us down we admit to being in Jaibalito, Guatemala for over a month now. Actually it’s been 57 days, 2 hours and 23 minutes to be exact. We arrived to Jaibalito on August 7th to meet up with Aaron’s Mom Barbe and her friend Andy and …never left. They have been our first visitors so far on our trip and we were very excited to see both of them. We had a great time showing them around the lake, shopping, hiking, cooking great food, and soaking in a hot tub.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Jaibalito is where we came for our honeymoon exactly three years ago and fell in love with it. We stayed on the same property where Barbe and Andy stayed when they were here. Our honeymoon was one of a kind because in addition to our private time we also got to spend it with our great friends from Steamboat: Travis (who was in Peace Corp in Guatemala at the time) and Andy (who was travelling through Central America and met up with us here). It was a great time! And now, we are back in Jaibalito and planning to stay here for a few months till Travis’ wedding in Guatemala to a super sweet and smart Guatemalan girl named Helga. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">August 2009 with Travis, Andy and Amanda at Hans's</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Travis, Helga and Aaron at Fishcreek Falls in Steamboat</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">We hope that this whole crew can make it down to Guatemala for Travis and Helga's Wedding!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Originally, we arrived to Lake Atitlan on August 2nd and were going to care take for a house on the other side of the lake across from Santiago. We parked our car in Santiago at <a href="http://www.posadadesantiago.com/" target="_blank">Posada Santiago</a>, unloaded most of our belongings from the truck and into a boat, and took a boat ride to where the house was. After carrying our stuff up the steep hill, through a beautiful garden with many kinds of orchids, we were able to meet the owner and see her place. We spent a few days at the house, but we decided it was not for us. We decided to live in Jaibalito instead.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Jaibalito</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Jabalito is a very unique little village on Lake Atitlan, which is believed to be one of the most beautiful lakes in the world and for good reason. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjt7CstNchLp_M4RE-6N1tuY11ar27Diab7rmyP15SqyXedEOgCseFkCp80ky5s99pXlclil0wK0BImlYR5uAg5OW6ijmmuP8KGbr6Z1lqxCJ2Wr5DTKPvkSevEdtDk4YwHFA1xS5oOXM/s1600/P9021595+(Medium).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjt7CstNchLp_M4RE-6N1tuY11ar27Diab7rmyP15SqyXedEOgCseFkCp80ky5s99pXlclil0wK0BImlYR5uAg5OW6ijmmuP8KGbr6Z1lqxCJ2Wr5DTKPvkSevEdtDk4YwHFA1xS5oOXM/s640/P9021595+(Medium).JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">The lake is surrounded by three volcanoes and it has an amazing steep coastline very similar to Nā Pali coast on the island of Kaua’i in Hawaii. We don’t want to brag too much, but it truly is spectacular. “Jaibalito es muy tranqilo;” this among other reasons is why we decided to stay. The weather here is like an early summer day in Steamboat, 70’s or 80’s during the day, rain in the afternoon for an hour or two and chilly at night, dipping down into the 50’s at time. The village has no roads leading to it and it is the only village on the lake that is only accessible by boat or foot. If you want to hike to it you better have great hiking boots, endurance of a horse, plenty of water and time as it is not the easiest hike. If you choose the boat ride instead, it is fun and almost always tightly packed! There are no cars, tuk-tuks, bikes, goats or horses here in Jaibalito. The village has about 600 local habitants, 8 gringos (including us), 200 chickens and 300 dogs. The dog population is slowly decreasing thanks to “the dog lady,” who started an animal friendly program to neuter the dogs in the village.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaxE1bQBVN1KWVjVY2b2GgGAaaEqbHDZH9yBbsK52vQ5O_xh5ipMZmPKE5Z0GA9dev8cah7SjA-5BAO76DFNkWWnCej6Bw6QXeGICqhg6JRxRPisE7H9M6_VpP_TOP1Zk4gaztbiJra94/s1600/P9240438+%2528Medium%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaxE1bQBVN1KWVjVY2b2GgGAaaEqbHDZH9yBbsK52vQ5O_xh5ipMZmPKE5Z0GA9dev8cah7SjA-5BAO76DFNkWWnCej6Bw6QXeGICqhg6JRxRPisE7H9M6_VpP_TOP1Zk4gaztbiJra94/s640/P9240438+%2528Medium%2529.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">On the crossroads of Jaibalito</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">There are a few hotels and restaurants here in Jaibalito as well as a few small local “tiendas” (stores), “tortillerias,” and of course six of the most loudest churches on the planet. The hang out place, I mean <a href="http://posadajaibalito.com/" target="_blank">Posada Jaibalito</a> is definitely the most fun and affordable. For about 75Q ($10) you can stay in a dorm for a night, have a generous plate of the best in Guatemala German Goulash and Spätzle, and enjoy a liter of cold Guatemalan beer. Can’t beat it! Hans is the owner of Posada Jaibalito and he is the nicest German man with a very long reddish beard and quiet demeanor. Before we left Steamboat we knew we would be returning back to Jaibalito to see Hans again and for a plate of Goulash. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT-pvS8K7mD9x4qpAUWSI66-29yfiVoDEAl4cDgNkib14oM6a5my59vXQTYldjWJdBInrpH6nbM0dXIYyFxMjNptY4LVVLq8kw0DFSsPgX4kvSJka3J_Es-6Fav2gchGQTKhBRr-VamQU/s1600/P9280726+(Medium).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT-pvS8K7mD9x4qpAUWSI66-29yfiVoDEAl4cDgNkib14oM6a5my59vXQTYldjWJdBInrpH6nbM0dXIYyFxMjNptY4LVVLq8kw0DFSsPgX4kvSJka3J_Es-6Fav2gchGQTKhBRr-VamQU/s640/P9280726+(Medium).JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Hans on Tripple Tigo Minute night</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Whether we need to buy fresh baked German bread, stock up on good cheese, yogurt, fresh chicken or duck eggs from Hans’s fowl, Guatemalan rum, use the Internet or a printer, buy a cell phone or a portable Internet stick, do laundry, pick up a bag of fresh roasted local coffee (roasted right there in the house by Hans himself and grown in the valley), or a jar of homemade sauerkraut made by Mayan women, read the latest Gringo magazine or simply just hang out and socialize with the other gringos in town on a rainy night in Jaibalito, Hans’s place is where we go. The list of services he provides is endless; if you need it, Hans has it.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Hans helped us find a house for rent where we now live. After Aaron’s mom and Andy left we moved to our “hike to house” in the back of town located right on the river. In fact, we have to cross the river to get to our house, which can sometimes be an interesting experience after a big rainfall. Besides the river serves as our “noise blocker;” it blocks the loud music from the churches, “maiz” (corn) machine in the mornings, kids, boats, and of course, dogs and the ever prevalent early birds called Roosters. Our house is probably the funkiest looking house in Jaibalito; it belonged to an American guy from Texas who unfortunately passed away last year. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg70T3WdIxo2kUKp8x1uZ_MFoD6hZ2VgNf_ACZ1ukfT61OrQ5QANj7wbD41kE-27IKNgTVszQgOj_it6IJC3xIAb70njq0avN7p5WOC_e_FQhLlq3_j7cPObCdETaErpiYkSER1O2s9BFg/s1600/PA030002+(Medium).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg70T3WdIxo2kUKp8x1uZ_MFoD6hZ2VgNf_ACZ1ukfT61OrQ5QANj7wbD41kE-27IKNgTVszQgOj_it6IJC3xIAb70njq0avN7p5WOC_e_FQhLlq3_j7cPObCdETaErpiYkSER1O2s9BFg/s640/PA030002+(Medium).JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhugLD0r4GZCdko-456cZxgbyGOiSmCj9qh4N1zwjQvr4nrTzEbPnvH1rDIUaChq3AVig-oY04H2V_UL4O1Q6QX-0qZgI2-fkEMknUot5n388DUpAsl7yqH0mbBo4JgFa1c_2sC02AVhYI/s1600/PA030004+(Medium).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhugLD0r4GZCdko-456cZxgbyGOiSmCj9qh4N1zwjQvr4nrTzEbPnvH1rDIUaChq3AVig-oY04H2V_UL4O1Q6QX-0qZgI2-fkEMknUot5n388DUpAsl7yqH0mbBo4JgFa1c_2sC02AVhYI/s640/PA030004+(Medium).JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">It costs us 600Q (about $75) per month to stay here and we have two big bedrooms, full kitchen, and a bathroom with the hottest shower in Guatemala! We also share the house with quite a few roommates.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjEgpxtd-r3BPOlLyiLHX4BaTbxrHZvAnjF6Zb86MVWle-yr4KA6L2mDJKZeNXPfDa5XPaja8QBnqZX5nfTIWbTL8b59dhgZO4HG5_tKW7oGmEajg1LrFCD3A0VVd0F_ZUbylYl1TGPdI/s1600/P9190292+(Medium)+(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="474" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjEgpxtd-r3BPOlLyiLHX4BaTbxrHZvAnjF6Zb86MVWle-yr4KA6L2mDJKZeNXPfDa5XPaja8QBnqZX5nfTIWbTL8b59dhgZO4HG5_tKW7oGmEajg1LrFCD3A0VVd0F_ZUbylYl1TGPdI/s640/P9190292+(Medium)+(2).jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">I have only been bitten once so far. Don't worry they are not deadly.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">By our house we have a garden with many beautiful flowers including roses and there are four avocado trees, four orange trees, ten banana trees, a passion fruit vine and coffee scattered around the property. Aaron picks eight or so avocados a couple of times a week and we are able to enjoy fresh guacamole almost every day. Aaron also started a veggie garden so that soon we can enjoy our own fresh produce. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We have been having a lot of fun on the lake settling into our new little house, visiting the other villages surrounding the lake, studying Spanish, hiking, making new friends, practicing Pilates together, working on the garden, cooking and baking, reading, and meditating. It took us a few weeks to get organized here as life here happens pretty slowly. Our plan is to be able to lead at least a simple conversation with Helga’s family and friends at the wedding so that means we still have a lot of work to do in the next few months and improve our Spanish. We have been practicing our Spanish every day… with the people of Jaibalito who can only speak Kaqchikel (one of the 22 indigenous Mayan languages spoken around the lake). </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixJqqiFf6SFgKvpNEmIIzZktAIpCH4pqE7Ca7-Ng84zLu-pNytjXPJpX1mGAH02lH6di-wukR-5oUh_ELT9xdcdfAzupH_kmqmZJT4BQynahEJDwdtfCSPTMzGmjAB3x1tumkaqqzDIFQ/s1600/P8080825+(Medium).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixJqqiFf6SFgKvpNEmIIzZktAIpCH4pqE7Ca7-Ng84zLu-pNytjXPJpX1mGAH02lH6di-wukR-5oUh_ELT9xdcdfAzupH_kmqmZJT4BQynahEJDwdtfCSPTMzGmjAB3x1tumkaqqzDIFQ/s640/P8080825+(Medium).JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">The one and only fat rabbit in Jaibalito, fiesta dinner for the whole family in the future</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We are also going to travel around Guatemala as there is so much to see here, volunteer, and find some odd jobs. On Tuesdays and Thursdays Aaron walks over to Santa Cruz where he is currently volunteering at<a href="http://www.amigosdesantacruz.org/vocational-programs.html" target="_blank"> C.E.C.A.P. (Centro de Capacitacion) </a>in Santa Cruz. He is helping with a carpentry workshop for adolescent boys and also gives tips in the kitchen during lunch. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWaSPp9qNjiR4P0InONCqVd2RizebZPuF4wtL2kCGfQ_ODwbfVx5B7HE9OB8bBgh7JDA37IKfDNruSho7CYSp2o0ILOa1zL9ac76DbvSm34sDUhzPddLvEH48oLRpxuRkaQqCggYaHrNI/s1600/P9250545+%2528Medium%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWaSPp9qNjiR4P0InONCqVd2RizebZPuF4wtL2kCGfQ_ODwbfVx5B7HE9OB8bBgh7JDA37IKfDNruSho7CYSp2o0ILOa1zL9ac76DbvSm34sDUhzPddLvEH48oLRpxuRkaQqCggYaHrNI/s640/P9250545+%2528Medium%2529.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Guatemalan boys at C.E.C.A.P. making picture frames for an exposition</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">After a group of Israelis stumbled upon us at our house one evening looking for one of Jaibalito’s many beautiful waterfalls, we saw a need for a trekking service. Aaron is planning to lead hiking trips around Jaibalito to visitors and I am going to instruct Pilates mat classes in a few hotels in Jaibalito and Santa Cruz. It is the rainy season until the end of October so we plan on travelling to the Pacific coast this week before we are busy with trekking and Pilates.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">So that is what we have been up to lately; we miss our family and friends very much, but at the same time we have been appreciating our time away from stress of daily work and the typical American way of life. Between here and Oaxaca we traveled around the Yucatan peninsula, Belize, and Northern Guatemala and a lot has happened since then. Since we have been on the road and camping most of that time with no consistent access to the Internet we realize that we have some catching up to do. We are planning to relive our memories and write some posts about that time in between; thank you all for your patience and understanding. As always, the invitation is open for visitors to come and see us; until the middle of December we have an extra bed at our place. Come January we are back on the road!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Till next time! Hasta luego.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Santa Cruz</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg24e45sgJBHfk6sznEPNTM4D86UiYBPaQ7xy1XVUtl7OvlZVr1RNAfpELzn1hC46xAcFdfnqdUPOGrk7l_lXuvKOwg49o8P5dvlhQFyvFFgirJCEwlZJsHrBRoRSIol7XR7UPDzUrHH6A/s1600/P8211547+(Medium).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg24e45sgJBHfk6sznEPNTM4D86UiYBPaQ7xy1XVUtl7OvlZVr1RNAfpELzn1hC46xAcFdfnqdUPOGrk7l_lXuvKOwg49o8P5dvlhQFyvFFgirJCEwlZJsHrBRoRSIol7XR7UPDzUrHH6A/s640/P8211547+(Medium).JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Dehulling and roasting coffee at Hans's</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Jaibalito below</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi33vIX-L-6qsHsH0y3Hi5JemucpSPheDCaN37aZPs4xH1YufN2sNi21u4q7v6gWXWQgBX6l1ZxrXAqVXXa36KBeKA956_OlNmutJkmVoI6jQf0uPJFdXidI5ibSaiK4IKuyXktQgvl79s/s1600/P9150117+(Medium).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi33vIX-L-6qsHsH0y3Hi5JemucpSPheDCaN37aZPs4xH1YufN2sNi21u4q7v6gWXWQgBX6l1ZxrXAqVXXa36KBeKA956_OlNmutJkmVoI6jQf0uPJFdXidI5ibSaiK4IKuyXktQgvl79s/s640/P9150117+(Medium).JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">"One day with practice I will have that kind of balance, one day!"</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">not sure who had a worse day</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Learning how to spin cotton in San Juan</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Enjoying Aaron's Birthday at Ven Aca, the high end restaurant in Jaibalito</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">"Quit taking pictures of me gringo" says the horse</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Busy Mercado day, this is where we buy our veggies in Panajachel</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Gateau de Riz Aux Figues (Rice Pudding Cake with Figs)</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">El Jardin de Aaron</span><br />
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Aneta and Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06033961849066324016noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-538413071626428836.post-13742848721347365392012-06-23T20:01:00.001-07:002012-10-03T19:27:19.629-07:00Oaxacan Chocolate Time<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;">A little slash and burn for cattle on our way to Oaxaca</span></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: large;">We must say that we are now in the rhythm of blogging, we are having a great time putting these posts together for you and cracking up as we do, if we could only catch up us all bloggers wish. We have been in Oaxaca for six weeks and are headed off to San Cristobal and then possibly the Yucatan.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: large;">After a very winding six hour drive from Puerto Escondido, we arrived to Oaxaca in the late afternoon. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">This is our favorite stop for Chocolate Frio, the best in the world cold chocolate milk </span></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: large;">We walked around the city, explored the Zocalo (square), and looked for a place to stay. Most hotels and hostels here are at least 300 pesos per night for two people, however one can find cheaper accommodations for about 200 pesos per night. That night we stayed at a trailer park in the middle of the city for 150 pesos per night for both of us. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: large;">We liked Oaxaca right away and knew we wanted to spend some time here. Due to the amount of stuff to do and see in the immediate area we knew that we needed more than a week.</span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: large;"> So the next day we started our hunt for an apartment, walked around in the heat all day, and knocked on many random doors. "Se renta departamento aqui?" we asked. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">This door didn't even had a sign "Se Renta," but we knocked anyway.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: large;">It took us two long, hot days and a lot of door knocking to find the perfect small apartment. It is inexpensive (2500 pesos per month), very clean, has a private kitchen and bathroom, and includes furniture, utilities, and Internet. Much cheaper than staying anywhere else, including a campground. It is a five minute walking distance from Oaxaca Streechildren Grassroots organization and Pan y Mas bakery and about fifteen minutes from the Zocalo. We only use the car on the weekends and walk everywhere else during the week; this helps with our budget and gives us a little extra exercise. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-size: large;">The apartment is secured by three locked doors and five dogs and it has a patio with a spectacular view. It even came with a couple of very cute and affectionate cats (they live upstairs with our neighbors, but Bookie, the kitten, thinks she belongs to us and even more so she thinks our bed belongs to her). What else do we need?</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: large;">Prior to our arrival, I made arrangements via email to visit El Centro de Esperanza Infantil about volunteering opportunities. The Centro is part of Oaxaca Streetchildren Grassroots, a great non-profit organization helping many poor Oaxacan families with their children's education. Children go there every day before or after school to do their homework, read books, learn how to use computers, and eat "comida" (lunch). As I learned, for many the lunch is the primary and sometimes the only meal of the day.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Me and the crew at <a href="http://www.oaxacastreetchildrengrassroots.org/" target="_blank">Oaxaca Streetchildren</a></span></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: large;">After our first visit to the Centro, we stopped for lunch at Pan Y Mas, a small local bakery with an amazing selection of breads and other baked goods. We met the owners: Suzanne from Colorado and Alex from Mexico. We got into talking and after a while, Aaron had a place to volunteer too. In exchange for learning how to bake and delicious freshly baked bread, he is able to help out in the kitchen and help develop new sandwich and pizza ideas. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Inside Pan y Mas Bakery</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>This is what our typical day in Oaxaca looks like.</i></span><br />
<b><u><span style="font-size: large;">Aneta:</span></u></b><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: large;">My alarm rings at 6:45 am; even though I am on vacation I try to get up early every morning. I exercise for an hour - I usually do my Pilates routine on our patio overlooking the city of Oaxaca. It's great to do it first thing in the morning before it gets too hot. Sometimes, instead of Pilates, I take a walk/run up the hill behind our house. First, you go up the stairs to where the amphitheater is (where the famous Guelaguetza dance festival honoring the goddess of corn takes place every July) by the Benito Juarez statue (Benito Juarez is very popular here as he spent his youth living and studying in Oaxaca). </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: large;">If you keep walking past the amphitheater, you will come upon the Oaxacan Planetarium. From there you can walk all the way up the mountain; the view from up there is fantastic.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">After my exercise, I take a shower, Aaron and I make green smoothies for breakfast (yeah!), and then I am ready to go to the Centro. I volunteer at the Centro every day; I teach English, help children with their homework, help out in the kitchen as well as in the administration, basically whatever is needed. The Center is a lot of fun; I am meeting many other volunteers and am able to practice my Spanish with the kids (luckily for me the kids are very patient teachers). The organization is very volunteer friendly; it's free and you get to pick your own schedule. If you are interested, please visit their website for more information </span><a href="http://www.oaxacastreetchildrengrassroots.org/" style="background-color: white;">http://www.oaxacastreetchildrengrassroots.org/</a><span style="background-color: white;">.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"> This is me and 15 year old Rogelio during one of my private English classes</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">Today at the Center I had a couple of English classes, helped the ladies in the kitchen, and searched online for some fundraising opportunities for the organization. I was done at about 3:30 pm and went to pay Aaron a visit at the bakery, where I tasted some yummy fresh bread. </span><span style="background-color: white;">After I came back home, it was time to do laundry; we do our laundry by hand here just like most of the Oaxacan people. Then I set down at the computer to check my email and make some phone calls on Skype. Later tonight Aaron made another great dinner - Pasta alla Carbonara, we drank a little cheap Spanish wine, sipped some aromatic Oaxacan hot chocolate for desert, and relaxed after our busy day. Beats work :)...</span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Oaxacan Hot Chocolate Time!!!</span></td></tr>
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<u><b><span style="font-size: large;">Aaron:</span></b></u><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I sometimes get up with Aneta and do her torture </span>Pilates<span style="font-family: inherit;"> workout or we go running up the hill and I make her run all the way up since she gets me up at 7am to go running, so we must run. I then do a little research on the Internet about Oaxaca, where we are going to go next when we leave here or about destinations in other countries we will be going to next. After that I practice </span>Spanish<span style="font-family: inherit;"> for an hour or two with flash cards, audio files or online programs. Then, it is time to go to the bakery or restaurant; I was helping out at the bakery for the first three weeks that we were here and now I am at the restaurant.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">I made these calzones at the bakery</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">At a Naka Birthday Party (more on that later) we met Rodolfo, the Owner and Chef of <a href="http://www.origenoaxaca.com/comedor.html" target="_blank">ORIGEN</a> restaurant located near the Zocalo. He puts a twist on the typical Oaxacan cuisine that he grew up with and had made Origen one of the top restaurants in Oaxaca. This opportunity has allowed me to gain experience in his kitchen where Rodolfo has taught me Oaxacan and Mexican cooking techniques and recipes. I even had the opportunity to join and assist in a cooking class for cooking students from San Francisco, Ca. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Chef Rodolfo of Origen Restaurant</span></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Later, it is usually meeting up with Aneta and browsing the city or getting back late from the restaurant and just going to bed. It has been a real treat to be able to practice cooking in Oaxaca with such great people in such a beautiful atmosphere.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Since we have been in Oaxaca we have been enjoying what the city has to offer. We have been able to make friends and meet up with other travelers that are on similar trips as we are. There is a lot of history here as well as mixed Spanish and indigenous cultures and traditions. Archaeological sites, art galleries, theaters, churches, museums, mercados, restaurants and cafes are everywhere. Oaxaca is known for its great food; it is home to Mexican moles, chocolate, coffee, and Tequila's brother, Mezcal. Well, we fit right in :)... </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">The face of a Woman who has not seen Chocolate in a while...</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Now, the face of a Man :)</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Outside of the city, there are many archaeological sites and to the North there are the Sierra Norte mountains which stand at over 3000 meters (10000 feet) and are within a 30 minute drive of our apatment; they are full of outdoor activities. The weather in Oaxaca is great too; it's sunny and warm during the day and pleasantly cool at night since Oaxaca is located at 1550 meters (5085 feet). It often rains in the afternoons and evenings, but only for about an hour or two, and after it rains the air is very refreshing. Gotta love it!</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Map of the Oaxaca area showing the large amount of activities surrounding the area</span></td></tr>
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<b><u><span style="font-size: large;">Around Town</span></u></b></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">A little Chapuline (grasshopper) tasting on the street with Shannon and Brenton of <a href="http://www.ruinedadventures.com/" target="_blank">Ruined Adventures</a>, no we are not the only ones doing a trip like this. You can also check out <a href="http://overlandsphere.com/" target="_blank">Overland Sphere</a> for other overlanders all over the world. </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Chapulines are with our favorite flavors of... you guessed it! Salt, Chile and Lime. And Garlic.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Polish Pope John Paul II is in almost every church we have been to in Mexico; the Mexican people Love Papa!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Santo Domingo Church</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Interior of Santo Domingo Church. Over 60,000 pieces of 23.5 K gold leaf paper were used to adorn it.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Danzon (dancing) in the Zocalo on Wednesday Evenings</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxgS3bLcKZ6S4ERjhK3hcmClTala8gOX3ojqK7LDODsC3CEDenmEXbfwgZKnxJqE42PbROM2yw4XgK5ueY_eYUzX0e7_6qHvza63AT0APSBXSOJhHvPM1kZfrcxnHSc46q5SOe7BwDKtk/s1600/P5300025.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxgS3bLcKZ6S4ERjhK3hcmClTala8gOX3ojqK7LDODsC3CEDenmEXbfwgZKnxJqE42PbROM2yw4XgK5ueY_eYUzX0e7_6qHvza63AT0APSBXSOJhHvPM1kZfrcxnHSc46q5SOe7BwDKtk/s320/P5300025.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Dinner on our terrace with Shannon and Brenton from <a href="http://www.ruinedadventures.com/" target="_blank">Ruined Adventures</a></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivpV1dZeL1bJ1s00acr4HdKIfgTgWNfJoDT5Szu-C8WbW2R-S9-MgRZz1xE98TrVlFnMYSTIokdAsnXAJ33vgXJhC3-lfnoGFc21VM_DzrqXWFadccuHC3dLP9oRfVMBunJAmbUe-Fs3U/s1600/P6070071.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivpV1dZeL1bJ1s00acr4HdKIfgTgWNfJoDT5Szu-C8WbW2R-S9-MgRZz1xE98TrVlFnMYSTIokdAsnXAJ33vgXJhC3-lfnoGFc21VM_DzrqXWFadccuHC3dLP9oRfVMBunJAmbUe-Fs3U/s320/P6070071.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">We accidentally came upon this Corpus Christi procession as we do with most events in Mexico</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLCxFainm2N-hyDDfYodpcucU4i54hfbQWo1iMd72bD3-lfz2potThIoQheSDzd6NalZYleW2SibR2nXFZJU0OtCu4Kd3HVI9Ws1jCuUQzddHZC35lvPdop5tejFswoup7rWPmfzGKWwE/s1600/P6090222.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLCxFainm2N-hyDDfYodpcucU4i54hfbQWo1iMd72bD3-lfz2potThIoQheSDzd6NalZYleW2SibR2nXFZJU0OtCu4Kd3HVI9Ws1jCuUQzddHZC35lvPdop5tejFswoup7rWPmfzGKWwE/s320/P6090222.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">A parade for pretty much walking around the Zocalo and drinking some Mezcal!!!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqr-pQ2dJ_JWhiU0Eygxs8HSC0phV0rk-nm2S_ulfb6eDhisUOmwLn3dGCIbkTj6qJHdnNSEy9oJX5eU23W4GTFOWqecsV8ZSdegqDSlwpuiynMAFXjvieQe9NhRgbp7kEetWYUFTLqbw/s1600/P6110250.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqr-pQ2dJ_JWhiU0Eygxs8HSC0phV0rk-nm2S_ulfb6eDhisUOmwLn3dGCIbkTj6qJHdnNSEy9oJX5eU23W4GTFOWqecsV8ZSdegqDSlwpuiynMAFXjvieQe9NhRgbp7kEetWYUFTLqbw/s320/P6110250.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Catedral de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Music in the Zocalo</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh9SM0ykMd458EP_LC9rP7IEj5cXQ7vkGhqkHMewwNQECcm1skJYpNViV4of5GlLhCSu0nnLR9SVV-Zt1j5gFF4Aw1MrmcTlKFh_7Na6INGZ9mS6h-w9-T-TxnGEVe4qb4MN4PjUr9aXY/s1600/P6150025.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh9SM0ykMd458EP_LC9rP7IEj5cXQ7vkGhqkHMewwNQECcm1skJYpNViV4of5GlLhCSu0nnLR9SVV-Zt1j5gFF4Aw1MrmcTlKFh_7Na6INGZ9mS6h-w9-T-TxnGEVe4qb4MN4PjUr9aXY/s320/P6150025.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">View from our terrace</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeU3-dBCoIRoFTnoMa9rKPsnaPVgC-ibxKhNxeTtAJnr9AhCLTQWhg_Kxl-UyfYCrhT9ZweJV2jh1_PIgjSnPGJeJIjbsmkebcRwo94p8nmCV9_b3_jzu35gztsX9wV0JiIuCWByL9Nu4/s1600/P5200010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeU3-dBCoIRoFTnoMa9rKPsnaPVgC-ibxKhNxeTtAJnr9AhCLTQWhg_Kxl-UyfYCrhT9ZweJV2jh1_PIgjSnPGJeJIjbsmkebcRwo94p8nmCV9_b3_jzu35gztsX9wV0JiIuCWByL9Nu4/s320/P5200010.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Guelaguetza Dance Festival </span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;">Amphitheater, it is above our house so we never get lost going home</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDrqZzEbeTb3o_SQN32Kd9yPqCBQo-C7MDxNKeMJHbSqUG0dLpIsDd6ExB6VsgGTB9YH2yxh2aVza56kPTS-QFgVVucXrTw0346KwUex0fkqKq9z-gB2I21ThkBGlErosLSvG06SOAbHQ/s1600/P6070006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDrqZzEbeTb3o_SQN32Kd9yPqCBQo-C7MDxNKeMJHbSqUG0dLpIsDd6ExB6VsgGTB9YH2yxh2aVza56kPTS-QFgVVucXrTw0346KwUex0fkqKq9z-gB2I21ThkBGlErosLSvG06SOAbHQ/s320/P6070006.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">View of </span><span style="font-size: small;">Monte Alban </span><span style="font-size: small;">from our "running" area </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8FcbDMZkVvxLGy5cPmAPePxV5KBvouHLrSZQDAK41a5JtB7mZMxFPkUOqz6SbqKbz68gjuoeaZpPYRksvfNOsQYb8Yu_1FCozp-PyK6BvtZ5HElB62y-Z8MEdazxaoD2ajsRMtlTtVV8/s1600/P6100431.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8FcbDMZkVvxLGy5cPmAPePxV5KBvouHLrSZQDAK41a5JtB7mZMxFPkUOqz6SbqKbz68gjuoeaZpPYRksvfNOsQYb8Yu_1FCozp-PyK6BvtZ5HElB62y-Z8MEdazxaoD2ajsRMtlTtVV8/s320/P6100431.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Making Hot Chocolate the Oaxacan way</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><u>El Centro de Esperanza Infantil</u></b></span><br />
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<b><u><span style="font-size: large;">Pan y Mas</span></u></b></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Aaron with Suzane and Georgina in the kitchen</span></td></tr>
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<u><b><span style="font-size: large;">Origen Restaurant</span></b></u></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Octopus Salad</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Cooking Class</span></td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><u><span style="font-size: large;">Pilates on the Terrace</span></u></b></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzs2F7DgFtft3H_vmkWXSqJORuMjsKSNnE-i6fQiu3u5e-bd3kaGmz1mr5t56syFK2ZAOCgFnS__qa-iLN198XnH6Eb1WfedwYzoIPkvslSbvPs0AKaIhI8YoWtoLMxl_X-5jpnv5m1kk/s1600/P5220301.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzs2F7DgFtft3H_vmkWXSqJORuMjsKSNnE-i6fQiu3u5e-bd3kaGmz1mr5t56syFK2ZAOCgFnS__qa-iLN198XnH6Eb1WfedwYzoIPkvslSbvPs0AKaIhI8YoWtoLMxl_X-5jpnv5m1kk/s320/P5220301.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">You're doing it all wrong guys</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiQAqfRGjZplWGhwDjeFO1iMCLuHZv44D_tFr7vaNg_qcmm0KW3-dw3BHcmecdpO5wZpyqTYdU-3a-1X_F7RxYAtOEYTuC4GiH9ncE1rSL-9g6Su2KnnLP7rsaTRXfjQBk5R34mbVxPxU/s1600/P5220311.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiQAqfRGjZplWGhwDjeFO1iMCLuHZv44D_tFr7vaNg_qcmm0KW3-dw3BHcmecdpO5wZpyqTYdU-3a-1X_F7RxYAtOEYTuC4GiH9ncE1rSL-9g6Su2KnnLP7rsaTRXfjQBk5R34mbVxPxU/s320/P5220311.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Yes, Master Aneta</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7ufRtS7L7U1b-G-g7IV7QFcIv0lh8EHOEEqbXsQ88QHleyD_dr-ZQkv4Cra9IsCixhhNP26vaqqTvO6iZuXDcUFNUpa7rssySjHa54y-sVzBHTWDBFGNGafMBwFxCHcQ1kNqIrk8-f28/s1600/P5220332.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7ufRtS7L7U1b-G-g7IV7QFcIv0lh8EHOEEqbXsQ88QHleyD_dr-ZQkv4Cra9IsCixhhNP26vaqqTvO6iZuXDcUFNUpa7rssySjHa54y-sVzBHTWDBFGNGafMBwFxCHcQ1kNqIrk8-f28/s320/P5220332.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Aah!!! Much better boys, now hold that for one minute</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZm8sdYkz-RyP1tT4DAQOgDBoDPRpe8WyN9Xg-phWqTshDLZ9QmmFPEIEBNBiPioEg-MN1NyFuv4SmCCeDFxnyod8jUEr-VgCCzhdZiA_TlmM5YKxogVgjCuNUmLtJDPr4SHu8NMNlhZg/s1600/P5220362.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZm8sdYkz-RyP1tT4DAQOgDBoDPRpe8WyN9Xg-phWqTshDLZ9QmmFPEIEBNBiPioEg-MN1NyFuv4SmCCeDFxnyod8jUEr-VgCCzhdZiA_TlmM5YKxogVgjCuNUmLtJDPr4SHu8NMNlhZg/s320/P5220362.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Great form, Aneta</span></td></tr>
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Aneta and Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06033961849066324016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-538413071626428836.post-20116700016665873272012-06-12T09:51:00.002-07:002012-06-12T09:51:22.549-07:002012 Pacific Mexico Beach Review from One Couple’s Perspective (Part II)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt9RWFqzmdnRxcFk4LVL3EtNCQ2JgJjai2tgtOWv-bY0vEu8IY_qviLFwNFFjGhyphenhyphenouNtyMTtCSXaRdgjYynZp0QdDe1Wele4V1hJrNOpg37Fc1eqTe_vGlHyMgFaiUndyAc_4eNG3zLLg/s1600/P5250633.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt9RWFqzmdnRxcFk4LVL3EtNCQ2JgJjai2tgtOWv-bY0vEu8IY_qviLFwNFFjGhyphenhyphenouNtyMTtCSXaRdgjYynZp0QdDe1Wele4V1hJrNOpg37Fc1eqTe_vGlHyMgFaiUndyAc_4eNG3zLLg/s640/P5250633.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><span style="font-size: large;">Ixtapa and
Zihuatanajo<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">We arrived to Ixtapa midday and stopped at a Trailer Park on
the ocean. It was nice and quiet, but far from the town and the main beach so
we decided to keep on going making a few stops along the way. <b>Ixtapa</b> has a big swimming beach, many
hotels and restaurants, all-inclusive resorts, and a lot of tourist attractions
such as parasailing and fishing. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOrabk3PO3p8G5CJU_jdcKyPOyvahSYZwMxTEN11PqS3I1fe1DLOoVaJdFRycTG7fd4ghHMW_nrHnu8zuBu7qiJf0Lghct0A7s1LJ1EcuKCfeI5vh5yl_3CBmBmlpbGf0HpBGFue30fa0/s1600/P5260642.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOrabk3PO3p8G5CJU_jdcKyPOyvahSYZwMxTEN11PqS3I1fe1DLOoVaJdFRycTG7fd4ghHMW_nrHnu8zuBu7qiJf0Lghct0A7s1LJ1EcuKCfeI5vh5yl_3CBmBmlpbGf0HpBGFue30fa0/s640/P5260642.JPG" width="480" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">We luckily stumbled upon the Voladores performance. We were really wanting to see this!!! Here is some more info on them. <a href="http://www.familyonbikes.org/educate/lessons/voladores.htm" target="_blank">About Voladores</a><br /><div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">There is also an island with a great beach,
snorkeling, and many seafood restaurants, which is accessible by boat for about
40 pesos per person. We made our lunch, checked out the Ixtapa Malecon, and a
crocodile and iguana sanctuary. </span></div>
</span></td></tr>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Then we stopped at a local frozen yogurt shop for a yummy and
cold dessert and to take advantage of the available Wi-fi. We also went to look
at the marina, which was full of attractive and expensive boats, but this time
of the year the docks were empty.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">It was getting late and we still had to find a place to camp
for the night so we decided to drive to Zihatanajo in the next bay over.
According to our web search, there were a few trailer parks there. We arrived
in Zihatanajo when the sun was setting. We checked out one trailer park, but it
was too dirty and too expensive. After a few laps in the truck, some asking
around, and ringing many door bells, we came upon a very nice, small place, but
the gate was locked and there was no sign of the owners. By that time, we were very
hungry and ready to consume a savory rotisserie chicken with rice that we
picked up at Sorianna (a big grocery store) on the way there. We sat down on
the sidewalk in front of the gate (since it was too hot to sit in the truck)
and ate our chicken dinner. Hopefully, somebody will show up eventually and
open the gate, right? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Right. We camped there for two nights and hung out in the
Zihatanajo bay. It turned out that we were just a two minute walk from the
beach. We liked Zihatanajo very much: nice town, pretty beaches, and cool
people. We finally were able to do some snorkeling as the water was clearer
than in the North.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTixS0cMbaCwCmJ1Fv-1dqsbdnaAJ7MiaVwCnZPZZUhn5HCBZAakfr94MO1idrwJlQs84fbKgs68w2vK8bEkSGib4bw1iZdYuWKA9nFdvJgyiUi_wc5bgy_33a-U6OUEnh0QgJ0P9qN7Y/s1600/P5270689.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTixS0cMbaCwCmJ1Fv-1dqsbdnaAJ7MiaVwCnZPZZUhn5HCBZAakfr94MO1idrwJlQs84fbKgs68w2vK8bEkSGib4bw1iZdYuWKA9nFdvJgyiUi_wc5bgy_33a-U6OUEnh0QgJ0P9qN7Y/s640/P5270689.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><span style="font-size: large;">Pie de la Cuesta
and Acapulco<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">After a long eight hour drive from Zihatanajo, we arrived to
Pie de la Cuesta, which is just West of Acapulco. We received directions to
Raul’s hotel whom we met in Las Vegas at jewelry and watch repair shop, where I
replaced the battery for my watch before our trip. He offered for us to stay at
his place if we were travelling through the Acapulco area. It took us a while
to find his place, and before we did, we drove down to take a look at the beach
as we always did. It’s a nice, long beach with a great view of Acapulco. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Our truck got stuck in the sand and it took three young
Mexicans, a bunch of rocks and wood, a lot of air out of the tires, a shovel, a
toolbox, and an axe to get it out. It was 7:30 at night and we were running out
of daylight. The Mexican kids reminded us that the “banditos” come out to the
beach after dark. The Acapulco area is considered dangerous at night because of
many drug related crimes. After a lot of sweating, a small tip, and the
Mexicans calling Aaron Mr. Pancho a lot (why we have no idea despite introducing ourselves), we drove off
with no problems.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNOqmTwjAqt8wjNUkgTwlzipZte00MgaUkl0iUAs6IlzZBJmIfDZi8uF0RLram-sI4X-eKwFB5RT5zAQmImX2RI6aeSfyH_bNliYmKGy3UjBNHOPmdVrmSPWyq-7uv0nbpE-jFUgF5mMQ/s1600/P5280714.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNOqmTwjAqt8wjNUkgTwlzipZte00MgaUkl0iUAs6IlzZBJmIfDZi8uF0RLram-sI4X-eKwFB5RT5zAQmImX2RI6aeSfyH_bNliYmKGy3UjBNHOPmdVrmSPWyq-7uv0nbpE-jFUgF5mMQ/s640/P5280714.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Okay, Mr Pancho</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">When we got to Raul’s hotel, we were very happy to take cold
showers and turn on the air conditioning as it was very hot outside. We had
sandwiches for dinner and went to bed early. The next morning we decided to
move on with our journey because the hotel was a little out of our price range.
We drove around Acapulco without even going into town since the traffic was bad
and we had another eight hour drive ahead of us. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><span style="font-size: large;">Chacahua<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">We arrived to Zapotalito at about 6 in the evening and as
soon as we pulled into town we were approached by one of the boat owners
offering us a trip to the island for 400 pesos. There are two ways to get from
Zapotalito to the island of Chacahua. One is to park the vehicle in Zapotalito
and take a 40 minute boat ride and another way is to drive to the town of
Galera (which is about 50 kilometers away), park there, and take a short 10
minute boat ride for 15 pesos per person. Since it was late we decided to spend
the night in Cerro Hermosa, where we threw down our tent at a restaurant, and then
go to the island the next morning. We opted for the short boat ride because of
the price, but if we were to do it again, we would have chosen the longer boat
ride instead. It’s a more fun experience and you avoid the very slow gravel
road. We probably could have blown up our inflatable stand up paddle board and
cross the channel; however, the 15 peso boat ride
was worth it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKQIyhMTTS1T76EjJ5PUNujBZIeKj3QqV-JjYTqGS8MZNJ1qSPNOLqsIfBliq1Cp0kd0fw74v4LWEf5VSPmYyiGbhemkrZSoTDno8YDXE1NpJ9VYyz4e1POQ9RpV0NCqYV48EH4hl_9wM/s1600/P5290771.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKQIyhMTTS1T76EjJ5PUNujBZIeKj3QqV-JjYTqGS8MZNJ1qSPNOLqsIfBliq1Cp0kd0fw74v4LWEf5VSPmYyiGbhemkrZSoTDno8YDXE1NpJ9VYyz4e1POQ9RpV0NCqYV48EH4hl_9wM/s640/P5290771.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">We brought our tent, camping gear, and the surf board on the
boat so we could spend the night on the island. One can camp for free at any
restaurant on the island in exchange for buying the food there. Our boat driver
introduced us to a very nice, spliff smoking older black lady, who was the
owner of the restaurant where we camped. We learned that the restaurant menu
only listed the expensive meals such as fish fillets and shrimp, which are
about 100 pesos per plate. The simpler and cheaper dishes such as tacos,
quesadillas, and guacamole with tostadas are available, but not on the menu;
you need to ask for them.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">After we set up our camp, we headed for the water because it
was very hot. We went swimming and snorkeling and later we went for a very
pleasant, long walk on this beautiful and never ending beach. This island is
very popular with surfers from all over the world; we met Americans, Canadians,
Swiss, Jamaicans and Argentinians. Unfortunately, the waves were still too big
for me so I did not attempt surfing there. Aaron tried a few times, but was
tossed around in the waves quite a bit. During the two days we were there, I
made very good friends with a couple of homeless beach dogs. </span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdvs0bKP59QBj6XvTHwUcUwlYmEDmV-HAOIx6yt1E1EXs_mBr2OXrZG9jw0gBHsmqCPRSLjkBhTZuYwRLd7jrZ79EAKIjfufeIwxC5wxDI_xQVgwF3ruWe6fqRDzyCqVvno45x76gQBEo/s1600/P5300827.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdvs0bKP59QBj6XvTHwUcUwlYmEDmV-HAOIx6yt1E1EXs_mBr2OXrZG9jw0gBHsmqCPRSLjkBhTZuYwRLd7jrZ79EAKIjfufeIwxC5wxDI_xQVgwF3ruWe6fqRDzyCqVvno45x76gQBEo/s640/P5300827.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">I named this pup Tortilla</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Give a dog an old
tortilla and you got a friend for life!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><span style="font-size: large;">Roca Blanca<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">From there we went to Roca
Blanca because we heard the waves were smaller. The beach was beautiful and the
water was clear. The name Roca Blanca surely comes from the amazing white rock
emerging from the middle of the ocean. At Roca Blanca, we had the best and the
cheapest green tamales (chard) with salsa from a lady who was selling them on
the beach. They were 10 pesos for a bag of three!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp8MGnK4DvKyCbUzuHWDb5tnrdhQ3JJV0tlgJNZLDRGKmX9MkIJ684i22DmRObry7-jFVmQrI9_cDdU2KzhATRcRyU0xgxTCqqyyjcf6kMjxkmlS9CtCoonQgAm0ME4U9nJGUuUlruhSo/s1600/P5310872.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp8MGnK4DvKyCbUzuHWDb5tnrdhQ3JJV0tlgJNZLDRGKmX9MkIJ684i22DmRObry7-jFVmQrI9_cDdU2KzhATRcRyU0xgxTCqqyyjcf6kMjxkmlS9CtCoonQgAm0ME4U9nJGUuUlruhSo/s640/P5310872.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">Aaron was more interested in spearfishing
than the waves, which were crashing abruptly near the rocks, so he took out his
spear gun and went out in the evening, but only saw minnows. I watched
him from the shore for a while, studied some Spanish, and did Pilates under the
palapa of the restaurant we were camping at. Then I went to take a shower and
while I was enjoying the nice, cold water, I heard some commotion, but did not
pay much attention. When I exited the shower, Aaron was back and he walked up
to me and said: “Guess what we are cooking tonight?” There was no fish in his
hands and I noticed the restaurant was quiet and empty and the kitchen was
boarded up for the night. The owners went home; I guess they only do breakfast
and lunch there. So we broke out our kitchen and made rice and beans. We went
to the restaurant next door; they were also closed up for the night, but we
knocked on their door and they were more than happy to share their own dinner
with us for a few pesos. We got some quesadillas and a couple of beers from
them; the sweet lady also threw in a free papaya.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">The next morning Aaron went out spearfishing
again and this is what happened. I will let him take over and share his story: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">“Within five minutes I saw the
magnificent sight of a school of 300 Eagle Rays that were two feet long that
were passing by 15 feet below me. They blended in so well that they looked like
the sand was waving at me. It was a breathtaking sight. The owner of the
restaurant we were camping at was not kidding that there were schools of fish there. I
was getting excited so I kept swimming towards three rocks that were a half
mile out. The visibility was 15 feet or so and I started to see the shadows of
fish near the bottom. Then I went to clear my goggles and, as I was doing it, I
reached down for the spear gun that was tied around my wrist to find that the
knot had untied from being in the salty water. I tried to dive down and find it,
but soon realized the currents were moving me around and I had no sense of
where I lost it. I walked out of the water “mucho triste” (very sad) so we left
for Puerto Escondido.”<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSko2zd52Rs26N_9cDTAx7LyoROwbI6ppYfHxfOLEDn-YDhq_7KJPGhoXzeXJ6ArsAMEX6_V5Dy0GlUg_OEpz3nXtxBz3I3i-lfKpOeNahOBfx3_Jdql8xwG3U_yOf6z1KYVcvrBLVia0/s1600/P5310898.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSko2zd52Rs26N_9cDTAx7LyoROwbI6ppYfHxfOLEDn-YDhq_7KJPGhoXzeXJ6ArsAMEX6_V5Dy0GlUg_OEpz3nXtxBz3I3i-lfKpOeNahOBfx3_Jdql8xwG3U_yOf6z1KYVcvrBLVia0/s640/P5310898.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><span style="font-size: large;">Puerto Escondido</span></u></b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIub3DzEEDXUsKYizhf6SFukyJvcVZGIp2GMHD1q4mNPkMSI9xstoVpVQX0Os9xyJju7Nosn4eSm0XFGYkAH4PEXM70zhBrX12RVR2TBPiWjfLzRNUjNWQEeXQAQ_ai-6UZQLNOLQy0a0/s1600/P6040096.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIub3DzEEDXUsKYizhf6SFukyJvcVZGIp2GMHD1q4mNPkMSI9xstoVpVQX0Os9xyJju7Nosn4eSm0XFGYkAH4PEXM70zhBrX12RVR2TBPiWjfLzRNUjNWQEeXQAQ_ai-6UZQLNOLQy0a0/s640/P6040096.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">Puerto Escondido’s Zicatela beach break is one of the
top ten surf waves in the world; it is known as the Mexican pipeline. When we
first walked up to the beach we could feel the force of the waves beneath our
feet. The town was very busy with surfers from all over the world; there are
many great restaurants, shops, and nightlife. The main beach is very
picturesque, but there is no swimming because of a strong rip current.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn-mJqzUU6GhRGzie_8cmgy4d0SX7SbWWpSuubKYnTmy9Z1VyeZDeT0updRonejaEPqoOUXhZmEEw5OoZvhM5q0oaD4KfnSwVoiOOCfZ6lui5vdDo96UOu51E-PTZOORLbIENBK-SzhJw/s1600/P6030003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn-mJqzUU6GhRGzie_8cmgy4d0SX7SbWWpSuubKYnTmy9Z1VyeZDeT0updRonejaEPqoOUXhZmEEw5OoZvhM5q0oaD4KfnSwVoiOOCfZ6lui5vdDo96UOu51E-PTZOORLbIENBK-SzhJw/s640/P6030003.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Ooh Pool Boy!!!</span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">We meant to stay in Puerto for a night or two, but over a
week later it was still hard for us to leave. We stayed at a small hotel Villa Maria
del Mar right across the street from the main beach. It was very inexpensive
(120 pesos per night for both of us), had a pool (which was key since Puerto
Escondido is extremely hot during the day), access to Internet, and a shared
kitchen. The owners Max and Eli were super accommodating too.</span></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjF6FB9g2k81Wa8Jm72Dg5bfQnk2qchDcgkBwOAbHx8Q13KJYwuuXVuywHF2fER3xUiWaGtxp_TEvCuIYU6HMThdkt7oHfqlD2OMsn1CFin4eCLpml1G_SXyMH49MfRrrObjZOp6WE5eo/s1600/P6060215.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjF6FB9g2k81Wa8Jm72Dg5bfQnk2qchDcgkBwOAbHx8Q13KJYwuuXVuywHF2fER3xUiWaGtxp_TEvCuIYU6HMThdkt7oHfqlD2OMsn1CFin4eCLpml1G_SXyMH49MfRrrObjZOp6WE5eo/s640/P6060215.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">We met and hung
out with many great and interesting people like Maria and Guido, a young
Argentinian couple, who were staying at the same hotel and a couple from
Australia, who are riding their motorcycles around the world.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyDLzyxmsuZVg1bx9TwE1HNsTbd57FEB7A-d7BLRsWPiJLi91IjTunRaGAOeZqoq3tRj4CTsF8pSZZxKggBnM0fJmL7FWxrsG1GqfdeJAiNUd2uuC08RPtphCtk4B4-E3H39svH89GM3k/s1600/P6050143.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyDLzyxmsuZVg1bx9TwE1HNsTbd57FEB7A-d7BLRsWPiJLi91IjTunRaGAOeZqoq3tRj4CTsF8pSZZxKggBnM0fJmL7FWxrsG1GqfdeJAiNUd2uuC08RPtphCtk4B4-E3H39svH89GM3k/s640/P6050143.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Can't wait to see these two in Argentina and do some real grilling</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilndDEkDpxp7eOqqKO-IvA5Dq-5wep99BXM485djPDp9ZOUOK-OmzfOlDTlvUCSZYggNMTs49OLN9ctrVBa-myg0Y7k1laZ3kNSh8WiNDaHQY6Ky8oEsfUVs-MoD5-wMTY7rYVmR5To20/s1600/P6040056.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilndDEkDpxp7eOqqKO-IvA5Dq-5wep99BXM485djPDp9ZOUOK-OmzfOlDTlvUCSZYggNMTs49OLN9ctrVBa-myg0Y7k1laZ3kNSh8WiNDaHQY6Ky8oEsfUVs-MoD5-wMTY7rYVmR5To20/s640/P6040056.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"> We were able to
practice our Spanish every day (it is in Puerto that I learned my
favorite phrase: “Mucho calor”) and cooked some great meals with the crew.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Aaron made ceviche a few times as it was very easy to purchase
fresh fish every morning from the fishermen on the beach.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBOooEQ8rvwxlW6iCX0ttR5ktFYUtCExADbyaRqqtatZfixnzJ5c1KoMJE5Py3ME2CYLnCzQVDBwguLxk0is4I8ewcaAr71rHV7STa7yvXpIuRWRACX6xkit3hAKD8iNugh6B7ShjIq5U/s1600/P6010949.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBOooEQ8rvwxlW6iCX0ttR5ktFYUtCExADbyaRqqtatZfixnzJ5c1KoMJE5Py3ME2CYLnCzQVDBwguLxk0is4I8ewcaAr71rHV7STa7yvXpIuRWRACX6xkit3hAKD8iNugh6B7ShjIq5U/s640/P6010949.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd3raOk2J3YrhrpNDpFPoYaEE9coTBJuNnx2GZxEjMtNoIMYAoR1IIDKoXiSmKYr8OCiAGOVQkqK_MVF6IllqpBk2ZjdVUfBQqvKeQ4jvVWuF1VCJPyDuJCPDtPrVFvjj-qU8dPEfinhA/s1600/P6030991.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd3raOk2J3YrhrpNDpFPoYaEE9coTBJuNnx2GZxEjMtNoIMYAoR1IIDKoXiSmKYr8OCiAGOVQkqK_MVF6IllqpBk2ZjdVUfBQqvKeQ4jvVWuF1VCJPyDuJCPDtPrVFvjj-qU8dPEfinhA/s640/P6030991.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Sierra Ceviche, we prefer the lime method and about two hours of sitting time. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceviche" target="_blank">Wikipedia Ceviche</a></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;">I went for a walk/run
on the beach every day at 7am before it got too hot and we watched amazing
sunsets every night. We also enjoyed one of our favorite drinks “agua de coco”
(coconut water) to keep hydrated. Every night before bedtime we took cold
showers because there was no air conditioning in the hotel, just a ceiling fan.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">The waves in Puerto were ridiculously big on the main beach,
but Aaron was able to surf and snorkel at the Carrizolillo beach nearby. It was
a gorgeous, smaller beach surrounded by cliffs on three sides; it had great
swimming, snorkeling, and beginning surfing. To get there we had to walk down
about a thousand steps…</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">In summary, we enjoyed the long stretches of beaches and coastline of Pacific Mexico. After camping at nine beaches and visiting even more the highway 200 is the way
to go in our books. Instead of a week or two that we planned for, it took us a
few good weeks to drive the 1,051 kilometers. Living out of the car and camping
was very easy there. We met great people, took awesome pictures, and had a
wonderful time. It was very nice to be able to take our time and not worry
about being somewhere in a certain time period. After all, this is what this
trip is about…</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="480" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="https://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=h&ll=16.636192,-99.349365&spn=5.040556,7.03125&z=7&output=embed" width="640"></iframe><br /><small><a href="https://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=h&ll=16.636192,-99.349365&spn=5.040556,7.03125&z=7&source=embed" style="color: blue; text-align: left;">View Larger Map</a></small></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u>Ixtapa/Zihuatanajo</u></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtgJdfchimlPv78CL-P-b33mKiUL_WvlVIqJWrkbWTOnr0cKeOLcSiOZbQ0luj4mngF1UtFlUDoNVGbseagdUwgth4I7VODVpZjLd5vth3ObAM2_wIVhJO3F88VPBwM-dmRvY0YgJsOA4/s1600/P5260637.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtgJdfchimlPv78CL-P-b33mKiUL_WvlVIqJWrkbWTOnr0cKeOLcSiOZbQ0luj4mngF1UtFlUDoNVGbseagdUwgth4I7VODVpZjLd5vth3ObAM2_wIVhJO3F88VPBwM-dmRvY0YgJsOA4/s320/P5260637.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Voladores</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Dried Minnows.......</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u>Acapulco</u></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u>Chacahua</u></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u>Roco Blanco</u></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u>Puerto Escondido</u></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoLa1LyrrWXmFAWbwljM8I0WNaf6IXHJf7G41nJyHfnaZ9_v8Ve7XNXcXNmHGsazCtxzBbpgTiwu5Pa3qAzl-ycfRzA90Io0_glikaRlJzhPawFOBETWF9EO8FPof0zcZcqxi5I29jsr8/s1600/P6060161.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoLa1LyrrWXmFAWbwljM8I0WNaf6IXHJf7G41nJyHfnaZ9_v8Ve7XNXcXNmHGsazCtxzBbpgTiwu5Pa3qAzl-ycfRzA90Io0_glikaRlJzhPawFOBETWF9EO8FPof0zcZcqxi5I29jsr8/s320/P6060161.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Carizalillo Beach</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Argentine Grilling</span></td></tr>
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<br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /></div>Aneta and Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06033961849066324016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-538413071626428836.post-38425287268834921162012-06-09T15:40:00.001-07:002012-06-09T15:40:50.637-07:002012 Pacific Mexico Beach Review from One Couple’s Perspective (Part I)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-8o0PEpu4avYXhWgFPFCBLYLo9n6X6gtsLRP9Z0KupK6c2Tf7BI4QOrwJDP9mjpusb72iWJ-C9EzQ2h06P7ebg9vRUdQg2Q8V6OPmm17oW4JoJM7dgIeLv_JzdYi6Iku1tFC-ZLj0z9U/s640/P5220420.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Somewhere on the Pacific Coast of Mexico</span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-8o0PEpu4avYXhWgFPFCBLYLo9n6X6gtsLRP9Z0KupK6c2Tf7BI4QOrwJDP9mjpusb72iWJ-C9EzQ2h06P7ebg9vRUdQg2Q8V6OPmm17oW4JoJM7dgIeLv_JzdYi6Iku1tFC-ZLj0z9U/s1600/P5220420.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">From Colima we drove down to
highway 200 that leads along the Pacific coast, a very spectacular drive. We headed
Southeast and jumped from one lovely beach to another: Pascuales, La Ticla,
Maruata, Playa Azul, Ixtapa and Zihuatanajo, Pie de la Cuesta and Acapulco, Chacahua, Roca
Blanca, and last but not least Puerto Escondido. So far it was the most
beautiful part of our trip; we highly recommend it.</span><br />
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<b><u><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Pascuales<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">We pulled into Pascuales only to find the most powerful
waves. Slamming against the shore, breaking from different directions with no
rhythm, the waves were making an incredible sound. We watched the ocean for a
while, but could not understand its majestic strength. It was breathtaking…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGMvkuE5xOPPLBF9torO1pOdR9BN1UBG5tcOH4v38pWGbeu2KLOYW5-TylM_c967aMDc7fn_MDj2Djm_51nUbfeslojrzxPoLVNbj7d1KvZv9MdC39n7CcBojW933rzNVeHqzjPLJU-yk/s1600/P5200262.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGMvkuE5xOPPLBF9torO1pOdR9BN1UBG5tcOH4v38pWGbeu2KLOYW5-TylM_c967aMDc7fn_MDj2Djm_51nUbfeslojrzxPoLVNbj7d1KvZv9MdC39n7CcBojW933rzNVeHqzjPLJU-yk/s640/P5200262.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">At Pascuales is where we met John, Brent, and Fabi, three
surfers travelling the beaches of Mexico in search of the waves. John is from
California and doing a similar trip to ours; Brent is a surfing instructor from
Australia, and Fabi (Brent’s wife) is a professional body boarder from Brazil.
It turned out we were all going the same direction (South along the shore),
thus we all got in our vehicles and headed for La Ticla as Pascuales was more
beautiful undisturbed.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf7MNjoZNGQPDaPS3d7frWpIWIZc5hD1XubQGTLTPG6e2tbfarVRMmkNFHpFtSPPrsdm6xj2FjUVaPLB9vJyEEkgpyZSByFBq7J39Y-70WihuqSL9ALv3qgvJ54UP5GkbsBW_HE09FmcE/s1600/P5210273.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf7MNjoZNGQPDaPS3d7frWpIWIZc5hD1XubQGTLTPG6e2tbfarVRMmkNFHpFtSPPrsdm6xj2FjUVaPLB9vJyEEkgpyZSByFBq7J39Y-70WihuqSL9ALv3qgvJ54UP5GkbsBW_HE09FmcE/s640/P5210273.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<b><u><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">La Ticla</span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Our three vehicle caravan pulled into La Ticla and occupied
a small Oceanside campground. John, Brent, and Fabi went straight for the water
as Aaron and I watched patiently. The waves were smaller than Pascuales, but
still too large for our beginner liking. La Ticla is definitely a hot surf spot
with huge waves; at least we had to check them out. Later that evening, another
American surfing couple showed up on the beach and we also invited them to camp
with us. Their names were Ian and Alison and they live in Salina Cruz, Mexico.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoJqMspljnUyUbjbHJyApYZSWBfUG0npwfuxCEQp9iGGtXVh3TB10LJgVlg1UWLM6lEvAD3pH3Q3R4i2yNbMUj3yj-Eu4ueDXHZ8eQAdpYzqm19QRKZkhg1NOvIIaekKixTIXPzXI8OQg/s1600/P5220399.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoJqMspljnUyUbjbHJyApYZSWBfUG0npwfuxCEQp9iGGtXVh3TB10LJgVlg1UWLM6lEvAD3pH3Q3R4i2yNbMUj3yj-Eu4ueDXHZ8eQAdpYzqm19QRKZkhg1NOvIIaekKixTIXPzXI8OQg/s640/P5220399.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">The next day I was taking pictures while Aaron bravely
attempted to catch a few waves. I got to admit, my husband does not give up
easily. He paddled out there with the pros not intimidated by the “double over
the head” waves. Even though he didn’t catch any, in my eyes he was a hero!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4if_oGzV_ssYHMuhO4zg3SE15JhoyYiPW3AZZROSPpHWvQrkzhikB4XpuGVV1TVXcrZT0KP9xNKl-IAA5H97Nc1fh8gRPLXww0mnSVwG-viUgsU_iuofKVkKKkmCQGQNOaw7LiAhP4cU/s1600/P5220355.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4if_oGzV_ssYHMuhO4zg3SE15JhoyYiPW3AZZROSPpHWvQrkzhikB4XpuGVV1TVXcrZT0KP9xNKl-IAA5H97Nc1fh8gRPLXww0mnSVwG-viUgsU_iuofKVkKKkmCQGQNOaw7LiAhP4cU/s640/P5220355.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">After a couple of nights hanging out with the other
couples at the palapas, we moved down the coast to where the waves would be a
bit easier. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl8gXEH_V9xu99cabBy2cbk4ASt7KfU9Zt4snmDY99uqvjWNDigcRr1UMkUdU4i54025E1JWSxKvZzQ-e4f_mg-fOjLD1kaBpJHlMvf90LmoV_MpblRZ3-78tF6WjVA73WhTVLPYvMVFQ/s1600/P5210332.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl8gXEH_V9xu99cabBy2cbk4ASt7KfU9Zt4snmDY99uqvjWNDigcRr1UMkUdU4i54025E1JWSxKvZzQ-e4f_mg-fOjLD1kaBpJHlMvf90LmoV_MpblRZ3-78tF6WjVA73WhTVLPYvMVFQ/s640/P5210332.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">This stretch of the coast is the most beautiful that
Mexico has to offer on the Pacific side. It reminded us of the Big Sur
coast in California.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_MLnSu5y5dIaH2xPN30GVv47R0l-0Lxy_qVrP5oCMesHljuLiPU4D16GFQKM4xvaYJ7GlJ9Tqf0D0NPGEpKUnJHqXRiHggDROnr88vAtU330BOwBmJjQKqi2TM5n3ectgV81iM_U4Rhw/s1600/P5240547.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_MLnSu5y5dIaH2xPN30GVv47R0l-0Lxy_qVrP5oCMesHljuLiPU4D16GFQKM4xvaYJ7GlJ9Tqf0D0NPGEpKUnJHqXRiHggDROnr88vAtU330BOwBmJjQKqi2TM5n3ectgV81iM_U4Rhw/s640/P5240547.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<b><u><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Maruata</span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Originally, we stopped at
Maruata just to check it out and have lunch. Everybody told us there is a nice
swimming beach with a much easier surf break which would be great for us. There
are three beaches in Maruata and each of them has Oceanside camping. The first
long beach is great for swimming and beginner surfing and there are very many
restaurants.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiYF0OifqvTMWGs05ki30TpX4T5Q4zR1AA8H055f4wlH3Spx-2aGUYSbu09wop2A5cSPDBaJzrRYSR8FrHqEXr8WNBl4jPjv8mLfv6d7mKNW-ZBLqEDDw8ZNsCb6GLtQ1kNiJ1lNFZEcM/s1600/P5230490.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="145" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiYF0OifqvTMWGs05ki30TpX4T5Q4zR1AA8H055f4wlH3Spx-2aGUYSbu09wop2A5cSPDBaJzrRYSR8FrHqEXr8WNBl4jPjv8mLfv6d7mKNW-ZBLqEDDw8ZNsCb6GLtQ1kNiJ1lNFZEcM/s640/P5230490.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">The second, smaller beach makes quite an impression. It is one of
the most beautiful beaches we have seen so far: great for swimming, clean
water, and an amazing view. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyIJySkxCfgWbBjHQLyjnv0bA-UwkjU4pWfgtqSXyI2RE0ybBmdHpbd2FfyRSYPhwnTcMshSpRXiIKddqdSk7YH_iv0LwXyxo1GbTaWKQcnIbyYngbCc9XpgIiiO9_gMF-o-0JVWfNpW8/s1600/P5220434.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyIJySkxCfgWbBjHQLyjnv0bA-UwkjU4pWfgtqSXyI2RE0ybBmdHpbd2FfyRSYPhwnTcMshSpRXiIKddqdSk7YH_iv0LwXyxo1GbTaWKQcnIbyYngbCc9XpgIiiO9_gMF-o-0JVWfNpW8/s640/P5220434.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;">And then… there is the “hidden treasure” beach, the
third beach. The third beach is where we set up our camp for two nights. Out of
the way and with a beautiful setting was something we could not resist. For 25
pesos (about $2 U.S.) per person per night was the most beautiful setting we
have seen yet. The campground was pretty primitive (no flushing toilets or toilet
seats and no running water), but couldn’t beat the view. </span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbZotxO-dDzsOQOL1L6548jtMmO0xp_qDlC1AlJ6MzgDoU9KYff7SeeNezAQyUSUgpBfM4eaMtsNYT5TI437_oAvUy1jaIoAl9ZiKcN3WKSE4eVwRvLeUHBtHsQUVRN9z3BgNTekALt58/s1600/P5230480.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbZotxO-dDzsOQOL1L6548jtMmO0xp_qDlC1AlJ6MzgDoU9KYff7SeeNezAQyUSUgpBfM4eaMtsNYT5TI437_oAvUy1jaIoAl9ZiKcN3WKSE4eVwRvLeUHBtHsQUVRN9z3BgNTekALt58/s640/P5230480.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">View from the boat of the beach we stayed at.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">There we met two amazing couples and their
dogs from Guanajuato (Paul, Ali, Steve, and Marc), who were taking a break from
the mountains and getting their beach time. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7EiX2tC3yDsjLndGE7O-d5xpBXvJxIf7j7ohqwKvnr2RX7IjCxp_rbd6bH4beEaCjwe3HmIekvnMJklvh1e82WmLbm6c_xQ-Am7pll_4jD26XPMrry_XrzoSzQYztRFDBKueCbcQpnMk/s1600/P5240533.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7EiX2tC3yDsjLndGE7O-d5xpBXvJxIf7j7ohqwKvnr2RX7IjCxp_rbd6bH4beEaCjwe3HmIekvnMJklvh1e82WmLbm6c_xQ-Am7pll_4jD26XPMrry_XrzoSzQYztRFDBKueCbcQpnMk/s640/P5240533.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">We ended up being able to
surf, swim, and do a little fishing from a boat unfortunately with no luck.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1qhyphenhyphenG-JEgvxPCxi4F2pIzztmp8FuHrlR0re_YbCQ5MGoru0HlmsmxEXToK1toRxOAI8ANmnjsG4HMOhrV5r8ZKAuAjIdMzbrRgwbBXDsYOIo3OKap_gcyiC92LHRcFX1_icaqcRw46j8/s1600/P5230444.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1qhyphenhyphenG-JEgvxPCxi4F2pIzztmp8FuHrlR0re_YbCQ5MGoru0HlmsmxEXToK1toRxOAI8ANmnjsG4HMOhrV5r8ZKAuAjIdMzbrRgwbBXDsYOIo3OKap_gcyiC92LHRcFX1_icaqcRw46j8/s640/P5230444.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrg2ZIP4QdbQByGG-DgMaPBk000yi6126EJL0SosyQSV2fEKz89TGtDYOQDU40RsC1ReltYzh8wjC96f4Tjb-Eg6Ln1b59Yx21nfvVjWmrpXz5R2ssrZXyoiVlrNlmjKpWCkAFqbNkM_s/s1600/P5230475.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrg2ZIP4QdbQByGG-DgMaPBk000yi6126EJL0SosyQSV2fEKz89TGtDYOQDU40RsC1ReltYzh8wjC96f4Tjb-Eg6Ln1b59Yx21nfvVjWmrpXz5R2ssrZXyoiVlrNlmjKpWCkAFqbNkM_s/s640/P5230475.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Me and the girls stayed back and had a nice yoga session on the beach. </span><br />
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</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9ZTm8P9MOsJwtfyskI2iUlTj0hE-rNppv8yzWMq7xWiPyuTmyK2thVSWiGwyiSrkh8MwxED-Iiae-32A2LNqxqKIuSD0QWrbrVOKKPD8sznHWyMr3mOGp8glPczL4p9lUu4k4njd1yLE/s1600/P5230496.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9ZTm8P9MOsJwtfyskI2iUlTj0hE-rNppv8yzWMq7xWiPyuTmyK2thVSWiGwyiSrkh8MwxED-Iiae-32A2LNqxqKIuSD0QWrbrVOKKPD8sznHWyMr3mOGp8glPczL4p9lUu4k4njd1yLE/s640/P5230496.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> <span style="font-size: large;">As we entered Maruata, we also
entered the most dangerous route of our trip – highway 200 through the states
of Michoacan and Guerrero. These states have a bad reputation because they have
the most drug cartel activity. Driving only during the day, we experienced the
opposite - the most beautiful coastline, the sunniest weather, and the nicest
people. We are glad we did not avoid the Michoacan and Guerrero beaches. We heard that in the recent years violence along the coast has calmed down.</span></span></div>
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<b><u><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Playa Azul<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">In Playa Azul we could not wait
to leave fast enough due to the unappealing scenery.<span style="line-height: 115%;"> </span>We expected Playa Azul to be more exciting, but after
spending time in Maruata it was hard to find a comparable beach. We are sure
that Playa Azul can be fun, but a very commercial town with multiple hotels and
restaurants was not something we were looking for. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">We looked for a campground for a
while. Finally, we pulled into a hotel that had a secure campground with a pool
and hot showers. The hotel employee told us the price was 100 pesos for both of
us. We set up camp, hopped in the pool, took hot showers, and started cooking
our dinner. A lady in a big sun hat and even bigger sunglasses showed up; we
found out she was the owner of the hotel. She told us that we needed to pay 300
pesos to camp there for the night. We tried to negotiate with her, but she
wouldn’t drop the price. We ended packing up our camp and leaving in the middle
of making dinner. At least we both have already had a soak and have taken hot
showers…<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeQZdUpkdfFafAWdDv0PULLwLpbnAxSlzQjlPSwu-jAeW-XKKya2MeJOgD3FyIV1Vwc3MaoMEP_XKb-U7-V_stlPpmphlub75V-uICoYf_IT4VHEw2AxH5Iq1KixloyuoY33X-wPT7Rk8/s1600/P5250583.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeQZdUpkdfFafAWdDv0PULLwLpbnAxSlzQjlPSwu-jAeW-XKKya2MeJOgD3FyIV1Vwc3MaoMEP_XKb-U7-V_stlPpmphlub75V-uICoYf_IT4VHEw2AxH5Iq1KixloyuoY33X-wPT7Rk8/s640/P5250583.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9f8rxghgZvmoce2EG4UJCGF3crEjFOTTfMLnFkoxMiHJvsamnOBGWpPRyYn0HEWj7I5699QB5I9jsaeU3lqKGopGmdywwWlWjfd2Dr1IXZ4N-7FKVXPOP4gcMabmL8NQ-EMHV19pepHE/s1600/P5250589.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9f8rxghgZvmoce2EG4UJCGF3crEjFOTTfMLnFkoxMiHJvsamnOBGWpPRyYn0HEWj7I5699QB5I9jsaeU3lqKGopGmdywwWlWjfd2Dr1IXZ4N-7FKVXPOP4gcMabmL8NQ-EMHV19pepHE/s640/P5250589.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjRJksZdBhhaeIwv4FK0pSUNR1ylVg1YFLFI0pBZYtLSP3yMeuckVER5MWaLgEg-AY_i_tRr-9mIO_FMeOLdZxaTvBR1fUIkidrQhNLNty3oIkufFKHNvicfTKNK8NZzeQNlr38fRSpeg/s1600/P5250600.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjRJksZdBhhaeIwv4FK0pSUNR1ylVg1YFLFI0pBZYtLSP3yMeuckVER5MWaLgEg-AY_i_tRr-9mIO_FMeOLdZxaTvBR1fUIkidrQhNLNty3oIkufFKHNvicfTKNK8NZzeQNlr38fRSpeg/s640/P5250600.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">We ended up camping for free at
a small beachside restaurant and cooking breakfast for the restaurant owner in the
morning. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitNTFSe2ETU6beidHEPe06totU66E-8h6GvOifsuaILJXKXo59P19XY9svey1vO-zZxhzxrIR3BpD9b2-18ZjwnfFizHa-Nlir4NcpDOKqT5JbgamRl6f0M1eYJTGRTxA9bhNDGnQsZYE/s1600/P5250618.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitNTFSe2ETU6beidHEPe06totU66E-8h6GvOifsuaILJXKXo59P19XY9svey1vO-zZxhzxrIR3BpD9b2-18ZjwnfFizHa-Nlir4NcpDOKqT5JbgamRl6f0M1eYJTGRTxA9bhNDGnQsZYE/s640/P5250618.JPG" width="480" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrcy9aoImnXFzWKJCobzwSehkcZ_uFY6m_3ZKfm-dlKl_Ows6kJP3KbRZKeOp3oXt61ZLyqIVitZ02Kdp5FMFiqRwWagNtcNJXRV4Afre3lb-lHlQK4S2Ai1vy9nZ1FQOAwn_ZKFdQ35k/s1600/P5250623.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrcy9aoImnXFzWKJCobzwSehkcZ_uFY6m_3ZKfm-dlKl_Ows6kJP3KbRZKeOp3oXt61ZLyqIVitZ02Kdp5FMFiqRwWagNtcNJXRV4Afre3lb-lHlQK4S2Ai1vy9nZ1FQOAwn_ZKFdQ35k/s640/P5250623.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;">He was a very nice guy who worked in California, spoke great </span><span style="font-size: large;">English, and we shared some great
stories. </span><span style="font-size: large;">The restaurant was located
on a laguna next to the ocean and we saw and heard men fishing in the laguna
throughout the night. In the beginning I was freaked out. Old cars full of men were
pulling up and parking along the water near us in the middle of the night. Were
they here to get us gringos? Soon I realized, they were all just passing by and
going to fish at the laguna. Funny, after all we were in Michoacan… one of the
most dangerous Mexican states…</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibWnWCKV7UxjIfNr2TEiPx7U7JAOr7xR6yz9Uf-LChjoUJe8WbjRv3D4mbMzqaWG6x597Bh4R0WQNDY8fwKNsyNICusnVU4lsxQXYfaKmcsNqUdeoNWmkmMHH2x9Qe5bWhFIdOc77Xpco/s1600/P5250629.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibWnWCKV7UxjIfNr2TEiPx7U7JAOr7xR6yz9Uf-LChjoUJe8WbjRv3D4mbMzqaWG6x597Bh4R0WQNDY8fwKNsyNICusnVU4lsxQXYfaKmcsNqUdeoNWmkmMHH2x9Qe5bWhFIdOc77Xpco/s640/P5250629.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;">TO BE CONTINUED</span><span style="font-size: large;">…</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span id="goog_195020754"></span><span id="goog_195020755"></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNW4tkCIVI2NWg9ISJxxFCYJ_a4D_xlO_-DhDMQLbDialN_ntxO0RCrbbdsqonmSEn1PuW_L0s55IxuIpfXHvGmspEVtZkwEWr5zrqJPIUQTp4nXCKDhJtxsAxt4mIRr4d3yvK89idM4Q/s1600/P5240551.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNW4tkCIVI2NWg9ISJxxFCYJ_a4D_xlO_-DhDMQLbDialN_ntxO0RCrbbdsqonmSEn1PuW_L0s55IxuIpfXHvGmspEVtZkwEWr5zrqJPIUQTp4nXCKDhJtxsAxt4mIRr4d3yvK89idM4Q/s320/P5240551.JPG" width="240" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFImyCXC2PWbRhqMOe5biB8bx7_6ZKT2n0dKkVYGAKeF9B3ucCP4Ykkw0dAleRzmso9mjkvFYLGPEA4DymKsG9bBOc11TzcTNitVOUAIKgPrpd__IJO9McvCc1O5SCVuDxoP_jZDLiCBc/s1600/P5220373.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFImyCXC2PWbRhqMOe5biB8bx7_6ZKT2n0dKkVYGAKeF9B3ucCP4Ykkw0dAleRzmso9mjkvFYLGPEA4DymKsG9bBOc11TzcTNitVOUAIKgPrpd__IJO9McvCc1O5SCVuDxoP_jZDLiCBc/s320/P5220373.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi24hZ4quc2MBPpzwHbD40jhS1YV9dou-zZZPaXgk-9uBLgfA60wKFmzYBc6GeiAj3BqpheeL-xyQfymPsnu7uZrSjLUHmAEKyrfFsLPrl7xEWntdpQAJ9J1E8ds_WAriJUJRoCXs-32-w/s1600/P5220384.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi24hZ4quc2MBPpzwHbD40jhS1YV9dou-zZZPaXgk-9uBLgfA60wKFmzYBc6GeiAj3BqpheeL-xyQfymPsnu7uZrSjLUHmAEKyrfFsLPrl7xEWntdpQAJ9J1E8ds_WAriJUJRoCXs-32-w/s320/P5220384.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">La Ticla</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Approaching La Ticla</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Campsite at Maruata</span></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #222222;"><br /></span></div>Aneta and Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06033961849066324016noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-538413071626428836.post-29665932996208907242012-06-06T21:20:00.000-07:002012-06-06T21:28:57.145-07:00Detour to Volcan de Colima<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">We have been falling behind on our posts so we have been working hard this week to catch up. So fasten your seat belts here they come.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbksUAg-8hHn18B3EbqmZEQyg87hShmA941OMfHJ0NMi9JZHIzjkrouZZy2tbzi7TvC7IidNs1eLndnnMSjTq3Cpl0PEUDpLaecMF9CS_Qbmh7yJ1C9XewWUaMFibg5OryuB46chljoww/s1600/P5150246.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbksUAg-8hHn18B3EbqmZEQyg87hShmA941OMfHJ0NMi9JZHIzjkrouZZy2tbzi7TvC7IidNs1eLndnnMSjTq3Cpl0PEUDpLaecMF9CS_Qbmh7yJ1C9XewWUaMFibg5OryuB46chljoww/s640/P5150246.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;">When we arrived in Melaque we soaked in the sun and blew up the stand up paddle board and got wet. The bay that we were staying in was reasonably calm once we breached the heavy beach break so we were able to use the board here endlessly.</span> <span style="font-size: large;">We stayed at a fancy trailer park/hotel for a few days. It had a pool, was on the beach and was a great spot to talk to the Snowbirds who were on their way North about the area they had come from and where we were headed to.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfOA5EQHkNytUmaIl4GAoh_hSIOUw6iOGxFL3AzUYvBfNwPP-f2YHAOsENvgD2eTrn7PpSleCDl-MjK5BmqttiyZst8kmq2MxojoNJdEmMqUk6JbPh6evnQdJcbvKveoFmuHi0yy8sQaY/s1600/P5130179.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfOA5EQHkNytUmaIl4GAoh_hSIOUw6iOGxFL3AzUYvBfNwPP-f2YHAOsENvgD2eTrn7PpSleCDl-MjK5BmqttiyZst8kmq2MxojoNJdEmMqUk6JbPh6evnQdJcbvKveoFmuHi0yy8sQaY/s640/P5130179.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">One night in the Zocalo we met a really fun couple from Washington who were touring the area with their two daughters and mother in law. They had just returned from the Comala area and gave us some great ideas on where to go next.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">We were ready for some more tropical weather, swimming and
surfing. However, after a long look at the map we
knew that we were going to be on the coast for a minimum of two weeks and this
was our last chance to do something in the mountains unless we wanted to drive
six hours.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="480" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="https://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=colima+volcano,+mexico&aq=&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=34.724817,75.673828&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Colima,+Mexico&t=m&ll=19.514492,-103.6203&spn=0.620015,0.878906&z=10&iwloc=A&output=embed" width="640"></iframe><br /><small><a href="https://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=embed&hl=en&geocode=&q=colima+volcano,+mexico&aq=&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=34.724817,75.673828&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Colima,+Mexico&t=m&ll=19.514492,-103.6203&spn=0.620015,0.878906&z=10&iwloc=A" style="text-align: left;">View Larger Map</a></small></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;">We made our way to one of
Mexico’s Magic Pueblos Comala, which is just outside of the city of Colima.</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;">On the way up the pass, while Aneta was at the wheel, two very new silver Ram pick-up trucks with tinted windows all around and sirens blaring came flying up on us. The passenger was</span><span style="font-size: large;"> hanging out the window waving to the cars to move over. The strange thing was there were no markings and a guy in the back of the truck with an automatic rifle was sitting in the bed with no roll bar or seat in the back like we usually see. They were past us before we knew it. We were not sure if they were police or military or perhaps cartel; we later found out that they were undercover federalies who were in a hurry.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">We arrived to Comala where we found a place that had camping with an outdoor patio and a hotel room. We bargained for the room seeing that I had a fever and was done for the night despite the festivities in town. It was a party the week after Samana Santa ended with way too much fireworks for such a small town. The fireworks in Mexico are quite sporadic; they use any reason to blow some stuff up, weekly mercado, baptism, or religious holiday. The middle of the day suits them just fine and every one is the biggest boom you have ever heard. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;">The next day we decided it was time to go grocery shopping where we met Jose (who used to be a postal worker in L.A.), his wife, and their new baby girl. We got to talking about our trip and he offered a place for us to stay for a couple of nights while we looked for a new strut for the truck. They had just moved into their house a few months ago and were finishing up the construction of their beautiful house. We were able to cook them a couple of meals in return for their hospitality</span><span style="font-size: large;">. Thanks Jose.</span></span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGfAm-357PVMGZNx8TOUURTBpISE18af2u-5JVWGRjDsJoHigvJiW3A0QzqBr1vfhBK30yhh7CnvCIIx_yZtC3SG_-1KYH1Chvs-viju5fQNUmGow8otrRLJEDXGFcWRJ01xqlYN_eMIE/s1600/P5180121.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGfAm-357PVMGZNx8TOUURTBpISE18af2u-5JVWGRjDsJoHigvJiW3A0QzqBr1vfhBK30yhh7CnvCIIx_yZtC3SG_-1KYH1Chvs-viju5fQNUmGow8otrRLJEDXGFcWRJ01xqlYN_eMIE/s640/P5180121.JPG" width="640" /></span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;">I was also sick of </span><span style="font-size: large;">being sick. I had been sick for the previous nine days and went to the lab to give a sample to find out I had been carrying around a <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969);">Blastocystis Hominis parasite. (I'll let you look it up). I took some meds and was as good as new, how fun!!!!! Jose's house was a great departure point for access to explore the center of the city and a visit to the local Zoo which was two blocks away.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); font-size: large;">The other draw here was Volcan de Colima which is one of the most active in North America at a height of 12,533 feet. However, all that we saw out of it was a little smoke coming from the cone. The last time it had a major eruption was in May of 2005. We are not too worried about not seeing it erupt as there are plenty volcanoes that are erupting currently along the path of our journey. </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); font-size: large;">We went back to Comala and camped for the next few days and checked out the town and area. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">The very little village of Yerba Buena was on the way to the volcano. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPCATlVRV9c6jpSl1x6PVUNoLTkOb1JuCqIZUa0_03prFN7T8f1SGHfmp8DUk9usPD5V85UcYKpTEdEv6Or1CkvS36J4Hb0KgDxc0H5e7kyZqm6_bWzacr-mVXlGbvLVEkdOaJvp0-B0Y/s1600/P5200132.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPCATlVRV9c6jpSl1x6PVUNoLTkOb1JuCqIZUa0_03prFN7T8f1SGHfmp8DUk9usPD5V85UcYKpTEdEv6Or1CkvS36J4Hb0KgDxc0H5e7kyZqm6_bWzacr-mVXlGbvLVEkdOaJvp0-B0Y/s640/P5200132.JPG" width="544" /></span></a></div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">There was not much in the town however up the road we did find some cabins with two greenhouses on the property; "fresh produce" we thought. A truck was in the driveway so we stopped by to have a look around. </span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLGhcTcOuUey873jesVa7zvvN2ApkWZN1FLq7VOhVO6unoCIAudkhLp9ZtZ0iDJMsuvI4pelXntRqcaKdesvslF_ITSQa_jlnnMtMnCnkvkAU7m6Jk4zE5vy-u6K6y5u1ZoV8qPy3aWBk/s1600/P5200165.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLGhcTcOuUey873jesVa7zvvN2ApkWZN1FLq7VOhVO6unoCIAudkhLp9ZtZ0iDJMsuvI4pelXntRqcaKdesvslF_ITSQa_jlnnMtMnCnkvkAU7m6Jk4zE5vy-u6K6y5u1ZoV8qPy3aWBk/s640/P5200165.JPG" width="640" /></span></a><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">There we met a couple and their daughter who gave us a tour of their property. We ended up leaving with arms full of produce after a personal tour and a nice conversation with the owners. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9t8QLEEykpTUCcgx7D9c7e7kSD14VQ1jhuMM2VMBAGv3MAu3UtLdQqUsybFcHWbLSjRBkA1MIQSbGnQkKnt_JuZ69Yex36ml4VUAWBt2gFHIPikIMHpK8D7SqDk61LJUoSzXllLxtRHs/s1600/P5200166.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9t8QLEEykpTUCcgx7D9c7e7kSD14VQ1jhuMM2VMBAGv3MAu3UtLdQqUsybFcHWbLSjRBkA1MIQSbGnQkKnt_JuZ69Yex36ml4VUAWBt2gFHIPikIMHpK8D7SqDk61LJUoSzXllLxtRHs/s640/P5200166.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsxF7Y3Sf7Xlz3ZLLl97l7mWHbFFTQr7GUTXr1m2_BEAjaOFI0ecDmZg0MgAd8XTIsIzajMjBnd7gF2xKPCmcB3SEPXe83ZQTjtqyC3j1_P1gUsTwWm1SVNUswDUQZUzn3y-efwrdIsFg/s1600/P5200160.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsxF7Y3Sf7Xlz3ZLLl97l7mWHbFFTQr7GUTXr1m2_BEAjaOFI0ecDmZg0MgAd8XTIsIzajMjBnd7gF2xKPCmcB3SEPXe83ZQTjtqyC3j1_P1gUsTwWm1SVNUswDUQZUzn3y-efwrdIsFg/s640/P5200160.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Owners daughter and her pup</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">The owners told us that there was no trail going up to the top and not advisable so we drove to the end where we met a gate and enjoyed the view from there. On the way back to town we stopped at a roadside blackberry farm which we had spotted on the way up. </span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyDkm275ZVpeA2KfXeTCpF_ux6WDn29JyXrrevKvJUx2u91BJt8vuu2pagU48V3E4E0hkC2Gtuy6bbJKOpUz_mdh6XtzGeEHTmuZaQcb0tjZ-0R4MNokgnhwYcnyZ2EpHIzLeaw-IEWIo/s1600/P5200179.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyDkm275ZVpeA2KfXeTCpF_ux6WDn29JyXrrevKvJUx2u91BJt8vuu2pagU48V3E4E0hkC2Gtuy6bbJKOpUz_mdh6XtzGeEHTmuZaQcb0tjZ-0R4MNokgnhwYcnyZ2EpHIzLeaw-IEWIo/s640/P5200179.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Best Blackberry cafe we have been to yet.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWrgZ-Vf6C5MM1tIL9o9762bLj1TUXKH6d4RRg2UOJKB17BW2O8ZtGdyFsu-AixzRMjPL0gVUOKqCIohSAtOQhL8J12G-GbhQP_Q0i00h7qoTsdxByXX1u1MsxOayZnFycHhj8pmEOLCQ/s1600/P5200183.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWrgZ-Vf6C5MM1tIL9o9762bLj1TUXKH6d4RRg2UOJKB17BW2O8ZtGdyFsu-AixzRMjPL0gVUOKqCIohSAtOQhL8J12G-GbhQP_Q0i00h7qoTsdxByXX1u1MsxOayZnFycHhj8pmEOLCQ/s640/P5200183.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Had to pull over and buy some peaches from this sweet lady</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">After that we decided to go to "Ojo de Agua", eye of the water. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimvtompoCWf3UpO6zVnjcPJAWYSZ1M3oyBVAUWFsu_254Fby_Jx_0BgsQC_Ls6e8rHPSk0rm27IqJAuIBcg04tDUV5LCtOV1kM5YxxUoHzs4CkeKyTzSvCqqXHBTAdfymDBjvZTvPeAKM/s1600/P5200199.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimvtompoCWf3UpO6zVnjcPJAWYSZ1M3oyBVAUWFsu_254Fby_Jx_0BgsQC_Ls6e8rHPSk0rm27IqJAuIBcg04tDUV5LCtOV1kM5YxxUoHzs4CkeKyTzSvCqqXHBTAdfymDBjvZTvPeAKM/s640/P5200199.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">There are thousands of places called Ojo de Agua so if you want to confuse someone with directions just tell them it is close to Ojo de Agua. It was starting to chill off but a dip in the clear water was necessary. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">It was time to fix the truck so I went to a mechanic that was recommended to us by Thomas from the hotel we were staying at. There the mechanic and I cut, chiseled, drilled, and beat the strut out of the coil seeing that the threads were stripped. I was able to practice my Spanish while we fixed the truck. We are bummed we don't have any pics from this. I gave him a tip because it took much longer that both of us expected and he still charged me the quoted price of 150 pesos. With the truck ready for the "topes" (speed bumps) we packed up, said good byes to Thomas and took off back towards the coast.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifHE5-bmhi15w92N1dKpBzczPVy9MJL-R2OpUJcKHevO-qA5VzLUPvxmxmG_8iUd9KStnBmkcqSL8sCk_SHasPQwwJt2ND2__pXTnD-gHJk7HBOk78KVUT8AaAh051rPPJKyu-_UYCdpg/s1600/P5200176.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifHE5-bmhi15w92N1dKpBzczPVy9MJL-R2OpUJcKHevO-qA5VzLUPvxmxmG_8iUd9KStnBmkcqSL8sCk_SHasPQwwJt2ND2__pXTnD-gHJk7HBOk78KVUT8AaAh051rPPJKyu-_UYCdpg/s320/P5200176.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Frozen cream and berries, Yum!!!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpzg8vMquQhlbzEh2v7wwDDOfNeCzlw3WBQca-BuagpG4EmLwzwIWrsvcJYsD4MPxtySqWKVmahBvmVGZPahVz0kEfL7MukWcuuui0s6gqSAZFjaqr-R5pt_5UAZOCGWgpBUDouMWqP_Y/s1600/P5200134.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpzg8vMquQhlbzEh2v7wwDDOfNeCzlw3WBQca-BuagpG4EmLwzwIWrsvcJYsD4MPxtySqWKVmahBvmVGZPahVz0kEfL7MukWcuuui0s6gqSAZFjaqr-R5pt_5UAZOCGWgpBUDouMWqP_Y/s320/P5200134.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">All the coffee beans that were being dried today </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipZDv9QTRg6j1BeqQAkqJv__iHCS0GqhDhtjljMMi0la_kaJQx4R6L6U2YnfRtPn3dDUgUNIS2vEaPGdMqV4H7_dBeYjjBJu6Dvx_1D0ArLpu2aPewI4VLUfaotAvFzCYLfXxwMbeNKjo/s1600/P5170013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipZDv9QTRg6j1BeqQAkqJv__iHCS0GqhDhtjljMMi0la_kaJQx4R6L6U2YnfRtPn3dDUgUNIS2vEaPGdMqV4H7_dBeYjjBJu6Dvx_1D0ArLpu2aPewI4VLUfaotAvFzCYLfXxwMbeNKjo/s320/P5170013.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Volcano Colima</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg00xfABi6AsQnW5eU36j1tXMehYEMSB1blI1bH9kJZYlwJw8ZLlqj4Cf52rWaC-SHb5NobEpBfmStNqOxHbb7I-dWqXz3NHfJm3s17zWcM14Wt7mo6tUEs33qeZf2BAAsOarlxXUSRbmQ/s1600/P5200140.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg00xfABi6AsQnW5eU36j1tXMehYEMSB1blI1bH9kJZYlwJw8ZLlqj4Cf52rWaC-SHb5NobEpBfmStNqOxHbb7I-dWqXz3NHfJm3s17zWcM14Wt7mo6tUEs33qeZf2BAAsOarlxXUSRbmQ/s320/P5200140.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgppCAfVbnQBRqCW71OF5bAJgvP0tk0lFVSy9DPzWH9YB9T28Mo0geIUOKfiZZcDhLbrbDuQJqCzb15pkBGDmJtODt52VaIzfnbHHHXm7qyIHD3MeCSNgqKaLLsH4Mj29QIp1BXY3b-Gz4/s1600/P5200163.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgppCAfVbnQBRqCW71OF5bAJgvP0tk0lFVSy9DPzWH9YB9T28Mo0geIUOKfiZZcDhLbrbDuQJqCzb15pkBGDmJtODt52VaIzfnbHHHXm7qyIHD3MeCSNgqKaLLsH4Mj29QIp1BXY3b-Gz4/s320/P5200163.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>Aneta and Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06033961849066324016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-538413071626428836.post-74431391271174774322012-05-25T08:32:00.002-07:002012-05-25T08:33:50.508-07:00The Key to the Cloud Forest<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9lu1Vy6gyP8h0UUWtsgjBWyg05WUeR5gkndAf83gAOkTxYWDT3CDkEEsUkiEfI09PqH3uRQmQdb8PE9p4i0oad02uoms3eJTwjyzT_v0JKwLbbPRJ8wquYg0aQ_cqKCHYELT4GyVqYvQ/s1600/P5110020.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9lu1Vy6gyP8h0UUWtsgjBWyg05WUeR5gkndAf83gAOkTxYWDT3CDkEEsUkiEfI09PqH3uRQmQdb8PE9p4i0oad02uoms3eJTwjyzT_v0JKwLbbPRJ8wquYg0aQ_cqKCHYELT4GyVqYvQ/s640/P5110020.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: large;">-“Buenos Dias. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: large;">¿</span><span style="font-size: large;">U</span><span style="font-size: large;">ste</span><span style="font-size: large;">d Sergio Garcia?”</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"> -“No.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">-“Gracias. Adios.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">-“Buenos Dias. ¿</span>Usted Sergio Garcia?” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">-“No.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">-“Gracias. Adios.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">-“Buenos Dias. Usted Sergio
Garcia?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">-“No.”</span><o:p></o:p><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I was watching Aneta with amusement walking
up bravely to random men in the Zocalo (square) of the little "puebla" of
Casimiro Castillo looking for Sergio Garcia at 9:00 in the morning. Senor Sergio Garcia was nowhere to be found
so she picked up the phone and said: “I am going to call him.” I said “good luck;” I had a feeling this would be tedious. She proceeded to make her first phone call in broken
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Spanish as I listened. Sergio’s wife picked up the phone and
apparently he was not at his house.
After five minutes of trying to communicate, Aneta told her "Nosotros en
al Centro, diez mas minutos aqui" (we at the center, ten more minutes here). Surprisingly Sergio showed up within ten minutes and we found out that he did not speak any
English either, "no problem" we thought. First, we
stopped at his house, where he picked up his friend who spoke a little English and had a cooler full of C</span>oronas for the road. We were in for our
treat of the day…</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">The reason we were searching for
Sergio was because we were looking for access to the elusive Cloud Forest. After our time in Chapala we threw a coin on
which route to take to the coast; with Semana Santa over we figured it was time
to go back to the beaches. The long,
slow and breathtaking route it was... </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyoUG-IC62VUMD9GBfU0OhBRfje1flDEXoTxr_4dx6riFm_MNQYg4iavh_xfcbHcctcJ7iqG5EgixDYGH_OFxYzhDFDxtdmw7RucS-F6nzB2Ss_GbFvINZVV_HTIUG-rfbzyhOBIyM2ns/s1600/P5110161.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyoUG-IC62VUMD9GBfU0OhBRfje1flDEXoTxr_4dx6riFm_MNQYg4iavh_xfcbHcctcJ7iqG5EgixDYGH_OFxYzhDFDxtdmw7RucS-F6nzB2Ss_GbFvINZVV_HTIUG-rfbzyhOBIyM2ns/s640/P5110161.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">So
far our route has been planned from guide books, maps and other
travelers. We started on our way up and down the winding mountain passes towards
the town of Autlan. On the map it shows that it is near Reserva of the
Biosphere of Manatlan, which is a protected cloud forest. We could not wait for the landscape to turn dramatic enough.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxu5HWb-kxfWH-vxtwHXLUByg3IvEXiXVmNf97ZNtY3II2edt2HgQNu8A_74NvmxafGPExGIeF3IJ5pHCEsy0BHKOdhjrE2tOLyS3ShArgi_Rvsl1O2PVNp-gSKay4vcrMa4qcuUB_k_g/s1600/P5110165.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxu5HWb-kxfWH-vxtwHXLUByg3IvEXiXVmNf97ZNtY3II2edt2HgQNu8A_74NvmxafGPExGIeF3IJ5pHCEsy0BHKOdhjrE2tOLyS3ShArgi_Rvsl1O2PVNp-gSKay4vcrMa4qcuUB_k_g/s640/P5110165.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">On our way with Bimbo (bread truck) on our tail.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;">We arrived in Autlan and continued through to the reserve. When we arrived at the top
of the pass, a man who was in charge of the gate said that the entrance on this
side of the reserve was closed. </span><span style="font-size: large;">This was to better preserve the park; he directed us to go back down to the office in Autlan for more information on where to
go. At the office we put our Spanish into use in order to find out what area was worth going to. This is where we chiseled our assumptions to stone that some people in Mexico will tell you information even if they don't know it's correct
because they do not want you to think that they don’t know anything about an area, such as
directions.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">When we originally heard it was a cloud forest we had images
of dew laden leaves and low hanging clouds over the mountain; what we saw from
our vantage point at the valley floor was not it. That may be true, however we were towards the end of
the dry season and we would have to wait till the rains start coming to experience this. </span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD_MMmFnQBopBNhttkRUIVMqFmsgzXjD2UHbS5o-f-MVtbHoc0mLgtUGltGK7J_elDducGjijnoeq_7dUB6S3YANFSeUysMNrLXz4OfSmdBzdqz91oEtsk7P-F_46zOFpSJAkaBlq1tPw/s1600/P6060014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD_MMmFnQBopBNhttkRUIVMqFmsgzXjD2UHbS5o-f-MVtbHoc0mLgtUGltGK7J_elDducGjijnoeq_7dUB6S3YANFSeUysMNrLXz4OfSmdBzdqz91oEtsk7P-F_46zOFpSJAkaBlq1tPw/s640/P6060014.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">A pic from further way further down the coast</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;">After an hour at the office we felt like we were pulling teeth to acquire information on access and info to the reserve. We found that
most areas to the cloud forest which are around 9,000 feet are off limits to vehicles and the only option we were looking at was a four day hiking trip which we were not up for. I was sick and in no condition for this excursion unfortunately. It is protected stringently and for good reason, it has some of the greatest biological diversity in Mexico. Without these reserves the local ranchers and farmers will go into the forests to slash and burn. We have seen the sad sight of entire mountain sides that are being completely stripped for cattle grazing. The area is home to six cat species ranging from Lynx, Ocelot and Jaguar, 110 species of mammals and 350 birds. At the valley floor it was mostly agriculture and tropical, as we drove up the pass we entered oak and pine forests and ended up in the cloud forest vegetation. </span><span style="font-size: large;">In the end the man who was helping us told us to go to Casimiro Castillo at 9:00 the next
morning to meet Sergio Garcia with the key to the gate. The whole situation was a little strange for
us, but we went along with the idea. After all, we were running out of options and had nothing better to do. We jumped back in the truck, went to Autlan and found a cheap hotel that had Internet
so we could find out more information about the reserve. </span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxxhovqX55U5yupRrdu3Bh91hq8VH3gY4gWfFL7CByBC5leda3RZBc5ZuHcP9iy8WlmNmSi8Fg-aYbJ76X2mDQiPBFIOg56Os0SR85ijlbk-wHFjM_mAYe0or6l8-w-OLnpvAHLR0Xjq4/s1600/P5110012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxxhovqX55U5yupRrdu3Bh91hq8VH3gY4gWfFL7CByBC5leda3RZBc5ZuHcP9iy8WlmNmSi8Fg-aYbJ76X2mDQiPBFIOg56Os0SR85ijlbk-wHFjM_mAYe0or6l8-w-OLnpvAHLR0Xjq4/s640/P5110012.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Pics never do justice, drive from Autlan to Casimiro Castillo</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;">The morning greeted us with another amazing drive up
and over the pass towards the ocean in order to gain access to the reserve and
see what it was all about. At first
glimpse of Casimiro Castillo we did not want to even pull in due to the
towering smoke stack that was billowing soot forming a cloud above the town. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8rup4F01dIEu1k5TwI56Gs80fy82RWJEDXpnZE926sav9x8olHbKPyYZwQggcB-M2s5xwGROLUWdKAcUKfWixFiZslAl_0VuKJDUo1u8ilOW3r71jeGBEhnDz_RfII68y69UoM6fVssU/s1600/P5110015.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8rup4F01dIEu1k5TwI56Gs80fy82RWJEDXpnZE926sav9x8olHbKPyYZwQggcB-M2s5xwGROLUWdKAcUKfWixFiZslAl_0VuKJDUo1u8ilOW3r71jeGBEhnDz_RfII68y69UoM6fVssU/s640/P5110015.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">We were not sure of what types of factories
were tucked into towns that were off the tourist radar screen. We later found out it was a cane sugar
factory, from what we saw without this factory the town would probably be nonexistent. With the amount of sweets that are consumed here this town will be thriving for a long time. We met Sergio in the Zocalo, then followed him
and his friend up the very slow dusty road with several gates to keep the cows
separated for grazing. There were also
crews who were repairing the water pipes for the town which were mangled by last years floods. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7YIpFOnW3NltI9kjCcaI6ZX7E8xzlN_yDcqDyrIW7AX5gB5qjob2D76ViLxsBGPV7eh7S23zSXZHTHU_WlfCcb43sIuffs49fAH-XSFF8y13ANqujjgltqDVX7eZFiZHGQ3X22TSQn5o/s1600/P5110027.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7YIpFOnW3NltI9kjCcaI6ZX7E8xzlN_yDcqDyrIW7AX5gB5qjob2D76ViLxsBGPV7eh7S23zSXZHTHU_WlfCcb43sIuffs49fAH-XSFF8y13ANqujjgltqDVX7eZFiZHGQ3X22TSQn5o/s640/P5110027.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">After an hour we ended up at the end of the
road where a couple of welcoming loggers who were up for a chat were cutting four foot wide dead trees into lumber with a chain
saw. It is rare to see logging trucks with larger logs on them; most of the timber is cut into planks with chainsaws on site, then loaded by hand onto trucks and sent to town to be planed and used locally. </span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlpmaJSDVCFsRiYpCWDj7g9w1zOi4ZHWgjgvG4rgVPxdfxY6hq3-DGAst_xfcORVfZPhUwnmiKuPjilds2fQLqgKbj58WBUAXJQvZPbwaCuJArAZ2K8uoUbLxKWmPJbnuGBFcw4hGMMXc/s1600/P5110043.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlpmaJSDVCFsRiYpCWDj7g9w1zOi4ZHWgjgvG4rgVPxdfxY6hq3-DGAst_xfcORVfZPhUwnmiKuPjilds2fQLqgKbj58WBUAXJQvZPbwaCuJArAZ2K8uoUbLxKWmPJbnuGBFcw4hGMMXc/s640/P5110043.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">One board at a time</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;">From there we hiked up the river where we were greeted by butterflies, lizards, and the songs of the birds. We then turned around said our goodbye's and thanked Sergio and the other men for kindly showing us their world and headed down for the long drive back. We figured out later that Sergio's job
was to check on who was in this area of land and then basically hang out
with them for the rest of the day.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmPiRrovL11oK_cfnGrpwt3BCDh6ruC99MiwVrA87aJH-KlDl07hnMdePuLrvehKajFNq6B2XASfovWhzJwHyPIf4ubLYWbhVonlfjkkAahE8uS9e-Lpe8-WIRTHKUmNSDH0fSQyMH0eg/s1600/P5110048.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmPiRrovL11oK_cfnGrpwt3BCDh6ruC99MiwVrA87aJH-KlDl07hnMdePuLrvehKajFNq6B2XASfovWhzJwHyPIf4ubLYWbhVonlfjkkAahE8uS9e-Lpe8-WIRTHKUmNSDH0fSQyMH0eg/s640/P5110048.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Sergio in the middle flanked by his amigo</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">On the way back down the bumpy road we started to hear a knocking sound coming from the front of the truck. I had Aneta drive so I could walk next to it and identify the sound. It turned out to be the right side strut that had loosened the nut which stripped the threads of the bolt on the tower. It was only getting worse so we found a mechanic in town where him and I cut a slot in a nut, then miraculously slid it under the other nut to temporarily stop the noise. An hour later and 120 pesos poorer :) we were on our way knowing the strut would have to be replaced down the road soon.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNNAVrwbjFMCOS1UuYuM3MApJU_KaqFVK6dcKKFxaYsF9I8Q5Gu485zH_NBZS1St4bzmGuZBVzVAdlUWb3HIqWfIBC7fesB9ZRA-gzlxMNNfHUVsJqDTWr_6LwmjsCE1ItegeM6IaDiq0/s1600/P5120004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNNAVrwbjFMCOS1UuYuM3MApJU_KaqFVK6dcKKFxaYsF9I8Q5Gu485zH_NBZS1St4bzmGuZBVzVAdlUWb3HIqWfIBC7fesB9ZRA-gzlxMNNfHUVsJqDTWr_6LwmjsCE1ItegeM6IaDiq0/s640/P5120004.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">The only shot of the band aid repair</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;">As we left </span><span style="font-size: large;">Casimiro Castillo and</span><span style="font-size: large;"> drove through the s</span><span style="font-size: large;">ugar cane plantations and orchards,</span><span style="font-size: large;"> t</span><span style="font-size: large;">he landscape was turning tropically hot and humid, w</span><span style="font-size: large;">e could tell we were nearing the ocean. Aneta fell back into her midday siesta routine during our long drives. We made it to La Manzanilla where we
spent the next day on the beach recharging ourselves and planned the next leg of our trip.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
Click images to enlarge</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhlxMFfRn9dETCXNYcqKUcqcJgpEWYdiiA-tQvkfnXA-sqe0WS3_XdLSk9dM3LQe9VMyUF3AJErFisoCEfgLtckTInwCB4iKjTO4gizN89rXDPdqPmg0GzcbzKXugfr8SiEJeo4Jky0x8/s1600/P5110023.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhlxMFfRn9dETCXNYcqKUcqcJgpEWYdiiA-tQvkfnXA-sqe0WS3_XdLSk9dM3LQe9VMyUF3AJErFisoCEfgLtckTInwCB4iKjTO4gizN89rXDPdqPmg0GzcbzKXugfr8SiEJeo4Jky0x8/s200/P5110023.JPG" width="170" /></a></div>
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References:</div>
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<a href="http://manantlan.conanp.gob.mx/biodiversidad.php">http://manantlan.conanp.gob.mx/biodiversidad.php</a>
<br />
<a href="http://manantlan.conanp.gob.mx/index.php">http://manantlan.conanp.gob.mx/index.php</a>
<br />
<br /></div>Aneta and Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06033961849066324016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-538413071626428836.post-68313749048651363632012-05-06T21:37:00.001-07:002012-05-06T21:37:40.485-07:00“Don’t turn on your left blinker”<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;">We left Sayulita on Wednesday, April 4th, three days
after Bill, Anne, and Maya left to go back to the States. After a three week stay, it was time to switch gears and
head to the hills. Our friends packed up their gypsy caravan (sorry guys,
ours is no better) and they hit the road back to the U.S. to work at the salt
mines so they could return as soon as possible. </span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTwLTIpPA5ndns9Wlpm1vjiPpzPJMdNbm6uLkrgmqnSUCSceJ3BMlVOJtYlhOORt-CRKvegD1dqAf_TN2ijnauHsd9EvbKwm5gpLMfxZS9s1wTyClcn4J8mgl4R91fyFy74rX5rynSN1g/s1600/P5010023+-+Copy+-+Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTwLTIpPA5ndns9Wlpm1vjiPpzPJMdNbm6uLkrgmqnSUCSceJ3BMlVOJtYlhOORt-CRKvegD1dqAf_TN2ijnauHsd9EvbKwm5gpLMfxZS9s1wTyClcn4J8mgl4R91fyFy74rX5rynSN1g/s640/P5010023+-+Copy+-+Copy.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Bill, Anne and Maya's last day in Sayulita</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;">We don't blame them;
Sayulita certainly has charm and a beautiful layout. We got used to
it quick and what we thought was going to be a week turned into three, but it
was worth it. We were able to make some minor repairs to the car, enjoy the
most amazing sunsets, relax on the beach, check out the area, and get used to
our new life on the road. Mostly we enjoyed spending time with our friends and
meeting new ones.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">We packed
up our gypsy caravan and headed East towards Guadalajara; it was another
sunny and warm afternoon. </span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5muEmsnRrDWzvvrXRq2CKzumZmWq8Tl4mpjTaPkzPyVvEMTCLSFDrokqGNo0lRBmtX2sbzO8tbLwyH7ecComL27T6ZtNrKRA-2g8NlmnArj42h_brr0jE3q2HEWs3hTYh0Vw8icCbugw/s1600/P5050053.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5muEmsnRrDWzvvrXRq2CKzumZmWq8Tl4mpjTaPkzPyVvEMTCLSFDrokqGNo0lRBmtX2sbzO8tbLwyH7ecComL27T6ZtNrKRA-2g8NlmnArj42h_brr0jE3q2HEWs3hTYh0Vw8icCbugw/s640/P5050053.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Last day in Sayulita</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">After an hour of driving
Aaron thought it was my turn to drive so I am better prepared to drive in
this reckless and high paced environment. We switched at the
gas station before a pass where the traffic shortly slowed its pace. </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Where do we stay tonight? Bill told us about a place called Rio Caliente that
has inexpensive campsites as well as access to a hot river with water coming
out of a hot spring. It’s about 45 minutes before Guadalajara. Since we left
late in the day (about 2pm), we needed to find a camp spot before dark so we searched
for Rio Caliente.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;">“Don’t drive at night” has been the only safety
advice we have been hearing from the locals and other travelers around Mexico.
First of all, because most of the bad incidents happen at night and secondly,
because of the hazardous driving conditions in Mexico. Driving in Mexico has
been an adventure in itself since one never knows what to expect after the next
curve. When we see the sign “Curva Peligrosa,” we know something is coming up.
What will it be? A tractor, a chicken bus, a guy on a horse or a bicycle, a cow
or a kid walking with their donkey? Maybe an animal… alive or dead? Other
surprises are the topes (speed bumps). They always show up out of nowhere and
we usually hear them before we see them. Sometimes, they are not painted or marked
with a sign and they vary in size from a few inches of the ground to big mounds
of asphalt. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7N9T4JJ9xPY198EjrtIoEfcsgYWWI_aMxlzSskFyYLnbloLfRXwmXk6NIhT7AoIQHCGYR62DBUTbmzOi50j9UWhqUZ7JTgHX4loq2UtYd2py3737oaIdA_Wys_Fd_2CMGvSKtBGLpi1E/s1600/P5280743.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7N9T4JJ9xPY198EjrtIoEfcsgYWWI_aMxlzSskFyYLnbloLfRXwmXk6NIhT7AoIQHCGYR62DBUTbmzOi50j9UWhqUZ7JTgHX4loq2UtYd2py3737oaIdA_Wys_Fd_2CMGvSKtBGLpi1E/s640/P5280743.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Aneta's favorite boys, she always gets excited when she sees them</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;">Driving down the highways we have seen many police
and military vehicles, some undercover. The men always have their rifles and
pistols ready to shoot, but in reality they look much scarier than they really
are. We have been waving to them and
asking for directions. One thing we learned on the road is not to turn on our
left blinker as we most likely will be passed on our left before we make our
left turn. That’s right! Most Mexicans actually turn on their left blinker,
pull over to the right lane to let the other cars pass by, and then turn left
from the right lane. Other than that, driving in Mexico has not been too crazy;
it’s been much easier than we thought. But heck, what do I know? So far, Aaron
has done most of the driving… <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;">We were approaching Guadalajara as it was getting
dark and since Rio Caliente was not marked on our map, we had to pull over and
ask the paramedics for directions. “Derecho, derecha, derecho, derecha” they said
and thank goodness pointed! “Muchos gracias. Adios” we replied and turned to
our wonderful device called the GPS. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;">We spent the night at the Rio Caliente campground
(50 pesos per person per night/about $8 US for both of us) and went in the hot river early the next morning. The river was shallow, but pleasantly very warm. </span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhblpYxrxW5EA3oJR6XPB2V2IXlhbnfkFJ7iLPGHsbTli1aJa_2TT-MkO7Iofqu7348C3WgJfzsZSHXgZTS1KSvW7j2WPV9hlyztMB05oUM9fea073n8KQTi51t0Ka9oUR2ISYjSeIw4bQ/s1600/P5050078.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhblpYxrxW5EA3oJR6XPB2V2IXlhbnfkFJ7iLPGHsbTli1aJa_2TT-MkO7Iofqu7348C3WgJfzsZSHXgZTS1KSvW7j2WPV9hlyztMB05oUM9fea073n8KQTi51t0Ka9oUR2ISYjSeIw4bQ/s640/P5050078.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">A sleepy walk to the Rio</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4nBQiHJvNt26o2qoukhzTM7Lip0oAVUjcmp5LnJ_u55ZESUzPoU29mzhJYoiOe5QEjPwXgrc0OEPOwd7pbb_oc5pjo66hJsM9OKguhooDvp2dBnGtAPJI7_q-78DU3tYk2BjJnzxQCZE/s1600/P5050091.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4nBQiHJvNt26o2qoukhzTM7Lip0oAVUjcmp5LnJ_u55ZESUzPoU29mzhJYoiOe5QEjPwXgrc0OEPOwd7pbb_oc5pjo66hJsM9OKguhooDvp2dBnGtAPJI7_q-78DU3tYk2BjJnzxQCZE/s640/P5050091.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Soaking in Rio Caliente at 7:00 am, great way to start off a Tequila tour day</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;">After a quick soak, we hopped in the car and headed to the town of Tequila, which is a very
nice and clean tourist town with great food and unlimited tequila tastings. One
can either pay for a tour (about 150 pesos per person) or visit the smaller,
family owned distilleries. We opted for the latter. We already bought a bottle
of tequila on the way to town in a small distillery called Marengo. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaxcWpa2jSD5ndCxATepIW0uOY12m-GK8lNkdTmdtq0Ot6Q-jdeKIT-PUB-rBu9Ie01zY_UswEIw-NMjJ-XtKyOuC1wHVc0UIHKBNrLPC3G_lb7DoBtYuRicbE8j2C-lIJ_IYvNFAucx8/s1600/P5050185.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaxcWpa2jSD5ndCxATepIW0uOY12m-GK8lNkdTmdtq0Ot6Q-jdeKIT-PUB-rBu9Ie01zY_UswEIw-NMjJ-XtKyOuC1wHVc0UIHKBNrLPC3G_lb7DoBtYuRicbE8j2C-lIJ_IYvNFAucx8/s640/P5050185.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Our first distillery stop of the morning!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhIPHFjGA2aIaK9rkLesnmamTT4dVJLOGleGT6snEB2E7Ye1_WGunpl-344NjQm0sQkBaY7VqSFLSJrqgKIhg3dOYxTtP8i-PStf0XgF-yNj4o3Oq6JzZ_hAQyu0-8c1VHuK4jhoeQnqE/s1600/P5050210.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhIPHFjGA2aIaK9rkLesnmamTT4dVJLOGleGT6snEB2E7Ye1_WGunpl-344NjQm0sQkBaY7VqSFLSJrqgKIhg3dOYxTtP8i-PStf0XgF-yNj4o3Oq6JzZ_hAQyu0-8c1VHuK4jhoeQnqE/s640/P5050210.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Agave at Distillery</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;">It was a
bottle of Anejo, nice aged stuff for 150 pesos (about $12). In fact, I am
drinking a tequila, Coca Cola, and lime drink with it right now. After a couple
of hours of walking in the heat and a few shots of tequila in Tequila, I needed
some lunch and a lot of water. Instead of a pricey restaurant, we chose the
local Mercado and split an order of fabulous, deep fried Chile Relleno for 50
pesos (about $4 U.S.). Definitely not the healthiest option, but boy was it
good! It came with chips and salsa and rice and beans. Rice and beans, my
favorite!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8IyNk15t1AMa5HLSAGqBIOEFl5XA5bFEUUGA64ohCBzjGAe6UFuJ2crhcCNyA6XqHITp-Gqn0JcG-GVqgHTVYPKBThhRY0zIvaJRTcBZ4tKCO8TGq7nC4mZRYp_LZZjnlTBFjmD7hKVY/s1600/P5050204.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8IyNk15t1AMa5HLSAGqBIOEFl5XA5bFEUUGA64ohCBzjGAe6UFuJ2crhcCNyA6XqHITp-Gqn0JcG-GVqgHTVYPKBThhRY0zIvaJRTcBZ4tKCO8TGq7nC4mZRYp_LZZjnlTBFjmD7hKVY/s640/P5050204.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Our third Tequila Distillery of the day</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;">From Tequila to Guadalajara. I had to take a nap; the
traffic was bad and the tequila was still floating in my blood. “Could you help
me look for a hostel or a hotel?” said Aaron. I woke up and looked around in
amusement. </span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4bU_AwqBohwb27-L6Brs6b4Xu38v4gp5jdc12hIrC-yY5QhPOLoWOgKt26KOOULxhPAOZByRPhluJxAeCuIBFt04KStVFuCQwqaS2Raddq1Rzv40ACAyNx9ZRgD9za1lZiXWHYRPytO8/s1600/P5060310.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4bU_AwqBohwb27-L6Brs6b4Xu38v4gp5jdc12hIrC-yY5QhPOLoWOgKt26KOOULxhPAOZByRPhluJxAeCuIBFt04KStVFuCQwqaS2Raddq1Rzv40ACAyNx9ZRgD9za1lZiXWHYRPytO8/s640/P5060310.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Complete madness before Good Friday</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;">We were in Guadalajara right in the middle of it all. Hundreds of people
were crossing the streets and not obeying the stop lights, horse drawn
carriages were flying down the narrow cobblestone roads, food stands and street
performers were on every little corner, and more and more people… none of them
gringos. “Sure.” I replied “There is a hotel over there. We should park and ask
how much it is.” And then we realized: “Park? Where?” We drove around for about
an hour looking for a parking spot; it didn’t help that it was the Thursday of
Semana Santa (Holy Week).<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTBLWh6xrqvR_ZqN9pcf-cl3Ftb7oP6bmfHBqFJe6uRt-u5eL5Ufq4SuPeFq_GN6K-fJxRdxnzd0bDL_AY_kAL8y8r3hXsPrGieLtHet6oLxqjVy9A8fX4H5bDJY_Jvm3vRZ6uhu4sziM/s1600/P5060309.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTBLWh6xrqvR_ZqN9pcf-cl3Ftb7oP6bmfHBqFJe6uRt-u5eL5Ufq4SuPeFq_GN6K-fJxRdxnzd0bDL_AY_kAL8y8r3hXsPrGieLtHet6oLxqjVy9A8fX4H5bDJY_Jvm3vRZ6uhu4sziM/s640/P5060309.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">One of the many Churches in Guadalajara that we visited while there</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;">We finally found parking on the other side of town
and came upon Hotel Pino purely by accident. It turned out to be the best deal in town; it was
160 pesos or about $13 for both of us. It was located right downtown, walking
distance from the square. We stayed at a pretty clean room, with TV, Wi-fi, and
a private bathroom with hot shower. We stayed there for two nights and got to
explore the center of Guadalajara on foot. After we got settled at the hotel,
we went to look for some dinner. Guadalajara was super busy with visitors and
street vendors everywhere. Unfortunately, most of the food we saw was junk food
like fried chicken and potatoes, chips, corn, sweets, and ice cream. Everybody
was eating something. After a while we settled for cooked veggies: potatoes,
broccoli, and eggs with cheese, mayo, crema (sour cream), and salsa on top.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLHFLzf3qT96jPE1piMIfUCbHTqYX7niPhzBO6_yC7ycrjXTcrLKkErjTmXs-zm_uabbDrzilbMeGdXwRsp9SU7FeH6HA2_tSQnytZCCi6BlMmduTGGYVVyJQLUWVdBpD5LCp9HRt_cQ4/s1600/P5070503.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLHFLzf3qT96jPE1piMIfUCbHTqYX7niPhzBO6_yC7ycrjXTcrLKkErjTmXs-zm_uabbDrzilbMeGdXwRsp9SU7FeH6HA2_tSQnytZCCi6BlMmduTGGYVVyJQLUWVdBpD5LCp9HRt_cQ4/s640/P5070503.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">More food covered in what else other than Mayonnaise, Chile and Lime</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;">The next day was all about exploring this beautiful
colonial city. Guadalajara looked a lot like a European city with a big market
square in the center and an amazing, big Cathedral. We visited the theater,
museums, government buildings, and many old Spanish Catholic churches.
Guadalajara is definitely a powerful cultural center of Mexico. </span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwPA4_1Ij887PgQPq5ML4Ee51kWTXgq9w3O1YyyF9rakB0mVKSDTuAqj1-_oEt338iEWS8LnKQD2n-VlIbD1DVRfAZUlm_O5s1KBgZrAMOBJlP2GVyYjaBZhxTnoLtUgnyLWsT7OzkEdw/s1600/P5070424.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwPA4_1Ij887PgQPq5ML4Ee51kWTXgq9w3O1YyyF9rakB0mVKSDTuAqj1-_oEt338iEWS8LnKQD2n-VlIbD1DVRfAZUlm_O5s1KBgZrAMOBJlP2GVyYjaBZhxTnoLtUgnyLWsT7OzkEdw/s640/P5070424.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">This guy was raking in the pesos, he would only play for 20 seconds or so then pause like a pantomime till more pesos were put in the dish then start playing like a mad man again.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">The streets
were filled with street performers: dancers, pantomimes, jugglers and clowns. I
ended up </span></span><span style="line-height: 28px;">participating</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> in a street clown show with a large audience. </span></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;">As soon as
the clowns spotted us, the two “turistos gringos”, we knew we were in trouble…
I went on stage; it was hilarious. At that point, I really wished I spoke more
Spanish, but I understood what was going on and laughed my way through it. One
of the clowns tried to kiss me and by accident I knocked down his big, red nose. </span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIyKw8fzxDp_4quJWUylcPj8I9r6f9tiUKCj7XFNMboLd8LJk7VCWFUecwSnZu2N5Q9rpILpcEW-AG3I9yI6jmi1BBNV6URQOWawmYFAqnc7nlIxHlI4Q_hwG-FurExylk3yyBAUfoNcM/s1600/P5070442.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIyKw8fzxDp_4quJWUylcPj8I9r6f9tiUKCj7XFNMboLd8LJk7VCWFUecwSnZu2N5Q9rpILpcEW-AG3I9yI6jmi1BBNV6URQOWawmYFAqnc7nlIxHlI4Q_hwG-FurExylk3yyBAUfoNcM/s640/P5070442.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">These two worked us pretty well.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;">He made me a souvenir, a pink balloon flower, which in reality looked like a
fan. </span><br />
<img height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPZUHxUk48U70C1t5oMkPgJZM1NOi3of4MNCKzBeV6cgyjJeWUxjHfwsl3tRhlYInTkjnKpcYLW2rPj-ZotF9Z5NjdBTXYQ2wqTws1TXBNAEqtwxa3J_yxFf0c4h2HsJniWLTBBLJlPSU/s640/P5070449.JPG" width="640" />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;">Aaron was laughing hysterically and was taking a ton of pictures and a
video, but did not want to go on the stage. That did not stop the clowns from
making fun of him.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;">Later, we came upon one of the largest Mercados in
Mexico, Mercado Liberdad, as Aaron mentioned in the previous post about food. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmhW25fZuhywNcUDpdaznvNozh6rI-wyRbfRj41AX6x1FivefsJyKVQDKGqL-6W15aPhw1uRsSoHEJgOvgljyfhyphenhyphen6d67hFqd3n-hbhKPCATLxIP2NSgQinuYg-BiHT2TxMpUVpY_IxW5U/s1600/P5070460.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmhW25fZuhywNcUDpdaznvNozh6rI-wyRbfRj41AX6x1FivefsJyKVQDKGqL-6W15aPhw1uRsSoHEJgOvgljyfhyphenhyphen6d67hFqd3n-hbhKPCATLxIP2NSgQinuYg-BiHT2TxMpUVpY_IxW5U/s640/P5070460.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Fresh Chile Rellenos or Pescado anyone?</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;">We had lunch on the second floor of Mercado Liberdad, which was packed with
various restaurants and crowded with people eating foods such as seafood, chile
rellenos, fish tacos, quesadillas, and much more. The strong smell of cooking
and frying made us hungry and ready to try the wonderful cuisines. Since we
were enjoying Mexican food for over three weeks now, we opted for some Chinese
Chop Suey and shrimp for a change. It was delicious and affordable; we paid
about 100 pesos or $8 for lunch for both of us, actually about twice as much as
we would usually spend.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;">That night we went to church as it was Good Friday.
Unfortunately, we did not have a chance to see the Passion Play, except we saw
parts of it on the Mexican news that evening. Apparently Guadalajara does not
do the Passion Play; the largest Passion Play takes place in Mexico City and
includes about 170 people.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">On Saturday morning, we left Guadalajara and drove
towards Lago de Chapala, which is about an hour and a half away. On the way, we
stopped at Tlaquepaque, a small, very clean and beautiful town, full of amazing
art, furniture, clothes, and jewelry. It was definitely the nicest little town
we have seen so far.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNzCG7OcW_8m-oUowxe6xwYjcdN23F2Fn3N__lWTpW8eMJjOf2wCZYiWUQAutZwlB-RjKG486pxe0ZOrkLieN8nrYA0l-xZBCVRREhyphenhyphenR_xzQR945GZ8UYxPZj_JD4RQS6fKNAnuC5r3dE/s1600/P5070004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNzCG7OcW_8m-oUowxe6xwYjcdN23F2Fn3N__lWTpW8eMJjOf2wCZYiWUQAutZwlB-RjKG486pxe0ZOrkLieN8nrYA0l-xZBCVRREhyphenhyphenR_xzQR945GZ8UYxPZj_JD4RQS6fKNAnuC5r3dE/s640/P5070004.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Pope John Paul II is everywhere in Mexico, he is in most churches one way or another. Everyone loves him still to this day. When Aneta tells Mexicans she is from Poland they like her even more. Tlaquepaque</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeLEWnVQJX-lKAWY3hZ-zr7cpFHZCGvs9GscjHs4Dt3BuTgMQh1j4IPqbMxhNzc0lIrNTgp2uejLeuWHIUKKwl0R5paZNih6MXWx9wv5KH7WasenEWOROnaavNrd9fRvT3oFCX5yEIW14/s1600/P5080044.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeLEWnVQJX-lKAWY3hZ-zr7cpFHZCGvs9GscjHs4Dt3BuTgMQh1j4IPqbMxhNzc0lIrNTgp2uejLeuWHIUKKwl0R5paZNih6MXWx9wv5KH7WasenEWOROnaavNrd9fRvT3oFCX5yEIW14/s640/P5080044.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-size: small;">Lake Chapala</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">We got to Lake Chapala about noon. There was a big traffic
at the entrance to town as everybody was going there for the Easter weekend. A
guy showed up at our truck window handling out flyer's. “Campamento Xochime” it
read, exactly what we were looking for! We drove down to check it out and it
was the perfect little campground for us, very clean, quiet, close to town, and
with super friendly owners. The price was right too: 80 pesos or about $6.50
for both of us for a night. We ended up staying there for three nights and
making good friends with the owners. In case you are ever there, we highly
recommend it </span><a href="http://www.campamentoxochime.com/">http://www.campamentoxochime.com/</a>.<span style="line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMQLqspO8CYDnVLiZmV0ElS9audRM2VN-2SiFCawuQUU0GQJ1w5OmrXBnDL8gIAFqj41H_701xQnvTI_QEaXvwNsF-EdUKdrqUWcqnilIUSeQDCAUlq9ywrv9uONneXvBbYZROLSCLQ1w/s1600/P5100158.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMQLqspO8CYDnVLiZmV0ElS9audRM2VN-2SiFCawuQUU0GQJ1w5OmrXBnDL8gIAFqj41H_701xQnvTI_QEaXvwNsF-EdUKdrqUWcqnilIUSeQDCAUlq9ywrv9uONneXvBbYZROLSCLQ1w/s640/P5100158.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">We will miss this crew</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIt5m74YBXuuhi5kDTr9My5_SvlFnyd9_MCOybOd65TAWWwcTQlApSg1d0_fKn3U0LgcOhCSEYZir1jN-_FYkXDS92Mz8WkFcad23rSrZ3kRrgXpnIDT_L1s3YCVjESQD0iBiO4Y4vVIk/s1600/P5080077.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIt5m74YBXuuhi5kDTr9My5_SvlFnyd9_MCOybOd65TAWWwcTQlApSg1d0_fKn3U0LgcOhCSEYZir1jN-_FYkXDS92Mz8WkFcad23rSrZ3kRrgXpnIDT_L1s3YCVjESQD0iBiO4Y4vVIk/s640/P5080077.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-size: small;">Lake Chapala</span></td></tr>
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<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;">Lake Chapala and Ajijic are great places to visit if
you are in the Guadalajara area. The lake is the largest sweet water lake in
Mexico; it reminded us of Lake Atitlan in Guatemala (considered the most
beautiful lake in the world), where we spent our honeymoon in August/September
2009. Unfortunately, Chapala is not very clean and we decided not to get in the
water. After visiting Lake Chapala we headed back to the Oceanside. The ocean
is where our hearts lead us back to.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">Click on pictures to enlarge</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP694PtwfJ8xvokDmq-U_f1o6gstpwV9wQAA_GxcCd02XJ0Wrpqi0YTZUJIzywuCF44i4wGcHKpCuWO2lN_Q4M8tUnveeyWFbTsF2jeCQ84SO-63x4Mz2QeIvj6JzAeWvadGxjaO5hbko/s1600/P5050270.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP694PtwfJ8xvokDmq-U_f1o6gstpwV9wQAA_GxcCd02XJ0Wrpqi0YTZUJIzywuCF44i4wGcHKpCuWO2lN_Q4M8tUnveeyWFbTsF2jeCQ84SO-63x4Mz2QeIvj6JzAeWvadGxjaO5hbko/s320/P5050270.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">At the gates of another Tequila Distillery </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyAK1jnuQoaKllp-7bvev9QD2NkYyt10ddTIviVr0ciyAz6LK9uFK69SY3sFMETgwEZ7hpIDgm-caH7a4RWrBFzyDqJvMx4HAB-JVFT4O1EEC560gznSiAtGBQiwPj4vhwTbyJ11HrdP4/s1600/P5050230.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyAK1jnuQoaKllp-7bvev9QD2NkYyt10ddTIviVr0ciyAz6LK9uFK69SY3sFMETgwEZ7hpIDgm-caH7a4RWrBFzyDqJvMx4HAB-JVFT4O1EEC560gznSiAtGBQiwPj4vhwTbyJ11HrdP4/s320/P5050230.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">The church in the main plaza in Tequila</span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxSgtqHZvC-WocskLLvp5wFl3YlmEb_86HoV0rGaT8swxmwB6kE0Ulgq62Oy__StUFZ6_jnGD58Wfoo8L-UUgho1riZcawN6t5WjxuwAADdZfFibbeer1r-t5kIbKvIyZkebw_9EleFbE/s1600/P5050234.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="82" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxSgtqHZvC-WocskLLvp5wFl3YlmEb_86HoV0rGaT8swxmwB6kE0Ulgq62Oy__StUFZ6_jnGD58Wfoo8L-UUgho1riZcawN6t5WjxuwAADdZfFibbeer1r-t5kIbKvIyZkebw_9EleFbE/s320/P5050234.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVNDSRBJTsjcA-IamBdiulNr-iJuy4eAfosmcFXqBy7S53gBafZpf_ypnRhyphenhyphenCylFkzJS_e-RdRpj-OCkIhhJjNoLF4OPQw4OJ4qxvrTDYm8AEUn6ih_5Kay8yNJ2fPnHjnl2diEpv7NCo/s1600/P5050220.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVNDSRBJTsjcA-IamBdiulNr-iJuy4eAfosmcFXqBy7S53gBafZpf_ypnRhyphenhyphenCylFkzJS_e-RdRpj-OCkIhhJjNoLF4OPQw4OJ4qxvrTDYm8AEUn6ih_5Kay8yNJ2fPnHjnl2diEpv7NCo/s320/P5050220.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">The interior of one of the distilleries</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2_JpiKfmj1iM1KK45G1H4Z4i_SfK0aGwJ_DItI_EmaoaOuMu8HdH06kMbmUJgvegDB8hfWMZSfXk5fSlsolvZ5DOlhb01fSDQlikX7Otq04veqEb9oV0_aUB_zFyxi-d3eFNIGmivGas/s1600/P5050267.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2_JpiKfmj1iM1KK45G1H4Z4i_SfK0aGwJ_DItI_EmaoaOuMu8HdH06kMbmUJgvegDB8hfWMZSfXk5fSlsolvZ5DOlhb01fSDQlikX7Otq04veqEb9oV0_aUB_zFyxi-d3eFNIGmivGas/s320/P5050267.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-size: small;">A buffet that we smelled from the street. We had to pop in and check out what was cooking for the buffet Argentinian style</span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Ekmt7Lbft049omIaQnePFQcrx-Gq5ApoxMh3Tk5SXphVJFSnRkYQ6S1TRKQQFtdnIZHx-w1QXt8PWbflpD7-x0rrZ8P2gYCJSvYGq7gx_yNY1FcSgz5jB6LHdz_4VGD8Je-QWqJq6Io/s1600/P5050263.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Ekmt7Lbft049omIaQnePFQcrx-Gq5ApoxMh3Tk5SXphVJFSnRkYQ6S1TRKQQFtdnIZHx-w1QXt8PWbflpD7-x0rrZ8P2gYCJSvYGq7gx_yNY1FcSgz5jB6LHdz_4VGD8Je-QWqJq6Io/s320/P5050263.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtWhqM_D1NpuAchHE5XvSuD2tmfCUfY1L2Wrr-8-iT0n4ndXQx_docIrefuYztbSmwQvR2mJULcvlolhzj-f1PKSesnIQdjrmVu8NtvlMGVDqGksiWqUq7Szhw_OrREFjvhPhA1A4Cgo4/s1600/P5050268.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtWhqM_D1NpuAchHE5XvSuD2tmfCUfY1L2Wrr-8-iT0n4ndXQx_docIrefuYztbSmwQvR2mJULcvlolhzj-f1PKSesnIQdjrmVu8NtvlMGVDqGksiWqUq7Szhw_OrREFjvhPhA1A4Cgo4/s320/P5050268.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">The chic streets of Tequila</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieTlQvYLs2ke4Gxf7EzUuhLbMyD3TRazqDqKjji2o-goeFQLTHBcO05rfxRQ2Y_FZ4OdkfpFy6GlbU1o-7_lJ84Wtb5HC-AIKRSeaZ5ca0pQlGSWWAJfVGka-o6RoXWSQ1JeaayQ_pKwg/s1600/P5050272.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieTlQvYLs2ke4Gxf7EzUuhLbMyD3TRazqDqKjji2o-goeFQLTHBcO05rfxRQ2Y_FZ4OdkfpFy6GlbU1o-7_lJ84Wtb5HC-AIKRSeaZ5ca0pQlGSWWAJfVGka-o6RoXWSQ1JeaayQ_pKwg/s320/P5050272.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Jose Cuervo auditorium ready for tasting. The final stop of the Tequila tour.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd1KCl0_H7TgWRUqJdqgH_wBW1otDl19nd_hmBZ39_S_HPM3qgrGKJNNBn4jYR3tJaBLrZVwCbQ1y1bnZAeIyYJcprAvQp5y6OJGguAah4pa1uC5NNNOHV_rR_eSBGQKMGE-01u1SaNDk/s1600/P5050226.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd1KCl0_H7TgWRUqJdqgH_wBW1otDl19nd_hmBZ39_S_HPM3qgrGKJNNBn4jYR3tJaBLrZVwCbQ1y1bnZAeIyYJcprAvQp5y6OJGguAah4pa1uC5NNNOHV_rR_eSBGQKMGE-01u1SaNDk/s320/P5050226.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Agave by the truckload off to be baked</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Theater in Guadalajara</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">This painting took up the entire ceiling in a grand stair well in one of the many historic government buildings</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Aztec Indians giving free health rituals. A quick back adjustment and some smoke in your face and you are on your way for free.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">A small section of the largest Mercado in Mexico and Central America</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Another way of making those pesos on the street</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Church which contains the painting of the Lady of Guadalupe that took us a few days to find.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Tlaquepaque, quite cosmopolitan </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">This is what you get when gringo's take over a Mexican town. This was 20 ft up in a tree so no one can take it down however it was hard to spot.</span></td></tr>
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</div>Aneta and Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06033961849066324016noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-538413071626428836.post-42752670872976508002012-04-19T09:21:00.000-07:002012-04-19T10:10:33.139-07:00Ceviche to Cake<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">Food. Aneta and I love trying new food whenever we can get our hands on it. In Mexico they are all about food, we can't get away from it. We have even come up with a nickname of food teasers for all of the vendors that are everywhere selling food on the streets.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">We were wondering what this was coming down the street on fire and blowing his steam whistle.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Found out it was sweet potatoes and plantains douched with sweet milk</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Potatoes, broccoli, cauliflower and eggs covered in mayonnaise and doused with what else other than lemon and chile powder mixed with water, it is used on everything from mango to cucumber</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It is hard not to buy some sort of food when we go to a town. Going out and finding or ordering food has been quite the experience for us. It gives us a chance to practice our Spanish and see what new food we can find. Our favorite place to go to kill some time or a whole day is the Mercados in larger towns. The Mercado's and smaller restaurants is where we have been eating most of our food due to the experience and availability. There are plenty of upscale restaurants in any larger town that we could spend ten to twenty dollar meals at but that would be expensive after a while and is not as much fun. Here you can find anything from hair extensions, cameras and kitchen ware to fruit, butcher shops, fresh fish and small restaurants. While milling around Guadalajara we happened to walk into the largest Mercado in Mexico. Mercado Libertad is four stories and has the footprint of two city blocks. Before Mexico neither one of us knew how much Mexicans loved food.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Breakfast in a Mercado in Guadalajara</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">In the morning you can get anything from simple tacos to Mexican pastries or yogurt blended with different flavors then topped with fresh fruit and granola. For lunch there are taco stands, taquerias, and luncherias with tortas. In the evening the central plaza's come alive with people and food. Vendors of all sorts come out with their carts, under a tarp or just out of the back of their car to sell tamales with fruit, tacos, tripple milk cakes, fresh breads and pastries. The cakes here are not what we are used to. They are made with what I have been told three different kinds of milk which give them a super rich flavor and are super moist. If you let a cake here sit around too long it will sink into the plate because of all of the weight. In the evening it is much cooler and most people are done working so they gather in the plazas to let loose and relax.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Fresh ice cream being made in Tlaquepaque</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Another take on ice cream</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Ceviche Tostadas, Tacos and Fresh Tortillas have become a staple of our diet ever since we crossed the border. They are tasty and very affordable, we have been enjoying them for breakfast or a quick snack after a day on the beach or from walking around town.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Super moist and huge pieces of cake, we could not finish all of it</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRkgLxIvFUOOHRKIsrXqH08jwnm43G7Sb72BZqnMWtwIezobfORU47fx4MvYSQLxUDQXy9sQpfa55Fs9HHxB8OPcYK7vwWXHi0BRGlX-fIn1rUvTCUuO-a0Cd22VshTRvL9aMGegFVb7g/s1600/P4260034.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRkgLxIvFUOOHRKIsrXqH08jwnm43G7Sb72BZqnMWtwIezobfORU47fx4MvYSQLxUDQXy9sQpfa55Fs9HHxB8OPcYK7vwWXHi0BRGlX-fIn1rUvTCUuO-a0Cd22VshTRvL9aMGegFVb7g/s640/P4260034.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;">Ceviche tostadas for lunch in Puerta Vallarta.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We have found ceviche with most ingredients that come from the ocean, from pescado (fish), camaron (shrimp), octopus, mussels, lobster, or oysters. It is soaked in lime juice to break down the protein by itself or with garlic, onions and cilantro, you can also have it mixed with mayonnaise, very tasty also. The first day we tried it was in the Central Mercado in Mazatlan. We were looking for a quick and fresh breakfast, after picking up some guava, papaya and some bananas. Aneta kept going back to the stall that was packed with people sitting tightly around a counter eating ceviche. At first we were skeptical to eat raw fish then we figured why not, so we asked in our broken Spanish what ingredients it contained. We decided we would get one pescado tostada with lime and test the waters. After a douse of fresh hot sauce more lime and a quick sniff test to make sure it was not too fishy we were ordering a few more. At 5 to 15 pesos ($.38 to $1.20) a piece you can't go wrong for these tasty treats. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large; text-align: center;">I must say that we have become spoiled in Mexico with the availability of freshly prepared food and produce. One evening we were walking back to where we were staying in Sayulita and Aneta had a craving for fresh tortillas. So we went to the tienda where she realized that it was too late in the evening for fresh tortillas because they were six to eight hours old and would not be as tasty anymore. The tortillas are made at tortillarias where they have big squeaky machines that pop them out at the rate of one every few seconds. Then they are weighed into one or half kilogram bags, put in coolers to keep them warm all day then delivered to tiendas where they are sold. A Kilogram (2.2 lbs) of these tasty tortillas goes for about 14 pesos (about $1) The best tortillas are handmade on the spot at restaurants, we usually check to see if they are handmade because it makes all the difference. In the central part of the country they primarily have corn tortillas. The fresh flour tortillas are more of a northern Mexico tradition. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large; text-align: center;">We are trying to not let corn be our main staple so we have been trying to make smoothies whenever we get a chance (yes we brought a blender). Whether they are just fruit and yogurt or with greens such as spinach or chard which we have successfully found at either the artisan markets or at the bigger grocery stores such as Mega and Walmart. We thought we were getting away from Walmart's and Home Depots but they creep up on us in every larger town. The best thing about the big supermarkets is the free and clean restrooms and bags of prewashed Popeye spinach (as we have been craving fresh greens and salads).</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjniPBYK7tSCo40_fbV7aN1LwCrDFTmti-vLoS2Vm-37-uWbIqCD85W_-vW1LvNUq9UdgdKPxzQjJj0crsrL8Yt0mGEIAWc4ln51qtY4pvCV5qdTPVceN4E32NvN9L5R04lsellPuIJdoA/s1600/P4150352.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjniPBYK7tSCo40_fbV7aN1LwCrDFTmti-vLoS2Vm-37-uWbIqCD85W_-vW1LvNUq9UdgdKPxzQjJj0crsrL8Yt0mGEIAWc4ln51qtY4pvCV5qdTPVceN4E32NvN9L5R04lsellPuIJdoA/s640/P4150352.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Yaka smoothie anyone? This is what the inside looks like, I turned it inside out, look this huge fruit up.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I am sure you are wondering 'won't you get sick if you eat raw fruits and vegtables?' Yes, you sure can; so we have been soaking them in Microdyn and water then rinse it with fresh water, which is basically iodine which is sold at most food stores.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Food will be a subject we plan on covering as we travel in different regions. We have decided to add a page in the future on the food that stands out for us that we encounter along the way because we have found it to be so diverse.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjugjrIohWMQ_i0WfDXg0L88f_EZJa9Sm4YLNzG_gNUDLE811Brhj9ona9E8opVMkqCyGn0QEAPdlFuWm8ByU_klfTx83z2hVfWShLGDoMUQtt0OvKVtdLKX1-nzMvSMkQaCVursl1qlns/s1600/P5140229.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjugjrIohWMQ_i0WfDXg0L88f_EZJa9Sm4YLNzG_gNUDLE811Brhj9ona9E8opVMkqCyGn0QEAPdlFuWm8ByU_klfTx83z2hVfWShLGDoMUQtt0OvKVtdLKX1-nzMvSMkQaCVursl1qlns/s640/P5140229.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">At night the cake ladies come out to sell their triple milk cakes that are soaked with milk</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV_xTCqGcgmeka50r4gQU7-IdTvkLzEdFSzhKWDF3LRj2L3is2Otjg3jnyuoTYrsc8OYPri6oQyttrdIk5A37cn6-72lJq_GziopLBC6qymqSghpFK4BaM9q46gV8FrTfXRSUYe_MuuLE/s1600/Northern+Mexico+024.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV_xTCqGcgmeka50r4gQU7-IdTvkLzEdFSzhKWDF3LRj2L3is2Otjg3jnyuoTYrsc8OYPri6oQyttrdIk5A37cn6-72lJq_GziopLBC6qymqSghpFK4BaM9q46gV8FrTfXRSUYe_MuuLE/s640/Northern+Mexico+024.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">What do you do with the tomatoes that were rejected by the U.S. </span><span style="font-size: small;">and Canadian markets and then not needed for the Mexican Market?</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice for breakfast</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Sweets</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">The tropical fruit goes on forever along the coast</span></td></tr>
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<br />Aneta and Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06033961849066324016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-538413071626428836.post-71700051858378487472012-03-27T14:43:00.000-07:002012-04-03T10:57:32.021-07:00¿Donde Esta La Playa?<br />
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<img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4W6TRu72em2ShLXz26-tB6EdIs955tflOyVJfngRsvPNRutLyPkt9mi6RKTqoOxzHPgMW0nZpp1GMA1PnnQ3eHHEalMUbpXb_6VAy-ycAD0GCg_T3-kZk7kc-TkhpfLnaA_HoSVxEVnE/s640/Sayulita+Custom+pics+045.JPG" width="640" /><a href="mailto:www.crossinglatitudes@blogspot.com">?Donde Esta La Playa?</a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">We made it; we are finally here in a small Mexican surf town
called Sayulita. Sayulita is just like Steamboat sunny and beautiful. Instead
of the great view of the mountains covered in snow, we get to look at the
amazing beach, sand, and the ocean. People are very helpful and friendly.
Instead of skis and snowboards they carry around their surfboards. Time is of
no concern. If you can’t get to it today, there is always manana…</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sayulita, Mx</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0xVLJ73tBtQcDgvOAX9j836QIV7MYz0LGFUSfWrblWKwrplrJQOZJtncPkw8v67SOiqfW_5w_wbiSQKKxqUqJ4BEoclfNpCnzndRzAyMKWULX2llTozx3U53slUnsuD8CoJHV7hQqzic/s1600/P4170422+(Medium).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0xVLJ73tBtQcDgvOAX9j836QIV7MYz0LGFUSfWrblWKwrplrJQOZJtncPkw8v67SOiqfW_5w_wbiSQKKxqUqJ4BEoclfNpCnzndRzAyMKWULX2llTozx3U53slUnsuD8CoJHV7hQqzic/s200/P4170422+(Medium).JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bill and Maya Cruising</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">We arrived to Sayulita on Monday evening, March 12th and have been here enjoying the </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">beach and the warm
weather. We are camping in our friends backyard in a big tent we nicknamed
“Taj Mahal.” Our friends, Bill, Anne, and Maya are also from Steamboat; they
have been in Mexico since June 2011 and they have been very helpful to us. Maya
is an awesome kid; at four years old she swims like a fish, speaks Spanish, and
has a ton of energy. Que chica! She even tried our stand up paddle boat and did
great.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Life is easy here in Sayulita. We get up when we want or
whenever the roosters get us up; there are literally hundreds of them living
behind “Taj Mahal” in the neighborhood running around. Aaron says that one of these days we will have rooster for
dinner. Later we go for a run or walk on the beach, pick up pastries and fruit
on the way back, make smoothies for breakfast, and go to the beach again to
surf or paddle board till late afternoon. We read books, study Spanish, check
our emails, upload pictures, grab tacos and beer for dinner, and then go to
bed. Next day… we get to do it all over again. We never knew life could be that
easy!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPGhvMm6Zj_SXR3AUYzYbZ6Nkra1B98oQq-l_hJAh8Y3Ry19mwis9rwnHpddFBCjQkjBsVjDVfxBayYpiGNOjHiFiDaameEDpaxRYpjKQF0ElOFCMmkdOtenapDqnFPYadfVLT4vR0T6g/s1600/P4170468+%2528Medium%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPGhvMm6Zj_SXR3AUYzYbZ6Nkra1B98oQq-l_hJAh8Y3Ry19mwis9rwnHpddFBCjQkjBsVjDVfxBayYpiGNOjHiFiDaameEDpaxRYpjKQF0ElOFCMmkdOtenapDqnFPYadfVLT4vR0T6g/s640/P4170468+%2528Medium%2529.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">It took us a while to get to our destination, but the long
months of preparation and a few weeks of driving finally paid off. We left
Steamboat Springs, Colorado on Monday, February 27<sup>th</sup> in the morning.
It was about three degrees Fahrenheit when we got in our black Nissan
Pathfinder and left our friend Jim’s house (he was very nice to let us stay
with him for a couple of months while we were getting ready for our trip). We
were wearing our puffy jackets, fleece pants, and gloves, and we could barely
fit in the </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">truck with all our belongings and the surfboard in the middle. Right
after we left, we had to make a stop at our storage unit in Steamboat; we
realized we had to drop some weight and leave some things behind. Eleven hours
later we were shedding layers as we crested the hill and saw the sparkly lights
of Las Vegas.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhx0ZNjC4eTRGqPXRNjc9IE6p6CjnSugNVV_WonPCGmak8U2RDYH7BlRCGbmEqkfB4A5zPh_uUb7rtwj2nQYv5De0rPjQt2KBkFBTECoR7SBq0g7FzSgowARAxDP5mti7z8xvvMNN_BPo/s1600/380.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhx0ZNjC4eTRGqPXRNjc9IE6p6CjnSugNVV_WonPCGmak8U2RDYH7BlRCGbmEqkfB4A5zPh_uUb7rtwj2nQYv5De0rPjQt2KBkFBTECoR7SBq0g7FzSgowARAxDP5mti7z8xvvMNN_BPo/s320/380.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Las Vegas Baby!!!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLSv1TUUbNfEIUwEcH93fKs-99ARL6mXaq8RTdacInPKqHKF9aZgVUktBJGCr0KL_28oyVlSV0W7q08z6r1Ag1wqggkG58eul3MKdptGqLK9kd73M2ItqNglaJr6ZTxiuFuFHjmRAqQK0/s1600/392+(Medium).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLSv1TUUbNfEIUwEcH93fKs-99ARL6mXaq8RTdacInPKqHKF9aZgVUktBJGCr0KL_28oyVlSV0W7q08z6r1Ag1wqggkG58eul3MKdptGqLK9kd73M2ItqNglaJr6ZTxiuFuFHjmRAqQK0/s1600/392+(Medium).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLSv1TUUbNfEIUwEcH93fKs-99ARL6mXaq8RTdacInPKqHKF9aZgVUktBJGCr0KL_28oyVlSV0W7q08z6r1Ag1wqggkG58eul3MKdptGqLK9kd73M2ItqNglaJr6ZTxiuFuFHjmRAqQK0/s320/392+(Medium).JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hair Cut time by the pro, not really</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We stayed in Vegas with Aaron’s uncle Mark and his wife
Rebecca for over a week enjoying some quality time with them. It turns out they have done the same thing 25 years
ago; they lived out of their van, the Vanyo, in Mexico for four months. In Las
Vegas we got the truck ready for our trip; purchased new tires, windshield, new
battery, tinted the windows, and again repacked our belongings (more of that to come). It’s
amazing how much you can actually fit into a small SUV! “This will be our home
for the next several months” we thought.</span></span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9zR4MrrO63VCVXYvQ_oAf4CphCYxSs2_oZmdPMoc0RR4sw3Y9uwTrzYRFnUFJ6HHmOkn404X-lp4GHlzo6lK9ShpkmJ0tkgp_2FfD4yXo-0AvfLq_RRdzCoJXADWZp62jMO3pE5SleXI/s1600/P3060924.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9zR4MrrO63VCVXYvQ_oAf4CphCYxSs2_oZmdPMoc0RR4sw3Y9uwTrzYRFnUFJ6HHmOkn404X-lp4GHlzo6lK9ShpkmJ0tkgp_2FfD4yXo-0AvfLq_RRdzCoJXADWZp62jMO3pE5SleXI/s320/P3060924.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Our next stop was the Grand Canyon. The Grand Canyon is</span></div>
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<a name='more'></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihXr8pHY2mYKbwE6iN4rIwa2pN_b3ZNhhVWkW-1TFqzuWZJ6P853IDvWK_XI6c9gOsE5Mh8unt6jGJDz5NI9qPGzp_2rKEGhYeCtggVBIW9gE_Mv0Lr6vT-JxGKA5cT4I5OEfUTCe3qM0/s1600/P3060964.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihXr8pHY2mYKbwE6iN4rIwa2pN_b3ZNhhVWkW-1TFqzuWZJ6P853IDvWK_XI6c9gOsE5Mh8unt6jGJDz5NI9qPGzp_2rKEGhYeCtggVBIW9gE_Mv0Lr6vT-JxGKA5cT4I5OEfUTCe3qM0/s320/P3060964.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">beautiful during every season, but visiting it in winter is even more special.
We camped at the National Forest near the South entrance to the Grand Canyon
and the next morning we woke up to a few inches of snow. That reminded us what
we were leaving behind. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Then we stopped at Mesa, Arizona where we had to make a
final visit to a Nissan dealership which did nothing for our cause (more to come in a future post). That night we camped at Saguaro National Forest. From Mesa we continued south towards Tuscon and</span><span style="font-size: large;"> we camped nearby Catalina State Park, where we could use showers in the middle of the night…</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"> In Tuscon we picked up some final
supplies because we knew the next day was going to be the big day when we cross the border
to Mexico. Our blood pressure was going up; we were only one hour from the border
in Nogales and had no camping arrangements. “What the heck? Let’s just keep going south so
we can cross the border early the next morning.” So we dispersed camped by
Nogales, 15 minutes north of the Mexican border. We saw and heard the drones and
helicopters, but in contradiction to the popular belief, we rose to the sun the
next morning.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIhSjQL9bVXY7ND_kT1aBqgN4VCUKOzXwvq8o3AR9pNzRvF_MuonAz2aD6AiY5vxtjLSqr0r8vTUru0lfAuneH-UadDAjvc8zA2c2SH71rHW9VUv1Ef-XzSbcB4bA5iehEn2riGu1xS1E/s1600/P3090995.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIhSjQL9bVXY7ND_kT1aBqgN4VCUKOzXwvq8o3AR9pNzRvF_MuonAz2aD6AiY5vxtjLSqr0r8vTUru0lfAuneH-UadDAjvc8zA2c2SH71rHW9VUv1Ef-XzSbcB4bA5iehEn2riGu1xS1E/s320/P3090995.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Border</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Crossing the border was much easier than we imagined. We knew
we were getting closer to the border as the distances changed from miles to
kilometers, the signs were in Spanish, and the signs in the restrooms above the
toilets read “Please put the toilet paper in the toilet.” It was time for the
big hop. We passed by the U.S. border patrol who were inspecting cars going into Mexico for guns and ammo. “Red light or green light?” was what was rushing through Aaron’s head
ever since we got up, not because we had anything to hide but because he did not know if he could get everything packed back in the truck. Green light it was, alright! We didn’t have to stop or
even show our passports, but as soon as we crossed, we had no doubts: “We are
in Mexico, baby!” We crossed and pulled over at the Aduana and picked up our
six month tourist cards; then, exchanged money at the border where the exchange
rate was the best we have seen since.
Next step was to import our vehicle, but where do we do that? We asked the Aduana agent and he said: “It is
21 kilometers on your right, you won’t miss it”. We hopped in the car and started driving down
the road in hopes of not missing the building. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja6ZFLJqUWpV9eEJrEuojNREue1K_Klde9OOCgU1LTmxXEYtYqBKr2TJMa-LQ6xben8aFfaPcxWspn6a4ZcKBfHHCHKW0Us9Mg5jRmtrwWQWIWfkngdHGTFDsAUxRktV_Iu3VuJab2xyU/s1600/Northern+Mexico+100+(Medium).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja6ZFLJqUWpV9eEJrEuojNREue1K_Klde9OOCgU1LTmxXEYtYqBKr2TJMa-LQ6xben8aFfaPcxWspn6a4ZcKBfHHCHKW0Us9Mg5jRmtrwWQWIWfkngdHGTFDsAUxRktV_Iu3VuJab2xyU/s320/Northern+Mexico+100+(Medium).JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One very expensive toll but worth it. $15 us</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">The next three days was mostly driving down a very expensive
Mexican highway. At the Aduana and Vehicle
import area, we met a nice Canadian couple, Bob and Sharon, who were on their
way to Puerto Vallarta. Sayulita is just north of Puerto Vallarta. We teamed up
and drove together for two days. First day to San Carlos, second to Calestino
Gasca, and third… Bienvenidos a la Sayulita!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2L9QtX-EwJOay0XmuwqdyF1grMPqWvev6tpaMWU8RdpRCHeVsFZ_UZr1qJV4tklsJnBbBpiLqtjwUi1ACYBUbI8W8zZ2PRz2CXOzvssGRFNay2a_w3dQMhA_wWJQhh1AdbXNFN33bfzk/s1600/Sayulita+Custom+pics+060.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2L9QtX-EwJOay0XmuwqdyF1grMPqWvev6tpaMWU8RdpRCHeVsFZ_UZr1qJV4tklsJnBbBpiLqtjwUi1ACYBUbI8W8zZ2PRz2CXOzvssGRFNay2a_w3dQMhA_wWJQhh1AdbXNFN33bfzk/s640/Sayulita+Custom+pics+060.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Don't ask, we won't tell the location</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>Aneta and Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06033961849066324016noreply@blogger.com11