November 25, 2007

Only one month till Christmas. Can you believe it???

Yesterday we went into Teacapan for dinner with friends Rich and Tina. We found a wonderful little restaurant at the Marina, somewhere we hadn't yet run across in our explorations of the little town. The food was so so, but they made up for it with service and atmosphere. There were wooden tables and chairs with cloth table covers!! What a nice change - so far all we've seen is plastic everywhere!!

I've taken my camera everywhere and literally took pictures of nothing. Tonight we left the camera at home - and ended up in the middle of a celebration!! Doesn't that figure. Every man, woman and child (including babies - lots of babies) were in Teacapan to celebrate the beginning of the Christmas season.

We arrived in the town square (after dinner) in time to catch the ending of an outside Church service. After the mass the crown dispersed a little and took part in the rest of the party. All around the town square were booths set up - carnival style. There were people playing games (throwing darts at a spinning circle; tossing coins on pictures; throwing marbles into holes with numbers) all in hopes of winning a small prize. All these games were hand made - quite incredible and archaic. There were food booths and live entertainment. And did I mention fireworks? They love their fireworks. There was fire in the sky and on the ground. People were running everywhere either trying to catch the sparks or get away from them. At one point there was a man, carrying a papier mache bull all lit up with fireworks, running through the crowd. The grand finale, more fireworks. A 20 ft high structure had been erected in the middle of the square and it was decked with fireworks on all four sides. Spinning fire, shooting fire, twirling fire - and it went off in sections - four in all. Couldn't see for smoke. We had a great time. It was wonderful to be able to take part in their celebration.

December 12th - is Guadalupe Day in Cristo Rey, a little community about a mile and a half from Teacapan. We've heard this is a great celebration as well, so we're going to try to get there for that too. We'll have to check our calendar - pencil it in!!

November 22, 2007

American Thanksgiving today - and I'm going to miss the turkey feast!! But we went for a ride to Teacapan via the beach. The sand was so hard packed we didn't even need to use 4x4 for the most part. We're about 5 miles from town and we got to about 1 mile of town before we had to go inland for the rest of the ride.

We clebrated Am.Thanksgiving with Rich and Tina at an 'off the beaten track' cantina where they served us cerveza (one after the other) and brought us food whether we wanted it or not. I would never have ordered what they served us!! Firstly, bean soup. But it was hard to tell what it was, broth with a chunk of grissly beef. Believe it or not it was very good. Next up was a plate of 'popcorn shrimp'. This I did NOT eat! They were tiny little shrimps fried with their eyes and tails still attached. Gross!! The last entre was a fish, don't know what kind, but it was white. It was cooked (fried) on the bones and served up with limes. That was excellent. So - not your typical Thanksgiving dinner!! But good none the less!! The cost: $11.00 U.S. - we had 11 beers.

On our drive back home, via the beach again, we encountered this young man up a palm tree cutting down coconuts ...... can you see him in the top of the tree??

Caught him as he was shimmering down.

November 21, 2007

Here is a picture of the RV park from the beach. We're parked at the far end, in site 3 for now. We'll be moving to #7 on December 1st, which is beside friends Rich and Tina. We've decided to stay here until after Christmas, probably until mid January. Do you think we'll get bored???The weather here is so perfect. Temperatures average around 30C in the daytime and 22C in the evening. There is always a breeze in the afternoon which calms down with the beautiful sunsets. Mornings are damp with a little fog that burns off by 7:00 a.m.

November 17, 2007

Said goodbye today to Alberta friends we met - Brad and Susan and their pooch Bantry. They are off to Perula which is south yet of Puerto Vallarta. We had happy hour together and watched the sun set. (In the picture l to r: Tina and Rich, Brad and Susan, Michel)

November 14, 2007

Teacapan, Mexico

The RV park has a nice pool and the weather has been in the 90's so this is how we spend our days.

It's a tough life!!

November 9, 2007

Teacapan, Mexico

We're about 2 hours south of Mazatlan today at an RV Park called ONAC RV and Villas, just 10 minutes north of Teacapan. We set everything up, put our mat out, put the lights and my chimes out . This is where we will spend our winter - 3 months of it anyway.

We're parked right on the ocean, and the warm ocean water is wonderful. We're in the land of beautiful beaches and spectacular sunsets.

So far there are only 3 units here, but they keep saying the park will be full in January.

November 7, 2007

Mazatlan, Mexico

Made our way into Mazatlan today. Found an RV park in the north end away from the hustle and bustle of the city and decided to stay for two days. Long enough to see a little bit of Mazatlan then get going again to a quieter setting. This is the view from the RV park. We're in the second row, so it's not our view, but it's just a little walk and we're only here for awhile.

We toured around old town Mazatlan for awhile the first evening, looking for what the locals consider the best Mexican restaurant in Mazatlan. It was good food, but the menu wasn't exactly Mexican. The only Mexican dishes were fajitas. But the ambiance was worth it. And it was the busiest restaurant in the square, so that must mean something.

The next day we hiked up to the lighthouse. It was quite a hike, but it was apparently a 'must do' - the best view of Mazatlan is from that point. Most of the way was gravel pathway, the last was cement stairway. It was VERY hot and for awhile I wasn't sure I'd make it all the way, but an 80 year old couple were on their way back down, so I figured if they can do it - so can I. Going down was much easier - and faster. Here is a picture of Michel and me from the top - Mazatlan in the background.

The Mexicans are very proud of their cathedrals, and this one was no exception. Here are a couple of pictures. It was quite breath taking - I don't think pictures can do it justice......

November 6, 2007

La Cruz, Mexico

On the road again. Our plan was to stop in Los Mochis enroute to Mazatlan, but it was only noon when we came to our turn, so we just carried on. And on.

We left Senora and entered Sinaloa state and yet another toll booth. Lots of toll booths!

The toll highway in Sinaloa state is far better than in Sonora.

The sun was setting when we came to our first off ramp along the route. With little choice, we took it. We don't want to be travelling at night. Gosh it's hard enough to find our way in the daylight!!!

We only drove about 4 km when we happened upon a dead end right at the ocean. Heh - this isn't so bad!!

There was a little outdoor restaurant right there - it was closing for the evening, but not before they fixed up three plates of shrimp tacos..... I don't eat seafood, so I had the veggies...We figured we could stay awhile right here. And the restaurant proprietor says "no problem senor".... but all good things must come to an end. That end came around midnight.... I guess we happened upon the 'party spot'. Loud music and cars racing up the street beside us. Oh well, they were here first.

November 4, 2007

San Carlos, Mexico

Our idea is to hurry down and take our time coming back. We want to find that 'perfect' spot and just 'chill' for the winter. We're told we need to be settled before Christmas or we won't find a place. All the RV parks will be full. That makes sense!!!

We drove about two hours today - from Kino Bay to San Carlos. We took a back road, which was narrow and quite holey (in places), but on the up-side we missed one toll.....

So here we are in San Carlos, Mexico. Many people have told us we need to check this place out. It is very lovely, but very touristy. Most of the RV parks are across the street from the beach, which is quite rocky.

There is a big beautiful marina with many nice boats moored. This one in particular is Michel's favorite - he called it 'my boat'. pretty nice eh???


This house caught my attention - - - - -

November 2, 2007

KINO BAY, MEXICO

Well, we're in Mexico!! We arrived yesterday and our friends Tina and Rich arrived today. We spent the afternoon at the beach, which is directly across the street from our RV park. The ocean water was relatively warm so we went for a swim. I didn't swim, but I did get wet - - all of me!!! Here is a shot of Michel in the water.

And here is a shot of us enjoying a cerveza on the beach.