Just some photos...

Just a few extra photos to compliment my last post.

Hibiscus quesadilla, hibiscus water. I'll turn pink if I'm not careful.

Courtyard banana tree. Check out how cool to flower is:

Sayulita Surfing & Snacking

We went down to the Punta Mita area last Friday, to a spot called La Lancha, where I took my first ever surf lesson.  Seth tagged along and did his own thing while Lindsay and I took turns with our instructor, Kalle.  I was really impressed by his knowledge of the break and wave reading; he kept us in perfect position and I caught what were surely some of the best rides of my life.  I'm finding that I do okay once I'm up on a wave, but my paddling and board maneuvering was greatly improved by some pointers.

It was such a good lesson and break that we went out again yesterday, again with Lindsay on her last day here. The waves were a bit bigger and the water a little more crowded; I'm not entirely sure that I would have felt comfortable paddling out there on my own.  But being out with Kalle was great; he saw big sets coming in long before we did, which gave us time to paddle into position if we wanted to catch one, or paddle towards the channel to avoid being clobbered. Reading the ocean like this is something I really hope to develop, and I think just takes time and attention. Kalle barely seems to be focused on the ocean, but has spent so much time out there that he still sees things I don't while staring intently at the horizon. Yesterday was far and away my best day of surfing ever.  Many of the waves were coming in head high, and I caught nice really long rides.  I've been renting and riding a long board down here, and my rides were long enough that I got the opportunity to play around with my footing a little. I love classic longboard style: cross steps and nose ridings, high on my list of surfing hopes and dreams.

There are so many talented surfers in this town it's quite inspiring. The other morning we walked down to the beach early, where we saw a kid that I would guess is 6-8 years old outsurf everyone else in the water, even pulling off a headstand at one point. It wasn't even the end of his ride; he flipped back down onto his feet and kept going!  

We can walk a nice loop by going directly out to the beach, walking south a ways, and then coming back to our cabin through town, which is what we did that day, stopping to pick up some croissants along the way to have with coffee back at home. There are several European-style bakeries in town, and we're on something of a mission to find the best one in town.  Food, generally, has been a highlight of this trip. There are a few places that do really interesting varieties of vegetarian dishes. One of my favorites and one of the most interesting so far has been a hibiscus quesadilla. While I've had and enjoyed hibiscus tea and water* before, I had no idea that anyone cooked and ate the flowers, but they're great. The same place makes a tinga, a saucy spiced dish served in a tortilla, taco style, with carrots instead of meat. Next door is a place with fantastic handmade blue corn tortillas, with many veg options for fillings, including poblanos and corn, zucchini, and spiced potatoes. Yesterday I had mole enchiladas there that were so rich I could barely finish my meal, despite its deliciousness.  Of course, we've been getting our fill of fish tacos as well, served all over town in a variety of styles and with several different types of fish as options.

(*if you're unfamiliar with "aguas frescas" they're a commonly served beverage in Mexico: water blended with fruit, or sometimes made from a mix, so that they have a light refreshing sweetness to them)

More soon on new friends and learning Spanish!

Hola Sayulita

Greetings from the enjoyably sweltering heat of Sayulita, Mexico!  We arrived Sunday evening and kicked off our vacation by jumping right into our token travel kerfuffel.  At the airport, we hired a taxi company to take us the 30-40 miles from Puerto Vallerta North to Sayulita. They offered us a shot of tequila at the counter, and we both obliged. Then, in the cab, our driver asked if we wanted some beers for the road, drinking in a vehicle being something of a novelty to us gringos. Porque no? We said! Unsurprisingly, I managed to forget my bag in the car when we were let off two beers later.  Luckily I had a number for the company, and went into town to find a phone to use. I paid to use one at a convenience store. After watching me wait for some time for the company to track down my bag and call back, a mechanic enjoying his evening beer out front took my taxi ticket and without solicitation used his own phone to call for me and check in on the situation. Several phone calls later I spoke with the gentleman who had arranged our ride at the airport counter. He tracked down my bag, and instead of charging full price to have it delivered by taxi, or my making the bus trip back to the airport to pick it up, he offered to drive it up to me for just the price of gas. We arranged to meet him at the gas station at the entrance of town, and he told me he would be driving a Ford Explorer, so that I could recognize him. 'Thanks,' I said, 'I have purple hair, so I'll be easy to spot.' 'Yes,' he laughed, 'I remember.' Although it dominated our first evening here, it was in the end a minimal inconviece, and a proving ground for the friendliness and helpfulness of everyone we met.

It rained off and on all day on Monday. We didn't make it out into the water, party due to the rain and party due to our need to adjust to the heat and humidity.  Instead, we spent most of the afternoon on the covered patio of a cafe, sipping beers and munching on guacomole. There we met a teacher from Vancouver, Lindsay, with whom we became fast friends.  We talked travel, west coast culture, education, and surfing, and plan to join her and her friends tomorrow for a trip a bit south to Punta Mita, another surf spot.

Now that the sun is out and we're a bit more acclimated we've fallen into a really nice routine.  In the morning we go out for a surf, coffee, or breakfast (or some combination) before retiring to our shady cabin during the heat of the day to read, nap, study Spanish, etc.  Our cabin is perhaps a bit rustic by some standards, but perfect for us, with a private little courtyard.  Bananas, coconuts, and mangos (unfortunately not yet ripe) grow in the cabins' common courtyard/walkway, where there's also a larger outdoor kitchen (we have a small two burner/sink kitchen setup in our cabin).  The noise is something to get used to, as our neighborhood back home is an exceptionally quiet one. The wide variety of birds here can be at times deafening, the shriller ones balanced by the soft and familiar hoots of a nearby owl.  Like many places in the world, here many things, like gas, are sold in roving trucks which signal their approach with loud music or announcements. I think I may forever remember the jingle for "Cinta, Cinta, Cintagas!" after our stay.

We've had excellent interactions thus far with locals and other travelers alike.  Many people here seem to have roughly as good a grasp of English as I have of Spanish, although there are plenty who are completely fluent and plenty who speak not a lick (including the mechanic who came to my rescue on the first day).  I get plenty of opportunities to practice; unlike some other places I've been people here don't seem to be chomping at the bit to practice their English, and generally conduct business in Spanish unless someone approaches them in English, or they happen to be completely fluent.  Most people I've talked to are happy to help me learn, to speak a little slowly, and graciously correct me when I say something silly or can't find the word I want.

More in a few days on our trip down to Punta Mita, town explorations, and continued social adventures!