Yesterday was a long day - in a good way.
We got up at the crack of dawn and went stand-up paddle boarding. We watched the sunrise and returned our boards (we had them over night and had gone the previous evening as well). Our host has a deal with the shop so we got two sessions for $10 USD. A great deal.
Turquoise has become a daily ritual for latte's - evidently I haven't yet kicked my coffee addiction. For those visiting Sayulita - hit up the Yah Yah Café on the edge of the square.
After doing some work we went for a walk along the beach in the direction of the massive resort. We walked to the tip of the point, which took about 45 minutes. All beaches in Mexico are public but the resort has cameras and guards stationed along the way, noting our presence. Labour is cheap - the guard at our gate makes about 200 pesos a shift.
The beach isn't busy nor is it good for walking. Lots of rocks - so rocky in fact that at the furthest point, my $4 Walmart sandal decided to give up. Shoeless and 45 minutes of walking on rocks wasn't a promising prospect.
Luckily rocks aren't the only thing we found on the beach. It's strewn with a lot of dead sea-life and the occasion piece of garbage. We found not one but two flip flops right at the point that mine died. Perfect. I washed off the one that fit best and we continued on our way (don't worry fellow hippies, I packed mine out).
My girlfriend then got a session of surfing in.
Finally capped it off with a game of cards - life is good. :-)
Sunday 25 January 2015
Tuesday 20 January 2015
Been There Done That.
Curiosity got the best of us.
After a pretty dismal first impression from the bus on our way north to Sayulita - we decided to research Puerto Vallarta's. It wasn't surprising that PV offered more - after all - throngs of aging Canadians and Americans flock there annually. The part of PV we saw on our first day was north of the tourist area - which we read had a great boardwalk, shops and even a Mexican brewpub.
Sold - we figured it was worth checking out.
First thing we did was get my passport (members card) stamped at the embassy (Starbucks). I've been Starbucks free since arriving and needed a fix. It was like I never Vancouver. It was more or less identical to ever other Starbucks ever but felt oddly upscale compared to other Mexican establishments.
We then walked the boardwalk and quickly got bored. Years of American/Canadian tourists have transformed it into a piece of Americana. Lined with tourist traps like Senior frog (which had three separate official merchandise shops along the boardwalk) and Bubba Gump Shrimp Company - a kitschy Forest Gump parody restaurant. In between were overpriced liquor and clothes merchants.
More or less the antithesis of what I want in a travel experience. I hate to sound like a hipster but if at one point PV's board walk was cool - it no longer is.
That's fine. I'm sure if I lived in PV, I'd find some cool places and the board walk is more or less the epicenter of the tourist trap. Government St in Victoria is the same, and I felt similarly with Check Point Charlie in Berlin - something that once was interesting but now to commercialized (it's not the volume of people that bothers me - it's what it brings with it).
We headed away from the beach and up the hill to Los Muertos brewery. I love craft beer and have been tiring of the Pacifico/Corona options - it is PV's first brewpub - no doubt a product of the aforementioned throngs of northerners (particularly those from the Pacific NW). Still - I was curious to see what they had to offer.
Being a stout boy - naturally I had the McSanchez (their stout). It was a basic stout - but good. I was about to order another when the Anillo de Fuego caught my eye. It's a chilli beer.
Not a chilly beer - a chilli beer. I don't like chillies - but desperate to satiate my sense of adventure - I went for it.
Regrets. Not only does it taste strongly of chillies - it burns your lips like them too. It's borders on unpleasant. A novelty beer at best - I can't see anyone going out of their way to drink it on a regular basis - unless they were insane.
I finished my pint. Waste not - want not, right?
Not going to lie - it was slow going near the end. My recommendation is to get it in a flight of beer. That way you can say - wow - this is weird and reminisce later about the one time you had chilli beer. Oooooor, perhaps it's better in a Michelada (as I just read on their website while retrieving the name of the beer). I wish the bartender had recommended that.
After that we bussed back to Walmart and scoped out the overpriced mall next to the cruise ship dock. At first we couldn't figure out why everything was overly priced - but then we remembered what was parked in the slip. A Walmart and an expensive mall - the first thing the passengers experience in Mexico. Great.
Which got me to thinking. For the majority of the time I've been down here - we've been paying pretty comparable prices to back home (it's definitely cheaper but we've been pretty frugal). The question arises - where is all this money going? Even Punta de Mita, which is next to a massive resort - doesn't seem to profit/capitalize on it. Other than a couple of boutiques (one selling a 4000USD rug) and a restaurant or two - it's actually pretty poor. Sayulita was the same way - tons of tourists, high prices, yet everything is pretty ghetto.
After a pretty dismal first impression from the bus on our way north to Sayulita - we decided to research Puerto Vallarta's. It wasn't surprising that PV offered more - after all - throngs of aging Canadians and Americans flock there annually. The part of PV we saw on our first day was north of the tourist area - which we read had a great boardwalk, shops and even a Mexican brewpub.
Sold - we figured it was worth checking out.
First thing we did was get my passport (members card) stamped at the embassy (Starbucks). I've been Starbucks free since arriving and needed a fix. It was like I never Vancouver. It was more or less identical to ever other Starbucks ever but felt oddly upscale compared to other Mexican establishments.
We then walked the boardwalk and quickly got bored. Years of American/Canadian tourists have transformed it into a piece of Americana. Lined with tourist traps like Senior frog (which had three separate official merchandise shops along the boardwalk) and Bubba Gump Shrimp Company - a kitschy Forest Gump parody restaurant. In between were overpriced liquor and clothes merchants.
More or less the antithesis of what I want in a travel experience. I hate to sound like a hipster but if at one point PV's board walk was cool - it no longer is.
That's fine. I'm sure if I lived in PV, I'd find some cool places and the board walk is more or less the epicenter of the tourist trap. Government St in Victoria is the same, and I felt similarly with Check Point Charlie in Berlin - something that once was interesting but now to commercialized (it's not the volume of people that bothers me - it's what it brings with it).
We headed away from the beach and up the hill to Los Muertos brewery. I love craft beer and have been tiring of the Pacifico/Corona options - it is PV's first brewpub - no doubt a product of the aforementioned throngs of northerners (particularly those from the Pacific NW). Still - I was curious to see what they had to offer.
Being a stout boy - naturally I had the McSanchez (their stout). It was a basic stout - but good. I was about to order another when the Anillo de Fuego caught my eye. It's a chilli beer.
Not a chilly beer - a chilli beer. I don't like chillies - but desperate to satiate my sense of adventure - I went for it.
Regrets. Not only does it taste strongly of chillies - it burns your lips like them too. It's borders on unpleasant. A novelty beer at best - I can't see anyone going out of their way to drink it on a regular basis - unless they were insane.
I finished my pint. Waste not - want not, right?
Not going to lie - it was slow going near the end. My recommendation is to get it in a flight of beer. That way you can say - wow - this is weird and reminisce later about the one time you had chilli beer. Oooooor, perhaps it's better in a Michelada (as I just read on their website while retrieving the name of the beer). I wish the bartender had recommended that.
After that we bussed back to Walmart and scoped out the overpriced mall next to the cruise ship dock. At first we couldn't figure out why everything was overly priced - but then we remembered what was parked in the slip. A Walmart and an expensive mall - the first thing the passengers experience in Mexico. Great.
Which got me to thinking. For the majority of the time I've been down here - we've been paying pretty comparable prices to back home (it's definitely cheaper but we've been pretty frugal). The question arises - where is all this money going? Even Punta de Mita, which is next to a massive resort - doesn't seem to profit/capitalize on it. Other than a couple of boutiques (one selling a 4000USD rug) and a restaurant or two - it's actually pretty poor. Sayulita was the same way - tons of tourists, high prices, yet everything is pretty ghetto.
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| PV isn't all bad. :-) |
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| Obligatory Starbucks visit. |
^ Tamara's reaction to the chilli beer.
Sunday 18 January 2015
Punta de Mita Photos
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| Punta de Mita from the top of our building |
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| My girlfriend and our host |
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| Watched the sun set drinking beer. |
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| Chilling by the pool |
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| Haven't gathered the courage to try the pork rinds. Soon... |
A Need For Speed.
The fair is in town - we can hear it playing rather creepy music on a loop across town as we fall asleep. We have yet to actually visit it but I can't imagine what a fair in this country looks like, or how anyone survives the rides.
I am starting to suspect the locals have a high threshold for danger. A Mexican bus ride, for example, is a cheap alternative to putting your life in a carney's hands. The bus seem to be threadbare and held together with baling wire - yet the drivers seem to enjoy pushing them as fast as they can go along winding roads through the jungle.
On the way to Punta de Mita - our bus driver seriously considered passing on a double yellow line while cresting a blind hill (to pass a large oil/gas tanker). It's almost hilarious if it didn't put everyone in jeopardy.
We traveled to the a couple markets (first a real mexican one, then a gringo trap) today - and again - Mario Andretti was our driver. I'm not entirely certain _why_ they line and sign the road if noone obeys it (at all).
I tried to peek at the speedo as on our way towards La Cruz. I was trying to determine how fast we'd rocket off the road at the next tight corner. The speedometer was registering zero.
I tried to capture it in video (we were going uphill and had slowed down by the time I decided to record it for prosperity):
I am starting to suspect the locals have a high threshold for danger. A Mexican bus ride, for example, is a cheap alternative to putting your life in a carney's hands. The bus seem to be threadbare and held together with baling wire - yet the drivers seem to enjoy pushing them as fast as they can go along winding roads through the jungle.
On the way to Punta de Mita - our bus driver seriously considered passing on a double yellow line while cresting a blind hill (to pass a large oil/gas tanker). It's almost hilarious if it didn't put everyone in jeopardy.
We traveled to the a couple markets (first a real mexican one, then a gringo trap) today - and again - Mario Andretti was our driver. I'm not entirely certain _why_ they line and sign the road if noone obeys it (at all).
I tried to peek at the speedo as on our way towards La Cruz. I was trying to determine how fast we'd rocket off the road at the next tight corner. The speedometer was registering zero.
I tried to capture it in video (we were going uphill and had slowed down by the time I decided to record it for prosperity):
Street Meat
Punta de Mita is a big change to Sayulita. It's more of a one burro town attached at the hip to a massive exclusive Four Seasons Resort (takes up most of the peninsula) and a few gated communities - so very quiet.
We are staying in one of the gated communities. Having our own room in a large 3 bedroom place overlooking a private pool and palm trees - feels very weird coming from a hostel. A little less exciting but in some ways - particularly being productive with work - that is a good thing.
Our host took us to one of his local favorites - an impromptu taco stand that appears on Saturday and Sundays (no menus etc - real street). I am getting more bold with what I like to call Mexican Intestinal Roulette...and perhaps flew a little close to the sun last night...having my first real Mexican bathroom experience in the morning.
Gotta remember to ease up on the spicy sauce...
We are staying in one of the gated communities. Having our own room in a large 3 bedroom place overlooking a private pool and palm trees - feels very weird coming from a hostel. A little less exciting but in some ways - particularly being productive with work - that is a good thing.
Our host took us to one of his local favorites - an impromptu taco stand that appears on Saturday and Sundays (no menus etc - real street). I am getting more bold with what I like to call Mexican Intestinal Roulette...and perhaps flew a little close to the sun last night...having my first real Mexican bathroom experience in the morning.
Gotta remember to ease up on the spicy sauce...
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Wednesday 14 January 2015
Marietas Islands
I tend to avoid guided tours, not because I'm an anti-tourist, but because I just don't feel they are worth it (and I usually find them lacking interesting content and devoid of real excitement). Generally speaking - there have been exceptions.
The first thing that popped onto the radar when I started to look into Sayulita is the Marietas Islands. It is a ecological reserve off the coast which has a interesting beach/cave (essentially the cave collapsed, leaving a crater like beach). I put it on my list of things to do (among the millions of other people who visit this area). Upon arriving - we heard a variety of reports from the hostel guests on experiences and what they paid.
I started to get the impression the islands had become a bit of a tourist trap. Regardless - my girlfriend really wanted to go, so she went out hunting for the best deal. She seemed to find it with the Chica Locca trimaran. Whale watching, open bar, island tour, kayaking, stand-up paddle boarding, snorkeling, water slides (on the boat) all for $85 - for a trip that is around 8 hours (I think) from the parking lot in Sayulita - not bad for $10/hr.
Frankly, I could've done without the whale watching - which mostly consists of harassing humpback whales trying to feed. Maybe that's just the hippy in me - that said - we did get to see a lot of whales...which was cool.
The staff was very friendly and the banter was funny (a canned tour - but still fun). The drinks came fast and furious. I generally limit my booze intake on the water - I feel it's a bit of a recipe for disaster - but I needed a bit in me to dull my overwhelming fear of sharks (my kryptonite). The pina colada's went down easily (I expected watered down drinks which wasn't the case - they didn't skimp on the booze).
I think I liked the kayaking the best - bombing around in them with my girlfriend was a lot of fun.
The snorkeling was good - a first for me. I got to put my tough camera to the test (overall I took 300 photos - 3 of which are decent).
The island tour itself was quick but unless the beach was deserted I wouldn't want to stay there much longer than we did. We explored a couple of the smaller caves which was a nice mini-adventure...a safe way to feel like Indiana Jones.
Overall it we both felt it was well worth it and were pleasantly surprised (I went into it with no expectations - maybe that is the trick).
The first thing that popped onto the radar when I started to look into Sayulita is the Marietas Islands. It is a ecological reserve off the coast which has a interesting beach/cave (essentially the cave collapsed, leaving a crater like beach). I put it on my list of things to do (among the millions of other people who visit this area). Upon arriving - we heard a variety of reports from the hostel guests on experiences and what they paid.
I started to get the impression the islands had become a bit of a tourist trap. Regardless - my girlfriend really wanted to go, so she went out hunting for the best deal. She seemed to find it with the Chica Locca trimaran. Whale watching, open bar, island tour, kayaking, stand-up paddle boarding, snorkeling, water slides (on the boat) all for $85 - for a trip that is around 8 hours (I think) from the parking lot in Sayulita - not bad for $10/hr.
Frankly, I could've done without the whale watching - which mostly consists of harassing humpback whales trying to feed. Maybe that's just the hippy in me - that said - we did get to see a lot of whales...which was cool.
The staff was very friendly and the banter was funny (a canned tour - but still fun). The drinks came fast and furious. I generally limit my booze intake on the water - I feel it's a bit of a recipe for disaster - but I needed a bit in me to dull my overwhelming fear of sharks (my kryptonite). The pina colada's went down easily (I expected watered down drinks which wasn't the case - they didn't skimp on the booze).
I think I liked the kayaking the best - bombing around in them with my girlfriend was a lot of fun.
The snorkeling was good - a first for me. I got to put my tough camera to the test (overall I took 300 photos - 3 of which are decent).
The island tour itself was quick but unless the beach was deserted I wouldn't want to stay there much longer than we did. We explored a couple of the smaller caves which was a nice mini-adventure...a safe way to feel like Indiana Jones.
Overall it we both felt it was well worth it and were pleasantly surprised (I went into it with no expectations - maybe that is the trick).
Monkey Mountain Sayulita
Staying at the hostel is turning out to be more of a boon than bust. I mentioned in my previous post that one of the advantages of hostels is the collective knowledge - another advantage is safety/economy in numbers.
Yesterday we joined a group from the hostel and hiked Monkey Mountain, one of the higher hills in the area. If it were just me and my girlfriend - I'm not sure we would have done it. First, it's a ways from Sayulita - so a ride to and from is required (in this case we rented a collectivo - van taxi). Secondly - the hike isn't well marked and foreign terrain is a little intimidating without prior research/preparation.
To get to the trail head we needed to walk through some farms - skirting our way around sharp horned bulls, skittish horses and territorial dogs. The best map we had was an aerial photo of the area and written directions - so a few wrong turns were made. Through luck and collective reasoning - we reached the top. We hung out soaking up the sun and enjoying the view of Sayulita in the north and Punta de Mita (our new home as of the 17th) in the south.
Apparently there are tours up monkey mountain for $45 - I think it cost each of us around $3. I'm sure the tours have fewer missed turns - but where is the fun in that? That's all part of the adventure.
If you do hike Monkey Mountain - here is some supplementary info:
Be sure to bring plenty to drink. I had a Nalgene bottle and half a Gatoraid and probably could've gone for a little more. The trail isn't rugged but I'd recommend closed footwear. I did it in a pair of runners without problem - some of the guys had flip flops, which sucked coming down.Ticks are a problem...the group accrued quite a few - I had two myself - so check yourself frequently.
We found the directions given online missed a couple of points. We initially walked by the trail to the peak off the main track - if you start climbing a really steep hill on the main track, you've gone too far. The trail up Monkey Mountain is single track that branches left up a creek bed (there is a bit of a clearing and an irrigation pipe leading up the hill). You then come to a fork at the top of the creek, to the right is a rope up a steep slope, we took the left fork and that lead us to the top - not sure where the right fork goes.
Yesterday we joined a group from the hostel and hiked Monkey Mountain, one of the higher hills in the area. If it were just me and my girlfriend - I'm not sure we would have done it. First, it's a ways from Sayulita - so a ride to and from is required (in this case we rented a collectivo - van taxi). Secondly - the hike isn't well marked and foreign terrain is a little intimidating without prior research/preparation.
To get to the trail head we needed to walk through some farms - skirting our way around sharp horned bulls, skittish horses and territorial dogs. The best map we had was an aerial photo of the area and written directions - so a few wrong turns were made. Through luck and collective reasoning - we reached the top. We hung out soaking up the sun and enjoying the view of Sayulita in the north and Punta de Mita (our new home as of the 17th) in the south.
Apparently there are tours up monkey mountain for $45 - I think it cost each of us around $3. I'm sure the tours have fewer missed turns - but where is the fun in that? That's all part of the adventure.
If you do hike Monkey Mountain - here is some supplementary info:
Be sure to bring plenty to drink. I had a Nalgene bottle and half a Gatoraid and probably could've gone for a little more. The trail isn't rugged but I'd recommend closed footwear. I did it in a pair of runners without problem - some of the guys had flip flops, which sucked coming down.Ticks are a problem...the group accrued quite a few - I had two myself - so check yourself frequently.
We found the directions given online missed a couple of points. We initially walked by the trail to the peak off the main track - if you start climbing a really steep hill on the main track, you've gone too far. The trail up Monkey Mountain is single track that branches left up a creek bed (there is a bit of a clearing and an irrigation pipe leading up the hill). You then come to a fork at the top of the creek, to the right is a rope up a steep slope, we took the left fork and that lead us to the top - not sure where the right fork goes.
Tuesday 13 January 2015
Hidden Gems
Saw my first cockroach last night - didn't even phase me. I'm obviously starting to acclimatize.
We have been exploring the 'hidden beaches' in the area. The good thing about hostels is that there is a 'collective' knowledge that gets past along amongst the people staying in them.
The last two beaches we've been are good examples. They have been spectacular and frankly we would probably not have found them without tapping into that knowledge base. They are a little 'out of the way'....but by Sayulita standards that means a short walk. I'm not sure if people are lazy or just don't know about these other beaches but they are great. Yesterday's beach had massive surf which was fun to frolic in. It was much longer than 'private' cove the day before but was mostly empty.
Today we are looking into de Marietas Islands, which are very touristy (first thing that popped onto my radar when i was researching Sayulita) - but look amazing regardless of that.
Updates soon. Pictures below. :-)
We have been exploring the 'hidden beaches' in the area. The good thing about hostels is that there is a 'collective' knowledge that gets past along amongst the people staying in them.
The last two beaches we've been are good examples. They have been spectacular and frankly we would probably not have found them without tapping into that knowledge base. They are a little 'out of the way'....but by Sayulita standards that means a short walk. I'm not sure if people are lazy or just don't know about these other beaches but they are great. Yesterday's beach had massive surf which was fun to frolic in. It was much longer than 'private' cove the day before but was mostly empty.
Today we are looking into de Marietas Islands, which are very touristy (first thing that popped onto my radar when i was researching Sayulita) - but look amazing regardless of that.
Updates soon. Pictures below. :-)
Sunday 11 January 2015
On the seventh day he rested...
We bought some ear plugs and slept like babies last night...!
Here are some photos of our adventure so far:
Here are some photos of our adventure so far:
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| 'Our' spot. |
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| Sayulita at night |
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| This made my 'homesick' |
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| Passing through a cemetery on the way to the beach |
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| Our own private paradise. |
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| Hermit crab! |
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| Sayulita from across the bay. |
Saturday 10 January 2015
SFM
There is an acronym in Africa - TIA - which means This is Africa. It's used to describe crazy behavior in Africa. I propose a new acronym - SFM: meaning so fucking mexico
It could be used to explain events or actions only taken place in Mexico. In my short stay I've already starting to compile a list of examples:
1) An industrial strength firework launched from an open, public beach that explodes shortly after take off. SFM.
2) Almost getting run over by a runaway horse on the beach. SFM
3) Butchers chickens on the side of the street, in an open hut, flies everywhere. SFM.
It could be used to explain events or actions only taken place in Mexico. In my short stay I've already starting to compile a list of examples:
1) An industrial strength firework launched from an open, public beach that explodes shortly after take off. SFM.
2) Almost getting run over by a runaway horse on the beach. SFM
3) Butchers chickens on the side of the street, in an open hut, flies everywhere. SFM.
Friday 9 January 2015
Bienvenidos a Méjico!
I had to take a little time before writing this post. My initial feelings were that I had made a huge mistake coming to Mexico...but after a day on the beach and some exploring of Sayulita - I'm feeling a little better about it.
Surprisingly, there were wasn't any drama while transiting south - connections were made easily and with low to little stress (we had a layover in LAX). Clearing customs were a bit of a worry for me as we don't fit the typical tourist profile and have no definite return date. We flew through them when entering Mexico - perhaps a little too quickly - one of my gf's agents didn't even speak with her, let alone as any questions. I saw other agent stamping passports so quickly that he was calling the next in line up before he was done.
A taste of Mexico.
Chaos.
Keep in mind this is my first trip to a 'developing' country and my time in the tropics is limited (Hawaii once). There is a long list of things to get used to.
First impressions:
Everything is dirty: I'm no clean freak but I'm need to adjust to the amount of general uncleanliness here. The town itself is fairly 'tidy' though dusty - but the concept of food safety doesn't appear to be present. I do agree it is overblown in Canada but anyone and everyone seems able to sell food. Some pretty ghetto food stands - eg. we saw a churos being made and dished out from the back of a pickup. The highways are strewn with garbage and the river running through the town appears to be a sewage outflow. Which is kind of gross as it bisects the main beach....
Everyone does whatever the fuck they want (or seems to): I'm not sure if this is part of the charm or what...but it's weird as hell coming from a pretty structured country. You first notice it in the architecture - which it's random additions and no sense of uniformity - but then you realize everything is like that...everything.
It's cheap but is expensive considering. Perhaps it's the weak Canadian dollar (Currently it's about 1$ CAN to 12 MXN Pesos). - but I was expecting it to be much cheaper here. The only thing I've found so far that seems ludicrously cheap is the booze (though I never have been overly interested in tricking my brains out). We paid $1 for Corona's from the beer store...but then again, that a drink that barely is more alcoholic or flavorful than actually water shouldn't cost much more than it.
We paid roughly 10$ each for a burrito and water....which is what I'd pay in Vancouver (the water would be free mind you). The other part of the problem is this bartering business....I have no idea when to pay market value or when to barter. Even the hosts at restaurants seem willing to haggle...which is strange for me. We are asking around to get the inside scoop on cheap food - we found a pizza place that was $10 for a large pizza (big enough for both of us) and 2 water...better.
While on the beach today we had a guy offer to sell us a beach towel (which I'm certain was from Walmart) for $65. I understand it's part of the culture and they are trying to work it so the buyer feels they are getting a steal of a deal) - but I can't help but find it a little insulting.
The hostel we are staying at is $20 a night each. The only other Hostel I've stayed at was one downtown Berlin for 16$ a night. We are in 8 bunk rooms and Berlin in was 32 bunks in the dorm...which you'd think would be better. Nope. See the part about everyone doing whatever the fuck they want....I'm running on very little sleep thanks to partying beach bros. There is a bar on the roof of the hostel which blares music much past 12 (1:30 today - a quiet night)...1:30 isn't bad until you take into consideration the drunk beach bros making a ton of noise until 4:30. My gf pointed out that in Berlin or other major cities...people pay for a bed and party elsewhere - whereas here...there doesn't seem to be much of a night life.
Not knowing any Spanish is a massive detriment. Just saying...do some Duolingo if you want to visit a foreign country.
It's late (2:30am) ...I need to sleep.
I'm going to edit and perhaps add onto this later.
Surprisingly, there were wasn't any drama while transiting south - connections were made easily and with low to little stress (we had a layover in LAX). Clearing customs were a bit of a worry for me as we don't fit the typical tourist profile and have no definite return date. We flew through them when entering Mexico - perhaps a little too quickly - one of my gf's agents didn't even speak with her, let alone as any questions. I saw other agent stamping passports so quickly that he was calling the next in line up before he was done.
A taste of Mexico.
Chaos.
Keep in mind this is my first trip to a 'developing' country and my time in the tropics is limited (Hawaii once). There is a long list of things to get used to.
First impressions:
Everything is dirty: I'm no clean freak but I'm need to adjust to the amount of general uncleanliness here. The town itself is fairly 'tidy' though dusty - but the concept of food safety doesn't appear to be present. I do agree it is overblown in Canada but anyone and everyone seems able to sell food. Some pretty ghetto food stands - eg. we saw a churos being made and dished out from the back of a pickup. The highways are strewn with garbage and the river running through the town appears to be a sewage outflow. Which is kind of gross as it bisects the main beach....
Everyone does whatever the fuck they want (or seems to): I'm not sure if this is part of the charm or what...but it's weird as hell coming from a pretty structured country. You first notice it in the architecture - which it's random additions and no sense of uniformity - but then you realize everything is like that...everything.
It's cheap but is expensive considering. Perhaps it's the weak Canadian dollar (Currently it's about 1$ CAN to 12 MXN Pesos). - but I was expecting it to be much cheaper here. The only thing I've found so far that seems ludicrously cheap is the booze (though I never have been overly interested in tricking my brains out). We paid $1 for Corona's from the beer store...but then again, that a drink that barely is more alcoholic or flavorful than actually water shouldn't cost much more than it.
We paid roughly 10$ each for a burrito and water....which is what I'd pay in Vancouver (the water would be free mind you). The other part of the problem is this bartering business....I have no idea when to pay market value or when to barter. Even the hosts at restaurants seem willing to haggle...which is strange for me. We are asking around to get the inside scoop on cheap food - we found a pizza place that was $10 for a large pizza (big enough for both of us) and 2 water...better.
While on the beach today we had a guy offer to sell us a beach towel (which I'm certain was from Walmart) for $65. I understand it's part of the culture and they are trying to work it so the buyer feels they are getting a steal of a deal) - but I can't help but find it a little insulting.
The hostel we are staying at is $20 a night each. The only other Hostel I've stayed at was one downtown Berlin for 16$ a night. We are in 8 bunk rooms and Berlin in was 32 bunks in the dorm...which you'd think would be better. Nope. See the part about everyone doing whatever the fuck they want....I'm running on very little sleep thanks to partying beach bros. There is a bar on the roof of the hostel which blares music much past 12 (1:30 today - a quiet night)...1:30 isn't bad until you take into consideration the drunk beach bros making a ton of noise until 4:30. My gf pointed out that in Berlin or other major cities...people pay for a bed and party elsewhere - whereas here...there doesn't seem to be much of a night life.
Not knowing any Spanish is a massive detriment. Just saying...do some Duolingo if you want to visit a foreign country.
It's late (2:30am) ...I need to sleep.
I'm going to edit and perhaps add onto this later.
Wednesday 7 January 2015
Goodbye old friend.
It's a new year - it's 3am and I'm at Starbucks again. It feels familiar yet change is in the air. Or literally about to be. I'm at YVR - the launch pad - the start of new adventure.
Walden is gone. I finished that chapter tonight and signed him over to a new owner. It was sad to see him go but it was time...as you probably got the gist from my blogging - or lack of it, living in a van had run it's course (for now)*. As hard as I tried, I couldn't rationalize keeping him - seeing as I don't know when I'll be back, or if I'll need him when I return....it just
With fond memories on my mind - I waved after him as his tail lights disappeared into the night - his squeaking blending into the ambient city noise.
The next step is to reel in my Starbucks dependence that I established over the summer. The good news is - where I'm going doesn't have a Starbucks (within 40km at least) - so I can detox while I'm out of the country.
The current plan is to hop on an airplane and fly to Mexico with my girlfriend to enjoy an indeterminate amount of sunshine and surf. The length we stay hinges mainly on what we can find for accommodation. So far we've got 5 days booked at a hostel.
This is the first trip of this type for me (open ended / unplanned) - so it should definitely be interesting. Maninvan is now is Maninmexico...
We leave at 6 - if all goes well, the next time you read this blog - we'll be in Mexico. 28ºC and sunny is tomorrow's forecast...just saying... :-)
*I did get to bring in the new year with Walden in Victoria. I drove down island to attend the orienteering meet on the 1st. I'm glad I did - nice to have one last kick at the cat before selling him.
Walden is gone. I finished that chapter tonight and signed him over to a new owner. It was sad to see him go but it was time...as you probably got the gist from my blogging - or lack of it, living in a van had run it's course (for now)*. As hard as I tried, I couldn't rationalize keeping him - seeing as I don't know when I'll be back, or if I'll need him when I return....it just
With fond memories on my mind - I waved after him as his tail lights disappeared into the night - his squeaking blending into the ambient city noise.
The next step is to reel in my Starbucks dependence that I established over the summer. The good news is - where I'm going doesn't have a Starbucks (within 40km at least) - so I can detox while I'm out of the country.
The current plan is to hop on an airplane and fly to Mexico with my girlfriend to enjoy an indeterminate amount of sunshine and surf. The length we stay hinges mainly on what we can find for accommodation. So far we've got 5 days booked at a hostel.
This is the first trip of this type for me (open ended / unplanned) - so it should definitely be interesting. Maninvan is now is Maninmexico...
We leave at 6 - if all goes well, the next time you read this blog - we'll be in Mexico. 28ºC and sunny is tomorrow's forecast...just saying... :-)
*I did get to bring in the new year with Walden in Victoria. I drove down island to attend the orienteering meet on the 1st. I'm glad I did - nice to have one last kick at the cat before selling him.
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