Sniffling, Snorkelling and Scorpion Scuffling

We haven't been doing much over the last few days, as David is getting over a cold of sorts. His voice was hoarse and his throat sore, and he has a cough that comes and goes. Hopefully he will be up to snorkelling tomorrow, as Lori promised to take us to a great snorkelling spot.

We went to Puerto Escondito for the afternoon yesterday, to do laundry and look around. It's a beautiful beach town, much like San Agustinillo, but bigger, and a lot more people on the beach. (I guess we're spoiled here - the population is only 250!) Lots of Canadians go there - we saw many, many Canadian license plates.

Most nights we hear the roaring of the ocean all night. Last night, the wind must not have been very strong, because in between dreams all I heard was a screeching rooster, just loud enough to prevent me from slipping into the next dream - several times.

For the record, not all roosters "cock-a-doodle-doo" - it's too many syllables for most - "cock-a-doo-loo" is more common. When I realized a lot of time must have passed analyzing rooster linguistics in the darkness instead of counting sheep, I was ready to rustle up that rowdy rooster and really wring... Well, let's just say that I never wished harm on a bird before, but last night Rusty made me consider eating poultry again.

The other evening Lori killed a scorpion on her terrace (bless her heart!). I had never seen a real one. David wanted to keep the carcass on our terrace, to be able to inspect it better in the light of day, of course. About an hour later, we had the map of Central America spread out on the terrace, and Paul noticed the scorpion's tail was moving. There was a scuffle, but brawn prevailed!

While preparing dinner tonight, I went to pick up a piece of folded paper off the floor - imagine my delight when I saw the dead scorpion inside! There was another scuffle - me almost hitting the roof. I informed Mr. Barker that I won't be sharing a drive back home, or anywhere, with a scorpion - dead or alive!

During dinner, we noticed another scorpion stalking two cockroaches as big as walnuts... David and Chloe were thrilled, but that kind of cheap entertainment is lost on me. Even if Rusty sleeps tonight, how will I sleep, knowing there are creepy crawlies outside the window, which is open all night? And why are there no screens on Mexican windows??

Enough said about that!

We will be leaving San Agustinillo and its wildlife for Oaxaca (pronounced "wah-HAW-ka") on Monday morning. I am looking forward to different scenery and climate, as Oaxaca is in the mountains. And I think I'm in need of stimulation in the form of music and art, instead of scary flora and fauna!

Paella Day

David is feeling much better today, after a whole day of resting. His mosquito bites have subsided, and now his only itch is to make a Paella (pronounced 'pah-AY-ya'), so today is the day. We've invited our neighbour, Lori, and the owner of Caza Azul, Yolanda, who are looking forward to a cooking class.

Brigitte went home yesterday :(
They were sweet and genuine, and we enjoyed good conversation.

I think I am starting to miss exercise...of course I can do it here, but it's just too hot really. Anyway it's not like we're not moving at all - we swim in the pool and snorkel in the ocean - it's just not the same.

I think maybe it's almost time to get back on the road!


Chloe's Notes:
I went running on the beach with my new Dalmation buddy. I didn't catch his name, but he was young, fun, and hot! (Don't worry Rosco, you're still my number one wrestling buddy.) We ran and ran and ran, sending the sand flying behind us. If only the street perros could've seen us!

Jesus and The Big Fish

Yum! We've been enjoying local fruit such as mangoes, pineapple, and oranges. And our cabana neighbour, Ingmar (from Guelph!) was kind enough to provide us with a papaya he picked from the papaya tree in front of our rooms. I never much cared for papaya and mango back home; I always found the texture to be too waxy for my liking. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that fresh papaya and mango are sweet, soft and juicy!

When it comes to veggies, though, I am little disappointed at the lack of vegetables available at restaurants. I know that sweet peppers, broccoli and other favourites of mine are grown here in Mexico, but I guess it's just not part of their cuisine. Much of it is exported of course - we see it in our grocery stores back home. Perhaps they eat it at home and just don't want to see it at restaurants, like our peanut butter sandwiches or Kraft Dinner.....or not.

Today is Market Day at Pochutla, so we're off in search of paella ingredients and other necessities to satisfy the palate. It would be a shame to be closer to the source for two months and not eat better produce than two winter months in Ontario. I certainly did not come all this way to become less-nourished!

We stayed at Hotel Antropolis cabanas for two nights only, just until our new digs were ready at Casa Azul. The caretaker at Hotel Antropolis, Jesus (pronounced 'hay-SOOS'), had some interesting stories to tell. When he was a child in Mexico City, his parents worked for Diego Rivera, the famous painter. He showed us prints of paintings that Diego Rivera painted at the time, and Jesus was one of the children in the paintings. Imagine being the inspiration for great artists! He told us of a documentary about Diego Rivera and Frida that was made in the 40's, that he appears in. David promised to try to find it when we return home.

Life at Casa Azul is a little more luxurious. There is a small pool, better cooking facilities and mosquito nets, a fan, and the previous tenant was kind enough to leave behind some ground coffee and other essentials (garlic, rice, oil) with our new neighbour, Lori, from Oregon.

Every day we see something we've never seen before. While snorkelling we saw a long, white, skinny formidable-looking gar fish, schools of neon blue spotted fish, large, flat, yellow-striped fish, and a moray eel. (Will someone please tell me how to spell that slimey eel's name?) In a tree I saw what resembled three blue jays, only they were twice the size of blue jays we've seen at home!

One day before breakfast we were enjoying the view of the ocean when we spotted a large, moving dark spot in the water, close to the shore. Upon closer scrutiny with the binoculars (we never leave for a trip without those, and flashlights!) we saw a large school of fish - is that a 'schoal'? - swimming close to the surface, so close together that they resembled one large mass. It reminded me of a horror flick where part of the ground becomes alive, looks like a hand, and moves in on the prey. But this ocean mass was moving more like prey itself, trying to avoid becoming a big fish's breakfast.

Later the same day, we were strolling on the beach looking for Brigite, Paul and Domenic when we saw a crowd around a fishing boat which had just hauled in a shark. (Hopefully it was the culprit who was chasing the school of fish earlier!) We just had to get a closer look, of course, and were surprised to see a sixteen foot long shark being gutted. The shark ate well in the morning, then lots of people ate well that night! It's good to be at the top of the food chain.

We eat fish almost every day: fried fish, baked fish, breaded fish, cajun fish, chipotle fish, garlic fish, sweet lime fish, and fish tacos. All of it is yummy and freshly caught of course. David has been fishing a few times, but so far I haven't been lucky enough to see fish heads in our garbage can.

The locals have really taken to David. The local insects, that is. Yesterday the mosquito bites on his torso looked more like welts, each at least an inch and a half long. He was tired and spacier than usual, and complained of aches and pains. And then last night, after visiting with Brigite, Paul and Domenic, he started having chills. (Don't worry, we are aware that mosquitos carry diseases such as malaria and dengue, and we are not reckless with our health.) He took some medicine and felt a little better. During the night I checked on him, and he seemed ok. Luckily no mosquitos found us last night, so there are no new bites to report, and he is feeling better today. If not, we'd be spending some quality time with the good doctor in Mazunte today. Oh yes, I almost forgot: during the shark-gutting show a bee stung the back of his neck! He wished for adventure...I guess he should have been more specific. Today is a day of rest and relaxation, and we are staying put until he is feeling 100% better.

Mosquito Coast

The road from Salina Cruz to San Agostinillo along the coast had more curves than a Gina Lollabrigida movie. We exited off highway 200 at Puerto Angel, the first of a string of beach towns, and headed straight to Mexico Lindo hotel in San Agostinillo, recommended by ex-pat David, the chef we met in Teculutla. By the time we got here, we were ready to unwind for a few days.

Well, a few days has stretched into several more days. It's so beautiful and restful here, we were in no hurry to leave, so after a few days in the hotel we found a pretty little cabana up the hill, across from the beach. It is cooler and
breezier than being right on the beach, and we have a little kitchen complete with stove and fridge. Now we are able to buy and cook our own food.

Paradise is not without its drawbacks, however. Our first night on the beach, we did not take the necessary precautions and spent the night swatting mosquitos. We scratched like monkees the next day - after counting over fifty bites each, I stopped counting.

David had what appeared to be several nasty bites on the edge of his hand, from the knuckles of his pinky to his wristbone. (I took pictures, but I don't think you want to see them!) They worsened, so he went to the doctor in the next beach town, Mazunte. It turns out that those were not mosquito bites, but infected burns from a bug that secretes an acid-like substance when it lands on you. He described the bug as a green beetle, and I remembered shooing one out of our room. Hopefully that will be our only medical outing.

The doctor was a mexican who was doing his one year of community service after getting his medical degree. The clinic was a community clinic where you pay what you can, and the donations go towards the running of the clinic.

Punte Cometa in Mazunte is reported to have the best view of the sunset, so one evening we ventured there. Were we in for a treat! Not only was the sunset beautiful, but while we were staring at the horizon, we saw whales jumping in and out of the water! Not possible to catch them on film, unfortunately. Apparently it is rare for them to come so close to the shore there.

David is happy snorkelling away the hot afternoons, looking for pirate treasures and unusual fish, while I re-build the callouses on my fingertips playing guitar on the terrace.

We sometimes hang out on the beach with Brigit and Paul, who have been traveling with their seven year old son, Domenic, since last June. We compare notes on the road of life, and funny stories about our spouses. We have invited them for a home-cooked paella dinner tomorrow night, their last night before flying back to Colorado, then to Ontario (Cambridge, I believe, which is about an hour south of our home!)

Not everyone who travels is on vacation. On any given day, people of all ages, from different cultures and walks of life, are traveling off the beaten track. Some people are on a 'mini retirement' like us, but there are many other reasons people are traveling around: snowbirds avoiding the winter, people looking to relocate,
others are searching for the meaning of life, and there are those who are just wandering around enjoying each day is it unfolds. We noticed there are many more Canadians than Americans here; one eighty year old man drove all the way from Ontario!

We are about a day's drive from the Guatemalan border and will be making our
way there in the next few days, once we get bored of the beach life. It is cheaper to stay in one place for some time rather than to keep moving, as the hotels on the road tend to be more expensive.

We are quite enjoying this off-the-beaten-track type of travel, though it's not
for everyone. The five-star resort vacations are comfortable and enjoyable, especially for a week or two. And while I have not experienced the other end of the spectrum - sleeping outside in a hammock just to be able to travel longer - some people are happy doing just that. I think I prefer a spot somewhere in the middle. I suspect that the amount of cultural and enriching experiences gained is somewhat proportionate to the degree of discomfort you are willing to endure and the risk you're willing to take. To a point, of course. Or maybe it's just a matter of taking baby steps outside of my comfort zone that makes me feel alive.

Chloe's Note:
I like it here. I am not a perro (dog), I am a mascota (pet), and good mascotas
go to fancy restaurants, hotels, enjoy nice walks on the beach, eat yummy treats,
and even sleep in a hammock! Herminigilda, the mascota who lives at the hotel,
is even starting to accept me! My morning run on the beach has turned into a game of eluding street dogs and chasing sand crabs to their holes. They are faster than I am so I never catch up to them, but I hear it's best not to catch crabs here anyways.

Cruising to Salina Cruz

Today we wandered around Catemaco, the town that hosts Mexico's shaman and witch convention. An interesting little place on a river bank not far from the location where Mel Gibson's Apocolypto was filmed. This is a location of lush jungle and a biosphere reserve.

We later drove to the pacific coast. On our way we came upon a military check point which wanted to search our car. This is the first time we have been searched by the military in over 1700 km of driving in Mexico. All was good.

We have landed in Selina Cruz on the pacific for the night. This is a bustling port town with a couple of alright hotels and an enjoyable little restaurant called Mi Pueblito. We don't much care for the town (it's much like Tuxpan which we disliked also) but we lucked out with food and lodgings. We're only here to eat and sleep tonight, then it's on to the beach towns!

During rush hour we walked Chloe while looking for a place to eat. The busy intersections had no traffic lights at all, although some of them had a policeman directing traffic. Everyone just drove through the intersection or crossed the street where ever they could and whenever the chance arose. It was unlike anything I've seen - cars and people going every which way....for them it's normal, but for us, YIKES!

On one busy street, a small dog jumped up and bared its teeth at Chloe. We hurried past, and ten seconds later, I turned around and there were about twenty dogs trying to catch up to us! We quickly saw an opportunity to cross the busy street before the dogs could reach us. I was happy for the insane traffic then! (Mexican street dogs are very street-wise, and they were smart enough not to follow us onto the road.)

At Mi Pueblito we sat outside and had another incredibly delicious meal with cervezas. We've been careful to drink only bottled water, weary of uncooked, undercooked or any food that has been sitting too long in the sun, and so far we haven't had any tummy trouble. I have read that if you are travelling in Mexico, it's not a matter of 'if' but 'when' you will encounter bad food. At Mi Pueblito I thought I was ordering a vegetarian panzarotti (it was the first time I had seen the word 'Vegetarian' on any menu here!); turns out it was a Panini sandwich with uncooked veggies in it. It was soo good! I'm hoping that the fancy restaurant is a little more careful about food prep than the roadside vendors. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I will be able to leave town for the drive to the pacific tomorrow.

p.s. I am posting smaller pictures for convenience...just click on them to view them better. I wish I could edit or crop them first, but I can't.

Chloe's Note: The skinny fleabags keep eyeing me suspiciously everywhere I go. Today a whole gang of them followed me down the street. They looked like a skeleton parade, all ribs and teeth. Maybe it was the "Day of the Dead" fiesta. Anyway, I had to risk life and limb crossing a busy street just to elude the beggers.

Close Encounters of the Fur'd Kind

This morning we walked around the beautiful city of Xalapa, a place where it must be easy to stay thin, because there's so many long, steep hills. The hotel was the fanciest yet...like the Park Place Inn downtown Toronto! More than 200 rooms on a sprawling piece of land at the top of a hill. Cost was about 75.00 US as we left they started steam cleaning the rugs because we had a dog in the room, fancy place. The parks in the city were wonderful for walking around, and we had breakfast at the plaza: a cafe con leche with pastries (a far cry from my usual granola with yogurt; but I reckon we burned off the excess calories walking back to the hotel).

We were thoroughly enjoying the morning, when a large white chow walked up from behind Chloe and I at the table and a fight ensued. Chloe is fine, no skin was broken. The chow had a small cut on its head. The guy walking him simply pulled his dog away as we pulled Chloe, and walked off, like it was no big deal, it happens all the time. Not a word. It put a bit of a damper on the morning, but we still enjoyed the beautiful city.

We drove south east toward Catemaco, stopping for a late lunch of delicious fried fish, where a man was wandering up and down the highway carrying his harp (a real harp with strings, as tall as himself), serenading the patrons of each roadside restaurant with sweet sounds. And David mistook a slice of jalapeno for a sweet green pepper....too bad the camera wasn't handy, his face was a real hoot! Free entertainment and a cheap tasty lunch...what could be better?

We got stopped by the police for the first time today - I'm sure it was just a matter of time, since they have a reputation of extorting money from foreigners they pull over. Turns out he just wanted to check our permit, as there are a lot of fake ones out there. It didn't cost us any money, and we got directions to the next town.

We are now in a beautiful colonial hotel in Catemaco - the home of mexican witches and warlocks - we have already been offered a spell cleansing. We'll take some pictures of this place tomorrow to post.

Chloe's Note: Today someone tapped me on the shoulder, and as I turned around he swung at me. The big white furry thug was in my face, so I defended myself. I'm not hurt, but I've been spitting white fur out of my mouth all day.