The Surfer Life

Saving a Beached Whale..... Mantanchen Bay, Nayarit Mexico

2011-02-21T18:09:00.000-08:00

Friday afternoon a large group of surfers from Stoner's Surf Camp left San Blas for an overnight camping/surfing trip to Platanitos. There were over twenty of us in the group. My english speaking friend 'Gomez', asked me to go with them three different times Friday afternoon. I almost didn't go because my back was hurting and I was a little tired. Man.... I am soooo glad Gayle talked me into making the trip.

As it turned out, the nature of the trip was to have the first meeting of the San Blas Surf Club. The club was actually organized years ago but the 'elders' who ran the club had to stop due to their businesses requiring more of their time. Eight or ten years ago the club dissolved as a result. Now, there is a group of men willing to give their time and money in order to guide and help the young surfers in our town. Years ago, the surfers of the San Blas Surf Club dominated the competitions they entered. Now, only a couple of surfers can afford to travel, pay entrance fees, or afford to compete. The San Blas Surf Club is going to make it possible for the surfers of San Blas to dominate competitive surfing again. Believe me when I tell you.....there are some really good surfers here!!

As we were gathered around the campfire, the men of the surf community spoke of their experiences as members of the club from years past. They spoke about the rules that were established for the members and the importance of having a strong mind as well as a strong body. I'm sure some of the teens were a little upset that they could no longer skip school or be goof off's and remain in the club. However, everyone understood what it takes to compete and all the guys were excited to have this opporunity available to them. If you are able to donate please contact me as this is a costly venture. I wouldn't want to know that someone working hard in school and in the water was unable to compete due to lack of funds or a crappy board. So what does this have to do with a beached whale??

On our way back to San Blas, Pompis, the owner of Stoner's Surf Camp, took a side road that I was not familiar with. Looking to our right all we could see was a wall of rock from the cliffs above. On our left we had a beautiful view of the Pacific Ocean as we drove closer to the beach of Mantanchen Bay where my surfer friend Toro works for Juan Banana Bread. As our caravan pulled on to the beach, Pompis abruptly stopped his 4 wheel drive Jeep Grand Cherokee, opened his door, jumped out pointing toward the water shouting Ballena....Ballena which is Spanish for Whale.

We all stopped our trucks and ran down to the water where we saw the beached Whale. She was being pushed closer to shore with each incoming wave. It was all we could do to keep her stable and prevent her from being pushed completely ashore. As the larger wave sets rolled in we would attempt to push her out into the Pacific. Although we were making progress, it seemed as though it wasn't enough. As we were in the water helping the Whale, the police were on the beach watching our efforts. We didn't know the police were there since our backs were toward the beach and our focus was helping the Whale. Without our knowledge the police radioed to the Marine base in San Blas and asked them to send a boat out to help us. As we continued our efforts, the Mexico Marines pulled within 30 or 40 yards of us and threw a rope out to us from their twin engine patrol boat.

My friend Roberto took charge of the rope as we all tried to properly wrap the rope around the Whale in such a way that the Marine Patrol Boat could tow the Whale into the deeper waters. The trick being that the rope needed to be attached in such a way that they could pull her out into deeper water but yet release her when she was able to swim. Roberto got the job done and the Marines pulled her out to safety. Put your hands together for The San Blas Surf Club who saved this Whale along with the help of Marines from the Marine Base located in San Blas. You rock San Blas!! You constantly remind me why I love your town.... it's quit simple actually.... it's the people!

Ya Never Know Who Your're Talkin To...................

2010-12-14T21:11:00.000-08:00

Most days I ride my bike to Stoners Surf Camp (www.StonersSurfCamp.com). We keep our boards at Stoners which is Pompis place..... a restaurant and surf camp/school on Borrego Beach here in San Blas, Mexico. I can usually be found in one of the hammocks if I'm not in the water or on the beach.

I have found that many tourists sort of gravitate to "the gringo surfer dude" for information or more often I simply see their confusion and walk over to introduce myself. I have met many interesting and very cool people just hangin out at the surf camp. Loads of good times, cooking fish on an open fire, conversation, cervesas, cookies, board repair.... you name it.

This week it was Brad from Canada. Really cool guy. I hooked he and his friend up with board rentals Saturday. I noticed Brad in a yoga position meditating before he went in the water with the board.... his friend was hitting on some french girl on the beach.

When Brad came in I asked him how long he had been meditating. We talked about meditation and how it changed his life.... he couldn't believe I learned to meditate in a college class when I was about 18 or 19 and I have been meditating ever since. Brad spoke my 'language' and we spoke about manifestation, paradigm shift, surfing, yoga, you name it. A cool dude.

Gayle and I saw Brad around town a few times. Last night I saw him at Wala Wala which is a restaurant downtown. He was using the internet and I was picking up some dinner for us to bring home. I wanted to give Brad my email and phone number because we got along pretty good and since I was leaving for Florida the next day I wouldn't see him until he returned or we crossed paths elsewhere. He gave me his card which had a web address. I checked out his website today www.CowaBungaLife.com . Be sure to copy/paste and check it out. You just never know who you are going to meet on the beach here. Thanks Brad! You are one cool dude and I don't pass that to anyone.

It turns out this dude has been interviewed for his unique work in the world by nearly 100 media outlets on T.V, radio, online blogs, videos. His TV appearances include a weekly slot on Chek TV’s, “Island 30” and having “Good Morning America” play his Youtube hit, “the Gratitude Dance.” He also hosted his own radio show called, “Manifesting Awesomeness” for 9-months on Voice America in 2008. He has another website www.TheGratiDudes.com which was part of his Good Morning America appearance. I feel ya Brad!

Peso vs Dollar ...... The Decline of The Dollar ... Exchange Rates

2010-11-10T21:01:00.000-08:00

Knowing first hand that the dollar has declined approximately 8% in the last 6 weeks, compared to the Mexico Peso, makes me a little nervous, well, a lot nervous. That's a pretty big change in 6 weeks... an 8% devaluation of the Dollar compared to the Peso...

When I say first hand, I am referring to my trips to the ATM machine at our local BanaMex office here in San Blas, Mexico. BanaMex is our local bank, a subsidiary of CitiBank.

Six weeks ago a 100 dollar withdraw would yield 1320 pesos whereas today I only received 1220. A 100 peso decrease which is the equivalent to a days pay for a lot of people in Mexico. I can clearly see that rent, food, electric and everything else we pay for just went up 8% since I exchange dollars for pesos. The Peso is strong and getting better compared to the dollar.

The scary part is this devaluation goes virtually unnoticed by my friends and family in the States. It just sort of sneaks up on the American public via price changes at the supermarket, gas pumps and unemployment lines. What's a couple of bucks when you are stressed from work, relationships, traffic, kids, and your cell phone keeps ringing. Unless you have been laid off, you may not even notice, perhaps a news story about the economy being "slow" but moving upward. That's why they call it programming! My observation is that it's out of control. Have a beer!

For now, The Federal Reserve announced it intends to move forward with QE2. QE2 is short for "quantitative easing round 2". This means the Federal Reserve is going to print more money to buy more United States Debt (referred to as government bonds on wall street).

It's the Fed's intent to print more money that caused the recent decline in the dollar. It goes without saying that every time the Fed prints money it reduces the value of the dollars already in circulation. The US is in so much debt I doubt it will ever get out of debt....... Don't forget about the Foreclosure Crisis and the rising bank failure rates. Did you know 25 banks failed in 2008, 140 failed in 2009 and more than 140 will go down this year.... that's worse than the Great Depression but in all fairness, there are more banks now than the 30's. I feel better already. Where's my beer?

The G20 summit begins today, November 11, 2010. G20 is a group of 20 nations representing the 20 major economies of the world. Collectively, these 20 nations represent 85% of the World's economy in terms of dollars... Da Big Boyz.

A major topic of discussion will be regarding the tensions over exchange rates, global economic imbalances and the aggressive "monetary easing or quantitative easing" (the printing of money) by The Federal Reserve Bank.

The Fed moved forward with their 600 billion dollar government debt (government bond) buying frenzy, ignoring the fact that it would have global repercussions causing problems for other economies. In other words, we as a nation will have a lot of explaining and back peddling to do at the G20 summit thursday and friday in Seoul, Korea. Watch the news and watch your wallet because I believe things are going to change. Adios amigos! Donde es la cervesa?

NOTE.................

..... the Federal Reserve IS NOT the Federal Government. It is the central banking system of the United States. It is the "Bankers Bank" and the United States Government Bank ..... separate from the Federal Government (private and regulated). Just as you and I keep a checking account the US Government keeps a checking account with the Federal Reserve where your tax payments are processed etc.

Grafitti on the Streets of San Blas, Nayarit, Mexico

2010-11-05T19:46:00.001-07:00

Most days I ride my bike to the beach which is about 3/5 minutes from the house. I pass the Navy base located at the entrance to the Port in San Blas, Mexico.

The Navy Base has a wall around about half of the facility. The wall actually looked pretty bad before these guys went to work on it.

On this particular day I saw a group of Grafitti Artists with spray paint actually spray painting in broad daylight. Needless to say I was a little surprised to see them spray painting on "the beach road" in broad daylight!!!

I didn't have my camera to capture the moment while they did their thing. I stopped and watched. Totally amazed!!

I came back the next day and photographed their work. I put together this brief montage of the grafitti art now on the Navy Base wall as you go to the beach.... Playa Boreggo, San Blas, Nayarit, Mexico.

Enjoy.... I wish the website I used for editing allowed more than a 1 min. clip!... I will dig into my software bag of tricks and learn how to use some of my editing tools. I love putting images and music together!!

Oh yea.... I have a big green "play button" on my nose.... I'll update ya on how that goes.

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Bang....Bang............. San Blas, Nayarit

2010-10-29T09:36:00.000-07:00

Last night I heard the cannon again. About five or six rounds of fire. I've heard it before... our first night here in January. At the time, I thought the cannon was fired at night as a notice for everyone that hey it's time we are closing down the streets. Then in the morning I heard it again..... Of course this has to mean wake up and go about your daily business. A public alarm clock!

This went on for two or three days during which time I noticed the number of times the cannon exploded diminished one shot each time. That's when I asked around to find out what the explosions were about. I should have known it wasn't a notice to clear the streets or a community alarm clock.

It turns out the blasts are used to notify the entire town that a party is coming soon. 5 blasts = 5 days until the celebration, 2 blasts=2 days etc. So...... take notice, coming November 1 & 2 is The Day of the Dead celebration. The holiday is a two day event which focuses on the gathering of friends and family to pray for and remember those whom have died. It's thought to be similar to Halloween but the two holidays have little in common. Here in San Blas there will be a large party in the town square with live music and of course fireworks.

Three Rules For Bicycles............ In Mexico

2010-10-25T14:41:00.000-07:00

Rule number ONE.......ALWAYS LOCK THEM UP!!!

Rule number TWO........LOCK YOUR DAMN BIKE!!

Rule number THREE...JUST PARK IT INSIDE!!

Last week I went surfing in the morning and as always I rode my bike to the beach. When I came home I left my bike (the green machine) in the carport in front of my truck.....unlocked. Later that afternoon, I rode the bike to the market and parked the bike in the same spot....unlocked. I left it unlocked with the intent of going back to the beach around 4pm for the afternoon surf session however, I never left the house again and never went back downstairs to lock up my bike. Well, when morning came I went down to the carport to ride to the beach and my bike was gone... Stupid me. Gayle's bike was still there, locked up of course. I told some of my surfer buddies what happened and they seem to think I'll get it back when they see someone riding it in town. I loved that bike....green retro 1971 Schwinn Breeze w/original green and white seat. It was stupid on my behalf forgetting to lock her up. Oh well, I guess it's time to say goodbye to the green machine.

This is my new beach cruiser on my back patio (Rule #3). I bought her from a friend of mine, Armondo (250 pesos which is about 20 bucks). It needed brake pads which I picked up for 8 pesos (65 cents) at the hardware store next to the Market. The blue bag on the seat is to keep the rain off of the ripped up seat plus, it blends it in with the other bikes around town. She has electrical tape on the forks and handlebars to protect from rust. It's primer grey like so many bikes around here....kinda makes you wonder... My green one is probably primer grey now. Thanks for the deal on the bike Armondo. It's my primary mode of transportation....I know the transaction helped us both out.

Armondo works for one of the restaurants on Borrego beach a couple of doors down from Stoners Surf Camp. I met him back in January when we were looking for a place to live. Armondo speaks English, French and Spanish so I asked him to translate for me while I negotiated the price of the Palapa on the beach. That's how Armondo and I met back in January 2010.

The September Storms...Sayulita, Nayarit

2010-10-24T15:14:00.000-07:00

This is a clip showing the aftermath of the September storms in Sayulita. This town is a great surfing destination that we visit often. Sayulita is located about 30 minutes north from Puerto Vallarta and about 2 hours south of San Blas. This entire area is referred to as The Riviera Nayarit in many advertising campaigns.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEL9xwO_9EI

Phone and Internet...... San Blas, Nayarit

2010-10-24T14:40:00.000-07:00

Stories of hooking up phone service in San Blas, Mexico.

I didn't know how to go about getting phone and internet service so off I rode on my bike down to Stoner's Surf Camp........ A good place to start. I talked to Pompis and Fransisco and learned I had to go to the Government building which is located in the town square. Same place where they celebrate. The phone company people, Company name Telmex, are only there Tuesdays from 10am to 12 noon.

The government building is a two story structure overlooking the town square. No entry doors or metal detection but rather an archway type entrance leading to an open air atrium/courtyard and a couple of guys with machine guns of course. On the far side of the courtyard I saw a table was set up in the middle of the hallway and three ladies sat behind this table. A line was formed to one side and I noticed new telephones in the box on the table. I also noticed everyone in line had what looked like a computer generated invoice or phone bill.

I decided to stand in line and noticed it appeared that people were paying their phone bill here. I got in line.... waited for my turn. The lady in the middle is Cuban and has lived in San Blas for 24 years. Ironically, she also lived in Winter Haven, Florida years ago. She spoke excellent English. Because we already have a telephone and because we already have a wireless internet base station, there is no installation cost. They're running a special.

The house we are living in has never had phone service or lines installed. As a result, the phone company had to run the lines to the house. I was told we will have phone & internet within 20 days and that the lady, who's name is Judy, will come to the house that morning or the day before to let us know that's the day it's scheduled to be connected. I learned that the other two ladies come from the city once a week,only for two hours, and everyone in San Blas who has a phone and or internet has to go to this table once a month to pay their bill or sign up for phone service and/or internet. As I watched, they would take the bill and the money and write in a lined, spiral notebook, like for school, the person's name, their phone number and how much they paid.

Very primitive bookkeeping, though I would guess the info is also entered into a computer database at some point since the phone bill is computerized. I found it all very charming and spent quite a bit of time speaking with Judy. It's what I love about San Blas....simple, easy and it works.

So .. with housing Rent, Electric, Propane, Cable, Water, Telephone and Internet, our monthly expenses here are less than $300. We're on budget!

Bricks and Wood.......... San Blas, Mexico

2010-10-24T13:32:00.000-07:00

The saying goes: 'Everything takes longer in Mexico.' We are unpacked, but everything is not put away yet. We've measured the walls we want to create board and cinder block shelves on. Cinder blocks? No cinder blocks sold in San Blas. I was able to find a locally made thick brick, 11" x 7 " x 4". Stacked, these will do very nicely.

I saw the blocks, which were “hand made” as they were drying in a small field near the store that sells them. I didn't realize the store was near when I saw the bricks drying in the field. There was sort of a security guard guy in a small “guard shack” for lack of a better way of explaining it. I woke him up and asked about the bricks in my broken Spanish. Vende? Pointing to the bricks drying in the field...Donde es la "brick" mercado? The guy pointed down the street so off I went on my bike to find the store.

2 pesos each which is about 16 cents U.S. The wood.... The 14 boards we want for shelves were quoted at a cost of around US $140+ (dollars). The wood here is cut to the requested size from the tree!! No kidding! 2x4's are actually 2x4 and cut from a tree while you watch and wait. It was a cool place. I needed 1x12” boards in a metric nation, however many meters that is. Thankfully the tape measure I have has the metric system calibrated as well so I pointed on the tape to the measurements I needed. I decided not to buy those boards yet, allowing time so i can drive into Tepic to check there for pricing, about 45 minutes, but seems a long ways by San Blas standards.

Our First Little House in San Blas, Nayarit

2010-10-20T08:54:00.000-07:00

The little house turned out to be a disaster! We cleaned, scraped, scrubbed that first day. The next morning we woke up, the front room filled with water! It had been raining before our arrival, much harder than is even usual for the tropics, and we learned first-hand why the original indigenous people lived in palapas: thatch roofed huts on stilts!

We were so lucky we had to clean up Joe's place. If we had not had to clean, we would've unpacked that first day and everything we owned would've been soaked, and much of it ruined. After talking over our options ... Off we drove in search of another home.

Marco runs a small restaurant and internet cafe in San Blas, Mexico where Rainy logged in every afternoon to attend online school when she was with us last February. His place is about a block from Playa el Borrego. We learned when we were last here that Marcos parents have a nicer Mexican-style home for rent. We had looked at it in February but didn't like the parking, or rather lack of parking on the very narrow street. We looked at it again.

His parents decided they would rent it to us for $160 US/month, a bit more than we want to pay AND the house would need some upgrades. We'd have to put a sink in the kitchen, security grates on 3 of the windows and 1 of the doors. Some of the tiles on the kitchen counter needed repair and the entire place needed to be painted inside, including wall repairs. We would also have to buy a stove and fridge.

We drove around looking for more 'Se Renta' signs. We arrived in San Blas before the High Season (tourist season). High Season is from November through March. By the end of April, tourists have left. Because we're here before the part-time regulars, virtually everything is available. Plus, we want for year round occupancy, so everyone hopes we will choose their rental. We had all but given up looking for the day when we drove by a rental we'd driven by at least 2 dozen times in February. We inquired and immediately a teen boy was sent to fetch the landlady who, fortunately, spoke English, slowly as she processed the translation in her thoughts, but very well.

We looked at the home, and negotiated the rate. I was able to bring her price down another $300 Pesos from her 'best price' ($24 US dollars) and we were given the keys immediately on a handshake. Paying about a third what seasonal tourists pay, we're in our price range and the home is just darling. Furnished, clean. Large closet. Huge for Mexico modern bathroom. Automatic water (meaning we won't have to go outside and turn on the water pump before taking a shower.) Yes, we can paint if we want. Yes, they will remove the extra beds (there are 3.) Yes, she will come by to pick up the bedding and dishes we won't need since we brought our own. We even have air conditioning which is a rare in San Blas and a luxury.

The landlady explained that tourists who had rented for a week had just left that morning and it needed to be cleaned. What that really meant was the bedding wasn't taken to be cleaned because the house was spotless, everything in place. We didn't need the bedding and told her we'd do the cleaning to save her the time. She agreed to this. FINALLY .. after traveling with our things packed for so long, we unpacked the bed of the truck. New neighbors came out and introduced themselves. One older man asked two strong teen boys to help unload which made it all go much faster than we expected. I looked up the words and asked the boys if they would go with me to the other home to pick up the last of what we had left there and to bring back our little 4x6 trailer. They agreed.

I paid the young men after all was brought inside. Then I sat down, exhausted, even dehydrated. I downed a good deal of orange juice, sat there in my sweat-soaked shirt, too exhausted to remove it. Finally it came off and I began to cool. I didn't have the strength to even think about a shower. What might have taken me all day, or even two days to unload had taken a little over an hour, including the drive to the first home with these two teenagers. The teens, Javier and Junior (pronounced Hah-vee-air and Hoo-nee-or) moved so quickly that I had a hard time keeping up and I'm in pretty good shape.

I finally showered and relaxed for a 20 minute nap. We began to unpack. The unpacking is fun. Discovering our things again and moving them to the areas we expect to use or store them. We want to bring in cinder block and wood boards to make a few more shelves for books and such but even as is, our little Mexican home is adequate. Three ceiling fans. An actual air conditioner, not just a water cooler. French doors in front, in back and off the kitchen. Two balconies. Upstairs so no water will be coming in during the rains, though that only happens with some of the homes in town that are either build in the lower areas or are not on high enough foundations.

The rain coming in as it did also only happens rarely. Pompis, (Mexico's Long Board Surf champ) told us this has been an uncommonly wet season. A light, sprinkling rain every afternoon is common like Florida, but a few days before we arrived, it had rained very hard for 4 days and nights. The ground was swollen and not soaking up the water as quickly. Even though the first house had flooded, the streets and yard were damp but only a few small puddles were seen by mid-morning. Even the water in that first house swept out easily and a quick dry mopping took care of the last of the water. Still, being high and dry on the second floor seems such a luxury right now. We're so happy to have arrived before the Season (tourist season) to have been able to secure the year-round price we wanted to pay!

This morning it's still early. There are signs of life on the street outside. An occasional person goes by on their bicycle. The bakery across the street is opening up .. I am having my first cup of coffee. We expect to be mostly unpacked today .. and by tomorrow, we should have even our clothing and books in order, waiting for the board and cinder block shelves we are planning.

After coffee, I'll begin again my old routine of going to the beach to check the waves, maybe surfing for a bit and either coming back for a shower and change of clothes or if I don't surf today, I will go early to the market for the daily grocery shopping. Gayle has the kitchen to organize and the cooking to do. In Mexico, the big meal of the day is eaten at 2 to 2:30pm. Our stomachs are still on USA time but we'll make the switch as soon as we have stocked up a little on the basics. Gayle is eager to pull out her cookbooks and enjoy some tasty meals!

Arrival In San Blas, Nayarit Mexico

2010-10-19T17:50:00.001-07:00

San Blas, Riviera Nayarit, Mexico

We arrived in San Blas last evening. It was still daylight and the village of San Blas was decorated for the Mexican bicentennial. The 200 hundredth anniversary of independence from Spain. Those plastic streamers of colorful triangle flags, like hang at car dealerships to draw attention, were strung overhead everywhere. Banners announcing the celebration tonight. Many more people than usually in town, the crowd was as dense as at a county fair. San Blas's population is only about 6000 people, but the 'official' count includes many surrounding villages and the numbers, depending on where you find your info can be from 12,500 to 25,000. Even Santo San Blas (San Blas Day) last February didn't draw such a large crowd as was present last evening.

Unfortunately, our camera batteries were all spent so no pictures. Everyone was dressed in their 'going to town clothes'. Ladies in pretty dresses and skirts with good shoes. Teen girls in their tight jeans and high-heels. The men all seem to dress the same no matter the occasion but even amongst the men, nicer shirts were evident. Small girls wearing traditional white skirt and peasant blouses decorated with the colors of the Mexican flag, green and red .. were seen everywhere.

More than a few people of all ages carried or wore something festive. Waving Mexican flags, some with the “flag pole” stick made of long glow-sticks in Mexican colors. One little girl about age 3 waved and waved hers, enjoying the colors in the night atmosphere as she, held tightly by the hand, followed her mother, weaving through the crowded square. Several teen boys seen here and there had purchased cheap versions of traditional, comically huge Mexican sombreros. Nearly every child and teen was carrying a plastic bag with a goodly supply of what looked to me like grey sticks. They would take one out, drop it to the ground and squash it with their shoe which would set off a little stream of firecracker pops. The stick would be squashed again and again until every possible pop had been enjoyed. Giggles and smiles everywhere. Along one side of the square, a row of perhaps a dozen foosball tables had been set up. Children were playing the table soccer game. Other children were watching and cheering the players, awaiting their turns to play. Older women sat in their perfectly coiffed hair and freshly applied lipstick, fanning their faces with handkerchiefs, cooling relief from the heat.

Many kinds of food treats were offered for sale. Few sweets but a grand variety of tasty snacks. Gayle and I chose corn on the cob, roasted over an open fire. The seller, a pretty woman, offered lime and lemon halves to rub on it, salt to sprinkle and a thick hot sauce to smear it with. I used a bit of lemon. Gayle chose lime, salt AND the sauce. The corn had been well cooked and was satisfyingly chewy. Gayle and I both commented on how good it tasted. I was even surprised to learn I liked it chewy. The sauce turned out to be hot enough to sting your lips. Not 'oh my gosh' hot, but hot enough that someone not expecting the heat would decide to wipe the sauce off or even toss the corn! Gayle kept eating, in spite of the heat, because the flavor was so tasty: exactly right for corn and exactly right for the celebration!

The town square was lined with stalls selling mementos: flags, hats, toys, the firecracker sticks, trinkets, jewelry, lollypops, bags of crunchy snacks and Modelo beer. The town's large stage had been set up and when we arrived a twelve piece band was playing. 6 violins, 3 guitars and two trumpets plus a singer. All dressed in the style of mariachi, deep burnish orange/brown with bright gold braided trim, even matching shiny, shiny brown shoes. After their set, next came a group of local teen boys and girls dancing in traditional costume. We watched awhile before deciding to look around just a bit more before walking the 2 short blocks back to our little rental house. The festivities were advertised to last until midnight and would end with a fabulous fireworks display. By midnight, we'd been asleep for hours.

Our little house! When Alex and I traveled to Mexico for a 7 day visit at the end of this last summer, I rented us a house. We'd been looking for something right in town but most homes designed for tourists rent for $350 to $450 a month. We wanted something about $100 to $150 .. which is still more than the $50-$80 that Mexicans pay. I found us a little 2 bedroom, with a gated front yard and a good-sized backyard. It was rough, I warned Gayle. A American surfer buddy had been living here and apparently hadn't cleaned it in awhile since he was headed back to California. I knew it needed work but........

I am not sure what I was expecting. Fortunately the place doesn't need to be trashed out. Unfortunately, the dirt is so thick, the white plastic table looks tan. The warm green floor tiles look light grey. The shower has at least an inch of brown sand in it hiding the color of the bright blue shower tiles. Our first day here will be one of cleaning! We salvaged a 5 gallon plastic bucket with a handle from the corner where people place their garbage for pickup. I went to the marketplace early morning to pick up rubber gloves, bleach, sponges, scrubbies and scrapers. We're excited about the house itself, though. With a good cleaning and new paint on the walls, it will be as lovely as any renting for way more than we're paying.

Lucky, however, is that the previous tenant (Joe, a surfer buddy, someone we'd met our first trip here in January ) left two bed frames which are in good condition and one mattress which is gratefully clean. We put our 3" 'space foam' mattress topper on it, had clean sheets packed at the back of the truck and slept under a water cooler, but it was refreshing! (Water cooler--That would be an ancient version of air conditioner, before air conditioners were invented.) We made coffee this morning. Bought a small packet of oatmeal cookies last evening to eat with our coffee and life is looking comfortable already.

Ozzie the cat is with us. He actually walked around and seemed to look at us like 'You've got to be kidding? Here? You expect me to sleep HERE?" .. But with his litter box, his food and water dishes and his favorite scratching toy unpacked, he settled in and slept like a contented kitten.

We've arrived. We're busy. We're happy.

Miss you! Come visit us! A plane ticket to Puerto Vallarta and we'll pick you up, give you a clean comfortable place to sleep and feed you while you're here. It will be your cheapest vacation ever. We love visitors! You will leave a surfer!