Unlike the song, it's not good to get back on the road again. Today we leave Lo de Marcos and head towards Guadalajara to a campground called Roca Azul, on the west end of Lake Chapala.
After two and a half months in Lo de Marcos, we are quite comfortable here. Daily walks on the beach, boogie-boarding in the surf, walks into town, the veggie guy and the bread lady coming into the campground...and all the pleasant company. We look forward to seeing this place and all our new friends again next year.
Sorry about the lack of updates but life has just been too good.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Feb 12 to 22nd
Nothing special happened in the past 10 days other than we had all day rain on Wed Feb 17th and more rain on Thurs Feb 18th (3rd Thursday in a row that it rained – which is the day of the outdoor market in La Penita).
Same daily routine of a morning walk on the beach, sometimes ending in a walk through town, have lunch then join friends to sit, swim, boogie at the beach for a couple of hours in the afternoon. When we walk the beach, we usually see little crabs dashing on the sand at our feet. When they stop, it is hard to spot them as they blend in with the colour of the sand. Vic managed to capture one so we got a photo.
One day dropped into the fish vendor on main street to pick up some filets of mahi mahi – they were excellent! Only 45 pesos for 4 servings. We’ll stock up on shrimp and fish fillets for our journey north. Luckily our freezer on the top of the fridge has plenty of room.
The mango trees are currently in bloom. One morning we walked some of the back streets of town in an area where there was once an orchard of mango trees.
A horse in a yard on the street comes to Vic looking for some food.
We have been following the Olympics thanks to our Star Choice satellite service.
Mon Feb 22nd we are preparing to leave Lo De Marco on Thursday this week. Vic did an oil change on the RV. Wednesday we will be packing up our patio furniture, awing, side curtains and string of solar lights.
On Wednesday evening, we all went out to our favorite local restaurant, Sugar & Spice, to celebrate Dale's birthday.
The birthday boy and Jan.
Mike and Mavis
Walter and Carol
Friday, February 12, 2010
Feb 4th – 11th
The local news publication states this area has not had a storm like we experienced last Tuesday since 1944. One article indicated it was part of a hurricane.
Saturday is action day. Vic installs the air bag for the front suspension, jury-rigs a plug for the fluid reservoir on one of the rear hydraulic levellers. Now only an oil change on the “to do” list before we hit the road to start north in a couple of weeks.
At 5 pm we head to the festival sponsored by The Amigos de Lo De Marcos in the town square. This event provides money to assist the town in projects such as repairing bathrooms at the Elementary School, building garbage collection centers, providing transportation for Senior Citizens, building Recycling Bins. An auction is held for items such as original oil paintings, a flight in an ultralight aircraft, surfing lessons, use of a condo in Puerto Vallarta for a week. There are also tables of clothing, household items and books for sale. There are vendors around the square selling food. We get ribs from Sugar & Spice for 20 pesos each, beef tacos from Saul for 20 pesos each plus drinks of squirt and tequila. We finish off the meal with a couple of churros each. It is a warm starry night – perfect for such an event.
The evening of Sunday February 7th we went out to Vista Guayabitos to celebrate Nancy’s 50th birthday! The restaurant is at the top of a hill located midway between the towns of Rincon de Guayabitos and Los Ayalos. The view is spectacular at night with the view of the bay and the town of Rincon de Guayabitos all lit up. Unfortunately we forgot the camera!
Monday the weather was dark and threatening rain most of the day. There were sprinkles off and on and one brief period of heavy rain. Mavis, Mike, Vic and Bev played Rumoli for the afternoon.
For a couple of days, we have been bothered by an animal that likes to roam our rig during the night. After escaping the mouse trap because this beastie was too big, we went into town and bought a rat trap. The next night, about 4 in the morning, we were awoken by a loud snap. Here is the victim of the Victor trap...12 inches looong from nose to tip of tail.
Wednesday afternoon the manager of Savages, Alfredo, and his wife Erica host a dinner for those of us who have been here for a month or more, plus some other gringos residing in the area that they have known for a long time. They served skewers of calamari, shrimp and fish as well as a full dinner of ribs, chili relleno, rice and salad. The food was delicious and a good time was had by all! Alfredo and Erica are hardworking individuals who keep this place running smoothly and the facilities spotless. We look forward to seeing them again next year. 
The guests included people from other campgrounds.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Week of Feb 1st:
Monday is a holiday, so no chance of getting our Internet up and running. Since the stores are all closed, we spend a lazy day at the beach. Friends arrive from Kitchener, ON bringing with them the replacement air bags we had ordered to fix the front suspension. The one air bag burst earlier on in our trip south.
Tuesday is a rainy day so we head south to Bucerias to shop. Everyone else had the same idea! The traffic on Hwy 200 going south is heavy and the Walmart parking lot is packed! Luckily we didn’t need to stop at Walmart but did go into Home Depot in Puerto Vallarta looking for a fitting for reservoir for our hydraulic leveller.
On our return to Lo De Marcos, we stop at an Internet café to check our mail. Wow! News from home that our granddaughter, Maxine Anne, had been born previous day! It is our first grandchild and we are the last ones to know. We purchase a sign for the front of our RV saying “ES UN NINA”. We drive up to the north end of town, to use the Internet at our friends campground to SKYPE to our son & his wife. It was great to be able to video conference to view our new born granddaughter – what a joy!
Later that evening, the rain becomes very heavy. We lost satellite TV reception just 5 minutes from the end of the first episode of Lost. Then high winds came and we, like other RV owners, were outside in the pouring rain preventing our awnings from being torn off. We were successful at our campground as there was no damage but at another campground down the road, 3 RVers had their awnings destroyed.
Wednesday morning we wake up to find no hydro, therefore no water as the pumps are electric. Many of the towns along this coast are without hydro and the state is busy working to restore hydro. We are warned that we may be without water for a day. Luckily all of us have water tanks in our RVs and generators if necessary.
Telmex shows up at 3 pm today to fix the phone line and Internet connection. The phone line has been down since Saturday and Internet since Sunday. They get it up and running and upgrade the internet service to double incoming traffic and triple outgoing --- Bonus!!
An hour later hydro and therefore water is restored. This is the first cool day we’ve had since we arrived in Lo De Marcos on December 10th. It only reached 21C today – yes, I know that sounds warm to you northeners but when you’ve been used to 30C every day, this feels chilly! We stick with our shorts but many of our neighbours are in jeans and shorts. For the second day in a row, it rains off and on, without a hint of sun.
Having the Internet back allows us to Skype our kids to get up to date and of course the see more of baby Maxine Anne. It also allows us to go online an order tickets for the NASCAR race at Martinsville Virginia for March 27 & 28th. Eat your heart out Randall!
Thursday starts out sunny but partly cloudy. Our walk on the beach started out under cloudy skies. Later on it was interrupted by the rain. At first we thought we could wait it out sitting under a palapa. But looking over the ocean we could see more coming, so we had to walk back in the rain. We were soaked.
Bev hasn’t been able to do laundry yet this week as the clothes must be dried on a line – no dryers here! Luckily we have brought enough to go for 2 weeks without doing a laundry if necessary. While in Mexico, if it doesn’t get done today…there is always manana.
Tuesday is a rainy day so we head south to Bucerias to shop. Everyone else had the same idea! The traffic on Hwy 200 going south is heavy and the Walmart parking lot is packed! Luckily we didn’t need to stop at Walmart but did go into Home Depot in Puerto Vallarta looking for a fitting for reservoir for our hydraulic leveller.
On our return to Lo De Marcos, we stop at an Internet café to check our mail. Wow! News from home that our granddaughter, Maxine Anne, had been born previous day! It is our first grandchild and we are the last ones to know. We purchase a sign for the front of our RV saying “ES UN NINA”. We drive up to the north end of town, to use the Internet at our friends campground to SKYPE to our son & his wife. It was great to be able to video conference to view our new born granddaughter – what a joy!
Later that evening, the rain becomes very heavy. We lost satellite TV reception just 5 minutes from the end of the first episode of Lost. Then high winds came and we, like other RV owners, were outside in the pouring rain preventing our awnings from being torn off. We were successful at our campground as there was no damage but at another campground down the road, 3 RVers had their awnings destroyed.
Wednesday morning we wake up to find no hydro, therefore no water as the pumps are electric. Many of the towns along this coast are without hydro and the state is busy working to restore hydro. We are warned that we may be without water for a day. Luckily all of us have water tanks in our RVs and generators if necessary.
Telmex shows up at 3 pm today to fix the phone line and Internet connection. The phone line has been down since Saturday and Internet since Sunday. They get it up and running and upgrade the internet service to double incoming traffic and triple outgoing --- Bonus!!
An hour later hydro and therefore water is restored. This is the first cool day we’ve had since we arrived in Lo De Marcos on December 10th. It only reached 21C today – yes, I know that sounds warm to you northeners but when you’ve been used to 30C every day, this feels chilly! We stick with our shorts but many of our neighbours are in jeans and shorts. For the second day in a row, it rains off and on, without a hint of sun.
Having the Internet back allows us to Skype our kids to get up to date and of course the see more of baby Maxine Anne. It also allows us to go online an order tickets for the NASCAR race at Martinsville Virginia for March 27 & 28th. Eat your heart out Randall!
Thursday starts out sunny but partly cloudy. Our walk on the beach started out under cloudy skies. Later on it was interrupted by the rain. At first we thought we could wait it out sitting under a palapa. But looking over the ocean we could see more coming, so we had to walk back in the rain. We were soaked.
Bev hasn’t been able to do laundry yet this week as the clothes must be dried on a line – no dryers here! Luckily we have brought enough to go for 2 weeks without doing a laundry if necessary. While in Mexico, if it doesn’t get done today…there is always manana.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Week of Jan 25th – hot times in Lo De Marcos
On Tuesday and Wednesday this week, we had hot nights and resorted to turning a fan to circulate the air in the RV. This is the first time we’ve had to do this since we left home November 1st.
On Wednesday Jan & Dale arrived back in the campground after a few days away. Dale offered us one of the coconuts that they had picked up along the way. If you want the coconut for the milk inside, you get one with a green husk. Or if you want the coconut meat, you wait until it ripens and the husk turns brown. There isn't as much milk but the meat is thick and tasty. After hacking off the outer husk with my hatchet, I discover that this nut is already starting to sprout. It looks like a Pinocchio.
After a couple of days sitting on the dinette table, we wake up in the morning to discover that the shell has cracked on its own so I proceed to open it up to extract the meat. There is a little surprise inside, just opposite where the sprout is. The meat is good despite the sprouting.
Thursday we went to market as usual. A sample of grocery costs here: 33 pesos (less than $3 CAD) purchased 6 tomatoes, 1 onion, 3 carrots and 2 litres of milk.
On Sunday, January 31st we lose Internet capability at Savage RV park. We are anxious as our first grandchild is due any day and need the internet for our son to contact us by Skype when the big event occurs. The phone line is also down for the campground. It seems like the Internet goes down whenever there is a special occasion...like Christmas, New Years, and baby deliveries. Darn!
On Wednesday Jan & Dale arrived back in the campground after a few days away. Dale offered us one of the coconuts that they had picked up along the way. If you want the coconut for the milk inside, you get one with a green husk. Or if you want the coconut meat, you wait until it ripens and the husk turns brown. There isn't as much milk but the meat is thick and tasty. After hacking off the outer husk with my hatchet, I discover that this nut is already starting to sprout. It looks like a Pinocchio.
After a couple of days sitting on the dinette table, we wake up in the morning to discover that the shell has cracked on its own so I proceed to open it up to extract the meat. There is a little surprise inside, just opposite where the sprout is. The meat is good despite the sprouting.
Thursday we went to market as usual. A sample of grocery costs here: 33 pesos (less than $3 CAD) purchased 6 tomatoes, 1 onion, 3 carrots and 2 litres of milk.
On Sunday, January 31st we lose Internet capability at Savage RV park. We are anxious as our first grandchild is due any day and need the internet for our son to contact us by Skype when the big event occurs. The phone line is also down for the campground. It seems like the Internet goes down whenever there is a special occasion...like Christmas, New Years, and baby deliveries. Darn!
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Jan 24 - Big Waves
Yesterday, the waves got pretty big. They would come in sets of 4 or five large waves before settling back to normal size. The wave swell up as the bottom starts to get shallow, and the wave will grow up to 8 feet high. That is when the surfer dudes get excited and many of them get out to join in the fun to catch a big one. Even the boogie boarders join in.
As a novice, I watch intently from the shore and then decide to join in. Surprisingly the waves are not that difficult to manage once you get past where they crash near the beach. Way off shore, I realize that all the surf er dudes around me are less than 1/3 my age. Can you image what they think of this gringo? Too bad that I don't know enough Spanish to converse with then and learn a few things.
When a big wave comes at you and starts to curl over, you have to duck under it. Otherwise, you are going to get tumbled around in the wave.The trick is to catch the "right" wave, before it breaks. You need to get up some speed and slide down the slope of the wave. Sounds easy? It was harder than I expected, even wearing special boogie board fins. After failing to catch a nice size wave a few times, I am able to get up enough speed on a wave with enough slope. The result is a wild ride, nice and long, right in close to shore. What a thrill!
Rick, I am enjoying it immensely. The surf is not as good as Sayulita, but still a lot of fun.
Today the waves are even bigger and none of us gringos are in the water. There are still a few of the good surfers out there though. The trough to crest height is easily 12 feet, probably more at times. There is a mild wind blowing that is adding to the wave action and the period between waves is often erratic. Close to shore, the water is constantly white with froth, even 100 feet out from shore. The sea is angry and best to be avoided.
Surfer dude catches a nice wave.
As a novice, I watch intently from the shore and then decide to join in. Surprisingly the waves are not that difficult to manage once you get past where they crash near the beach. Way off shore, I realize that all the surf er dudes around me are less than 1/3 my age. Can you image what they think of this gringo? Too bad that I don't know enough Spanish to converse with then and learn a few things.
A wave crashes into the rocks.
When a big wave comes at you and starts to curl over, you have to duck under it. Otherwise, you are going to get tumbled around in the wave.The trick is to catch the "right" wave, before it breaks. You need to get up some speed and slide down the slope of the wave. Sounds easy? It was harder than I expected, even wearing special boogie board fins. After failing to catch a nice size wave a few times, I am able to get up enough speed on a wave with enough slope. The result is a wild ride, nice and long, right in close to shore. What a thrill!
Check the height of this wave!
Rick, I am enjoying it immensely. The surf is not as good as Sayulita, but still a lot of fun.
A dude on a boogie board, just like me.
Today the waves are even bigger and none of us gringos are in the water. There are still a few of the good surfers out there though. The trough to crest height is easily 12 feet, probably more at times. There is a mild wind blowing that is adding to the wave action and the period between waves is often erratic. Close to shore, the water is constantly white with froth, even 100 feet out from shore. The sea is angry and best to be avoided.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Week of Jan 18th
Week of Jan 18th
Monday morning 4 of the rigs have moved on so we are down to 6 rigs in the park. 2 have gone further south while 2 are heading back to BC, planning to be home by Feb 15th.
When we arrived home after swapping the medium fins for the medium-large fins, we discover the box is marked medium-large but inside one is medium-large but the other is medium. That means another trip to Bucerias.
Today, we drive back to Bucerias. Friends informed us there is a 9-day festival on in the centre of town. We wander through the town but we are too early -- 11 am and many of the vendors are not open. We did find a general store selling inexpensive boogie boards and purchase one for Bev for $250 pesos. We stroll by the waterfront. The beach here is better for swimming than in Lo De Marcos as it is on the north side of the bay and does not have the large waves. By noon many of the vendors still were not open so we head off to the surf shop to get the flipper fiasco straightened out. It turns out that they don't have a medium-large pair and we get a full refund. Now we have to search out another surf shop.
We head north west to La Cruz de Huanacaxtle. La Cruz has the largest marina in the area, and is a big or bigger than the one in Puerto Vallarta. We last visited the waterfront in La Cruz in 1998 and can not recognize any of the places we had visited. The place is no longer a sleepy little fishing village – there has been a lot of development to accommodate the tourists. No surf shop.
Next stop on our travels is Sayulita, a town known for the surfing activity – a very popular tourist area. We stroll the beach area. The waves here are much better for surfing than in Lo de Marcos. Most of the tourists are a much younger crowd, here for the surfing. The shops along the beach front are a mix of restaurants and surfing lesson/rental/repair shops. While in Sayulita we stop for lunch at YoYoMo’s which is known for it’s great pizza. We order a Hawaiian and it is excellent. We find a pair of fins that fits but have to pay much more than in Bucerias (different brand though) and certainly much more than in the US or Canada, or eBay. At 915 pesos the fins are about 265 pesos more. Back to Lo De Marcos by 2:30 pm, we head to the beach to go boogie boarding until about 3:50 when we return to our park to join our friends for happy hour.
Several of the campers have brought dogs with them. Many of the dogs love the water and some are fearless of the surf. One couple, Lorne and Michelle Lyster of Penticton BC, have a Golden Lab that joins them in the water, and is often totally underwater, as the wave crashes over it.
Tuesday is housekeeping day – do laundry, make some orange juice and bake a loaf of bread. (Yes, Bev brought the bread maker along with a 20 pound supply of 3 different flours for the 5 months of our journey). In the afternoon we head to the beach to socialize, boogie board (body board), read in the shade of the palm trees. The evening is mild. At 10 pm it is still 22C and the sky is clear with lots of stars in site. So nice to be away from city lights to enjoy star gazing.
Tuesday is also the day that the bread and pastry lady visits the campground. This is the same girl that we met on our first trip to Mexico in 1998 when she newly opened a small outlet in Rincon de Guayabitos, selling muffins.
Monday morning 4 of the rigs have moved on so we are down to 6 rigs in the park. 2 have gone further south while 2 are heading back to BC, planning to be home by Feb 15th.
When we arrived home after swapping the medium fins for the medium-large fins, we discover the box is marked medium-large but inside one is medium-large but the other is medium. That means another trip to Bucerias.
Today, we drive back to Bucerias. Friends informed us there is a 9-day festival on in the centre of town. We wander through the town but we are too early -- 11 am and many of the vendors are not open. We did find a general store selling inexpensive boogie boards and purchase one for Bev for $250 pesos. We stroll by the waterfront. The beach here is better for swimming than in Lo De Marcos as it is on the north side of the bay and does not have the large waves. By noon many of the vendors still were not open so we head off to the surf shop to get the flipper fiasco straightened out. It turns out that they don't have a medium-large pair and we get a full refund. Now we have to search out another surf shop.
We head north west to La Cruz de Huanacaxtle. La Cruz has the largest marina in the area, and is a big or bigger than the one in Puerto Vallarta. We last visited the waterfront in La Cruz in 1998 and can not recognize any of the places we had visited. The place is no longer a sleepy little fishing village – there has been a lot of development to accommodate the tourists. No surf shop.
Next stop on our travels is Sayulita, a town known for the surfing activity – a very popular tourist area. We stroll the beach area. The waves here are much better for surfing than in Lo de Marcos. Most of the tourists are a much younger crowd, here for the surfing. The shops along the beach front are a mix of restaurants and surfing lesson/rental/repair shops. While in Sayulita we stop for lunch at YoYoMo’s which is known for it’s great pizza. We order a Hawaiian and it is excellent. We find a pair of fins that fits but have to pay much more than in Bucerias (different brand though) and certainly much more than in the US or Canada, or eBay. At 915 pesos the fins are about 265 pesos more. Back to Lo De Marcos by 2:30 pm, we head to the beach to go boogie boarding until about 3:50 when we return to our park to join our friends for happy hour.
Several of the campers have brought dogs with them. Many of the dogs love the water and some are fearless of the surf. One couple, Lorne and Michelle Lyster of Penticton BC, have a Golden Lab that joins them in the water, and is often totally underwater, as the wave crashes over it.
Lorne and his Golden Lab.
Tuesday is housekeeping day – do laundry, make some orange juice and bake a loaf of bread. (Yes, Bev brought the bread maker along with a 20 pound supply of 3 different flours for the 5 months of our journey). In the afternoon we head to the beach to socialize, boogie board (body board), read in the shade of the palm trees. The evening is mild. At 10 pm it is still 22C and the sky is clear with lots of stars in site. So nice to be away from city lights to enjoy star gazing.
Tuesday is also the day that the bread and pastry lady visits the campground. This is the same girl that we met on our first trip to Mexico in 1998 when she newly opened a small outlet in Rincon de Guayabitos, selling muffins.
Campers line up for goodies.
Bread, muffins, little pies, donuts, croissants, peanut brittle,
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