Camping With Friends Takes on a Whole New Meaning!

Zihuatanejo, Guerrero 

 March 15- 29 ( our longest stay yet)

How exciting! The El Manglar Restaurant/ campground is home to many creatures great and small.

We heard from Remy's Mom, Sharon, that she and her friend, Molly- Ann, were coming for a visit March 21. We decided to get to Zihuatanejo a few days early so we could get ourselves set up, get the lay of the land and then be ready for our first visitors. They will be staying in Ixtapa which is about 8km ( and another world away) from Zihuatanejo. 

We had trouble finding any camping along Playa la Ropa only because we weren't reading our guidebook closely enough. As usual, our detour ended up providing us with an unexpected opportunity when we met a well-to-do Mexican family holding about 5 baby turtles. As far as we could tell these were the same type of turtles that we rescued and hastily released last week in Maruata. The family explained that their hotel had given them the turtles to release into the sea. It sounds like either a cruel marketing strategy  or an increased chance of survival for the turtles- you decide.

Anyway... we were curious and consequently asked some questions about their intention. The nice family was just waiting for the  preying birds to fly away  ( they probably know to show up at 5pm for a feed of baby turtles) before they released them. I suggested that they wander up or down the beach a ways and release them there as the birds didn't seem to be going away. To make us go away they offered to give us a turtle  to look at and release which we did so now our turtle story is complete.

We finally found our way to the El Manglar RV park which is located right behind a popular beach restaurant on Playa la Ropa. We soon discovered that the mangroves that border the restaurant are host to many creatures. There are at least 6 iguanas of varying size and color, I posted a pic of the largest one. Geckos wait for bugs along the walls of the bathrooms and the shower stall- Hollis found this very tiny one, and 3 crocodiles lurk just beneath the surface of the water. Other campers assured us that the "big guy" never comes out of the water but as you can see from the picture that is not exactly true. I just about tripped over it on my way to the beach one morning!  The campers have full access to the restaurant even after it closes and this is where our internet access is best. I tried to spend some quiet time there after the boys had gone to bed one night but knowing all those creatures were peering at me from the darkness was too freaky. Give me loud, pesky boys over reptiles any day.

 The cacophony of bird song here is quite something. One pair of "turkey birds" ( that's what we call them) sound like our van engine trying to start. At dusk each night the bats are flying about feasting on the insect population.  We can never sleep past about 7am as the bird sounds startle us awake. That's ok though, it gets us out to the beach for some exercise before it gets too hot. Parasails and jet skis are all we have to worry about there.

-Liz

Tompkins Family to the Rescue

Maruata, Michoacan

 March 11-15

If we all look a little stunned in these pictures it's because it was late at night and the boys had been woken to the excitement of hearing that Remy and I had found  baby turtles on the beach that needed our help!

It all started on our first night on the beach in Maruata. We lucked out that the moon was full and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. We watched in anticipation as the sun set and the moon rose while we ate our delicious dinner on the abandoned runway.

It was quite eerie walking along the surf line at night while the waves violently hit the  shore scaring us half to death with each crash. Hollis was the first to notice a dark shadow ahead which turned out to be a turtle just returning to the sea. None of us had ever witnessed this phenomenon so even just catching a glimpse of these great huge creatures felt like a gift. We continued walking and just when the boys were getting a little too freaked to continue on we spotted another turtle coming out of the water!  She slowly made her way up to the soft sand where she began to dig a pit in which to lay her eggs. All I can say to describe it was that it was like watching a live birth. It was such a unique and special  experience, one that felt so private but there we were, watching in stunned silence on a warm beach in Mexico!

It was a slow and tiring process for her to get the pit to the right depth. She swept out the sand for about 3 strokes then rested, 3 strokes then a rest and so on....

We watched for about 45 minutes,  unsure how long she would be at this. The boys were getting  very tired so we opted to leave nature alone and get our own babies to their beds.

On our way back to the van Liz spotted something dark making its way across the sand. Was it a baby turtle? With flashlights ablazing we discovered it was a very, very large tarantula! Hollis was completely freaked but Liz knew from her pet shop employment days that  they were fairly harmless. We took a couple of neat photos and added it to the list of weird creatures we have come across on our travels so far.  Off to bed boys.

The following day we spent a great deal of time talking about what last nights experience meant to each of us . We were certain that this was a singular event that may never happen again on this trip. Now if only we could see baby turtles! That would be so cool.

That night we were tired after watching a movie and were about to get horizontal when I suggested that we take a quick walk in the moonlight just to make sure we weren't missing 
anything. We only had three nights here after all and we came in the hopes to see turtles.

So off we went leaving the boys asleep. We wandered the perimeter of the turtles "sanctuary" first when all of a sudden Liz noticed dark movement in the sand. When we illuminated our flashlights we could hardly believe our eyes! There must have been 50 of these wonderful creatures all struggling to get to the sea but the very fence that was put there to protect them was now preventing them from getting to the water. Not only that, on each of the fence posts was a preying bird just waiting to devour one of the helpless turtles.

I scared off the birds  and kept watch while Remy ran back to the van to get the camera, turtle saving bins and our boys. I managed to herd them all together by shining my flashlight in front of me and having them follow the light.

Hollis and Bowen  arrived kind of blurry from being woken but they were very eager to take direction from us and carefully load up the turtles. We had to enter the sanctuary fence and also had to be careful not to step on any or leave any behind in the dark. Hollis was sweet talking them and letting them know he was there to help them. Bowen scooped them up carefully and kept them from falling out once they were in the bin.

After we gathered them all we dashed off to the surf to set them free. It all happened so fast we didn't really get a good chance to look at them or take any great photos. For some reason Remy and I both felt we needed to get them to the water as quickly as possible. The babies crawled down the beach a ways until a big wave snatched them to safety and they were gone............

It was a deeply moving experience for all of  us, one that will ultimately be one of the defining moments of this trip that we talk about for years to come.

-Liz

We Join the Mexican Navy in Maruata

Maruata, Michoacan 11-15 March, 2009

We pulled off the highway and down the hill into the sleepy hamlet of Maruata. The first thing that struck us was the big, shiny new hospital that is located right at the entrance to town. It seemed quite incongruous with the apparent small size of the community. We found our way to the beach where all the enramada restaurants line the ocean, passing by the ubiquitous internet cafe along the way. One of the nice features of Maruata is that the two (!) main streets in town are actually paved, in the style we had encountered in Melaque with two tire tracks in concrete and the rest filled in with cobble. It was a nice touch as it keeps down the dust that otherwise coats Mexico in a thick film.

We quickly located some fellow Canuck gringos who were installed in their truck and camper behind one of the restaurants to get the intel on the camping situation. We had been told of a boondocking opportunity in Maruata and were soon directed to the abandoned runway that borders Maruata on it's north side. There used to be a Mexican military air installation located there and the runway, which is probably a mile and a half long, is still evident. That being said, the asphalt is slowly being digested by the earth and weeds and bushes abound, making the route a bit of a chicane. As well, locals are starting to reclaim the land on either side, so there is a smattering of houses and businesses along the way. At the far end from town, at the end of the runway, is the beach. We parked on what remained of the asphalt on the backside of the dune that separates it from the beach. The Mexican navy maintains a small station there, with about two dozen marines that rotate in every 2 or 3 weeks. It made for good security for us as we were the only campers present! Markings on the asphalt also indicated that it is still set up as a helipad, though the profusion of gravel must make landings a nightmare of FOD (Flying Object Debris).

The beach was a beautiful crescent of sand, bookended by rocky cliffs at either end. The town is located on the estuary at the west end of the beach, ending at the naval station where we were camped. The rest of the beach is pretty much deserted to it's east end. The beach is quite steep, which makes for a thunderous surf. The waves hit so hard that you feel the earth shake where we were camped. Of course, the boys had a great time getting pounded by the waves- they might have a future as bad boxers. Located right beside our campsite was a turtle sanctuary, which consisted of a fenced enclosure into which stakes in the sand indicated a few clutches of eggs had been transplanted. An exploration of the beach revealed a lot of turtle sign, with many fresh tracks up from and back to the surf along with dozens of pits where the turtles had dug. I shall leave our turtle experiences for a separate blog and suffice it to say that we got what we had come for.

As has so often been our experience so far, a lot of what we needed came to us on the beach. We received delivery of water, right to the camper, and also received visits from the ice cream man and the doughnut man! OK, maybe we didn't need the last two, but it made for a good treat. Keep in mind that the latter two were on foot, and had to push a cart and lug a plastic cooler, respectively, the whole way to the end of the runway to try to make a sale.

The marines were an interesting study, as it was hard to tell what they do all day. Every so often, a squad will arm themselves and load up in a truck to roar off somewhere for a few hours, but mostly there seems to be a lot of nothing going on. They mostly ignored us (well, they probably noticed Liz, especially when we showered outside the van at night- do the Mexican Marines have night vision equipment?), which I guess is a way of leaving us alone. We made contact with them a few times- once, to dump some garbage we had gathered from the beach and another to ask some questions about the turtle sanctuary. They approached us on our last day to let us know that a helicopter would be landing with the state governor, who was arriving to open the new hospital. The young officer was quite nice about it, coming outside of the wire with his rifle-toting escort to suggest that we might want to move a little down the runway to avoid some of the dust that would be kicked up. We already had plans to move along, so it was not a big deal, and they were quite gracious about it. Remy gave CPS shoulder patches to both of them and received a Mexican Marine patch in return.

We met a group of Latvian surfers while we were in Maruata, one of whom spoke very good English. Who knew that there was a surf culture in Latvia? Apparently they usually go to Portugal to catch waves, but they are developing their own homegrown surf culture as well, much like in Tofino. In the Baltic Sea, wet suits are a requirement. The fellow we met had been stung in the foot by a scorpion a couple of days earlier, and his foot was still numb. Another unique Mexican experience!

The approaching weekend brought a two-day festival to town, the Carnaval de la Cultura. It was a government-sponsored event that included musical and dance performances, theatre and presentations on ecology and conservation. It was a tad hokey, as didactic government programs tend to be, but it was fun to watch the Mexican kids partake. It was a very genuinely Mexican event, and it was encouraging to see the government investing in the younger generation to try to change some of the older social mores regarding the environment. For the older generations, it provided a reason to gather in the zocalo to socialize and drink, which was more than usually happens on a weekend in Maruata.

We attended to join the buzz and take in some of the folkloric presentations. The dance of the "viejitos" was the most fun, with live music and all the Mexican kids taunting and being chased by the "old guy" dancers. We ate at the one and only taco stand that set up for the event. The first night, which wasn't as busy, saw some marvelous food. The second night, which was much busier, saw greater strain put on the quality of the food, and Remy is pretty sure that we all ate beef tongue tacos that night.

The night before we had originally planned to leave, Remy and Bowen did a recce to the west end of town. Crossing the estuary, they discovered the two other beaches that are located in Maruata. While not as suitable for swimming (one of them is known as Playa de los Muertes), they feature incredible beauty, with waves rushing in and out of caves and the Dedo del Dio (the Finger of God), a blow hole created by the surf rushing into an underwater cave. The area was so stunning that we extended our stay by another day and moved the van to the west end of town to take advantage of it. We found an enramada campsite under some palm trees that provided toilets, showers and electricity for M$40 ($4) per night. Unbeknownst to us, it was a Mexican long weekend celebrating the birthday of Benito Juarez, and most of Morelia had packed up their tents and relocated to Maruata. The camp sites under the palapas were jammed with university-aged young people, who managed to stay awake until about 4:00 AM. Whatever they were doing apparently required them to walk past our van frequently, talking loudly and starting their vehicles periodically. Fair warning for what to expect at Easter.

Their was a big buzz as the governor was arriving, which required extensive security in the area. This entailed posting black-clad state police on high points around the town, while others took turns giving the cuter female officers rides up and down the beach and through town on the police quad. Other state officials, dressed in official "Michoacan Trabajo" golf shirts and carrying 2-way radios crawled over the area, looking officious and busy. The planning was an apparent success (either that, or the governor has managed to steer clear of angering the local drug lords) as the visit went off without a hitch. We managed to bump around one of the visit sites, the Maruata Centro Ecoturistico, taking photos and brushing past the heavily armed police, without any questions being asked. We did not fit the profile of whatever the perceived threat was. Things work so differently from home, here. Any threat that would justify the type of security we saw would also require the complete closure and sanitization of a site, yet here tourists were allowed to walk right through and construction at the site continued as normal.

I guess it is still expected that a "threat" constitutes banditos roaring in, guns ablazin'. There is still romance in Mexico.

Finally, we packed up and left the tropical village paradise of Maruata behind. We had received news that Remy's mother, Sharon, would be arriving in a week in Zihuatanejo, and we were anxious to get there ourselves and reconnect with civilization. The incredible Michoacan highway continued. We stopped in Barra de Nexpa, a true surfer town, for lunch, and ran into Ainsley, a surfer from Tofino whom Liz had met in Barra de Navidad earlier. She gave us the scoop on the local surf culture and another perspective on how to live life, which she splits between summers in Tofino and winters in Mexico. Not rich in material terms, but otherwise in lifestyle.

-Remy

Black sand, white bums

Tenacatita, Jalisco to Cuyutlan, Colima 3-4  March, 2009

We were finally "done" in Tenacatita and anxious to get to the turtle grounds of Maruata. A relatively early start for us was enabled by the fact that we were going to do breakfast in Melaque at the ultra-gringo restaurant, Roosters. It is a place very popular with the pink set as it is owned by some West Coast Canadians who know a thing or two about curing a tequila sunrise. Liz stayed at the restaurant doing some work over their internet connection while Remy and the boys did a covert waste water dumping operation at the Melaque RV park.

We hit the road, southbound again into terra incognito (for us, anyway). More beautiful highway and the van running like a top made for a nice drive. We stopped in a little roadside hamlet which had the most amazing selection of fruit that we have seen. We were introduced to the "yaka" (pronounced, of course, as "jaka"), which grows to a  tremendous size and has an incredibly floral bouquet. They appear to favour making juice of it as the texture is quite rubbery.

We arrived in Manzanillo a few hours later, famished and craving some beef. We found a taqueria that appeared to be successful and favoured by actual Mexicans so we pulled over. Liz tried the "memelas", which is the local variation of the Mexican pizza served up on a sope crust. Bowen, continuing to display exceptional maladroitness, managed to spill most of his drink all over the table, making a sticky mess of the tablecloth.

Once our restaurant adventure was complete, we piled into the van to continue on our way through to Maruata. We still have not learned to stop counting on things in Mexico! The dismal highway signage that is characteristic of much of the country is elevated to a degree of confusion in Manzanillo that so far takes the cake. We followed what appeared to be the main road through the city to its south end where, without warning, we were faced with a fork in the road, either tine of which appeared to be a likely candidate to take us out of town. Our choice of lane forced us left, which almost immediately took us into the rabbit's warren of Viejo Manzanillo. We negotiated one way streets barely wide enough for the van to pass, getting turned around to go back to where we had been. We somehow negotiated a couple of 7-way corners and got ourselves back onto the other way through downtown. It seemed to dead-end as well, and nobody we asked seemed to know how to get out of town. We finally got some direction  that took us on a route worthy of a Harry Potter movie. We still find it hard to believe that the route we took was the one we were supposed to be on. We looked so obviously out of place that when we stopped to consider which way to go, people on the street would just wave us on in the right direction.

We finally made it onto the  road southbound out of town. It was a series of dozens of little two-tope hamlets, which slows progress considerably. And this is considered to be part of the Mexico 200 highway! It has been re-named Ruta 2010 between Manzanillo and Acapulco, but is hardly worth the distinction. We finally ended up on a cuota highway and were able to begin cruising.

Our various stops had cost us a lot of time and it was apparent that we were not going to make it to Maruata tonight. We decided to stop over in Cuyutlan, where we had been told there was a turtle sanctuary. We were forced to pay the toll before we got there, only to find that the turn-off was a kilometer beyond the toll booth. We pulled into town about an hour before sunset to find one of the sleepiest towns we have yet seen. We were desperate to have laundry done after our time in the wilderness of Tenacatita. We found a lavanderia that was still open and were told it could be done that night. Remy got to talking to the fellow and found that, in another of the odd entrepreneurial pairings we have encountered in this country, he also makes custom surf boards! Felipe, who named his company Karol after his son, learned fibreglassing while he lived in San Diego and became a surf board builder.

We found a place to park for the night, located on a road beside a beachfront restaurant. We asked the restaurateur if it was OK to park there and he said yes, it is quite tranquil in Cuyutlan. He graciously turned on the streetlight for us. We wandered the mostly-deserted town and found the beautiful malecon that they built along the short hotel row. The beach has black sand, and testament to how hot that must get is the way umbrellas are set up to overlap and the wooden or palm frond walkways that are laid out on the sand to get people near the water. We made a quick search for turtles on the beach, without success, and found out that the laundry would not be ready until the morning.

We set up shop at our roadside camp site. The boys were put to bed, then Liz and Remy set up to clean off the stickiness of the day. Taking turns pouring water over each other's heads, they showered al fresco on the sidewalk beside the van. There just may be something to this naturism thing! I still don't know why nudists insist on playing volleyball and riding bikes, though- some things are just better with clothes on.

After a very quiet night, we were awakened by the bustle of the restaurant outside our doors. We had our own breakfast on the sidewalk then went and grabbed the laundry. We wanted to hit the internet cafe so Liz could check in at work, but it was closed and not due to open until 10ish. The boys found an arcade where the games cost 1 peso (10 cents) and found some way to circumvent the timer on the zombie slaughter game they wanted to play, so for about 40 cents they managed to play hard for about 30 minutes. The internet cafe never opened for us, so we left to go to the turtle sanctuary.

On the way, we stopped into the Salt Museum. Colima, the state, is known for sea salt production, and Cuyutlan is still a major producer. The museum is housed in one of the old salt warehouses. Unfortunately, everything was in Spanish and nobody was interested in having Remy translate all the placards. We did buy a kilo of salt for 5 pesos (50 cents) that was produced less than a kilometer away. Cool!

We found our way to the turtle sanctuary, which apparently also hosts a swimming pool, where we hoped to cool and clean off a bit. Much to our chagrin, we were there on the one day, Wednesday, that it is closed! Two of our objectives for the day, stymied! Once again, we still haven't learned not to count on things here.

The drive southbound took us out of Colima, which is a relatively small state, and onto the incredibly beautiful coastal highway of Michoacan. We had our first official stop at the border, with the Mexican Immigration service checking that all our paperwork was in order. They were very helpful and quick, making it a not unpleasant experience. The rest of the day was spent taking in the breathtaking vistas of the Pacific Ocean from the highway as we drove the mountainous route. We stopped in La Placita for an internet break and checked out a few of the "centros ecoturisticos" along the way, but decided to keep with the original plan and continue to Maruata, which will be the subject of our next couple of blogs.

-Remy

Camping in Mexico is so easy!

Tenacatita, Jalisco - cont'd 

March 3 - 10 , 2009

Even though the beach at Tenacatitia seems somewhat remote from the amenities of the town we found it to be an incredibly easy place to camp. The first morning we were there we were delighted to find that the necessities of life will eventually come to us! 

The water truck carrying 18 litre bottles of purified water ( just like the ones at home) came through every day. It killed Remy to fill our solar shower with purchased water but once I pointed out to him that we pay for water one way or the other either in camping fees or directly to the delivery guy he was OK with it.

In one day we had delivery of water, fruit and veggies, bread and pastries, tamales, ice cream and  the topper was the laundry truck! They pick up on Monday and deliver it cleaned and folded two days later. We even had flan - typical Mexican dessert similar to creme brulee delivered right to our lawn chairs. We heard that the Corona truck makes it's way there too but it didn't happen while we were there.

With our borrowed solar power panel we could have stayed forever. Life was very comfortable for us.

One of the drawbacks to camping though is that the only people we meet are older than us and of course don't have any kids with them. The boys have been great companions for each other but they are really aching for some kids their own age to play with. We were fortunate to meet Michelle, Brent, 2 year old Jasper and Elli the dog while we were camped in Melaque. We convinced them to come with us to Tenacatita for a few days. They had been traveling southern Mexico and the interior while we had been in the north and along the coast so we were a good resource for each other. Hollis and Bowen had a hoot playing with Jasper and of course teaching him all kinds of grown up boy words like "Barack Obama", "General Zapata" and "I pity the fool!"

We took a boat tour through the mangroves with our new friends and spent the day bird watching and playing in the  foreign sand of Blue Bay.  What was supposed to be a 2 hour trip ended up being at least twice as long because our captain took another fare and abandoned us at the mouth of the estuary for a few hours. No problem- a restaurant and cold cervecas are never far away in Mexico so we happily ate ceviche and waited for his return. You can see from the photo of Hollis that he is really having a hard time relaxing here in Mexico- ya right.

The aerial shot above Tenacatita shows the three bays fairly well. If you look closely you can see our campervan at the north end of the beach on the right and sunset beach is the bay to the left. At the top of the picture you can see some of the town  where the restaurants and the long flat beach are located.   Heaven!

-Liz

Tenacatita is so tempting - cont'd

Tenacatita, Jalisco - continued

March 3 - 10 , 2009

Hollis spent hours hunting, finding, catching and releasing baby eels. No, we aren't taking one home for a pet!

Several hermit crabs made it home too but always escaped during the night.

The bay is full of stingrays that often can be viewed right from shore. This one Hollis found dried up on the beach. While we were thee two people were stung by these creatures.  ouch!

Another specimen from the sea that somehow met it's demise.  If there is something dead and smelly on the beach our boys will find it and bring it home like a treasure.

Not a great picture of the eel Remy caught but you'll have to take our word for it, it was big! We cooked it up for a yummy dinner that night- yum.

Tenacatita is so tempting

Tenacatita, Jalisco                        March 3 - 10 2009

We had visited this beautiful collection of 3 bays a few days ago with new friends, Terry and Koosji. There were about 8 RV's of varying descriptions set up along the coral  beach just steps away from the crystal blue waters where people in the know come to sightsee underwater  for the day. Remy and I both looked at each other with wide grins  knowing our plans to head south from Melaque would have to be put on hold so we could return to Tenacatita and camp on the free beach.

 Despite the  handpainted  sign saying there was "NO VACANCY" we arrived 3 days later full of water, food and libations ready for at least a week of this place that looked so heavenly to us. We were happy to discover that the primo spot on one of two concrete pads (concrete is way easier than sand when traveling with children) had just been vacated and the French couple, Paula and Serge were happy to share some of
their space with us.

The first photo is of the sunrise from our campervan. I would wake early each morning to roll out  my yoga mat to greet the sun as it rose over the mountains across the bay. It was cool then so exercise was a pleasure. The second photo was taken several hours later. You can see a small palapa shack behind the van. That is where Chuy (- pronounced "Chewey") the "keeper of the coral" stays during the day . He is the slight fellow in the 3rd picture and his companion- Tequila. Tequila rides in a plastic crate behind Chuy as they blast through town where Chuy sleeps if he hasn't had too

 much tequila...... the drink. Chuy has taken it upon himself to protect the coral by blasting his red whistle at anyone he sees walking on it or disturbing the surrounding beauty in any way. I'll bet he weighs less than 90 lbs but he blows that whistle  with great authority- people move! Chuy has built and maintains three outhouses for the campers and he picks up garbage left by the snorkeling  daytrippers.  Even though camping is essentially free on this beach there is an unwritten expectation that Chuy will receive M$50/ day (about $5) from each camper for his services.

We became fast friends with this man 
thanks to Remy giving him a Calgary Police shoulder patch. Turns out the French guy, Serge, was a police officer with the Surete de Quebec and had a patch for Chuy as well. He pinned one to each shoulder and walked very proud around the beach, elbows bent, leaning into his walk, trying to make himself look muscular and powerful with his new bling.

Most of our friends and family know of Frank, our neighbor in Inglewood who just sort of looks out for everyone and we all help him out in whatever way he needs. Well, Chuy was our Mexican Frank and in fact we have met several Mexican Franks in our travels. We are so lucky!

In all the books I read about travel in Mexico and of all the dreaming we did about the great places we would see I never, ever imagined it would get as good as Tenacatita. The intimate snorkeling bay where we stayed was just steps away from another beach where we would retire to each night to watch the sunset over the Pacific. The third bay was about a 10 minute walk over the rocks to the long flat beach in town ringed with restaurants , palapas and hammocks. You can see a photo I posted  of Bowen and me walking on this flat beach in the blog from Melaque. Most days we would take long walks on this beach and watch the various wildlife in action. One day Liz and her new friend Michelle watched a small pod of whales at play for at least 1/2 hour. Manta rays jumping out of the water gave us quite a show as well.

-Liz

So Tenacatita was our second time being truly off the grid in Mexico. Even the town itself rolled up the sidewalks at sunset, mostly leaving only the residents of the beach to watch over things. Hollis discovered that the night time beach belongs to the ants, who carve amazing roadways across the detritus of the beach to gain access to their food sources. The hermit crabs come out as well to scavenge what the day time users of the beach have left behind. Hollis tried to make pets of three different hermit crabs, all of whom eventually managed to make their way to freedom.

The beach residents were a tight community. Mas, a retired school teacher from Edmonton, is the resident father figure who lights a fire every night and gives others lifts into town for groceries. He lent us a solar panel to recharge our auxiliary battery every day which allowed us to light our van, pump our water and let the boys watch movies while we were on the beach. He also kept the boys in marshmallows while we were there and even gave them a bag for the road when we left. A large percentage of the community was from Alberta, oddly enough, with representation from Grand Prairie, Edmonton, Calgary, Cochrane and Pincher Creek! One couple, Tina and Bill own a lot on 8 ave in Inglewood and are planning on building a house there. Apparently we had to come all the way to Mexico to meet them. They are van campers too!

The incredible amount of underwater life made snorkelers of us all. Bowen and Hollis perfected their diving technique and learned a lot about the rays and how they sting (no first hand experience, luckily, though others were not so lucky). We had just parked on the beach and Liz and Remy were setting up camp when Hollis made himself scarce. The next thing we heard was "I got one!" and there was Hollis standing at the beach with a fish on the end of his home made spear. We were torn between pride that he had managed to actually spear a fish and concern that the bay we were camped in was some sort of marine preserve (it certainly ought to be). A trophy photo was taken and then Hollis was quickly hustled off the beach with his prey. Some drunken Canadian know-it-all came over and told us that we were risking time in a Mexican jail for fishing in a preserve, which certainly tainted the experience for all of us. Remy made some discrete enquiries of Chuy and found out that the area has no official designation and that fishing is not illegal, though out of consideration to other underwater tourists it is somewhat discouraged. The fish was delicious, by the way.

Armed with that knowledge, Remy set out from the neighbouring beach with his own spear the next day. At a depth of about 12 ft he engaged a 2 ft long moray eel. Talk about feeling out of your element! The ferocity with which that creature fought was redoubtable! Remy has a whole new respect for the large eels and now knows why most fishermen tackle them with spear guns- some stand off capability is appreciated after you've had one at arms length. Liz performed some remarkable feat of alchemy and marinated the beast in a sauce of her own device before we grilled it. It was delicious, too.

Tenacatita is a gem, known only to a few people. The beach we camped on, however, is located between two pieces of privately owned land, the owner of which threatens occasionally to deny access. It is possible that this may be that last season that people will be able to camp on the beach. That would be a shame, as it would deny Chuy his livelihood and it appears that the Norteamericanos who return to the beach year after year take the best care of anyone (the usual Mexican attitudes toward the country side apply here as elsewhere- plastic and beer bottles everywhere, more work for Chuy). We feel privileged that we had the opportunity to partake of this Pacific paradise when we did. We made more friends while we were there and overcame a few challenges (snorkeling with big fish for the boys, showering outside for Remy). Surely a highlight in a trip that has already provided us with so many special memories already.

**Photos for Remy's part of the blog will be posted at the beginning of the next blog. We seem to be having troubles with the editing on this website.

-Remy

Me Like-a Melaque

Melaque cont'd                                       Feb 21 - March 3, 2009

Well, you have heard of Melaque from the perspective of Liz. Now it is time for the boys' eye view!

The first thing we discovered was the surf. The north end of the bay is known as "chicken beach" for the simple reason that the beach has a shallow cline and the waves are gentle. About 100 metres north of the RV park, though, the beach steepens considerably and so increases the height of the surf. The consequence of this was that we had a hard time getting Hollis and Bowen out of the surf. They gained the respect of many other people on the beach for their antics in the surf. They tirelessly let the big waves crash into them, sometimes with with spectacular (and painful) results. At the end of the day, both boys had sand literally pounded into every orifice of heir bodies, which would slowly trickle out as they dried all over the van.

It was known that the north end of the bay offered some snorkeling potential, so Remy outfitted himself with a "Hawaiiana" sling spear. This is a simple underwater hunting implement consisting of an aluminum pole with a trident at one end and a rubber sling at the other used to propel the sling forward at high speed (but at short ranges). Hollis was also eager to do some underwater hunting, so a quick search of the neighbourhood dug up some material to improvise another sling spear. The bamboo handle from a discarded broom in a garbage can was mated with a couple of steel tent pegs and some surgical rubber Remy had brought for precisely this purpose to create the Hawaiiana Mark I. So equipped, Remy, Hollis and Bowen went out with all the newly purchased snorkeling gear. In all, Remy and Hollis made three forays into the water in search of the "big one", but the conditions were always super murky and we were plagued by tiny jelly fish or some other such creature that gave us frequent stings. Not an auspicious start to things, but Hollis persevered remarkably.

Th other thing that tortured Remy was the fact that fisherman were catching 10 lb yellowfin tuna from the beach. With careful observation, Remy was able to rig up and master the use of a hand casting line. It wasn't till the end, after having tried various types of bait and lures, catching only a juvenile pufferfish and a few small crabs, that he learned that the most effective bait is the live sardines that the fishermen were catching with their nets cast from the beach. Oh well, a bad day's fishing is better than a good day at work.

We kept our promise to the boys and rented a quad. Originally we were going to re-trace the bicycle route from Melaque to Barra de Navidad, but recalling the missing bridge across a canal and the amount of heat thrown off the air-cooled engine of the "quadrimoto" confined us to riding on the beach in the healthy breeze. It was more fun anyway, especially after we pointed out to the boys that we were breaking all but one of the safety rules. With only four of us on the quad, we were still two people short of honorary-Mexican status. As Daddy became more confident and started doing donuts and taking small jumps, the noise from the back seat increased- yells of joy from Bowen and screams of fear from Hollis, mostly (the products of blissful ignorance and an overactive imagination, respectively).

One morning we woke up to find that at the restaurant next door a fisherman was butchering a 6 ft moray eel he had speared that morning. We knew what the special of the day was going to be! It's freaky to think that those things are in the water.

Melaque is a great holiday town. A $35 cab fare will bring you here from the airport in Manzanillo. Our situation in the RV park was fantastic, located in downtown and right on the beach. The spirit there is very friendly and everything one might need is there. The quirkiest place was the combination fishing and diving shop and regional sweets shop. You could buy coco con leche while looking at spear guns and hooks. That was competing with the video arcade/bra shop on the plaza! It is funny the way the entrepreneurial spirit manifests itself in Mexico. Another Mexican novelty is the double decker trampoline, an example of which the boys got to try while we were in Barra. Gotta like relaxed safety standards- the boys both injured themselves in minor ways, but they also had way more fun. We also tried the local specialty, molcajete, which is a Mexican stirfry of meat and vegetables that is finished off in a "hot pot" that consists of a mortar carved out of lava rock that is heated in an oven- delicious! We also had some of the best tamales we have had in Mexico, bought from a cart in the plaza (M$7 each, about 70 cents)

The town has a tradition of gathering in the plaza every Sunday night. All the eligible young ladies and men eye each other up while the old folks sit and chat or play a version of bingo and the young kids paint plaster of Paris figurines. The town is allegedly named after the word "malarkey" in honor of an Irish regiment that switched sides during the Spanish American war. When the Americans overran the town, every Irishman that was wearing a Mexican army uniform was executed. St Patrick's day is apparently a huge affair here, too bad we are going to miss it.

-Remy

Inner City Camping!

Puerto Vallarta - Melaque, Jalisco

Feb 21 - 29,   2009

It was with great anticipation that we left Puerto Vallarta to continue on south. We have never been further along highway 200 than Boca De Tomatlon and we've heard great things about the curvy roads and stunning views. We aren't always sure exactly how far we will get in a day and we have stopped giving the boys any specifics about where we might end up to avoid disappointing them.

We stopped briefly in Perula and had a little walk on the beach. It was extremely hot and very dusty- not much was compelling us to stay there. We called ahead to La Playa campground in Melaque ( no easy feat in Mexico) by borrowing the phone of a shop owner. We think this is the place that my Uncle Gord and Aunt Janice love so much. For the first time on this trip we make a reservation sight unseen. Melaque is a popular spot for RVers and is often the furthest point south that most will travel. 

Playa Campground is awesome and is located right at the main intersection in town. We can step out the front gate and be right in the thick of things. It turns out that Sunday( today) is the big night out for Mexican families so we quickly get set up at our great spot ( #12) with a view of the ocean out the campervan door. To our great disappointment, the showers close at 8pm and we missed it by only 15 minutes. All the pleading we could muster was not enough to convince the attendants to unlock it for us. 

All sticky and stinky from a hot day of travel we happily walk  around the plaza watching the Mexican families and tourists mingle while the kids , Bowen included, paint small ceramic creatures under the dimmest of street lamps. 6 pesos ($.60) is all it costs for his little creation. It's late, like 10:30, and even the youngest of children are still going strong. Our gringo kids are fading though so we make our way back to the campground checking out all the little shops along the way. Imagine my surprise when I hear my name called out on the sidewalk as I consider yet another package of coco de leche. It's Karen and Robert Norten! My friend ( and City Palate boss's) brother and sister in law. They are in Melaque for  week to get away from the realities of some health issues Karen is facing at the moment. They are staying just down the beach from us so we quickly make loose plans to get together for dinner before the week is over. I forgot about the Coco con leche too which is probably a good thing as it's delicious but terribly bad for you.

Shirley and Vladi ( folks we met in Mazatlan) are camped right across from us and there are two other people staying in the campground that we have met further north ( one on the train trip to the Copper Canyon) It's interesting how this happens when travelling. It's the same phenomenon we experienced on our back packing trip in Europe many years ago. 

We set up the solar shower behind the boat and clean off the days grime so we can actually feel the cool ocean breeze on our skin as we sleep.

Tues, Thurs and Sat are 5km bike tour and breakfast days to the next town down the beach to Barra de Navidad. We get invited by the campground know it all - an affectionate term- when he sees we have bikes. The boys are not thrilled to be woken early, AGAIN, for some exercisebut we assured them it would be nothing like the hike from hell with the Germans in Guayabitos( this tour leader was a fat guy from BC). It was a lovely trip through the coconut groves, banana plantations, farmers fields, and small jungle villages. On the way we stopped for photos and to give treats to the young boy working with his father who we later learned has never spent even one day in school. We have a very American and overpriced  breakfast in Barra and decide to leave the group to return without us. We want to tour this town. It's not long before we find ourselves renting a panga for the 45 minute tour of the lagoon (200 pesos) Liz can't resist the quaint restaurants along the lagoon so we have lunch and watch Bowen swim in his underwear while we eat. 2 fishermen pull in and show off the 2 -40 lb Dorado they caught earlier in the day which gets Hollis all excited about renting a boat for the day and catching our own. Ya right. He doesn't know he was born into a family of bad luck fishermen. 

We fall into the routine of the campground quite easily  which consists of playing in the surf all morning, eat, play at beach, eat, shower at 5ish, meet neighbors on the beach for happy hour drinks then candlelight dinner at the camper or venture into town for a taco. We can see why Uncle Gordie likes it here!

We learn to Skype and make calls to everyone we can and Bowen is happy to finally talk with his buddies, Josh and Isaac. They mostly giggle and don't say much but hey. We did hook up with Robert and Karen for dinner eventually and had a great time getting to know them better in a really cool place.

Thurs- Terry and Koosji invite us to travel in their truck to Tenacatita- about 30 km north)

It's the most beautiful beach and is great for snorkling as the coral grows almost up to the shore and the small bay is very protected. This area has three beaches all within a 2 minute walk of each other. One is for snorkling, one is flat and sandy and is ringed with palapa restaurants selling fresh mariscos and the other is on the Pacific side where the waves are vicious but the sunsets are beautiful.  We eat coconut shrimp for the first time and make plans to return here next week to free camp on the snorkling beach. On the way home Terry and Koosji stop at the Riacilla distillery for some sampling and some purchasing. Raicilla is similar to tequila but is made with the green agave as opposed to the blue which is used to make tequila. This drink was favoured by Pancho Villa and General Zapata so of course we just HAD to get some.

Our final stop of the day was at La Manzanilla to see the crocodiles. It's a weird experience to see them in the wild even if there is a flimsy fence that is supposed to keep them off the road. 

-Liz