again, only in mexico

"Mace", how do you say mace in Spanish...quickly that thought was going through my head as the man with the army fatigues and very large gun is holding up my can of mace from my glove box with a look of question. Crap, is mace legal, or illegal in this country I thought next. Guns are not, drugs are not, but what else are they looking for...?

In my first three months here in Mexico, I have not been stopped once by the police or military and within one weekend I got stopped twice. The first time I was a passenger, and Dave, the guy I was with, quickly said to me pretend you don-t know Spanish. Wasn't too hard to pretend, as I am looking around and seeing guys hiding in the bushes with assault rifles. I realized I knew no Spanish that would be able to allow me to communicate with armed men. The next day I was by myself heading into a town called Melague to do some banking, etc. when I saw the traffic coming to a halt and the various old military trucks with drug dogs tied up to the sides. As my turn came out, I used the standard, "no hablo espanol, solomente english". And the guy explained that I needed to get out of the car. As I watched them search through pages of books, under seats, through the dog food, etc. I thought do they have nothing better to do? Then the guy found my mace, and I just stammered and said, lo siento, I can not explain what mace is. I thought about how quickly I would be hauled off to jail if I was to play act out what mace is...so needless to say, he put it back and allowed me to proceed.

Also made a new friend, I called Wally. I know many of you would think, another dog, yes I have met lots of dogs, but this creature is a little closer to my personality than the perros. As night fell and I had come inside I saw something sitting in the middle of the piso (floor) and my heart began beating rapidly. It was a scorpion. So after kicking the dog out of the room, I ushered Wally out. But not without pissing him off and causing his stinger to turn upwards. At one point he tried stinging the wall, Wally isn't so smart apparently. But, rather than kill him, I did show him the way out and hopefully he was able to make it back to his little scorpion family. I felt in some way I couldn't kill a fellow escorpion.

and the deals. Only in Mexico can you make deals, about places to live, things to buy and things to do. I am currently negotating a place to stay if I decide to stay in this town for a bit longer. Most English speaking people offer from $1000 a month up. Most mexicans offer $500. We shall see where the transactions and what my plans of the future entail, but knowing that my negotating is getting better...along with my Spanish...I am starting to fit into the groove a bit better and feel Mexico growing inside of me.

I must run for now, class awaits. And I can't be tarde dos dias...

Salud,
Heidi

ahhh Lamanzanilla

I finally have found my favorite place, thus far. Lamanzanilla is about the most beautiful place that I have been yet in my trip. It is, as many Pacific Coast villages, a small fishing town. It too is seeing growth by foreigners but still remains a more Mexican village with people more than wiling to extend a familiar wave. The beach is quite long with hard packed sand that goes on for miles with palm trees lining the way. Since it is in a cove (miles long) the waves are more gentle and roll into the shore with that gentle noise that could lull you to sleep. When looking to the south of town, the beach is very rocky and reminds me a bit of the Oregon Coast with various huge rocks protruding out of the sea and huge graggy cliffs that drop sharply into the ocean.

Most mornings the dog and I walk the beach, she chasing rocks, I drinking my coffee. Some mornings the two of us swim, but that entails me lifting the dog into the water, over the wave break. The little whimp is afraid of the crashing waves. But once she gets out there she just swims and swims with me. Unbelievable since it is the end of February and 8 o´clock in the morning. Ahhh, but that is the beauty of being so far south in Mexico.

The house I have rented (bungalow) sits high up in the trees and overlooks the town and those below. It is pretty secluded which is nice, but never fear there are still roosters to awaken us every morning. And even though it is up on the hillside, it still is only minutes to walk to the beach.

I was also able to jump into a Spanish class here, which is the most challenging thus far. It is a full emersion course so absolutely no English is spoken. I am a little behind since I am jumping in at week four, but I have been studying as much as possible, otherwise I will look like the idiot in class. Well, I pretty much do anyhow since one of our assignments is to sing a song, daily. I wasn't too happy to hear that, particularly since I am the female they want me to sing acapalo (lord, I have no idea how to spell that word). This weeks song is a lullaby for a baby girl. Next week it is a Cuban love song...is anyone taping this class? Becuase this should be on American´s funniest videos. I imagine that after a week or two of this class I will be speaking the language much better. The school also gives us the opportunity to do some volunteering, which if I stay here longer I may do.

Tommorw I was invited to go kayaking, snorkeling and possibly do a little boogie board action with a neighbor. We are driving to a neighboring town which I can see in the distance houses some fairly large yachts in town for a lovely mexican vacation...just like me...
The time should be well spent.

Other than that I am just learning how to manuver this small town, and find all of the hidden areas yet to be found.

My best to you all..
H&M

fin de Sayulita

My last couple of days in Sayulita proved to be entertaining, as expexted.

Saturday was spent hiking to a hidden little beach well worth the walk through the jungle, the scaling of the rocks and the hot hot sand underneath our bare feet. Once we got to the little hidden paradise we realized that sometimes walking in the hot sun with sweat dripping down your face and back rewards you well in the end. The beach was essentially deserted with nothing but stretches of sand and huge rockas. The view was breathtaking with large rocks protruding out of the ocean and great mountains coming down to meet the sea. But alas, after our time in the sun, I realized that the hike back up the hill and through the jungle to get home made one glad that they had not drank a bunch of Pacifico's as I probably would still be down there. But the view was definitely worth a beer commercial...

The next evening I went with my friend Michael to the Sayulita fair. Apparently Sayulita days is coming up, so the fair is here for two weeks complete with carnival rides and food. I liken it to fairs we used to have, albeit in 1971 (a good year I might add). We first went and had dinner at one of the many vendors. We each had a gringa and a quesadilla, I still don-t know what the difference is between the two? Nonetheless, they were yummy in our tummy. One of the many great things about Mexico is you can bring beer about anywhere with you, so since the vendors don't serve alcohol you just go purchase your beer and bring it in with you. So as we sat there for what seemed like hours, talking, eating, and drinking our Ballenia we heard sudden shouting, swearing and footsteps running toward our end of the street. It seemed our waiter, drunk as he was, had gotten into a fight with someone. It took many to settle him down and finally they had to haul him off in the back of a pickup. It proved to be entertaining for us, but then we looked at each other in concern. Afterall, it was our waiter and we still had yet to pay.

After all of that, we decided to venture inside the huge carnival grounds, aka the athletic fields. Most of the rides and games were designed for the young ones...but never fear all of you older folk out there...Mexican fairs cater to you too. We were a little worried about getting more beer as it was Sunday and most of the liccores tiendas were closed, but as we ventured further into the fair we found the games designed for us, the alcoholics. The first game Michael played was throwing the dart at a board filled with playing cards, if you actually hit a playing card you won a prize...a beer. We were unsuccesful. But then we rounded another corner and the game of all games lost in America was there. Everything about it called my name, but also violated every American rule and regulation. The game is this, for 15 pesos you get three medium size rocks to throw at a board full of glass bottles sitting upside down on pieces of rebar, if you break a bottle your prize; a beer. Imagine the noise as people are hurling huge rocks with all of their strength against this board, glass breaking everywhere. They would stop the game every now and again so they could collect the rocks on the ground, as they walked in their thongs against massive piles of broken glass. Imagine that happening in good ol USA...I can picture every governing authority showing up from OSHA, to the lawyers representing them. Thankfully there was success on both of our ends so we were able to tilt back our Modelo as we walked the rest of the fair, wondering what our next game was to be.

After a late night, I was able to wake early, get packed and say my goodbyes. I was leaving town. Of course since I have a tendency to talk a lot...huh...hard to believe, I got on the road about noon. My next destination was LaManzinilla in the Barra de Navidad area. After I passed PV and came out of the winding road, I realized that I am starting to hit more of the Mexican Mexico. And I am thankful for my couple of weeks of Spanish as I think English will be less used and less understood. After a four hour drive I ended up in my new home for the next couple of weeks. There are tourists here, but not the same caliber of Puerto Vallarta or Sayulita. The town streets are all unpaved, no road signs exist and I certainly don't see any espresso stands (written with a bit of smug, a bit of concern) or any fancy art studios or jewerly studios. And the view from the beach, again breathtaking. I look forward to my next couple of weeks here and will keep you all posted on all that I see and do.

friends

I am starting to realize that it is becoming harder and harder to be a transit body. Not for the means of uprooting your home and belongings every so often, that part isn't so hard for me. It is the constant "goodbyes" to the people that you meet. My brother likens my blog descriptions of various people I have met to a "Lost" episode, being that new characters are constantly being introduced. It is true, when traveling you are constantly meeting new people, finding new groups to do things with and just as you become a part of the community it is again time to say your goodbyes to those people. All said with promises of writing and keeping in touch, but in the back of your head you know it is not always that easy. Life will eventually take over and the keeping in touch will fade with time. The people I have met thus far have become such a part of my life for the time, and have all had an impact on the experiences in the towns, but still it becomes difficult to say the inevitable "goodbye". But even worse is the goodbyes to the friends who have come to visit you, those who bring a bit of memory of home with them.

After a week my good friends Erin and Michael from Seattle have left the sun, sand, and inevitable "siesta" to return home. Stepping off the airplane they brought for me the small needed items from the States, the news of the homefront and the energy to see what Mexico is about. When leaving, they were able to, if not for a short bit, get to walk a week in my life.

The got to meet all the various people I have befriended in this small town, they got to experience the difficulties of not knowing a language, the hesitations of ordering food from roadside taco vendors, the noises that have become blended into white noise for me (I am sure they will miss all the rooster noise through-out the day and night) and the numerous other "mexican" things that make you smile or frown. Hopefully the trip opened their eyes to a foreign land and the opportunities travel can bring.

Our times were well spent; from dinners at home with friends (new and old), to bonfires up in the jungle, from seeing hidden beaches to visiting towns that have suffered from massive growth, from watching a small band at the Sayulita lounge to dancing their hearts out at a show put on by Collectivo, a band that has 15 members from around the world and sings their reggae+mexican+french+old fashioned middle eastern carnival music to fans from around the world. They were able to be fit into this town and by the time they departed they too were given waves by familiar faces passing by. They also exchanged emails with people with promises to keep in touch, which I hope they do. But thankfully I always know that I will forever remain in their email and phone book. I will miss the fact that I am with people that know me inside and out, and that make me laugh until my stomach hurts, but I also know that my times must go on and the opportunites to meet more people are on the horizon. So as sorry as I am to say goodbye to friends new and old, it seems to be my life, for now.

So to my Sayulita friends, Michael, Marshall, all the people at the Sayulita lounge (and there are lots), Lillianna my Spanish teacher, my fellow classmates, Fury the Canadian who knows more about American history than I do, Gabby and her children, my various neighbors, and the countless others...thanks...for everything. I am sure the last days here in Sayulita will be entertaining and the goodbyes will be heartfelt, and the tequila will smoothly go down my throat...or so I have been told.

H&M

PS, for all of you musica lovers out there, click on this link to read about Colectivo: http://cdbaby.com/cd/colectivo

day before the parties begin...

I am alive and kicking here in Sayulita Mexico. All is going much better than previous weeks here in this overly-priced somewhat Mexican town. Sayulita, an hour north of Puerto Vallarta, is well known for its surfing and fishing of past, and now also for its art gallerys, jewerly making and real estate. It seems that everyone I meet is "building a house" down here. It is a beautiful area, so moving down here makes perfect sense, but it has become a bit overrun with expats. I am not sure how that all bodes with the local mexicans, I sometimes wonder how they can afford to pay for their groceries, or gas, or drinks. And wonder if any negative feelings exist between the Mexicans and "immigrants", which I could emphathize if so. I just try and blend in in my mostly Mexican neighborhood, saying "buenos dias" to everyone that walks by.

I started a Spanish class a couple of weeks ago so I am trying hard to retain and use any of the Spanish that I am learning. Every morning I get up at 6:30ish to be at class by 8am, a little early for Spanish class, particularly when you are in the Country of "Tequila" but thus far I have made it to every class and have been somewhat good about getting my homework done. Since I was a little hung-over today from an evening of food and drinks my teacher, Lillianna, taught us a new phrase, for my benefit: ella es fiestista...she parties...
It is nice that even in Spanish class, in a foreign country I get called out as the one who likes to party. My only comment to that is that at least I made it to Spanish class, coffee in hand. Albeit I wished there was some Kahula in it to help jumpstart the day.

Meeting people has been pretty easy here since there are so many English speaking people around. In the short while I have been here I have been able to make friends with quite a few different people both Mexican and American. It is easy to stop in the "Sayulita Lounge" and have a drink with someone you know.

Yesterday was the birthday of one of my new found friends, Michael, and in celebration he and I made dinner for a bunch of people complete with wine and apple pie a la mode for dessert. It was fun to be able to sit around a table with many different foods and wine and good conversation - it almost felt like I was at home. However later as we were throwing back shots of tequila, I realized I am smarter at home...I don't drink tequila...particularly a shot or two of it....ayyyaaayyyy.

I am also learning it is best not to drink too much tequila at the bar, particulary when a Mexican man is buying the drinks for you. He is hopeful that you may want to marry him. Or so I have encountered. No matter what you say about how, "no, you can't get together tomorrow because..." they are still persistant. That is when I bring up the married card. I tell them I am married, and still they may be a bit persistant, that is when it is helpful that you may know someone in the bar who can "act" as tu esposo (husband). So that is what I have found to work with the Mexican man...the older American men I am still having problems with. I am not sure why it is that the 65 year old man thinks he may stand a chance with a 35 year old woman but they definitely try and try and try again. "Are you frigging kidding me..." is what I want to say, pero, I am kind, and glady accept the drink they bought me...

Tomorrow afternoon friends fly in for a week of fun in the sun. I am sure there will be many nights of over drinking and dancing to the wee hours of the morning. So I will assure all that I will be safe, and will go to rehab when I get back home...

Until then, Salud
H