It is that time of year again...Time to head out of the blustery conditions of New hampshire, and venture south to unite with the endless days and warm temps of the Southern Hemisphere. This years Jan-Feb trip should showcase some great biking, awkward and brilliant encounters with strangers, and images of us sleeping on the side of the road. Hope to keep you all on the edge of your seats!
If you remember last year around this time we were gearing up for the trip to Mexico. This involved all of us hustling around the Upper Valley in search for a person skilled enough to patch together our massive busted up van. Good thing we found Randy just about this time last year at the truck stop in Lebanon. We still owe Randy big time for last year's work. He lifted our spirits and made that trip happen.
This year we decided to leave the rusty vans in New Hampshire where the belong, and purchase 1500 dollar plane tickets to visit the land of Milk and Honey known as Patagonia. We have also cut the trip down from 5 humans and a dog to 3 humans and no dog. Poor Smuckers will be staying home this year in the comfort of my sister's KUA apartment, with his new brother that has yet to be named. Thank's to her for taking my little man in for a few months.
We hope to keep you all updated via this blog and get some good stories and photos up here as soon as they unfold. Just one more week of ice pellets, freezing rain, the wintry mix, rain, and salt. Let it snow, it's winter!
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Monday, February 16, 2009
A night with the tortugas
Ronan´s Post:
I walked down the beach alone in the dark. The stars shone bright with the milky-way lighting a strip across the sky. The waves crashed and with them came the slightest glow of bio-luminescence. I tip-toed over massive craters in the sand, nervous to disturb any of them. I heard a wheezing sound up ahead. I peeked into one of the craters. A massive turtle lay at the bottom and it began to excavate the crater further. It was already 4ft deep by 6ft, and growing with every flipper swipe.
I sat there under the starts, Orion overhead, listening to this turtle wheeze for air, then dig for a minute or two before taking a 5 minute break. And repeat. I walked on to find several other females slaving away for their bastard children. Tracks of previous turtles cut across other nests like tractor tires. Egg shells like broken ping-pong balls littered the beach. I came across one nest with some freshly crushed eggs among empty shells. Some predator; dog, bird, or the anteater type thing I saw earlier lurking near the bushes. I found one female just beginning her nights' work and I bedded down 30ft away. I woke several times to find the female working on another site only a few feet from my sleeping bag. I expected to wake again to her berrying me in sand or becoming part of her nest. Instead I woke to the moon rising over the cliffs at the end of the beach. The half circle glowed brightly over the golden beach and cast shadows over the nests, throwing polka dots across the beach. I got up and checked on all the turtles nearby. One female was laying her eggs in a big basket at the bottom of her hole, guarding it from sand falling in it with her rear flippers. I sat with her until she finished and watched her fill in the basket and begin covering the hole. When I returned just before sunrise I found her tracks leading out into the ocean and her nest crater was now a mound; she'd piled even more sand on the nest than was there originally.
On my morning walk back towards the town I came across two females close together. One had just emerged from the ocean, still wet in the morning light. The other had a small hole she seemed to have just started excavating. The sun rose over the cliffs, following the moon's path or vise versa, and at almost the same time, both females stopped their work and headed for the sea. They skidded their cumbersome bodies down the beach and entered the surf. I sat for a few minutes thinking about my night. The hours of work these turtles instinctively know how to do for an unknown outcome. So many variables come into play it seems; predation of eggs, hatchlings on the beach or in the ocean, and then the hope that the hathclings steer away from the hypnotizing lights of town, as many are found climbing the wrong way up the beach after only a few days out of the egg. I looked out to sea and I thought and spotted a head rise up for air 100m offshore, then dive down again. One of the females taking a refreshing breath after a long and dry night on the beaches of Maruata Mexico.
I walked down the beach alone in the dark. The stars shone bright with the milky-way lighting a strip across the sky. The waves crashed and with them came the slightest glow of bio-luminescence. I tip-toed over massive craters in the sand, nervous to disturb any of them. I heard a wheezing sound up ahead. I peeked into one of the craters. A massive turtle lay at the bottom and it began to excavate the crater further. It was already 4ft deep by 6ft, and growing with every flipper swipe.
I sat there under the starts, Orion overhead, listening to this turtle wheeze for air, then dig for a minute or two before taking a 5 minute break. And repeat. I walked on to find several other females slaving away for their bastard children. Tracks of previous turtles cut across other nests like tractor tires. Egg shells like broken ping-pong balls littered the beach. I came across one nest with some freshly crushed eggs among empty shells. Some predator; dog, bird, or the anteater type thing I saw earlier lurking near the bushes. I found one female just beginning her nights' work and I bedded down 30ft away. I woke several times to find the female working on another site only a few feet from my sleeping bag. I expected to wake again to her berrying me in sand or becoming part of her nest. Instead I woke to the moon rising over the cliffs at the end of the beach. The half circle glowed brightly over the golden beach and cast shadows over the nests, throwing polka dots across the beach. I got up and checked on all the turtles nearby. One female was laying her eggs in a big basket at the bottom of her hole, guarding it from sand falling in it with her rear flippers. I sat with her until she finished and watched her fill in the basket and begin covering the hole. When I returned just before sunrise I found her tracks leading out into the ocean and her nest crater was now a mound; she'd piled even more sand on the nest than was there originally.
On my morning walk back towards the town I came across two females close together. One had just emerged from the ocean, still wet in the morning light. The other had a small hole she seemed to have just started excavating. The sun rose over the cliffs, following the moon's path or vise versa, and at almost the same time, both females stopped their work and headed for the sea. They skidded their cumbersome bodies down the beach and entered the surf. I sat for a few minutes thinking about my night. The hours of work these turtles instinctively know how to do for an unknown outcome. So many variables come into play it seems; predation of eggs, hatchlings on the beach or in the ocean, and then the hope that the hathclings steer away from the hypnotizing lights of town, as many are found climbing the wrong way up the beach after only a few days out of the egg. I looked out to sea and I thought and spotted a head rise up for air 100m offshore, then dive down again. One of the females taking a refreshing breath after a long and dry night on the beaches of Maruata Mexico.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Loco Acapulco!
Ray’s Post:
Hey yo everyone out there in Blogsville. Trying to keep this updated better while we are living in wireless Internet Acapulco.
So this is what has happened we left Ernesto and Monica on Monday morning after great days of beach, swimming, pseudo surfing, body surf and eating. Roca Blanca named after the bird feces covered rock off shore was a favorite for all. Jenny will return to study Spanish with Monica (the heart and soul of the camping outfit) after the group breaks apart. We all enjoyed the company of the family as well as the lone Swiss traveler Gayle.
We left a day before we had to get to Acapulco just to be safe and it paid because we got stuck in three hours of construction. We sweated out the Primetime pretty hard ate some roadside tacos, fruit and ice creams. W spent that night in luxury or so we thought after fending off the heat of the lagoon mosquitoes of Roca Blanca, an air-conditioned room with cable and personal Jacuzzi was as the say in Mexico “muy bueno”. Some nibbled on peas and carrots that night others went out for oriental style tacos a plenty.
Yesterday we got up early and set primetimes sail for Acapulco. We rolled in midday. Yes we did we rolled right on in to John Wayne and Tarzans house literally it has been a hotel since the 30’s. The welcomed us with a round of coco locos translated that means crazy coconut. I felt like John Wayne was tipping his cap in approval when near to sunset we viewed a Humpback whale breaching the calm seas. Later that Night the ghost of Johnny Weismueller aka Tarzan joined us for drinks as we watched the world famous clavadistas cave divers plummet 130 ft.. A exhilarating jump they time their pitch into the sea as the tide pushes the water into the cave, but not before saying blessings to the Virgin of Guadalupe. We woke this morning, Jenny saw more whales from 400 cliffs that overlook the ocean from the House that Rooster Cogburn and Tarzan built.
We have obtained Mr. E. Street and now we leave the bright lights big city of Acapulco for a tamer Zihuatanejo. Friends: Family : Pets: and Plants we wish you all well. From The gang this is Rabbit and Primetime signing off. Enjoy the Pics! Courtesy of Mr. Donavan and crew:
Hey yo everyone out there in Blogsville. Trying to keep this updated better while we are living in wireless Internet Acapulco.
So this is what has happened we left Ernesto and Monica on Monday morning after great days of beach, swimming, pseudo surfing, body surf and eating. Roca Blanca named after the bird feces covered rock off shore was a favorite for all. Jenny will return to study Spanish with Monica (the heart and soul of the camping outfit) after the group breaks apart. We all enjoyed the company of the family as well as the lone Swiss traveler Gayle.
We left a day before we had to get to Acapulco just to be safe and it paid because we got stuck in three hours of construction. We sweated out the Primetime pretty hard ate some roadside tacos, fruit and ice creams. W spent that night in luxury or so we thought after fending off the heat of the lagoon mosquitoes of Roca Blanca, an air-conditioned room with cable and personal Jacuzzi was as the say in Mexico “muy bueno”. Some nibbled on peas and carrots that night others went out for oriental style tacos a plenty.
Yesterday we got up early and set primetimes sail for Acapulco. We rolled in midday. Yes we did we rolled right on in to John Wayne and Tarzans house literally it has been a hotel since the 30’s. The welcomed us with a round of coco locos translated that means crazy coconut. I felt like John Wayne was tipping his cap in approval when near to sunset we viewed a Humpback whale breaching the calm seas. Later that Night the ghost of Johnny Weismueller aka Tarzan joined us for drinks as we watched the world famous clavadistas cave divers plummet 130 ft.. A exhilarating jump they time their pitch into the sea as the tide pushes the water into the cave, but not before saying blessings to the Virgin of Guadalupe. We woke this morning, Jenny saw more whales from 400 cliffs that overlook the ocean from the House that Rooster Cogburn and Tarzan built.
We have obtained Mr. E. Street and now we leave the bright lights big city of Acapulco for a tamer Zihuatanejo. Friends: Family : Pets: and Plants we wish you all well. From The gang this is Rabbit and Primetime signing off. Enjoy the Pics! Courtesy of Mr. Donavan and crew:
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Back to the Beach
The last time that you heard from us we were inland. We are however no longer there. We left Rod and Hileana after a good feed of Bagels and fruit shakes we headed in to the mountains. Pretty slow driving and a lot of bumps until we reached the flatter towns We found a hotel in a town that Robin could only compare to Lander, Wyoming. Flat dirty and Desolate. For the first time in weeks we had trouble finding a place to stay on account of the midget rodeo. We found a nice lttle spot to stay on the outskirts of town complete with concrete beds. Later that night we ventured back to town for some food and found that there in the heart of it all layed some character. There were street vendors, and Jenny found a baby turtle justly named corky jr. In honour of her namesake jenny got cork jr some food and sr. a large carnival sized lollipop. We dared to ride the zippers and the salt and pepper shakers but there were not running so we settled on churros, some supper and a bootlegged version of the newest bond and took it back to the rest.
We drove like hell the next day found a surf town that Robin and Jenny rode there first waves the rest of us boogied and swam, and Ronan ran in sweltering heat. We got back in the Van and headed down the coast that night just to find a place to stay. The Van rolled up on a bar and from the outside we caught the Boss (Bruce Springsteen) wailing away. The Van went no further. We enjoyed various foods and drinks and a damn exciting american football game. There was an hotel equinomico in that town and we stayed there and thats that.
We spent the next couple of days camping on the beach in the town of Mazunte. Mazunte is a beach town rather a cove protected by rock out crops on both ends. A pretty strong waves that crash right on the beach. noit really great for board surfing but great for snorkeling. We spent the first day in the water and fighting off the heat. The first night there we ate out a restaurant on the beach that looked promising. The food was food nothing more, but the waiter offered a boat trip complete with snorkeling turtle wrangeling, bird watching and dolphin swims. It seemed like a lot to promise and if the food was any signs of things to come well.... but we all agreed if nothing more it was a boat ride.
What came next was absurd in a very many ways. we started our tour by bombing south down the beach to view a Narcotraffic aircraft that was shot down 3 years ago and was left on the beach as a reminder. Next we shot out straight into the water until we started seeing turtles we found a big enough big enough for our boat captain Adan to get close enough then baboomba Jaime shot out of that boat like a canon and grabbed up that turtle any one who wanted was allowed to go and hold it. Jenny and I charged not necessarily in excitement of the turtle but stomach uneasiness from the boat. Nice to get upclose to the turtle and bit obscure. After storming after countless turltles, Jenny found us some dolphins and we cruised right along with them until we begged to get in the water we threw on snorkle gear and flippers and got right in the mix with them. The sureality of this experience felt some thing like a cross between disneyland and space and inside it was as well a jumbled mix of emotions adrenal glands pumped raw excitment but the warm water and sweet sounds of dolphins was similar to a brookstone nature tapes with a waterbed. But the craziest thing was watching them spin the rolled out like dreidls on the first night of Hannukah. Unbelieveable
West along coast we moved first to see the famed and Burly surf of Puerto Escondido and now along to to some nameless beach town Near Rio Grande , Oaxaca that is. We try to surf, now and then we got put in the spin cycle. We swim, snorkel some run others read we eat some things. We drink others. Play guitar and cribbage and have been welcomed by a marvelous family bilingual and sweet. We stay there until monday and then bomb up to Acapulco to meet up with a six member Mr. E. Street outta Pennslyvania. Coming in for a good section. We all talk about all of you and hope you all are well and know that we are safe and pictures to come soon.
Right well this is the Rabbit Signing off
We drove like hell the next day found a surf town that Robin and Jenny rode there first waves the rest of us boogied and swam, and Ronan ran in sweltering heat. We got back in the Van and headed down the coast that night just to find a place to stay. The Van rolled up on a bar and from the outside we caught the Boss (Bruce Springsteen) wailing away. The Van went no further. We enjoyed various foods and drinks and a damn exciting american football game. There was an hotel equinomico in that town and we stayed there and thats that.
We spent the next couple of days camping on the beach in the town of Mazunte. Mazunte is a beach town rather a cove protected by rock out crops on both ends. A pretty strong waves that crash right on the beach. noit really great for board surfing but great for snorkeling. We spent the first day in the water and fighting off the heat. The first night there we ate out a restaurant on the beach that looked promising. The food was food nothing more, but the waiter offered a boat trip complete with snorkeling turtle wrangeling, bird watching and dolphin swims. It seemed like a lot to promise and if the food was any signs of things to come well.... but we all agreed if nothing more it was a boat ride.
What came next was absurd in a very many ways. we started our tour by bombing south down the beach to view a Narcotraffic aircraft that was shot down 3 years ago and was left on the beach as a reminder. Next we shot out straight into the water until we started seeing turtles we found a big enough big enough for our boat captain Adan to get close enough then baboomba Jaime shot out of that boat like a canon and grabbed up that turtle any one who wanted was allowed to go and hold it. Jenny and I charged not necessarily in excitement of the turtle but stomach uneasiness from the boat. Nice to get upclose to the turtle and bit obscure. After storming after countless turltles, Jenny found us some dolphins and we cruised right along with them until we begged to get in the water we threw on snorkle gear and flippers and got right in the mix with them. The sureality of this experience felt some thing like a cross between disneyland and space and inside it was as well a jumbled mix of emotions adrenal glands pumped raw excitment but the warm water and sweet sounds of dolphins was similar to a brookstone nature tapes with a waterbed. But the craziest thing was watching them spin the rolled out like dreidls on the first night of Hannukah. Unbelieveable
West along coast we moved first to see the famed and Burly surf of Puerto Escondido and now along to to some nameless beach town Near Rio Grande , Oaxaca that is. We try to surf, now and then we got put in the spin cycle. We swim, snorkel some run others read we eat some things. We drink others. Play guitar and cribbage and have been welcomed by a marvelous family bilingual and sweet. We stay there until monday and then bomb up to Acapulco to meet up with a six member Mr. E. Street outta Pennslyvania. Coming in for a good section. We all talk about all of you and hope you all are well and know that we are safe and pictures to come soon.
Right well this is the Rabbit Signing off
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Rodrigo and Hileana the King and Queen of Mexico
From Ray:
Sorry to all the folks who have been periodically checking on the blog and wondering what we have been up to and where the next entry has been. Stay tuned the entries will continue.
Sometimes in our lives we lose contact with people that we were close with at one point in our lives. Time and space separates people and the next thing it is ten years later. Next thing you know that person is married lives in another country, is married to the queen of the city and owns a bagel shop, a artisans store, and is working on renovating a hostel. Heck Back 20 years ago it would have been a feat to find that person. Today luckily the modern technology specifically a little Internet site called the facebook which has gone above and beyond all of our expectations. It helped us connect with Rodrigo Alfonzo a good friend from school days.
Before I get carried away y'all should now that we left the Yucatan and drove some rugged roads with lots of topes. Topes are Spanish for speed bumps and these speed bumps are layed down at random. Usually one can expect to find them in a town, and they are made of all different sizes. Occasionally they are put in by locals with a bit of concrete or shredded strips of rubber which are used more as an entrepreneurial business move, as at these topes you will find salesmen, women and children with anything from fruit cups to windshield wipers to the morning paper. Other bumps are more like mounds which hit at high speeds could be detrimental to a van but at low speed are a friend in a world of nasty topes. Long story short a fully loaded van must take care when driving and is now in the shop because the ball bearings, transmission, and brakes have had a rough time.
On this drive we stayed at a little gem of a spot outside of Escargega in the state of campeche. It was a bionatural reserve complete with howler monkeys and even a pet monkey who watched everyone with a curious eye. Especially Smuckers, he was probably given the harriest of eyeballs. This was a fantasic spot to camp we stayed with some Montrealians who were extremely pleasant. In the morning we were sent on our way with a short horse ride and fresh oranges. It was a full day of driving to get to San Cristobal de las Casa in the state of Chiapas where Rod and his wife Hllieana live.
We met Rod in one of the many squares in town and he gave us a night tour of a few highlights of this town. We were all exhausted so we ate some supper and got some rest. Over the next few days we spent plenty of time walking around exploring the many markets, churches, sites and events that occurred. Trying the delicious food specialties of the city. Eating huaraches, more tacos, elotes and of course Popsicles. Rod, Robin and I have been walking through the parks and reminiscing. Talking about glory days although I would go so far to say that those days are no more glorious than these.
Rod was born in this house where we have stayed the last 5 nights. He moved to the states when he was 3 or 4 and went to school in Woodstock and then to KUA where we met him. After school he decided he would come back down here to live for a trial period. He opened a hostel but the hostel needed repairs so in the interim he opened a craft boutique and then from there he had the idea to open a bagel shop- cafe- poolhall. They were the best bagels we have had since we left Jenny's papa in Atlanta. The menu is completed by a dedication to the place where Rod was raised, the Vermonter which includes real Cabot Cheddar. Rods better half he met after moving back down here. His kind and beautiful Hileana whom he has been married to for a year and change. They work and live a pretty sweet life down here with some beautiful Husky showdogs Cuba, Simon and the roofdog.
Rod and Hileana have been accommodating us for days, and have took time from work to setup city tours, horse packs, and tours to national parks. As well as show us the good spots to eat and drink and see music. They have been nothing short of wonderful and we all appreciate it greatly. Rod.s response to our gratitude is roughly " who knows when the next time Ill see you guys, it has been ten years".
The most crazy day here was when we rode horse to a town eight miles away called Chamula. Yes the riding was absurd two teenagers put us on horses with saddles of wood, no instruction necessary, and rode us eight miles into the town. Sure that was crazy but few things have I seen in my life that compared to what we saw after that. The people of Chamula are there own private government they are native Mayas that have been converted to Christianity but they have put there own spin on this religion. I will try and paint a picture of what we saw when we entered this church because it is hard to imagine.
There is no preacher it is Wednesday morning and there are easily two hundred people in the church they are knelt down in separate area each with there own set of candles, case of soda and large bottle of posh (their own fermented liquor) They are praying in there own language not a dialect of Spanish but a dialect of Mayan. The elder lies speak fast and soft. They pray, as the young ones surround them. Thousands of candles surround them stuck to nothing but the tile floor. A man comes by and scraps wax up off the floor. The pray to all the saints who they have in three dimensional diorama boxes. In between the fields of candles are slippery pathways of pine needle tinder, why do they want this church to burn so. An older lady pulls a chicken out of a box the chicken squawks not. The lady takes it and starts to rub it all over a young boy it tickles but he sits still the same After rubbing it down the chickens neck is broke over her knee it flaps a few last breaths and quits. Then it goes back in to the box. A man offers us posch out of a gasoline can we decline, he shakes our hands. young and old drink to drunk soda and liquor and pray and pray. To me this is crazy to them it makes perfect sense it is crazy that this is cousin of the religion that so many peopl in the states and worldwide subscribe to the same god. adapted by native people.
I am reminded how crazy religion
We spent the next couple of days waiting for the van to fix, Rod took some of us an incredible roadtrip in the Peugeout to see travertine lakes and crystal blue water falls. We are getting ready to move on. To give Hileana and Rodrigo some peace we move forth Jeanette, Rawban, Ronan, Smuckers, Miss Courtney and I the Rabbit signing off
--
-Ray
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