February, 2013 . . .

Another month in the history books . . . soon.  We are packing away all our "stuff" today as we will be pulling out of our winter home in Lo de Marcos, Nayarit, and heading for points north.  It's been a wonderful winter . . . but reality is, we need to get back home to our real lives one of these days!

Highlights of February included . . .

a visit from Victor's dancing horses.  Victor is the owner of Cruz Maria RV Park - but his real passion is for horses.  A couple of weeks ago he brought some into the park to share a bit of dancing with us.

Then the next week, it was off to Manzanillo to spend some time with our Prince Rupert friends.  Osa came with us . . .

 

 

We drove right through Melaque on our way, so we just couldn't pass up the opportunity to go to Fredys for a shrimp cocktail . . . . muy bien.  Just as good as we remembered them from four years ago!!  Time on this photo - 1245 . . . . 

Time on the next photo . . . 1255 - 10 minutes to chow down all that shrimp, avocado, onion, lime and tomato juice. . . . ..  oinkers!!! 

We went to the Pacifico Azul condo complex - actually currently known as Elegance Blue - but I kind of like the name Pacifico Azul better. 

 

 

First night there - what else - street tachos!!!  Another muy bien culinary experience . . . they just had these grills going steady - abadabo, acchura, sebolla, radishes . . . . mmmmm, my favorite!

Lots of beach time and a day trip to Barra de Navidad . . . all in all, a great week with old friends.



Changing it up a bit - Corona y Estrella



Rupert Banditos

We were able to witness a turtle egg harvest while we were there.  Turtles come up from the ocean in the night, and lay their eggs deep in the sand.  Mexico has a "Sea Turtle Conservation Program' to help keep the eggs safe.  Someone must have seen the female come up from the water and lay the eggs and notified the protection agency so a conservation officer came to the beach, dug down, and finally came up with the eggs.  They are taken to a protected area, where they will be reburied, and released to the ocean once they hatch.

On our way back to Lo de Marcos, we stopped in to La Manzanilla for breakfast - aaahhh . . . . what a view of Tenacatita Bay.  We will return here one day . . .

What's not to love - sun, sand, small waves lapping on the beach, a few birds . . .

Chacala Beach is another one of our favorite places to experience another time . . .

 That little dot in the water is Kipper . . .

Music on the beach . . .

 

 

Last night we had a pot luck dinner at the park - and were treated to great music by the Perez Brothers - I think Cruz Maria RV park is the envy of Lo de Marcos after this . . .  wasn't that a party!!!!

This was very early in the evening - more photos to come! 

Tomorrow we head north - plan is Mazatlan tomorrow night, San Carlos on Thursday and across the US border on Friday.

Hasta Luego . . . Arturo y de Beeb



San Sebastian del Oeste - Day Tripping

Last week we went on a day trip to San Sebastian del Oeste (San Sebastian West).    http://goo.gl/maps/1TnIH     It was a wonderful change of scenery as we headed more to the interior and away from the coast.  To get there we had to make our way into Puerto Vallarta, then eastward towards the interior.  The roads were pretty good most of the way - but turned to a cobblestone highway as we got closer to San Sebastian.

 

Welsomc to San Sebastian del Oeste

San Sebastian was an active silver mining town back in the 18th century - with over 30,000 inhabitants at one time. Now, there might be a few hundred permanent residents there. It's easy to imagine it as an active centre way back in the day.

Like all the Mexican towns we have visited, there is a town square with a zoccola as the centre of town, and a nearby church.

I see a quilting design in there somewhere!

and . . . modernization . .

.

After poking around the town and having a bit to eat,  we headed up the mountain to La Bufa - a lookout point 9 kms from town.  It took us about 45 minutes to go that 9 kms - and 4000 ft!  San Sebastian is at about 4000 ft about sea level - and we climbed another 4400 ft! 

Starting out from town down the narrow cobblestone streets . . .

and then up, up, up - around numerous switchbacks . . .

 

 

 

another one of our travelling partners as we climbed up the mountain....

finally reaching the top!

 

 Some amazing views . . . from way up there in the thin air!

This is half way up - there's San Sebastian way down there . . .

We came down the mountain, and headed home - through small agricultural villages . . . it seemed they mostly grew corn and gourds . . . 

It was a long day - we left at 0900 hrs and didn't get home until 6:30 pm - a long day for Kipper to be in the trailer (!) - with the A/C on, of course. . . . . and we didn't even get to the coffee factory or the tequila factory . . . guess we have to save that for another trip!

Hasta Luego - Arturo y de Beeb