As Arnt was telling someone "it is in his contract to go surfing a couple times of a year". So we went back to Zihuatanejo to the surf camp just north. You leave Vancouver at 6 am and arrive for sunset.
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| 2012 we stayed here |
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| 2013 we stayed here |
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| we are on the second floor |
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| entrance to our casa |
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| kitchen |
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| our bedroom |
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| we leave these doors open at night to hear the surf |
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| there are 2 single beds on the porch for siestas |
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| the second bedroom |
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| this is our scrabble, surf watching, sunset cocktail space |
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| dining al fresco | | | | |
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Our lovely landlady Esmeralda invited us to her house for lobster lunch. We walked from our place to her small village. There are roosters, chickens & chicks, burros, pigs and goats wandering the streets. The boys showed us an ocelot they had in a cage. Not sure what they were doing with it. It was definitely wild and not a pet.
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| lobsters are covered in garlic, butter and fried on the barbque |
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| served with homemade hot sauce and tortillas..yum! yum! |
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| this is a huge one...about 5 pounds |
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| Even the dogs watch the sunset! |
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| Checkers the new puppy at Rusty's Surf Villa |
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| I was offered this puppy...so cute but no. |
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| This puppy was at the fair in La Union |
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Leif, Arnt's brother from New York met us again for a week. We decided to take a taxi to Zihuatanejo, do the shopping and pick him up at the airport. He was not on the plane, hmmmm that was disconcerting. Once back at the the beach we checked the email and he said he was at the airport in LA and got a call to go back to work. So sad! Two days later Esmeralda came by and said she had something for us...out popped Leif. Turns out it was a positive business event at work and then Kathy, his wife encouraged him to complete his vacation once he had dealt with the work thing. So happy!
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| hot walk in the coconut grove |
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| Arnt does the cooking and Leif and I assist. |
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| Arnt makes a wicked margarita as well as the food! |
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| Mexican chicken role ups with beans and salsa fresca |
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| Leif serenading us during sunset cocktails |
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| Beach walk everyday |
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| The boys hired a boat for the day to go surfing and fishing. |
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| 8 fish...mackeral, sierra and yellow fin |
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| Esmeralda taught an old fisherman new tricks...how to skin the mackeral |
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| Team Saladita! |
The following are photos I took either on my daily walk or from our porch. The beach where we are has no facilities other than places to stay and 4 restaurants. The closest town to buy food is about 10 kilometers away and there is a farmers market once a week with great fruit and veg about 20 kilometers away.
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| net throwing fisherman |
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| How to enjoy a hot day at the beach |
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| The nanny knows how to play |
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| boys and trucks |
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| fish pieces |
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| trigger fish bodies |
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| the sea and metal |
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| colourful |
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| a diver's bike on the beach |
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| cool beach shack |
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| coconuts and grass shacks |
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| Rusty's Surf Villa |
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| pink beach shack |
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| just trotting by |
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| time for extensions and repairs |
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| Esmeralda cut us coconuts |
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| these horses gallop down the beach and stop at different coco groves to graze |
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| the cowboy |
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| left over from xmas...the Virgen lights up |
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| sombrero salesman |
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| keep your hands free |
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| bug carcasses are taken by the ants to the nests in the ceiling |
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| pink broom |
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| brown broom |
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As I said, there is not much to do at this beach, but here was a couple of events.
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| Josh and Pedro singing the country blues rock |
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| watching the super bowl at Lourdes Bar with the Mexicans |
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On one of our trips to the farmers market....
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| check out the wiring |
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| these are the fishermans' co-op's plastic bins |
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| great mud construction |
Arnt was out surfing and saw these three young guys with beards...looking a lot like Canadian tree planters. He asked and they told him they are from Alaska and left Juneau in June in kayaks and arrived in Ladysmith three months later. They jumped on bikes and are heading to Argentina. The beards will be taken off once they get to the end of their trip. We had them over for beers one night and then fed them an Arnt pancake breakfast to send them on their way. Leif had left his fins and we passed them on...they were stoked. Check out
www.atripsouth.com to read their stories.
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| the morning surf before they go |
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| pancake breakfast |
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| this is one of their bikes packed for the road |
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| all sun screened up and ready to go |
Esmeralda invited us for an adventure and we ended up at farms and hot springs.
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| banana farm |
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| papaya farm |
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| very hot spring |
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| we have to go in slowly |
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| fish farm for talapia |
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| farm horse with colt |
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| large hardwood tree |
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| delicate little flowers on water plants |
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| OOPS....a flat tire |
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| to the rescue...the whole family works at the tire shop |
So the whole reason we are here is for the surfing......
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| Says it all! |
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| this is how they spend their time...staring out to sea waiting for the wave |
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| important part of the prep...stare for a long time at the break |
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| lots of board rentals |
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| the break in front of our casa |
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| Steve from Colorado brought 7 blanks to shape |
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he has set up shop at the treehouse
The waves got small one week, so we made a shrine to the goddess of the waves!
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| Arnt |
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Arnt
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| Emily |
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| Arnt |
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| Zolly |
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| Arnt |
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| Arnt at the end of the day! |
At a surf break up the coast there is a sweet little restaurant set up on the beach.
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| welcome sign |
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| bee nest about 3 foot long |
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| no mistaking the bottle recycle box |
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| my kind of action at the surfspot! |
We finally made it to the traditional Mexican town of La Union. They were celebrating an anniversary of some sort. They had a big stage for music, rides, midway and decorations around the town. We were the only gringos in town.
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| a two tier trampoline? |
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| not sure if you buy these and get them painted or win them |
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| barbeque ready to go |
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| where is it's soil? |
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| the church was celebrating 50 years for their pastor |
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| the valentines beet, carrot, oj drink |
fantastic doorways in this town
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| paper decorations all over the town |
Our friend Zolly bought some property and is building a home away from home...he has done a lot of work since last year and planted some awesome palms all around the property.
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| I will miss Esmeralda as we became quite good friends despite the language barrier |
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| adios until 2014 |
