I don't know if the attached video will show up on the blog, but it's a video from a cab ride I took yesterday. The cabbie had drumsticks in both hands the entire ride and was playing along to solve hippie music.
Hope you can see the video. If not I'll re-post later.
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Sunday, May 13, 2012
Todos Santos Photos
I'm back from Todos Santos, and have posted my photos (along with some descriptions of the photos) here on Flikr. I've also pasted a few of these photos below; click on the photos to get a full-size view, if you like. I also wrote about my Mexican vacation on this blog here, here, and here.
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| The sleepy little town of Todos Santos, Baja California Sur. |
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| Looking from (near) the Cerritos beach toward the mountains. |
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| This was an inadvertent photo. I couldn't figure out the timer on my camera, so this photo was an accident. Still, I look pretty damn cool, right? Oh yeah. |
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| When traveling solo, one must make self-portraits, often in a car window's reflection. |
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| I like the soft colors and lines in this photo. This is from the beach nearest to Todos Santos; I was one of two people on the beach at the time (sunset). |
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| Me, surfing. |
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| Me and Mario, my surfing guru |
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| Pichilingue beach |
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| Pichilingue beach, near La Paz |
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Quiero butt massage
I'll get to that in a moment...
I'm sitting by the pool at the Todos Santos Inn, soaking up a few last rays of sun before driving two hours to the airport. One lesson for future travels: he farther from the airport you are, the more peaceful the place (generally speaking). 2 hours seems about right.
Yesterday was my last day surfing, and I intended to make the most of it. Instead of 3.5 foot swells the previous day, yesterday's swells were 2-3 feet, which made surfing a bit easier. I went out with Luis, my instructor for 2 of the 3 surfing days, and caught a good amount of waves. After a full 60-minute lesson, I felt satisfied with my progress. I talked to Mario after the lesson and he said I'm ready to go down to a 6-8 foot board (I had been riding 10-foot boards this week), and can go out on my own back in Cali. He said it would take about 2 years of practicing 1-2 times a week before I'd be able to use one of the shorter boards that the pros use. Unrealistic for me, but I feel really good about the start I've gotten off to. More importantly, I like surfing. The act is pure, and it's something I can get better at. Game on.
After the lesson, I decided to get a massage on the beach. The last time I got a massage was 10 years ago, so why the hell not - 40 bucks for an hour isn't bad at all. The masseuse was a Mexican woman in her 40's. I didn't know what to expect - especially the butt massage. After she finished with the shoulders, or the lower back, it whatever, she kept coming back to the butt. Perhaps this is standard for massage therapy. I took it in stride (why complain??), but every time she went for it, a quote from Jermaine in Flight of the Conchords went through my head: "hm, well this is an interesting situation." Don't know why I find that so amusing, but I do.
I returned to the hotel (but not before stopping at a bookstore to get a smoothie, mexican cookbook, postcards, a documentary of baja sur, and a book analyzing Mexican culture/psyche), then drive 60 minutes across the peninsula to La Paz. I must admit, I was compelled to go slightly because there is a great Mexican restaurant in Birmingham called La Paz that has ridiculous salsa. Strange the way the mind works. Armed with some podcasts, I drove across the desolate terrain to La Paz.
It was a quick, and unremarkable trip. The water off La Paz is the turquoise blue that you see in promotional photos. I drove past the city (which is a normal, local city of about 250,000 people) to Pichilingue, quiet little beach, but turned right around because I wanted to get back. Check - La Paz is off the list.
Back at the hotel I read a bit, had dinner with a retiree couple from Waynesville, NC, then finished my book.
So that's it. I packed a lot into these past three days, but not too much. I'm coming back to the US after learning to surf (sort of), finishing a book, getting some sun and sleep, meeting some good people (locals and expats) and eating very well. Not bad. Will I come back? I'm not sure. For a quick vacation, this place is great. So, yes - I probably will. I know the ropes now and could do it very easily.
One thing that the couple I had dinner with asked me was "do you always travel alone?". I had to think about that one. The past few big trips I've taken (Mexico, brazil, Colombia, southeast Asia, spain and Italy) have been a mixture, but I admit to the need to "just go" sometimes... To rejuvenate but more importantly to explore on my own. When I travel solo, I'm not alone (reference: all the people I've met through traveling, which always happens - and is in fact very easy when you're a solo traveler). But the freedom traveling alone accords me is something that I need from time to time. Not always - definitely not always. But sometimes. WHY I need to do this is probably not a question for this blog, but I've come to terms with the fact that it's an undeniable part of who I am, and that I should be mindful of this.
Now that I've had my kicks, I'm glad to be coming back home.
I'm sitting by the pool at the Todos Santos Inn, soaking up a few last rays of sun before driving two hours to the airport. One lesson for future travels: he farther from the airport you are, the more peaceful the place (generally speaking). 2 hours seems about right.
Yesterday was my last day surfing, and I intended to make the most of it. Instead of 3.5 foot swells the previous day, yesterday's swells were 2-3 feet, which made surfing a bit easier. I went out with Luis, my instructor for 2 of the 3 surfing days, and caught a good amount of waves. After a full 60-minute lesson, I felt satisfied with my progress. I talked to Mario after the lesson and he said I'm ready to go down to a 6-8 foot board (I had been riding 10-foot boards this week), and can go out on my own back in Cali. He said it would take about 2 years of practicing 1-2 times a week before I'd be able to use one of the shorter boards that the pros use. Unrealistic for me, but I feel really good about the start I've gotten off to. More importantly, I like surfing. The act is pure, and it's something I can get better at. Game on.
After the lesson, I decided to get a massage on the beach. The last time I got a massage was 10 years ago, so why the hell not - 40 bucks for an hour isn't bad at all. The masseuse was a Mexican woman in her 40's. I didn't know what to expect - especially the butt massage. After she finished with the shoulders, or the lower back, it whatever, she kept coming back to the butt. Perhaps this is standard for massage therapy. I took it in stride (why complain??), but every time she went for it, a quote from Jermaine in Flight of the Conchords went through my head: "hm, well this is an interesting situation." Don't know why I find that so amusing, but I do.
I returned to the hotel (but not before stopping at a bookstore to get a smoothie, mexican cookbook, postcards, a documentary of baja sur, and a book analyzing Mexican culture/psyche), then drive 60 minutes across the peninsula to La Paz. I must admit, I was compelled to go slightly because there is a great Mexican restaurant in Birmingham called La Paz that has ridiculous salsa. Strange the way the mind works. Armed with some podcasts, I drove across the desolate terrain to La Paz.
It was a quick, and unremarkable trip. The water off La Paz is the turquoise blue that you see in promotional photos. I drove past the city (which is a normal, local city of about 250,000 people) to Pichilingue, quiet little beach, but turned right around because I wanted to get back. Check - La Paz is off the list.
Back at the hotel I read a bit, had dinner with a retiree couple from Waynesville, NC, then finished my book.
So that's it. I packed a lot into these past three days, but not too much. I'm coming back to the US after learning to surf (sort of), finishing a book, getting some sun and sleep, meeting some good people (locals and expats) and eating very well. Not bad. Will I come back? I'm not sure. For a quick vacation, this place is great. So, yes - I probably will. I know the ropes now and could do it very easily.
One thing that the couple I had dinner with asked me was "do you always travel alone?". I had to think about that one. The past few big trips I've taken (Mexico, brazil, Colombia, southeast Asia, spain and Italy) have been a mixture, but I admit to the need to "just go" sometimes... To rejuvenate but more importantly to explore on my own. When I travel solo, I'm not alone (reference: all the people I've met through traveling, which always happens - and is in fact very easy when you're a solo traveler). But the freedom traveling alone accords me is something that I need from time to time. Not always - definitely not always. But sometimes. WHY I need to do this is probably not a question for this blog, but I've come to terms with the fact that it's an undeniable part of who I am, and that I should be mindful of this.
Now that I've had my kicks, I'm glad to be coming back home.
Sunday, May 6, 2012
Surf
Suenos de Polvo
I just got back from the Casa Toto restaurant. I was walking back from the taqueria (where I went to pick up some tacos for the night watchman, who hadn't eaten anything) and heard an old guitar player playing Trova, which is a musical style I fell for when in Guanajuato 9 years ago. So after delivering the tacos I came back to the bar. I asked for a port, but since they had none I was offered a pomegranate tequila (tasty), then progressed to a glass of wine. The proprietor, Christine, sat me down with some of her expat friends, but after a few minutes I grabbed a chair and went to sit in front of the old guy (santos) playing the guitar. As I was going for my glass of wine, I stopped in my tracks because he started to play "Contigo Aprendi," which is an old Trova song that was covered by Nicho Hinojosa, my favorite musician from back in the Mexico days. I was just listening to Nicho's album earlier that day.
So, I finally met the expat community here. It reminded me of the community in Lencois, Brazil. Small, respectful of the locals. I can't say much more than that.
My day started with another healthy breakfast (and some huevos rancheros... Not healthy but seriously delicious), and then started day 2 of surfing. I tackled some big waves today, and have a pretty good feel for things. What's difficult is reading the waves. The pros know which waves to take, where to take them, when to paddle, when to give up, etc. without this knowledge, you waste a lot of energy. I did pretty well when the instructor was telling me "take this wave" but drank a lot of salt water when on my own. Tomorrow is the last surfing day and my goal is to ride some truly big waves all the way in. I think I can do it.
I stayed at the beach from 10:30 - 3:30. I broke out my camera on the way back and gained some momentum, so instead of going back to the hotel I drive down some random dirt roads, and eventually got on the highway toward La Paz. Lots of cacti, not much else. I had a good soundtrack going (stp, soundgarden were prominent, as was Santana to start the trip). I got halfway - about 30 minutes out - and decided to come back. Honestly, it was fun to just drive wherever - window down, warm weather outside, music blaring. Fun stuff. I ended up trying to find the local beach but ended up at a sea turtle protected beach, and I didn't feel like breaking the law so I came back to the hotel.
I showered up and asked Pepe if he had any recommendations on what to do, and he gave me proper directions to the local beach. Got some nice subset photos (which now completes my set - sunrise phitos from the north carolina coast, and sunset photos from baja). I then went straight to a taqueria (see photo) - amazing tacos. I had forgotten that tacos in Mexico and tacos in the states are different. Not by a ton, but they are. Pastor, asada, cheese, and a bunch of toppings. Delicious.
The rest of the day I already told you about.
Sometimes if you are open to chance, then chance takes you in pleasantly unexpected directions. After surfing I had planned on simply coming back to the hotel and reading. But, my intuition told me to do something else. What I ended up with was a mini road trip, cool photos, sunset on a beach (I was one of exactly two people on the entire beach), amazing tacos at a truly local joint, and Trova music - something I haven't heard live in 9 years.
Last thing before I go to bed. Knowing Spanish has, once again, opened a ton of doors. I can communicate with people here. I have no fear about going anywhere or talkikg to anyone because I can hack it (mostly). Even the slang I learned 9 years ago comes in handy. I'm thankful to Mrs. Harden and my Spanish teachers.
Anyway, I didn't finish my book today as planned, but I'm glad I didn't. Life had other things in store.
Todos photo 4
Regreso a Mexico
(typing quickly from my iPhone because I refuse to use a computer while on vacation...)
It's hard to believe, but the last time I was in Mexico was in december of 2003, after I had been here for 4 months learning Spanish. I had such an affection for the country after my months here, and it took me a while to get back.
On Friday I landed in cabo San Jose airport after a 3-hour flight from SFO. I rented a car (upgraded to a jetta so I could plug in my iPhone for music, and to make damn sure that what happened in brazil - a broke down rental - didn't happen again). In immigration I saw the typical idiot American with a 10x jumbo size sombrero. He was undoubtedly going to cabo San Lucas. I was very happy to drive straight through cabo on my way to the more tranquil environs of Todos Santos (not to be confused with Poco Santo, the Mexican town in The Three Amigos). I stopped by a local taco joint in san jose (taqueria mexico) recommended by the rental car guy, then drive straight up the coast.
Cabo is exactly what you think it is - nice hotels like the Westin, etc, but you could pretty much call it "las Vegas," "cancun," or any other mega resort enclave... They're all the same. I read in Lonely Planet that Sammy Hagar's birthday is a legit, big time event in cabo. Pass.
The weather was actually quite rare for this area at this time of year - clouds, lightning, but not much rain. It made for some dramatic scenery on the 1:45 drive from the airport to Todos Santos. The highway is still being worked on in preparation for the G20 meetings in june, but definitely passable. There's not much between cabo and todos santos, so I put the window down, cranked up my music, and enjoyed the scenery.
I had no idea where my hotel was, but since the town is small I figured I'd find it, which I did. The hotel is a converted home of an old sugar cane baron. Really cool place. 7 rooms, courtyard, small pool, library, bar, and restaurant. All the reading materials are in English. Telling.
Anyway, I was happy to have picked a good hotel, and after a few moments of "ok, what the hell do I do now?" I went to sleep at 10.
In the morning (today), I woke up after one of the best nights of sleep ive had in a long time... Solid 10 hours. Breakfast (included in my stay) was an omelette, fresh oj, and fresh fruit. Great way to start the day.
I left to drive 20 minutes to the surf lesson beach, but somehow missed the turn. So I pulled into a residential area and asked a few bystanders, and one woman told me how to get there and asked if I could take her and her runny nose baby there. Why not.
With my personal guide, we made it to the beach (she also told me about her family's ranch in the mountains that hosts tourists... Probably won't have time for it this trip, though).
Surf lessons with Mario. Mario is Mexican but speaks perfect English. E set me up with one of his instructors, Carlos. I did pretty well. The lesson was short, but I picked it up pretty quickly. He said tomorrow we'll tackle some bigger waves. Believe me, they're pretty big waves. I'm excited.
After some lounging at the beach and talking to mario and a few gringos that came by, I came back to the hotel and went out for lunch. Delicious, gourmet stuff, and I took my time. Chocolate mousse for desert? Yes please.
I walked around todos santos, which took all of 45 minutes. There is more, but I didn't feel like walking into any art galleries or buy any trinkets, so figured I'd go on a run later to explore. I read at the hotel for a couple hours and talked to some more gringo hotel guests. After asking Pepe, the hotel caretaker, what he was drinking (wine), he gave me a glass on the house.
I went for a run in the "real" todos santos, showered up, then went to the local theater. On my run the guy in front asked me to come back at 8. I couldn't understand what actually happened at 8 - either bingo or a theater production. Turned out to be a theater thing. There were about 10 people in the audience. I figured it would be nice to have some local culture, but this was painful. Fail. I left quietly after 30 minutes. (the play was about old women who try to hire a male stripper).
I had dinner at a normal place, and spoke Spanish with the waiter. Funny thing about everyone here - they will not speak spanish to you. Even if you keep on speaking Spanish, they try I speak English. Granted, most f the tourists here are older art gallery-types who probably don't know a lick of Spanish themselves (I'm judging here, but am probably right). So I get it. But it's annoying - not that they speak English, but that this town is overridden by gringos.
I came back to the hotel and Pepe was watching a boxing match on the computer, so I got a glass of port (my favorite) and watched it with him and the night watchman. NOW I could speak some spanish! The night watchman had some pretty graphic things to say when the obligatory "hot women in Mexican beer ads" came on. I can't repeat specifics here. He knew a few choice American words, and used them awkwardly.
... And that's the day. In between my activities I did a good amount of reading. Tomorrow is more surfing, and I will try to finish the book i started on the plane flight here. It's a smarty-pants book on behavioral economics and global development. I like it.
In all, a very good day. I'm resisting the urge to do stuff; rather, I'm adopting the muy tranquilo vibe of this town.
Bedtime.
It's hard to believe, but the last time I was in Mexico was in december of 2003, after I had been here for 4 months learning Spanish. I had such an affection for the country after my months here, and it took me a while to get back.
On Friday I landed in cabo San Jose airport after a 3-hour flight from SFO. I rented a car (upgraded to a jetta so I could plug in my iPhone for music, and to make damn sure that what happened in brazil - a broke down rental - didn't happen again). In immigration I saw the typical idiot American with a 10x jumbo size sombrero. He was undoubtedly going to cabo San Lucas. I was very happy to drive straight through cabo on my way to the more tranquil environs of Todos Santos (not to be confused with Poco Santo, the Mexican town in The Three Amigos). I stopped by a local taco joint in san jose (taqueria mexico) recommended by the rental car guy, then drive straight up the coast.
Cabo is exactly what you think it is - nice hotels like the Westin, etc, but you could pretty much call it "las Vegas," "cancun," or any other mega resort enclave... They're all the same. I read in Lonely Planet that Sammy Hagar's birthday is a legit, big time event in cabo. Pass.
The weather was actually quite rare for this area at this time of year - clouds, lightning, but not much rain. It made for some dramatic scenery on the 1:45 drive from the airport to Todos Santos. The highway is still being worked on in preparation for the G20 meetings in june, but definitely passable. There's not much between cabo and todos santos, so I put the window down, cranked up my music, and enjoyed the scenery.
I had no idea where my hotel was, but since the town is small I figured I'd find it, which I did. The hotel is a converted home of an old sugar cane baron. Really cool place. 7 rooms, courtyard, small pool, library, bar, and restaurant. All the reading materials are in English. Telling.
Anyway, I was happy to have picked a good hotel, and after a few moments of "ok, what the hell do I do now?" I went to sleep at 10.
In the morning (today), I woke up after one of the best nights of sleep ive had in a long time... Solid 10 hours. Breakfast (included in my stay) was an omelette, fresh oj, and fresh fruit. Great way to start the day.
I left to drive 20 minutes to the surf lesson beach, but somehow missed the turn. So I pulled into a residential area and asked a few bystanders, and one woman told me how to get there and asked if I could take her and her runny nose baby there. Why not.
With my personal guide, we made it to the beach (she also told me about her family's ranch in the mountains that hosts tourists... Probably won't have time for it this trip, though).
Surf lessons with Mario. Mario is Mexican but speaks perfect English. E set me up with one of his instructors, Carlos. I did pretty well. The lesson was short, but I picked it up pretty quickly. He said tomorrow we'll tackle some bigger waves. Believe me, they're pretty big waves. I'm excited.
After some lounging at the beach and talking to mario and a few gringos that came by, I came back to the hotel and went out for lunch. Delicious, gourmet stuff, and I took my time. Chocolate mousse for desert? Yes please.
I walked around todos santos, which took all of 45 minutes. There is more, but I didn't feel like walking into any art galleries or buy any trinkets, so figured I'd go on a run later to explore. I read at the hotel for a couple hours and talked to some more gringo hotel guests. After asking Pepe, the hotel caretaker, what he was drinking (wine), he gave me a glass on the house.
I went for a run in the "real" todos santos, showered up, then went to the local theater. On my run the guy in front asked me to come back at 8. I couldn't understand what actually happened at 8 - either bingo or a theater production. Turned out to be a theater thing. There were about 10 people in the audience. I figured it would be nice to have some local culture, but this was painful. Fail. I left quietly after 30 minutes. (the play was about old women who try to hire a male stripper).
I had dinner at a normal place, and spoke Spanish with the waiter. Funny thing about everyone here - they will not speak spanish to you. Even if you keep on speaking Spanish, they try I speak English. Granted, most f the tourists here are older art gallery-types who probably don't know a lick of Spanish themselves (I'm judging here, but am probably right). So I get it. But it's annoying - not that they speak English, but that this town is overridden by gringos.
I came back to the hotel and Pepe was watching a boxing match on the computer, so I got a glass of port (my favorite) and watched it with him and the night watchman. NOW I could speak some spanish! The night watchman had some pretty graphic things to say when the obligatory "hot women in Mexican beer ads" came on. I can't repeat specifics here. He knew a few choice American words, and used them awkwardly.
... And that's the day. In between my activities I did a good amount of reading. Tomorrow is more surfing, and I will try to finish the book i started on the plane flight here. It's a smarty-pants book on behavioral economics and global development. I like it.
In all, a very good day. I'm resisting the urge to do stuff; rather, I'm adopting the muy tranquilo vibe of this town.
Bedtime.
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