Day 5: One short day in Tuxtla...

Everything seems to be going by so fast, and there's so much to do, it's hard to think that I was just in Tuxtla yesterday! But what a day it was! After an overnight bus ride, we dropped off our bags and hopped in a taxi to head to Canyon del Sumidero. My first taxi ride. And I just realized I didn't get any pictures of it... 

I've never been in a taxi before but I'm pretty sure that I wouldn't like them even if I was in the USA. Ask any of my brothers and they'll say I'm awful to drive with because I always yell in horror when they drive. I just think cars in general are scary I guess. Back to the story... 

We get in this taxi and tell the driver where to go. Then the adventure began. It wasn't too bad... until we hit some "traffic". I don't actually know what was really going on but all I saw was a mess of cars everywhere. Those white lines people usually follow were more like guidelines to this driver. I had to cover my mouth so I wouldn't say anything or yelp. We weaved through all of the cars though and got to the Canyon. Whew!

We had to hop on a boat to get to the park in the canyon. The boat ride along the way was very pretty...

Honestly though, I have a little harder of a time finding beauty in the mountains. These ones were better because I felt like we were in a Jungle and there was so much green all around us, but its definatly not the ocean. However, these towering cliffs reminded me of a friend of mine who would absolutely love to climb them. 

So I guess I can find the beauty in that. All the things that remind me of the people close to my heart. 

SIDE NOTE: I remember now why I didn't take a whole lot of pictures that day! My camera was running low on battery and I wanted to make sure I didn't run out. So most of my friends have tons more pictures that will be uploaded to facebook. :)

We got to the park and decided to do everything in it. First we went on this little zipline over the water. Only 30 meters. No biggy. It was quite a rush though! 

Next we found the animals! There was a snake...

And a monkey...

This is the "don't bite me" stare-down.

Lots of parrots...

And even a tucan! But I didn't get to hold it... 

After making more animal friends (there's been lots of that going on lately), we hiked up to what we were really excited to do. The big Zipline. 700 meters of amazing views and heart-pounding adventure!

That's me all ready to go! :D

Ready? Set? ... VAMOS!

I loved it all! Definatly worth it!

This is my favorite shot. It almost seems like a fairy tale or a movie. Did I really see that with my own eyes? Funny how pictures don't really do a scene justice. It was a breathtaking site to see. I think everyone should have one of those moments... no, multiple moments like that in their lifetime. 

One last zipline before we had to get onto the boat and back to the city. We were a little worried we would miss our bus to our next destination. However, after running for a taxi and telling him where we needed to be and at what time, we were on our way back and he was definatly in a hurry. I think I was more worried about missing the bus than this taxi's driving this time so the ride seemed relatively shorter. 

We made our bus (thank heavens!) and made our way to San Cristobal de las Casas. Woo! It wasn't a very long trip and when we got to the city, we found our hostel easily enough. It feels like a Hispanic house but with a little Mediterranean flare. It's nice. And by nice I mean, it's got hot showers! I know that's not really roughing it, but seriously, if you have a chance to take a hot shower, you always take it. It's even a little colder here than in Puerto Escondido, so it's even more appreciated. 

And that was the end of the day. A crazy day, but a good day. 

 

SHORT STORY: In Mexico, there are lots of bugs. Strange bugs. The kind of bugs I see in cartoons, but now they've come to life. If you know me, I am not a huge fan. Especially spiders. I'm the kind of girl who will demand the nearest boy to kill it with fire at first site of a spider. 

While on one of the zipline platform towers, I noticed that beauty to the side, crawling up one of the posts. I froze and said, "what..... is..... that?"

My friend Kaylie made my day when she immediatly responded with a quote from a well loved movie.

"It's the 'spee-ider'! One bite from arachnis deathucus and..." 

At this point we were all laughing and I quickly climbed down away from the spider. Deathucus or not, I was not going to stick around to find out. 

And that was my loco dia en Mexico! Just another day where I love my life like crazy!

Day 4: Something's Fishy

Day 4 

The day was promising... we woke up at the crack of dawn to ride in the back of a pickup to el playa marina to get on a boat and go deep see fishing. We were not the only ones up as you can see...

While waiting for the boat to get in the water, we were standing around and out of no where this guy comes and brings us a new friend... or maybe he was meant to be breakfast or something. Meet Swordy. We couldn't figure out what kind of fish he was... but that thing I'm holding onto is it's lip. Ew. We ended up leaving him on the beach when the boat was ready to go. I mean what else do you do with a tiny swordfish? Stick it in your purse? No, gracias. 

So we get on the boat and we start going. There were a couple other girls from the states riding with us. They were super nice and were down in Mexico building schools. Go volunteer work! 

We kept going farther out into the open ocean and I couldn't help but feel at peace. There's something about looking out at a horizon and not seeing any land that makes me wish I was born a sailor. Or a pirate. Pirates are cool. 

Soon, the driver started waving and pointing out on our right. Janessa (one of the girls in my group) saw it first. A dolphin! This one was very far away though and it was a miracle I even caught it on camera. Hopeful that we would see more, I (and everyone else I'm sure) kept a vigilant watch on the water. 

Later....

More dolphins!! They were super close to our boat and I was able to go out to the bow and get some shots of the majestic creatures. There were about 4 or 5 that swam alongside our boat. I was pretty satisfied at this point.

 Little did I know what was yet to come. 

We even saw some turtles! I'm guessing that it was mating season... 

However... to my surprise, as we pass by these turtles, one of the guides grabs the top one and sets it on the boat. The last time I saw sea turtles, it was illegal to touch them so I didn't really know what to do. Then they motioned us to come and touch them. NO WAY! I was the first up and it was very interesting. His shell had some barnacles on it but otherwise it was very smooth. His skin was also soft but more scaley. Kind of like snake skin. So now I can say that not only have I swam with turtles, but I've touched one. :) 

My bucket list keeps getting smaller with every day I spend here. 








After this adventure, it was time to go back... But we took a long way for some fishing. By this time, the waves were not doing us any good and most of us got queasy. We finally made it back to shore and headed back to the hostel. After packing up, we headed out for one last expedition of the beach in search of...

The henna guy. We found him. Actually he found us while we were sitting enjoying drinks. Sometimes it's nice when peddlers come to you. That is if they're the ones you want. 

 
 
So we all got one. Yay! And then it was time to say goodbye to Puerto Escondido. :( Not yay. 

Before going, we ate at one last restaurant. Let me tell you now that I was... Not adventurous at all. 
That's right. I found the peanut butter that supposedly didn't exist in Mexico. And it was delicious. So worth it. 






After a wonderful meal, we hopped on a bus to Tuxlta. I'll give you more details tomorrow. Computer is about to die. 

Just another loving mexico like crazy day!! :)

Day 3: Surf's Up!

Is it wrong to say that I'm in love when it's only my second day in this city? Seriously, I could live here. The beach, the weather, the architecture, the ocean... the ocean. It calls my name, I swear. But anyways. 

The day was perfect. We slept in (Yay!) and had a couple hours before our surfing lessons, so we decided to explore! We found a lot of really cool houses...

I decided I loved the stairs and the various balconies in this house. And the fact that it's orange-ish. I want a bright colored house. Think I could pull it off in the states? ;)

We also met some animal friends along our way.

That little guy to the right is actually not so little. He was probably the biggest reptile I've ever seen (outside of a Zoo). Pretty cool, but I was glad we only crossed paths for a little bit. 

The dog was a little guy who came out of no where just to bark at us. I thought it was funny how he was up on the roof. It's actually a kind of common place that dogs appear. I guess with a view like he had, I'd stay up there too. 

After traveling around we found my paradise. I'm pretty sure I was the first one in the water. As I ran in and started playing in the waves, it occurred to me that I was not cold. This took a second to sink in that the water I was swimming in was actually really warm!! After years of swimming in freezing Oregon ocean water, I had gotten used to the idea that my limbs would go numb as soon as I hit the water. But this... this was the kind ocean water that a girl like me could get used to. :)

After playing around, we decided to sit in some of the chairs and the cutest Hispanic girl came up to us offering food and drinks. We were hungry so why not? I got a Limonada and some Empanadas. The best part? The glasses they came in were HUGE. My friend in the picture (Amanda) got natural coconut water. Maybe we shouldn't have been so surprised when they came out with a coconut and a straw! That's going on the bucket list: Some sort of drink from a coconut. 

So after falling in love with the beach, we went back to our hostel to get our ride to the surfing place. When we got picked up, the guy took us to a little surf shop where we got our boards. From there, we walked back to the beach we had just been at! Usually this wouldn't be a problem, but to get to the beach there is a very steep set of 160 stone steps. Carrying surf boards down was not the easiest of tasks. But we did it! 

We got in the water and started paddling out with our instructors. We did some balancing things and after a few falls, finally got the hang of it a little. Then it was time for the real deal. My instructor got me all set up for this perfect wave. I started paddling, got a good shove from him and.... I was riding a wave! I stood up on the board and rode that wave, the whole while feeling like supergirl! Of course I was not the best one out there but I think I surprised my instructors. 

(little secret: this isn't my first time surfing. But it's been a while)

Sophia stayed behind to take pictures (total trooper!) and so I will need to get those from her tomorrow. Don't worry, I have actually proof that I got up and surfed those waves! 

Those red bumps? Bugs. Why??

After about 2 hours of surfing, my arms felt like they were going to fall off from all the paddling, so I headed for the beach. We chilled there till everyone was done and then headed back to the Hostel.

By this time, we were all so tired, I don't know how we were able to get through the rest of the night. But we did do some more exploring in search of an ATM and food. Both were successful. :) Yay more limonada! I suggest the mineral verison. It's pretty good. Food wise, I actually was lame and had a hamberguesa de polla y papas (Chicken Burger and fries). Yeah. That's so american, I know. But I figure I'll be having Mexican for the next four months, I might as well get it while I can. However, I have found a new favorite condiment for my fries. Lime juice. They give you a bowl of limes and bowls of salsa at every restaurant we've been to, kinda like how there's ketchup and salt in every american restaurant. It's good but so far the salsas have all been a little too spicy for me... Hopefully I'll get used to it. 

And now I'm just sitting here finishing up this post! Tomorrow's forcast calls for a 6:30 am fishing trip, check out of puerto escondido and head on a bus to our next destination. So, I don't know when the next post will be, but don't worry. :)

That's all for now... Just another day in a town I already Love Like Crazy!

Day 2: The Adventure Begins

I'm looking at this and feeling quite guilty because its been so long since my last post. But life gets to us, right? Well now I have many requests to keep people posted as I am traveling through Mexico! Exciting, I know. However, there are many people out there wondering how I (the blue eyed, blondie) am holding up in this foreign land. So here it is, my story of my travels in Mexico. 

You'll notice this is titled "Day 2". Yeah, I know how to count and this is my 2nd day here. Yesterday is when I flew out of Portland to Houston and then the Mexico city. The flight itself was kind of a rush because
1) My flight was at 6 am, which meant I had to be there around 4 am, which meant I had to leave my house around 3:15 in the morning. Ew. But kudos to my very nice friend who drove me there. You're the best! ;)
2) I was really nervous. Everything was hitting me all of the sudden. I was really going to Mexico. I was really going to a place where I would be the minority. I was going far away from people I love and places I know. I also had no clue what I was doing as things started converting from English to Spanish. Filling our my passport form on the plane, they ran out of English ones, so I had to try to decipher a Spanish one. At that point, I was kicking myself for not paying attention in my high school Spanish class. So here's my advice: PAY ATTENTION cause it will definatly help you later! 

Anyways... back to the plane. I'm pretty sure I got all my nervousness out then because once I found my group, I felt A LOT better! There was even someone from the program who came to greet us and help us get on our way. Nicest lady I've ever met and helped us tremendously as we tried to figure out buses and getting from the airport to Puebla. The buses I've been on so far have actually been really nice. It was so fascinating because I've never seen anything like it! I'm already in love with the scenery here. Lots of trees, mountains, and colorful buildings. 

So we got to Puebla where the lady (Carla) took our big bags back to the school in Tehuacan and we took our smaller bags on our vacation, parting ways. We got on our bus to Puerto Escondido and started our adventure! ... our 18 hour bus ride adventure. 
Best part of it all: Nothing bad happened. It was very uneventful. So it was perfect. 

We made it to our destination and as soon as I saw it, I started thinking of a line a country song. "We started yelling when we smelled the beach" (name that song). That's how my heart felt to see the ocean. I'm pretty sure I'm destined to live my life as a beach babe (not a beach bum, I'm way too classy for that). 

So we made it to Puerto Escondido. Hooray! Now for the real challenge ahead: Finding our hostel in a place where no one speaks English and only two of the seven of us know enough to get by (I am not one of those two). 

Oh the journey. Hot, sweaty, tired, and hungry, we started walking in the direction we think we're supposed to go. Lucky for us, it was. We eventually found it after walking around and pulling our luggage through dirt roads for 20 min. It's a hole in the wall but it's actually pretty nice here! The owner speaks English and there are quite a few young backpackers here as well. I'll take pictures tomorrow when it's light out but it's a cool place. Authentic enough that I know I'm still in Mexico, but not so sketchy that I don't feel safe. No big bugs or anything like that. Just a few small geckos. The one we found on our bathroom door we lovingly named Geico. 

We got settled and changed out of clothes and realized we were STARVING. So we set out in search of food and water. We found a little place near our hostel that was really good and had HUGE water bottles (1.5 liters). It felt like getting a home cooked meal. I had rice and fish tacos which were really, really, good. Of course, after you haven't eaten in a while, almost anything tastes good. My biggest relief was that I didn't get sick from it. I trusted the fish a little more because we're so close to the coast. Do you think that's logical? So far it's worked out...
Side story: While at this restaurant, we met the cutest kids. The little boy was I'm guessing 5. The little girl was probably around 3. The boy was very talkative and quite the ladies man. He asked us all our names and tried talking with us. I could only understand a little of what he was saying. I'm pretty sure he was making fun of us at some points. But he was a cutie. He reminded me of another little guy who is also quite the ladies man. Thinking of you, Ian ;). 
Those are the girls in my group. More on them later when I take pictures with them. For now, just know we all get along really well, we're all LDS and are either going to BYU-I or BYU (most of us are actually BYU-I. Yeah! Represent! lol). Two know some spanish, the rest of us know how to say "No hablo espanol". We'll get the hang of it.

So here's a little funny short story. We came into our room and started exploring a little. We have a bathroom, three closets (one with manikins in it. go figure?), a balcony, some hammocks out front, and a door... that leads no where. A nice little surprise. Just thought it was kinda funny. We thought so. 


To sum up: I'm safe, I'm well, and I'm thoroughly enjoying myself here. Just another "Love like crazy" day! I'll post tomorrow. We're going surfing! I'll let you know how it goes! 

I just realized there are no pictures with me in them. I'll do better about that tomorrow!