The Costalagre - Two Towns on the Coast

Early in our winter journey we visited central interior Mexico towns: Tepoztlan, Puebla, Cuernavaca, Tlayacapan, and Guadalajara/Tlaquepaque. Now we wanted to sample some Costalagre (Happy Coast) seaside towns.  Since we know the town of Barra de Navidad pretty well already we booked an airbnb in nearby La Manzanilla for four days staying with an expat woman named Annette in her rental house four blocks from the beach.

Playa Careyes 81

Our taxi from Tenacatita arrived in La Manzanilla mid day and we tried to locate our accommodations using google maps on our smart phone, getting dropped up at the top of a steep hill which was a block away from the residence down below.  Not knowing where we needed to go, we talked to a gringo couple living at the top of that hill and they only scratched their heads and wished us good luck before they shut their big metal garage door.  Well, that was not helpful.  Then the door across the drive opened and revealed a younger Hispanic man getting into his car.  I asked him if we could get a ride down the hill. " Sure!"

He asked us what we were looking for then volunteered to help, spending a half hour driving us around before finding the location of our airbnb at Playa Careyes 81.  He was pleased with himself for finding the address. He said he thought he knew Annette. We thanked him profusely.  Isn't it interesting that the gringo couple, our compatriots, were no help, and the Mexican national was nothing but helpful.  Different cultures!

Crocodile Cafe

At Annette's, the time was well spent washing the salt out of our clothes, walking the beach, planning our next legs of the journey, and having plenty of time for Connie to practice her music. While Barra de Navidad seemed to have a good number of large, pale US senior citizens, La Manzanilla was favored by slightly more tanned large, Canadian senior citizens.  With my fledgling tan I felt a little more at home in "La Manz", as the boaters call it.

To the West

We shopped our food locally and cooked most of our meals at Annette's. The Crocodile Bar was one of our favorite places, right on the beach facing west.  We met some musicians there playing Gypsy Jazz and we had quite a fun happy hour dancing and talking with new acquaintances.  On our last night, Annette threw a party, inviting some musician friends and some music appreciation friends.  I watched and admired how Connie interacted with the local gringo musicians. It was a nice variety of instruments: an autoharp, 2 ukes, guitar and harmonica, accordion and, of course eveyone's voices!

It didn't take long before they were passing around sheets of music, (and libations), and swapping the lead. The non musicians started dancing, a great time with great folks.  Personally, my appreciation for my lovely wife only increases when I watch and she draws everyone together in harmony.  What a nice evening it was.

The next day we packed up our bags and got the heck out of there.

Manzanillo is the busiest port on the west coast of Mexico

To make our exit we needed a taxi.  The two phone numbers we had for taxis didn't connect us with anyone so we walked down to the town square and woke up this old guy who had an ancient bright yellow Nissan cab parked at the curb.  He was happy for our business and we had a nice bumpy ride up and over the hills and down into the nearby town of Barra de Navidad where there was a small ETN bus station.  We checked in there, were told (by a young man) that all was well and that our seats were reserved.  Later, once the bus was present and ready we were approached by the station boss woman who wanted our printed tickets.  We don't have printed tickets. We do it all online.  So I fired up our big black laptop and found PDF evidence I'd stashed on the desktop to prove that we paid for our two seats on the outgoing bus.  This is a normal Mexico thing we've found...  one location or one person will tell you things are one way then the next time it will be all different. We just smile and show them whatever we have and it usually works out just fine.

Vida del Mar

The two hour bus from Barra to Manzanillo was 200 pesos (~$10 USD) for the two of us.  Then we got a taxi (30 Pesos) at the bus station to take us to a nearby Walmart where I guarded the bags while Connie did a master shopping job buying just the right amount of food and wine to get us through four days at the Vida del Mar condo resort. (Look up Airbnb - Condo Los Chatos in Manzinillo) A woman named Mirlo Berenice picked us up at the store and carried us to the outskirts of town to our luxury Airbnb accommodations overlooking the blue Pacific.

So nice to have a fully equipped kitchen in a nice condo for a while

The big complex was built in the 70's and is as beautiful as ever with manicured lawns, flowering shrubs and trees, and palms, palms, everywhere.  Our porch faced south with a full view of the wide pacific.  We had a really nice kitchen to cook in, a large shaded porch facing the ocean and a big soft queen sized bed.  Now we're really coming up in life!  About $50 US per day, our most expensive but well worth it stay.  We swam in the ocean, sunned and read at the pool, hiked around, and visited the nearby La Boquita beach where we'd anchored our boat many years ago.

The four days flew by and soon we were in a VW diesel driven by Mirlo's friend Victor who for 600 pesos ($35 USD) took us 67 kilometers down the coast to Cuyutlán, Colima, to the old seaside hotel San Rafael.  During the ride we talked a little politics, all agreeing that our president was crazy.  Victor seemed reassured when we told him that most people in the US also think Trump is a criminal... and crazy.  We learned that their new president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, had suspended tolls for passenger vehicles on the Colima-Manzanillo highway. Hooray! 

We love watching these banana boats at the beach

 He's also in the process of raffling off the presidential Jet, a Boeing 787.   Like many of the ways Mexico controls traffic, there was a simple solution to implement the toll removal,  make a portal at the toll booths restricted in height and width.  If the car fits through, there is no toll.  Another smart (but annoying) thing they do with traffic is they install topes (speed bumps) everywhere.  In the US, we put up signs, install MPH readouts, and have police with radar guns to keep people from speeding    In Mexico, they engineer the road with topes so that if you speed, you’ll tear your vehicle apart.  Simple, but effective, no cops, no equipment to fail, no speeding.

In Mexico, there is so much that makes sense, and so much that doesn't.   We continue our coastal hopping in the next episode.  I can't wait.

Big White Belly

The Costalegre - Boats and the Beach

After arriving in Barra de Navidad, we can't wait to get on the boat!  After a quick breakfast snack in the hotel room at Cabo Blanco, we lugged everything downstairs, had the front desk call us a taxi , (500 pesos)and off we went, up and over the hills to the north to the beach town of La Manzanilla.  I sat on our big pile of luggage in the center of the little town while Connie went off to look for Robert and Virginia.  They had brought their sailboat, Harmony, (an Islander Freeport 41) over from the anchorage at Tenacatita, a place full of memories for us as we'd spent many weeks there over a four year period when we had Traveler in Mexico.



Connie spotted Harmony,  as Robert and Virginia were landing their dinghy, and helped them roll it up on the beach.  It was Friday, which is the day of the local outdoor market and a great day to shop for vegetables, which we did.  Our hosts are vegetarians (actually pescatarians) so we loaded up about ten bags of fruits, vegetables, tortillas, eggs, and wine and lugged it all down the street to the dinghy.  Being early in the day, the breakers were fairly mild.  With the food and all our luggage and musical instruments, there wasn't enough room in the dink for us all so Robert and I made a delivery trip out to the mother ship, then came back for Virginia and Connie.  We decided to stay ashore for a little while and treat ourselves to lunch on the beach at one of the Palapa restaurants.

After a relaxed meal we rolled the dinghy to the water.  Robert said, (as he always says when launching the dinghy) "Now when I say get in the dinghy, what are you gonna do?" And we all chimed in, "Get in!"  Connie at the starboard bow, Virginia at the port, Scott at the starboard stern quarter, Robert on the port, we got her afloat and started walking her out into the waves in about two feet of water.  "Wait for it. Not this one. Not this one. Pull up the bow to take this little one. This looks good. Let's go..... Connie, get in the boat. Virginia, get in the boat.  And with that the ladies jumped in, Robert and I gave it another push, then "Scott, get in the boat", we jumped in and Robert quickly started the motor and off we went, cresting the next wave with nary a drop of water on board.


We stowed things below on S/V Harmony, Robert went to the bow to start pulling up the anchor with the electric windlass, and Virginia took the helm, chasing the anchor chain this way and that.  Soon we were motoring across the big bay with Capt. Scott at the helm.  "You know where you are going, right?"  "Yes Sir."  Then I found myself doing what I've been wanting to do for about four years, piloting a boat across Tenacatita Bay!

With the anchor down, amid about 25 other good sized sailboats (and two power boats) we got on our swimming suits and wow, my pale white belly was shocking to behold.  The air was 80 degrees, the water 80 degrees and so clear you could see the anchor sitting on the bottom on the sand.  We swam.   Then we all went ashore, the ladies swimming all the way and the men rowing slowly alongside to watch for fast running pangas who might not see swimmers in the water.  All around us people were getting into their dinghies and coming ashore.  It's the two oclock hour and time for swimming, bocce ball, a walk on the beach, followed by beers in the palapa restaurant, La Vena.

Coming into shallow water, we put down the dinghy wheels and circled, waiting for a big swell to appear.  When one came along, Robert accelerates just ahead of the curve as if trying to outrun the wave, then the swell lifts up the dinghy and we roar through the water to shore.  As soon as the wheels touch down and the crashing water starts to recede, we jump out, grab the bow of the dinghy and walk it ashore before the next wave comes tumbling down upon us.  It's an art form.


Like I said... bocce, walk, palapa, beers.  Later in the afternoon we do a beach departure in the building surf, getting a little soaked but no harm done, and head back to the mother ship.  Our first night was a special night being Friday night when the Mayor (as Robert is called) organizes a dinghy raft up.  Robert and Virginia take the dinghy over next to Good Dog beach and drop a little anchor.  Then other dinghies from the anchored fleet come over and raft up, all in an ever growing circle.  For this particular raft up, the topic was one that Connie thought up.  It was much like the topic we use at our winter Solstice group circles around the fire pit. " If you had the opportunity to welcome something new into your life, whether it be a character trait a physical thing or whatever, what would that be, and why?"

While passing around food we took turns, telling our names and the name of the boat, before revealing something personal or not too personal.  We were surprised to learn that multiple people expressed dissatisfaction with a son or daughter in law who was making their family life uncomfortable. The reason for this seems to be that older people in the cruising community miss their grandchildren and want them to come to Mexico and visit on the boat.  The in-law might be too cautious, afraid of the stories out there about crime in Mexico.   There were some funny comments and some serious ones, then Robert announced Connie and off she went with the ukulele with some songs of the sea.  The accordion made an appearance and so did the little coatimundis on shore. We all had a great time until the mosquitoes came out.  The the raft broke up and everyone zoomed home to their screened in cabins on gently rocking boats.

































 


 

 And so we spent five days aboard the sailing vessel Harmony, eating huge portions of fruits and vegetables, making guacamole, visiting the beach, snorkeling, paddle boarding and playing cards (Oh Shit) into the night.

 We talked of love and life, future plans and the past.  Robert and Virginia are people who have gained wisdom as the years march on and our conversations were often meaningful and rewarding.  We talked about wanting to get back to winters on the water in Mexico and discussed various ways we could do that.  We talked about the concept of a boat share. We talked about trying to charter in Mexico.  We talked about many options.

 One thing we came away with is that if we want to get back into boating in Mexico in the winter then we can certainly do so. As you know, if you set your mind on something and follow it through, it will happen.

 
On day six, we brought our luggage through the surf to La Vena.  As everyone assembled on the beach for the bocce ball game, we said goodbye.  All these tanned retired couples shaking our hands and giving us hugs.  I looked at my white belly and noted that it was well on its way to a much darker shade.  We called a taxi and rattled down the cobblestones bound for our airbnb in La Manzanilla. We'll be back.

Pythagorean Dreams

Our friend Jimi has been playing and building various sized Pythagorean harps for years.  While staying in our little room in Tepoztlan, we are lucky to hear him playing it in the morning, the soft melodious sounds wafting through the bamboo screen.  Connie fell in love with the instrument and we started thinking about how to bring one back to the states with us. It turns out that Jimi's friend Mandrake, lives just out of town and has one that Jimi built for him a couple of years ago.  Mandrake has moved on to building hand drums and playing the Peruvian flute, and kindly offered us his Pythagorian harp.  We jumped into a taxi and drove out to see him at his studio full of instruments. We blessed him with some pesos and he blessed us with a beautiful harp.  Happy Birthday Connie!

Later that day Connie joined Jimi's jazz band at a local venue and scatted her way through a few sets, being joined by another singer, Estucia, and ended up with a packed house and way too much fun! 

Connie, Scott, and our Tepoztlan globe trotting friend Nancy

I had a car rental lined up for about a week so we went to Cuernavaca to pick it up.  The online deal was an amazing $5 per day... similar to a deal we got from Dollar at the Cabo San Lucas Airport three years ago.  On arrival, the agent pulled the bait and switch, telling us that we had to buy additional insurance at $20/day.  Not wanting to cancel our planned road trip to Puebla, we bit the bullet and paid the man.

In the morning we headed east for a scenic drive up and over the pass between the two volcanoes, Iztaccihuatl and Popocatépetl. (17,159 and 17,801 ft)  Two days later Popocateptl erupted while we were in Puebla for four days.  Puebla was a a good break from Tepoztlan, a beautiful cultural city with many cathedrals and restaurants.  Our AirBnB had a KING size bed that was so very comfortable.  We slept and slept.

After getting bit with the extra charges on the car rental in Cuernavaca, we were concerned about our upcoming car reservation in Guadalajara so we made some calls and could not get anyone to assure us that the same would not happen again at that airport.  So we cancelled our 20 day car rental reservation then set about cancelling all our travel plans that involved us visiting places via car. AirBnB and Booking.com refunds flooded back into our credit card and PayPal accounts.  Sitting on the big king size bed we concocted a completely different travel plan for the next three weeks.

On the way back to Tepoztlan we saw plumes of smoke at the peak of Popacateptl. With one more day on the car rental, we were able to do a day trip to Tlayacapan where we wandered, saw a Quincera ceremony (15 /yo girl coming out), and had our first Carnitas (pork tacos) in a long while.

The car rental guy in Cuernavaca seemed pleased that we returned the car in one piece.  We didn't hold a grudge and everyone was nice.  We took the bus back to Tepoztlan and started packing our bags. 


Mexico offers old folks like us (Over 60) an INAPAM Credencial, which is a card that gives you half price on all medium and long distance buses in Mexico, so we picked up two of those cards to help reduce our bus ticket costs.  After a sad farewell to our new friends at Mason Amanda we grabbed the bus back to the Mexico City airport and took our flight to Guadalajara, buying an extra seat for our new Pythagorean harp.  When flying as a person, the musical instrument must take a window seat to 1. enjoy the view, and 2. not be an obstacle in case of emergency.

Carolina's family welcomed us to Tlaqauepaque

In Guadalajara we taxied to our next accommodation in San Pedro Tlaquepaque to stay with our host Carolina in a pretty place just blocks from the Mercado and town square.  We went for a nice stroll, found a bottle of wine and a wine tool, then had a lovely pizza before bedtime. Carolina let us stash some cold weather clothing and the Pythagorean harp at her place so we could travel a little bit lighter. (Only bringing one accordion and one ukulele, along with our luggage and a laptop.)

Another big soft bed and a great night's sleep welcomed us to the next day and an Uber to the ETN bus station where we boarded the most deluxe bus on the planet.  Sitting right up front, above the driver we watched the high plateau turn into salt flats then plunge through steep canyons down to the sea at Manzanillo, Colima.







From there the bus ran north along the coast to Barra de Navidad, a place we'd been to often on our sailboat Traveler.  We stepped off the bus into 80 degrees and 80% humidity and grabbed a taxi to the Cabo Blanco Hotel just in time for a quick swim in the pool before going out to dinner.

We found our old favorite place, El Manglito, with its thatch roof dining area on pilings over the water of the lagoon.  We split a bottle of "fancy" Carlo Rossi white wine that went well with our shrimp dishes.  How lucky could we be!  There was live music!  A large Mexican family was celebrating at an adjoining table with a hired 9 piece Mariachi band. Welcome back to Barra.....

Was there air conditioning at the Cabo Blanco Hotel?  Yes.  Did we turn it on?  You betcha Ya!

Next up:  The Costalegre - Boats and the beach.

Tepoztlán

Mexico City International Airport is big.  Very big.  We followed our fellow passengers down one hallway then another, eventually ending up in the bowels of the complex.  After taking the passage labeled "Foreigners" we faced the scrutiny of the immigration officer, handing over our passports and visa applications.  Boom! Stamped - Good for 90 days!

Then off to the baggage carousel and a short wait for our one big checked bag. Finding the exit from baggage we escalated to the main level and found ourselves in the main concourse of terminal one.  There we bought some pesos and started walking, walking, walking, watching for the symbol for a bus, occasionally asking someone, "Autobus?"  About 2/3rds of the way down the monster concourse we saw a right hand turn with the bus symbol, went up and over and found an area with six different bus kiosks.  Our friend Jimi had told us to find the ADO bus ticket counter and there it was!  Jimi is one of Connie's old Obrador friends and after living in Mexico off and on for thirty years, he's been a wealth of information.

You can't buy Havana Club in the U.S.

After buying the tickets we got directions to go back out into the terminal and find door #4. Sure enough, there were exit doors labeled with numbers 1 through 10.  After another long hike we found door #4 and outside of that an overhead walkway that arched over the taxi drop off zone and towards the Camino Royal Hotel.  We followed the little sign that said ADO/OCC and amazingly found ourselves at the bus waiting room with an hour to spare to catch our 14:30 bus to Tepoztlán. Then we watched a spider man movie in Spanish.

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Note: The bus from Mexico City Airport to Tepoztlán runs four times daily:
07:00, 09:15, 14:15, and 17:00 and costs 200 Pesos.

200 Pesos = about $11 dollars         50 Pesos = about $2.60 dollars

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Approaching the bus, the driver motioned for me to put the accordion bag under the bus with the baggage.  "No, Senior, fragile accordion."  He motioned that it was too fat to fit in the overhead. Against his objections I boarded with the bag and sure enough, it did not fit in the overhead.  Connie took her seat and shoved it in between her legs. The bus took more than an hour to get out of the city with stop and go traffic and rough roads.  The second hour we traveled up and over the mountains and down into the valley to the outskirts of Tepoztlán where we disembarked, found our big bag under the bus, and did a high five to celebrate our successful arrival.

The taxi driver replied "50 Pesos" when we asked about a ride to our hotel.  I said, "No.... forty pesos." and he nodded his head "OK,"  Jimi had said the ride was 40 pesos.  I was glad to have remembered.  Arriving a few minutes later at our lodgings at Meson Amanda, I gave him a 50, he gave me a 10 in change. I reached into my pocket for a tip, finding none, I gave him back the 10 peso coin and we both laughed.  You can see above, just how inexpensive a 50 peso ride is.

Connie rang the ball, and we met Ernesto who showed us to our room, through a courtyard and up a spiral staircase to the second floor.  Jimi popped his head in to greet us and all was well.  Welcome to Magico Tepoztlán!


From Wikipedia.....Tepoztlán was named a "Pueblo Mágico" in 2002 but its title was removed in 2009 for failure to maintain the requirements. (They didn't keep the town clean enough)  In 2010 Tepoztlán addressed these problems (painted the curbs and put trash cans on the sidewalks) and recovered the Pueblo Mágico title. This title is granted by the Ministry of Tourism of Mexico, recognizing those who inhabit these cities and the work they develop daily to protect and save the cultural wealth.

 Meson Amanda is on Calle Cuauhtemotzinone, one block from the main avenue 5th de Mayo. Walk down 5th de Mayo about 3 blocks and you come to Revolucion de 1910 and the huge local market.  Jimi walked us to a booth, Ruth's Puesto, to introduce us to their huge vegetarian taco/quesadilla at 55 pesos.  Going to bed early ( exhausted ) we lay on the hard bed listening to the dogs barking and the taxis tooting their horns.

Our Little Room

 Over the next few days, Jimi showed us around town.  He's been in and out of Tepoztlán for almost 30 years so he knows all the good and cheap places.  We're lucky to have his guidance.  There is a restaurant adjacent to the market called Naty's that Jimi frequents of often that they have a special priced plate just for him and his friends:  Plato Jimi - 55 pesos plus a 15 peso tip.  Fried nopales cactus, rice with a fried egg on top, refried beans, chips, and fresh corn tortillas.

Tepoztlán's main source of income is from tourism and most of the guests to the town come in from nearby Mexico City on the weekends.  During the week, the town is a little bit sleepy but the main center with the market always has some action.  On the weekend, streets are shut down, booths go up and the invasion begins.  By noon the streets are full of people strolling along with big Micheladas in hand.  ( Beer, lime, spices, and tomato juice)

View to the north from our room

Our little place is upstairs of a courtyard.  It's a simple small room with an adjoining bathroom.  The water pressure is somewhere between a dribble and a drop and there is a slight odor of sewer that we solve by putting a rug over the shower drain.  The occasional roach or scorpion visits the bathroom.

The walls on the property are painted bright blue, aquamarine, and adobe.  Plants everywhere in abundance.  We climb a slender spiral staircase to our upper level porch that we share with our friend Jimi who lives next door.  Down in the courtyard is a sitting area and an outdoor covered kitchen area.  When we first arrived there was nothing in the kitchen except a refrigerator. No sink or stove.  Ernesto (the proprietor) told us the kitchen would be ready tomorrow.   Actually, he used the word,manána. True to Mexico form, we had a working kitchen a week later.

Sometimes the water stops and you have to go find the pump switch and turn it on for a while until the rooftop cistern fills.  After a few nights of bad sleep, I asked Ernesto if we could have a little foam topper for the hard bed.  We got that installed in a shorter manana than before.  Thank you sir!  Meson Amanda is a nice little place, right in town, a little loud at times but very convenient.

We go on walks through the town every day and do all our shopping and eating at the local market where the prices are wonderfully cheap.  A nice breakfast out might be 100 pesos.  A plate of tacos will be 50 pesos.  Vegetables cost next to nothing and we've found cheap wine at 60 pesos a bottle.  Booking a room at Meson Amanda on Airbnb for just a night or two is about $30 USD/night.  But you always get a super discount booking by the month.  We're paying about $11 USD/night.

Fresh tortillas - Always

The main road through town climbs up to the face of the mountain, getting narrower and narrower until it becomes a cobbled footpath. All the roads in town are cobblestone.  Flanked on each side are booths selling trinkets, tacos, bottled water, and micheladas.

The trail to the top that kicked my butt

In two miles the elevation gain is 1200 feet.  The path starts with endless stone stairs then becomes more difficult and steep.  Near the top you climb a steel tower through a steep ravine then pop out on top where you pay 45 pesos to access the archaeological site. Tepoztlan is at 5180 feet so the hike will really have you puffing.  I took frequent rests to catch my breath and felt really out of shape.

On top we were inundated by a group of school kids who clambered up the Aztec pyramid, El Tepozteco, yelling and cutting up... and posing.  It is interesting that tourists are not only allowed to scramble up the 500 year old temple but can sit up top, spill their colas, and take selfies.

The pyramid was built in 1502 A.D to honor Tepoztēcatl, the Aztec god of the alcoholic beverage pulque.  And yes, you can buy pulque in town. It's a white, sour tasting liquid made from the sap of the agave plant.

From the studies of Daniel Ruzo, " Many people perceive a strange energy or magnetism in Tepoztlán and its “Sacred Valley” is one of the places in the world with the highest frequency of UFO sightings and other unexplained phenomena."  Because of this energy, the Tepoztlán valley is home to many spiritual people and and has spas and retreats for meditation and body work.

Jimi took us up towards Santo Domingo Ocotitlan for a circle meditation on a beautiful tract of land right up next to the mountains.  His job was to tune the large bowls that when played together produces a resonant vibration.  A circle had been created under the shade of a large tree and decorated with flowers, candles, offerings, and incense.  People arranged their blankets and mats outside that circle and sat or lay in meditative poses.  Six crystal bowls were set out and Jimi poured the the right amount of water into each to produce a wonderful sound when the rim was rubbed with a wooden and rubber mallet.   Once all six bowls got going they produced a wonderful sound.  A shaman led everyone in a Chakra color meditation and it was a joyful occasion.

Jamie Dean Hudson

Back in town, we went to a musical celebration where the local artists gathered to celebrate the solstice.  Good music (we danced!) and rum spiked punch and shots of Mezcal.  On Saturday we went to Jimi's Jam at the market to hear his jazz combo and another afternoon we heard our friend Jamie play at Cafe Libelula.  So nice to be in a place with live music.  The other afternoon we heard a brass band blaring up the street.  Connie and I ran outside to follow the sound.  We located the marching band and followed them up the hill until they turned into a gated yard.  It was a 15 year old's coming of age party, complete with brass band, fireworks, decorations, and barbecue.

Nopales are everywhere and quite tasty

The weekend ahead of Christmas saw huge crowds here in Tepoztlán and this Christmas week has been pretty crazy.  The Catholic church is very active... two blocks away.  They have three loud bells that ring throughout the day and night along with a loudspeaker that plays holiday songs.  Last night, Christmas eve, the bombs (loud fireworks) went all night long.  Today, I'm sleep deprived and am looking forward to a nap later.  It seems like the bombs are going off less frequently right now.  Maybe 1:00 pm is siesta time?

Coatimundi

We are in Tepoztlán from December 15 until January 14.  Then we'll make our way to Barra de Navidad and get on a sailboat for a week.  Following that, we've found three little towns to visit in central Mexico before we get on a plane in Guadalajara bound for San Antonio. As events transpire, this blog will continue. 

View of Tepoztlan from El Tepozteco.  Note the ever present haze, spilled over from Mexico City.

Mess with Texas

 

Swooping down into El Paso from southern New Mexico, we were thinking about Beto O'Rourke and his work, energizing Texas minorities, standing up for migrants rights and pushing for gun control.

Testing the charge from solar panels at Harbor Freight

 At Harbor Freight the Hispanic clerk beamed when I said we came to El Paso to see Beto. We were there to swap out a failed solar panel controller, which they did, no questions asked.  Then we were off to refuel the cooler, finding both a Whole Foods and a Sprouts nearby.  Coronado high school students packed the Whole Foods at the noon hour for pizza slices and Kombucha.  After testing the solar controller in the parking lot, we headed east on I-10 towards Fort Davis and the state park there.  At 5000 feet elevation,we were in for a chilly night..

Davis Mountain State Park

Note on Texas state parks:   Many, but not all, Texas state parks charge a $6/person/day entry fee plus a separate charge for camping.  Buying a $70 Texas state park entry pass gets you into the park and gives you a half price discount on your second camping night stayed.  We bought the pass as it will pay for itself in about 5 camping days for the two of us.