Winter in MX ( Dec 23 )

Today we are all ( 8 of us )  going to Sayulita, 24 KM away and if you have forgotten , it is a Surfing Beach, with many many  restaurants and more or less important;  a host of small boutiques just waiting to fleece you by selling you stuff  ( Jewry, tee shirts, surfing gear ) you don't need.
Please recall that our tow car is a Blazer which holds 4 adults semi-comfortable and we are a family of 8, not to mention Boggy Boards, umbrella, bag chairs, towels etc..... I think you get the picture.
Now we have to load the 8 people into the car. A shoehorn would be handy and you can forget the seat belt law. OK , 3 small kids in the rear with the baggage, 2 adults and Emily in the back seat and two adults in the front. I'm guessing that  the Mexican could easily put another 4 people in a car this size  but then again they no how to pack better than us.
Off  we go and arrive at Sayulita and as expected there was no place to park. So we bailed out, right on a street corner,  grab our baggage and walk a block to the beach leaving Todd to find a parking spot, which he did.
After finding a spot on the beach we started to catch the surf for the kids. We had to help the kids with a push start just as the wave would break which mean they were have fun while you were trying to find out which way your ass was point after the wave knock you off you feet.
 After having  fun for an hour we sat on the beach and ordered Tacos and beer from the roving waiters. There are several restaurants along the beach so they take your order and deliver. I no.. Life is Bitch in MX.  I met 3 couples from Edmonton and one lady had an Oilers cap so I guessed Edm and I was right.  I jokingly said, I suppose you are in MX to get away from the winter weather and nobody thought it was funny as the temperature in Edm was above zero. They worked the Oil Patch; surprise  ; surprise.
We then went to Punta Mita, about 25 KM away as Todd and Yvonne wanted to check on a boat ride to an Island but it was too costly for want you get. On the way home on a 2 lane winding road we ( along with 20 other cars ) got behind an old gravel truck which was going flatout at 20 KMH and nobody could pass, So the one hour return trip took 1 1/2 hours.
When we arrived home it was definitely " Miller Time " followed by supper. cheers

Winter in Mx ( Dec 22 )

The Kids were looking for a new/different beach to have a chance of scenery. In MX that is not hard to find , in fact we have another excellent beach about 25 KM north of Rincon. This beach is not commercialized  to the extend of Rincon and Sayulita but it is an excellent surfing area with miles and miles of sandy beaches and many small restaurants. There is one small area  ( room for 10 or 15 Rigs ) where you can dry camp ( no facilties ) for a small price but you have to get here early in Oct to get a spot and it is "Clicky ".
The kids spend most of the day surfing and combing the beach for treasure, if you call a rotten cocoa nut and old beer caps as treasures. The kids liked the beach  so much, they intended to return before they go home.
I said it was not commercialized but is a very attractive spot for Mexican who come here for a day at the beach, normally arriving by buses. During the Christmas season , it is very common to see 25 to 30 Buses parked on these beach because those folks who live in Big cities love to visit these beaches.
Our tow car is a Blazer that seat 4 adults, or maybe 5 if 3 are kids so we did not go to the beaches with the kids. However, we did go to the Santa Clause parade  Mexican style;  3 kids in the back , less the seat belts. When in Rome; do as the .......
So Carroll and I  walked a few blocks in town to pick up veggies for supper . We had to walk because the town has increased about 10 fold due to the holidays and it would take 15 mins to drive 5 blocks due to the crowd. People walk down the street because the stores move there "wares " out to the sidewalk so the people have no choice of where to walk.  It is an unbelievable scene as there are many " mobile" Taco stands  all along the streets  but everyone is happy. cheers

Winter in MX ( Dec 21 )

This day started as  a Beach/pool day as the Kids started with the Boggy boards in the ocean then decide to try the pool and before long they bounced back and forth fron  the pool to the beach.
However, at 3 PM we had to go to Lo de Marco, some 12 KM away, where they were holding a Santa Clause parade, Mexican style.  The kids were excited but I knew they were in for a surprised especially with no snow and such warm weather. The parade consist of Mexican  dancers, Mexicans on horses dress in all their regalia, children's marching band, singers and of corse Santa who was a Canadian. Many Canadians were in the parade with there vehicle, throwing candy to the Kids. Our kids had their bags so they got their share.
After the parade , which ends up at the town square, all the kids lined up for a small (donated ) gift by the RVers who spend the winter in this town. Most RVer bring gifts, which the get from garages sales at home. They also bring school supplies, which really excites the Mexican Kids.
 Our kids got in line and the boys got a little car and Megan got a stuffed animal. Todd says he is going to gather up about a hundred hot wheels from home and send them down here for next year because his boys would never miss them.
Even thought the Kids never seen a Santa's parade like this one they did really enjoy it. I'm sure they will have lots of stories to tell there friends.

Winter in MX ( Dec 20)

Today, Todd's family decided to go to Port Adventura in PV so they could swim with the Dolphins and the Sea Lions. They had a wonderful day as everyone got to ride the Dolphins and to hug the Sea Lions. Of course these type of outing always come with a  "professional " picture taking of each individual and of course you can not buy one picture you have to buy the whole booklet. Todd says he just "gave " his wallet to the receptionist and said to give back his wallet at the end of the day if there was any money left. He thinks the Mexicans were trained by the people running Disney Land because sure know how to take your money.
We stayed home and intended to get in some Beach Time once we decided on the supper menu. Actually Yvonne did a Beach Walk every morning and there is a Fish market setup everyday of the year close to our RV Park so Yvonne purchase some Shark fillets for supper so the Menu was basically decided.
Around 10 AM some friend staying in an RV park about 12 KM away were in town shopping so they dropped in for a chat. Then we hit the Beach and around noon another couple from BC who we have not seen for a few years , heard we were here so they found us on the Beach and invited us to there park for supper on 6 Jan. That is an important date, as it is Carroll's B'day.
I should have mentioned that yesterday we decided to run the AC for a couple of hours in the afternoon to cool the MH. However, we have the dreaded " Programmable " controller that runs the heat, fan only, AC and Heat pump. Actually for us it doesn't run anything. We read the book, and we each tried out "knowledge " but no luck to get the AC working. Luckily our friend Tom from the next park dropped in and he can figure out anything , given enough time. Tom played with it for about 10 minutes and realized we had to set the Mode first then the temperature. As usual it was " Operator Error" but the book was not specific so I blame the company.
Getting back to the Kids... when they came home ( the 4 Kids )   did not want " Shark and Prawns so Yvonne took them to get a Hamburg while we ( mostly me ) Bar-B-Q the Shark and Prawns. I have eaten Makao  shark before ,which I caught and it was tasty but this shark was quite Bland. It is not something I would buy again. Cheers

Winter of 2014 in Mexico ( Decd 19 )

Todd's family went to an excellent surfing beach at a town called Sayulita which is about 25 KM away. This beach is noted for holding the Annual MX Surfing and Boggy Board championship so you know it is a good place to surf. However, the drawback is that everyone in MX knows about the Surf and I never seen it not busy. There are so many cars in the town I often thing that everyone brings two cars.
This is a Tourist Trap type of town with a Zillion stores that will sell you anything you don't need, mostly Jewry and surfing clothes.
All you have to do is find a spot on the Beach and sit down. The restaurants will come and  take your order, ( food and Beer ) and deliver it to your beach chair. You don't have to move a muscle.
Anyway, Carroll and I  stayed home and did some necessary shopping for supper. We normal shop for fresh fruits and vegetables every other day. The Fruitateria ( vegetable market )  is only 2 blocks away so there is no need to by too much at once.
We thru a chicken in the crockpot so supper was ready when 4 hungry kids arrive home from Surfing. After supper they hit the pool again. I think they lived in their bathing suit most of the time. Cheers

Winter of 2014 in Mexico ( Dec 18 )

First I must admit that I amalgamated  the 16th and 17 th so that is why this is dated the 18 th. Besides it is not hard to lose track of time when you are enjoying your time in MX.
Today was a stay at our Beach day and by 9 AM the kids were raring to hit the beach because there was a nice Kid size surf. The beach is about 200 feet from our MH so we all moved out there. We only had one Boggy board so refrain was "my turn my turn" . Of course Grandpa had to stand waste deep so I could shoot the board as soon as the wave broke. That was great fun for 10 minutes after that it is a bit tiring. The kids bounce from the surf to the heated pool most of the day.
While they were in the pool it gave Grandma and Grandpa some free time to enjoy soaking up the sun on the beach, reading a book and sipping on a cool one. We ended the day with a Bar-B-Q supper.
Everyone was tired so the evening ended around 9:30. cheers

Winterof 2014 in Mexico ( Dec 16 )

Todd, Yvonne and their 4 Kids flew into Puerto Vallarta ( PV ) last evening and would spend the next 8 days with us in Rincon. They spent a week in Los Cabo with Yvonne's family and then flew to PV thru MX city and landed in  PV at 1 AM so they did not want a pickup until 3 PM.
We ask our Camp  management on 16 th to arrange for a Taxi Van to pick them up at the Westin hotel at 3 PM. No Problemo , they said. Then on Thursday  morning they advised us that there was no taxi available as they were are busy with Airport pickup. We then moved into panic mode.
I advised Todd that I could only pick up 3 people and the luggage in my car so three people would have to take the Bus PV to Rincon.
Shortly there after our friends Tom and Maureen dropped in to say hello and we told them our dilemma. So Tom said he would pick up the other 3 passengers as he was going to Home Depot in PV for some items. Problem solve.
I left  1 1/2 hours early ,  as I wanted to stop  at Wal-Mart for some groceries. I thought I knew where the Wal-Mart was located . What I did not expect was that Wal-Mart was one of many large stores under one roof so I blew right by it. The bad news is that I had to drive 5 KM before I could find a returno ( U- Turn ). When I find got to the Wal-Mart, parking was at a premium but I finally found a spot. By this time my shopping time was reduced to 15 Minutes so I raced around the store hunting for the goods.
Now I raced into PV and I was pretty sure that I knew where I was going but when you are fighting traffic it is extremely hard to read the street signs so I missed my street. I stop to ask a "street parking  attendant / Car washer etc if I could get a short cut to the Westin. I guess he understood me because he showed me the way. I should add that I got in the wrong collector lane  and I held up the traffic at the light and then the Horn Honking started. I thought it was New Years Eve. ha ha
Now, most Hotels  are gated with Security so I knew it could be problem because I forgot to ask Todd for their room number. When I pulled up to the gate I said I was picking up my family but all the Guard would say is " room number" No matter what I said , he would repeat room number. So I wrote down Todd's name and he went into the guard shack and spoke to someone and then opened the gate.
 My friend Tom M came shortly behind me and we picked up the kids and returned to Rincon. The airport is 64 KM from Rincon but it takes 1 1/2 hours one way due to the fact that the road is 2 lanes and very few places to pass, and you always end up behind the olds truck in MX.
As soon as we landed in Rincon the Kids just had to hit the pool, while Carroll and I made a Bar-B- Q supper.  By 9 PM the kids where tiered  but two of them had to sleep at Grandmas. So the argument started as to which two. It was decided the it would be Boys one night and Girls the other night. Finally a long day comes to a close and we were tired. cheers