A Polo Match in Mexico

Saturday February 5, 2011

Today was our last day in Punta Perula and Jack in the park had told Frank about a polo match up the way as well as the Careyes resort that we should visit.  I might have mentioned that you can Google Careyes to see what it has to offer.  In the end the whole day was a huge success!

I started the day with a really early  big walk up the beach which took an hour and a half.  Off for breakfast, picked up the laundry and back to the unit.  

I checked emails on Frank’s lap top and sent an email to my sister Joy assuring her we were still alive and well.  I had mucked up and not sent my last post before leaving Mazatlan and no one knew where we were except our daughters because I had phoned them.  Sorry!

We set off after a late breakfast for the polo match.  In the end it turned out we were too early so we turned around and headed back to look at Careyes. 

Coming into the resort.

Walking through the entry to the lobby.  Pretty grand eh!

The lobby.

Frank and Sandi as we wandered through looking around.

 

Frank took this picture for Eric, can you tell why!

The private beach.

The pool, in case you don’t want to swim in the ocean. 

It is a very beautiful place and apparently a world holiday destination.  I can see why.

So, time to head to the polo match which is part of the Careyes resort. 

We turned off the highway heading south and were uncertain what we would find.  We drove down a long winding gravel track through the trees and expected to find a little dinky field with a few horses ridden by Mexicans.  Not so!  Imagine our surprise when we hit this large expanse of grass. 

 

This is the first field we hit that is being irrigated but not the one where the matches were being held.  

As we drove up to the next fields this is what we saw.  A pretty impressive string of horse flesh and we were quite taken aback by the whole experience.

Polo ponies coming in to be tacked up.

Some tacked up and some waiting.

 

The playing field.  Way far off on the left are the bleachers where we will watch the match.

As we wandered around we were greeted by a lady who was the organizer and she was from Washington.  She was a wealth of information and so very gracious and happy to have us visit.  By the way, the whole experience was free!

This is Sandi with Joe Meyer who is originally from Iowa.  He like other team members were happy to chat to us and Frank and Sandi had a good visit with him before he played. 

It turns out the players on the teams are from Mexico, Canada, U.S.A., Ecuador, Switzerland etc.  Above are the two teams of four with the two refs in the middle.  There was a lady named Jill…. from Calgary Alberta playing who was the only women riding. 

We were advised that player capability would be from a –2 to a plus 10 and that most of these players would be a 1 or 2 seed. 

This is Joe’s team mate Sergio Gussman on  the U.S. team and it’s a great shot except for the part where I cut his head off!  Oh well, the horse is beautiful.

 

 

 

At (half time?) we were all invited out to stomp the divots left by the horses and the mallets.  That’s Frank, Eric and Sandi to the right.

At half time the teams were mounted on fresh ponies as they could only ride them for half the game.  There were about sixty ponies (thoroughbred /Mexican local horses crossed) that were owned by two people and supplied to the riders.  This would mean they did not have any experience on the horses they were riding.  Well trained beautiful horses.  The riders flew in from all different countries so someone has lots of money.  Super fast energetic play.

The crowd on the bleachers.  There were lots of young glitzy, rich women in the crowd talking about absolutely nothing !  Note the man with his arm in a sling.  A casualty from a previous match (possibly one of the owners.)   Apparently a very good player!

The winner’s cup.

? , Sergio and Joe after the match.  The winning team.

We only watched one match as it would have been dark by the time we got back to Punta Perula but we really enjoyed what we saw.  It was really amazing to find this well run, professional event out in the middle of no where in Mexico.  A real treat.

Home for happy hour on the beach and a dinner downtown.  Off to Los de Marcos tomorrow for us and Nuevo Vallarta for Frank and Sandi. 

Another good day.