Muppet News Update.

We have been back in Mazatlan since Monday and it’s good to be home.  Eric’s digestive tract has been off for the last few days but some Treda seems to have him back to normal….whatever that is! 

We have changed our plans for going south.  The rig is going to stay put in Mazatlan and we are not going to haul it south for a number of reasons.  Too many bugs down south, too many scratchy trees getting into Los de Marcos and besides that the weather here is great so there is no big pull to head south.  We do think we’ll take the truck to Rincon for a week to see Eric’s brother Ian and wife Linda but that won’t happen until the end of February. 

The ocean temperature is still warm here which means we can swim.  The breezes are balmy and all is bueno. 

I took my camera in to be cleaned on Wednesday and was supposed to pick it up this morning.  Well guess what….it wasn’t ready.  Ahh Mexico.  Mañana which of course means not necessarily tomorrow….just not today. 

Bye bye….I have to go now…off to the beach!

We are home….Yahoo!

First things first.  I never spend much time figuring out the blog settings.  Eric has commented that it would be nice if the pictures were bigger.  I did that then the printing was too small. Fixed that and then the text at the right was fragmented.  Fixed that.  Now of course all my old postings will look really odd.  I thought that it would only change things from this point on but it changed all the settings except the pictures which remained the size they were when I created the post.  Oh well I guess that’s the cost of progress.  If anyone reading this knows something more about this….let me know.

Onward.

We left Los de Marcos at 8:30 am their time and 7:30 Mazatlan time. Actually you only have to go north about 2 or 3 miles and the time changes.

It looked a little stormy when we set out and it was quite cool.  We weren’t dressed warmly because we knew it would warm up. Coming through Las Varas. 

The policia were out in full force watching the traffic speed as the school children were on the street.  Good to see!

Always driving through the tree tunnels. 

Heading up the mountain from Las Varas to Compostela.

  P.S. ….the camera is going in to get cleaned tomorrow.

The ride from Las Varas is slow and winding and to add to the difficulty of the ride the sun was in our eyes and there was a huge amount of shadow on the road. This is where you gain most of your altitude.  Really hard to see and very slow and besides that we were cold.   We were moving slowly but since there are always slow moving vehicles the other drivers are used to it.  They are much more tolerant and careful with their passing than they usually are on other roads.

 

See all those wiggly lines…well they aren’t fun.

 

That’s Compostela off to the right.

We were now not too far out of Xalisco which is just south of Tepic when I took this picture.  The road from Compostela to Xalisco is very narrow and I just hung on and didn’t take pictures. 

The gravel truck carrying who knows what up ahead has a huge amount of black exhaust….horrible to follow on a bike. 

Fields of ????

More horrible smoke from another truck.

Cane truck pulling out….always something to pass.

 

Now it’s a tractor with discs on the back.  Another pass but at least they are moving slowly.  

Just coming into Xalisco …this is the University of Technology.

At this point we stopped for fuel and a bum break.  It had warmed up and we weren’t cold so that was a plus.  The ride through Xalisco is just plain nasty.  The street is one way with no parking….well that’s just a suggestion..right!  Vehicles parked here and there, topes, Mexicans trying to pass you when you slow down for a tope, cutting you off…well you get the picture. 

So no pictures until we stopped for lunch just south of Rosamorada.  We picked a restaurant across from the Pemex station and then tried to order.  No printed menu, rapid Spanish from the senora running it and in the end we had huevos rancheros and it was good.

Here is Eric waiting patiently to eat.

This picture was on the wall….all Mexican film stars?

Who are these guys?

Objet d’art.

We were on the free road coming home and since I took pictures heading south I didn’t take anymore heading north.

We were sitting at an light in Esquinapa when I spotted this fellow kitty corner to us at the Farmacia Similar.  They were doing a promotion and he was waving at us.  When I got out the camera he gave us the “Hawaiian hang loose” sign.  Funny.

On to Rosario where stopped for fuel, water and another bum break.  At this point we were both feeling beat up by the topes, roads and heat.  I just felt completely “tenderized.”  250 miles on  Mexican roads has nothing in common with 250 miles on a road north of the Mexican border. 

The traffic through Rosario, Villa Union and Mazatlan was light and we were back in the park and home by 3:30.  Were we happy to be home….you bet.  The weather was warm, I left cold beer in the fridge and there were leftovers in the freezer.  We were set.

PS…….Tuesday

This is the extent of Eric’s activity today.  He is prone.  I baked some bread and that was it for me.  Nice to see everyone here and find out what happened while we were away. 

A very quiet day.

We did absolutely nothing today.   I read and did crosswords, Eric napped and that was it.  A day to rest up before our trip back to Mazatlan. 

We have decided to return to Los de Marcos in a couple of weeks and park in the Savage RV park for a month.  It will be  a change of scenery and allow us to spend some time with Eric’s brother Ian and wife Linda who will be staying in Rincon.  We will be happy to have our “house” with us and I must say we have had our fill of eating out and will be glad to eat at home.  

Happy hour on the upstairs Palapa.

Who’s watching the watcher? 

This birder had a huge lens on that camera.

We moved downstairs to the covered Palapa to finish up Happy hour with the park residents.  

Good chat and then it was time for us to wander up town to find our last meal.  Delicious fish tacos at Carolina’s. 

Up early and on the road tomorrow. 

Lunch in Rincon and a swim.

That was it for today.   In case you don’t know this blogging does take quite a bit of time and today I was tired.  So…no pictures. 

We made a run into Rincon just before lunch today after I finished yesterday’s post.  Rincon is very different from Los de Marcos.  A huge gringo winter visitor population, tons of restaurants, lots of accommodations and a street full of vendors selling T-shirts etc. and also a huge beach.  We had a look at the place that Eric’s brother and wife are going to stay in Don Pepe’s which seems nice and then wandered off to find lunch.  Not a problem to find in Rincon and we had a really nice one.  Eric had an omelette with lots of extras and I had the Mexican plate which had a bit of everything and was too big to eat. Both really full when we finished.

We did talk to a couple of people in the restaurant and they mentioned that Rincon has biting bugs as well (mostly at dusk) and they know quite a few people who have had Dengue.  Bring bug spray!  A quick walk and then back to Los de Marcos.

We managed to squeak in a swim before Happy hour and the swell wasn’t too big at times although Eric did get tossed around before I got in.  I was careful and stayed close to shore inside the break. 

I popped down (we have been sitting on the upstairs deck) to the park happy hour for a quick hello.  Very small group and quite quiet….just our style! Very nice people with two rigs from B.C. and one from Ontario.  They had all just returned from an eight day trip inland and were glad to be back.  We did discuss this and that and also how they brought their rigs into town.  Good to get some opinions from other RVers. 

We did wander into town for a couple of tacos for dinner and it was really rocking.  Saturday night and the taco stand that was deserted last night was overflowing tonight.  There was a big…

Quinceañera (pronounced: [kin.se.aˈɲe.ɾa]; feminine form of "fifteen-year-old"), also called fiesta de quince años, fiesta de quinceañera, quince años or simply quince, is the celebration of a girl's fifteenth birthday in parts of Latin America and elsewhere in communities of people from Latin America. This birthday is celebrated differently from any other birthday, as it marks the transition from childhood to young womanhood.^[1]

This was just starting in the square and will probably go on late into the night.  Many, many people attending.  A huge expense for Papa. 

So, a quiet night for the Tycho’s and home to relax before bed.  Tomorrow we will pack up and then head out on Monday morning for Mazatlan. 

Everything is going to the dogs!

Today is Thursday.

Eric is still suffering from swollen bug bites but he did get some antihistamines and then when he showed the park manager (Ruben) his swollen hand he disappeared and came back with ointment from the Farmacia.  Nice!  It was so swollen Eric didn’t think he could shift the bike so we just hung around here for the day.  He has been covered up when we go out for dinner and sprayed with Deet but it doesn’t seem to help….a real bug magnet!

Thursday was quiet for most of the day. Late in the morning another rig with a small child and two dogs moved into the park.  Pretty noisy little boy but we’ll see how that works out and of course the dogs are completely off leash.  I wonder how they’ll keep track of the poop with two of them and a little boy to watch. 

We went down to the beach in the afternoon for a swim but the waves were huge so no swim for us. 

The people from the three rigs in the park who were away showed up some time Thursday night after their trip inland but we haven’t spoken to them yet. 

Today (Friday) we were off for a ride south.

Heading out on Mex 200 south.

Big truck up ahead.

Passing on a blind curve may have you running into the bus that is coming in the other lane. 

As I’ve said before the road south is two lanes and has to carry all the traffic, commercial and passenger.  If a big truck is in the way everyone is stuck behind it.  There are many, many crosses at the edge of the road as the Mexicans will pass on a double line and a blind curve.  They just can’t wait and it can get you killed whether it is your fault or not.  Not good and I must say it is very nerve wracking. 

We took the road that leads from Sayulita to the coast through Litibu (high end development with a golf course) Punta de Mita and then on to the Marina and Yacht Club in the Bahia de Banderas  north of Puerto Vallarta.

Once we turned off at Sayulita it got better.  A pretty ride. 

Coming out to the ocean just north of  Nahui.

Down the street through La Cruz de Huanacaxtle to the marina.

We pulled into the marina and Yacht Club and decided to have lunch.  A lovely facility with tons of huge boats and people with lots of money. 

We went upstairs to the restaurant and it was very nice with a view of the marina.

Be prepared for a rant…..

We ordered lunch and while we were waiting we were surprised to see people come in with a huge Poodle.  Not long after another two owners with dogs in tow.  Disgusting and against health codes in Canada and USA and probably in Mexico as well.  North Americans taking advantage as usual.  No I don’t hate dogs….they just shouldn’t be in restaurants and the same thing is happening here in Los de Marcos.  Ridiculous!  Sorry if you think dogs are people but I don’t.  We didn’t talk baby talk to our children and we didn’t to our dogs either.  Again, we had dogs all of our lives, but they were just that….dogs.  We loved them, fed them, played with them and cried when they died but they were not people. 

This is Moxie our last dog.  She was a Maremma Italian guard dog and she looked after us and was our friend for almost 14 years. 

Barking at the bear in the field.

Enough  said!

Walking back to the bike.

Lovely Hibiscus.

Prickly hedge with apple like fruit.  Eric said I should try it…I declined!

We rode back the same route to Los de Marcos even though the road from Bucerious to Punta de Mita has a lot of potholes.  The road is under trees and is in the shade which masks the potholes and it is not good to drop into one.  Bone jarring and not good for the bike either. 

Back along the ocean.

Through Litibu.  Golf course and huge tourist complexes.  Very high end.  Apparently Bill Gates bought Four Seasons resort property in the Punta de Mita area so you can guess how nice it is.

Litibu complex.

We were home around 2:30 and off to the beach to see if we could get a swim.  Success.  The swell was down and people other than surfers were back in the water.  A little dicey getting in and out but all in all a good swim.  

Happy hour, dinner in town (more mosquito or something bites for Eric) and now time for bed. 

A quiet day except for the Iguana!

We had a lazy day today.  A cup of instant coffee, cereal and fruit on the upstairs deck and then a relax in the downstairs Palapa.  Eric on the lap top and me reading.  There was some very loud  rustling in the palm tree next to the building behind us where we are staying. 

Fan palms that are taller than the building.

All of a sudden there was a giant thud and this guy landed right under the the right hand palm tree.

He crawled up onto the tile and sat there looking stunned.  Ruben the park operator couldn’t believe it either.  He seemed to be okay and eventually crawled over to the pump house and out towards the lagoon. 

Heading out of town!

A bit later he was at the edge of the lagoon and we could hear the turtles leaving the small island.

He seems okay and the next thing I knew he had swum out to the the island.

He was now in the top of the bush….not so far to fall this time! 

The lagoon is full of turtles, fish, birds of all kinds and is quite interesting to look at.

Ruben’s daughter had her binoculars and was doing some bird and turtle watching as well.

A future ornithologist maybe?

We did wander the beach this afternoon but the swell was huge and not suitable for swimming.  Maybe tomorrow.

While we had happy hour we could see a Mexican splitting palm fronds to cover the new " bus stop?” just up the street.  Very proficient at what they do.  While he was busy his two little boys were throwing rocks in the lagoon.  Tomorrow maybe I’ll get a picture of them putting the roof on.

The new structure waiting for fronds. 

Splitting the green fronds down the middle.

Watching, working and talking. 

After happy hour it was time to head into town for dinner.  We wandered around looking here and there and ended up at the Taco stand that we’d eaten at on Sunday night.  After we were eating we realized that the other side of this restaurant was serving Pizza.  Looked good….next time.  Eric was really hungry as we didn’t go out for a big breakfast and he’d only had cereal and fruit today. 

As we were finishing up dinner in came Nick and Rose and their grand children for Pizza. 

It’s a small town and if you go out for dinner you will bump into people you know.  Some restaurants seem to be open for groups that must prebook for dinner as they are full when you walk by and aren’t there during the daytime. 

A quick stop for some antihistamines for Eric’s swelling bug bites and ice cream at the Farmacia.  A few groceries and home to bed. 

Tomorrow maybe we won’t be so lazy and we’ll get on the bike and go somewhere.