No Hay Cambio

Rant - Getting Change in Mexico 

You want a pack of gum and only have a 200 peso bill to pay with... you are out of luck. No hay cambio!!! They couldn't even change a 100 peso bill last night. Who is hoarding all of the change in Mexico? I'm sure the answer is out there somewhere but I haven't a clue. 

Feria de San Marcos

Aguascalientes, Mexico: Feria de San Marcos 2010

A tip from a friend in Guadalajara led me to what would turn out to be four crazy nights at the largest fair in Mexico. Feria de San Marcos draws over one million people annually and takes place on 4km of pathway through the city. People from all of Mexico know this is the one party they can't miss every year. Now I do too. Bull fights, cockfights, rodeos, dancing, live bands everywhere, concerts, theater, and michiladas are just a few of the exciting things going on. You can't help yourself but to dance all the way down the main boulevard with live banda music cranking on every corner. The smell of tacos, gringas, and hot dogs wrapped in bacon fill the air which is necessary to cover up the smell of one million visitors. 

Fusilado Anniversary

Fusilado Mezcal Bar - Valenciana, Guanajuato

Struggling to make the best of my day, I finally rolled out of bed, checked e-mails and figured out where the heck I was headed. My friend had told me to meet her at some random bar 10 minutes outside of Guanajuato. Turns out it was no random bar at all, it was one of the greatest nights I've had in Mexico. 

Las Momias de Guanajuato

Hanging out with some mummies... creepy!

The first stop getting into Guanajuato was to find the creepy mummies we had heard about. I hadn't read up on them much before but have seen some pretty gnarly photos. We both convince them we are students to save a few pesos and we quickly entered the museum to do the 10 minute walk around and snap some photos. It was interesting to see, but I don't think I will be going back. 

Guanajuato Experience

My Love For Guanajuato

I am living it up in Guanajuato as I am typing this and the days/weeks are beginning to blur together. I have Latin pop songs pumping through my head and I think my heartbeat is in sync with mariachi. $375 monthly rent all inclusive apartment is ever so tempting. The vibrant houses, ancient chapels on every corner, and 4 peso (about $.30) tamales make Guanajuato one of my favorite places in Mexico so far. The random dog on a roof barking furiously, a bit of sewage smell in the underground tunnels, and diesel buses flying past on the streets barely big enough to walk on; it all seems beautiful in this charming silver mining town. The Mexican reggae bar with overly friendly staff full of energy bring the city to life at night. For breakfast, 25 pesos seals the deal on a three course meal of fruit, chilaquiles, and fresh bread. The cool breeze, bright sun, blue sky, and puffy white clouds bring me back as close as possible to the perfect Encinitas weather without the May Grey and June Gloom. Of course, I miss the Pacific ocean and my blood requires salt water to keep pumping. I guess I will have to leave this dreamy town. For now, off to a Mezcal bar and burros races. 

Surf Trip Day Five - Eight: Rio Nexpa

Actual Travel Date: April 3 - 6

Days in paradise began blurring together. Surfing in the morning, delicious cheap food and palomas the rest of the day combined with beautiful sunsets and an amazing beach created the perfect place to relax for several days. Instead of one post per day, I will try to sum it all up into one as best as possible and hopefully keep the order of events accurate.

Surf Trip Day Four: Pascuales to Nexpa

Actual Travel Date: April 2

I Wake up early, watch the surf and amazing sunrise, then get back in bed for another hour of sleep. I finally got the energy up to head out for the morning surf and it was my worst session yet. Only one wave and lost one of Ean's fins for good. Luckily Abe had one more pair but I didn't want to take a chance of losing one of those so I didn't paddle back out. Abe and Ean were getting some sweet waves so they surfed for a few hours. We had some amazing chilaquiles for dirt cheap, said goodbye to our new friends, and loaded up the mini-van. We once again thank Abe for being the soccer mom and driving us all around.

Surf Trip Day Three: Barra De Navidad to Pascuales

Actual Travel Date: April 1

6:40am, Abe's alarm goes off so we can get in an early surf session. First task, get the car out of the hotel parking lot where we were blocked in by two other cars. I warned them we would be leaving early the night before but Abe still had to argue to get our car out of the parking lot. Pretty sure that hotel hates us despite doing nothing wrong. We jump in the van and head out to a spot that was supposed to pick up the south swell filling in. It was a 10 minute drive out of town and another 10 minute drive on an unkempt dirt road through the forest to get us out to the point. Finally we arrive and after checking every possible surfable area, we didn't see a single wave. Either bad directions or the waves just weren't working that day, we were headed back to the hotel. We quickly checked the surf in town and decided to hit the road straight for Pascuales.

Surf Trip Day Two - Punta De Mita to Barra de Navidad

Actual Travel Date: March 31

After a long night in Sayulita, the goal of waking up early didn't happen. We strolled out of bed and were very surprised by the complimentary breakfast being served. This wasn't your typical cheap bimbo toast and coffee breakfast. Waffles, pancakes, juice, good coffee, multi-vitamins (I need as many as I can get), and that all comes with the friendly hospitality of the managers. Staying at SurfariMex Surf Inn was an great decision, the most chill and relaxing rooms with nice beds, colorful paint, clean bathrooms, Mexican style tile, and surf themed. Just remember, you will need that Oxxo kid to find it for you.

Surf Trip Day One - Guadalajara to Punta de Mita

Actual Travel Date: March 30

The boys arrive in town the night of March 29 and we were ready to hit the road the next day. First stop, rental car. We had a reservation for a mid-size car for a decent price but when the truth came out, they wanted to tack on taxes increasing the price 25%. Ean had done a little price check with another rental shop and we for the same exact price were scored a sweet mini-van that later proved to be exactly what we needed. We took out the middle seats, Abe posted up as driver, me as the passenger, and the kids in the backseat partying everywhere we went.

Surf Trip

Just stopping in to let everyone know Internet access is hard to come by around here and cost money. I will not have another blog post until Wednesday when I am back in Guadalajara. Right now my 3 friends and I are cruising the beaches of the Mexican pacific looking for waves. We finally found them in a small little village that is as close to heaven as you can get on this earth. Just to keep you hanging on until I get back to write about the adventure, here is just one picture to summarize the trip. Hope everyone is doing well, keep in touch!