rattlevan
Da Van
Friday, April 20, 2012
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Semana Santa
Legit. |
Come to Mama |
And then, mostly because I was whining about hiking and camping and the mountains and produce that wouldn’t need disinfecting, we headed north again, stopping only for streetside grilled lobster, a few more beaches, a few more sunrises, a few more sunsets, a few more swims, a few more tacos . . .
We got in such a hurry that, toward the end, some of our stops were pretty workmanlike – Exhibit A, a dusty parking lot next to an abandoned bar on the side of the freeway. (Reason # 1037 that I hate toll roads: There’s nowhere to stop.)
And then -- all of a sudden, it seemed, truly -- we were at the border. The border of the United States of America. The U.S. of A. Etc. etc.
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Trip Log (South of the Border)
11/18 - Miramar
11/19 - El Fuerte
11/20 - Celestino Gasca
11/21-11/22 - La Peñita de Jaltemba
11/23 - Guadalajara
11/24 - Atlacomulco
11/25 - Antón Lizardo
11/26 - Palenque
11/27 - Escárcega
11/28 - Calderitas
Belize
11/29 - Crooked Tree
11/30 - Dangriga
12/1-12/3 - Hopkins
12/4-12/5 - Somewhere along the Hummingbird Highway
12/6 - Orange Gallery
12/7 - Belmopan
12/8 - Burrell Boom
12/9 - San Ignacio
Guatemala
12/10-12/13 - El Remate
12/14-12/15 - Flores
12/16 - Laguna Macanché
12/20-12/23 - Lanquín
12/24 - Cobán
12/25 - Uspantán
12/26 - Huehuetenango
12/27-12/29 - Quetzaltenango (Xela)
12/30 - Zunil
12/31-1/6 - Panajachel
1/7 - Chichicastenango
1/8 -Santa Maria Nebaj
1/9 - Acul
1/10 - Near Acul
1/11 - Santa María Nebaj
1/12 - Santa Cruz del Quiché
1/13 - Parramos
1/14-1/19 - Antigua
1/20 - Iztapa
1/21-1/22 - Hawaii
1/23 - Chiquimulilla
El Salvador
1/24 - Los Cobanos
1/25-1/27 - El Tunco
1/28 - Playa El Tuno
1/29 - Playa El Esterón
1/30-2/1 -Suchitoto
2/2-2/3 - Parque Nacional Los Volcanes
2/4-2/5 - Suchitoto
2/6 - Bosque El Imposible
Guatemala
2/7 - Near Taxisco
2/8 - Near Coatepeque
2/9 - 2/13 - Antigua
2/14-2/20 - Antigua (Beth), Los Angeles (Chuck)
2/26 - El Remate (Beth), Antigua (Chuck)
2/27 - Tikal (Beth), Antigua (Chuck)
2/28 - Flores (Beth), Antigua (Chuck)
2/29 - Antigua
3/1-3/2 - Panajachel (Beth), Antigua (Chuck)
3/3-3/10 - Antigua
3/11 - Chiquimula (not to be confused with Chiquimulilla)
Honduras
3/12-3/13 - Copán Ruinas
3/14 - La Ceiba
3/15-3/17 - Utila
3/18 - Tela
3/19 - Parque Nacional Cerro Azul/Meambar
3/20 - Gracias
3/21 - Copán Ruinas
Guatemala
3/22 - Antigua
3/23 - Near Coetepeque
Mexico
3/24 - Puerto Arista
3/25 - Huatulco
3/26-3/27 - Puerto Ángel
3/28 - Puerto Escondido
3/29 - Acapulco
3/30 - Zihuatenejo
3/31 - Caleta de Campos
4/1-4/2 - San Patricio Melaque
4/3-4/5 - Sayulita
4/6 - Celestino Gasca
4/7 - El Fuerte
4/8 - San Carlos
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Not-so-sleepy fishing village
We camped next to the beach where all the fisherman moor their boats and bring in their catch solely for the entertainment of tourists. Although it might have been a good place for fishing and they might have been doing it for legitimate reasons such as livelihoods, I suspected right away that it was actually just a promotion by the tourist board of Mexico to entertain the tourists. It worked on me.
I love fishing. Not necessarily the act of it because I’m actually not that good at it despite what I may have told you in the past. I like the whole idea of it. Done right, it can be a sustainable (and delicious) way to eat. I like the boats, the ocean, the strategy, the excitement – all of it. It may be a coincidence that I just read The Old Man and the Sea again and that may explain my fascination and romantic obsession with it, but just the same, I love fishing.
I watched the fisherman repairing their nets and cleaning their gear late in the afternoon on the beach and awoke early the next morning to beachside bustle. The fisherman were coming in with their catch and selling it off with great excitement. There is a system for this that is pretty amazing to watch.
The first thing that happens is that they come to shore to offload the crew who then prep for the actual arrival. (Well, the first thing that I was privy to, I bet that there were many more things that happened very early in the morning while I was busy sleeping in rattlevan.) The boat pulls up and the crew gets out. Often, family members and fisherman on shore will come excitedly out to see what the haul looks like. In one instance of a particularly good or profitable catch, wives and friends were ecstatic when they saw the fish. In others, such folks ambled away cursing bad suerte.
The crew comes ashore and assembles a path composed of several sticks laid on the beach to ease the boat’s arrival. Then, the boat heads out and picks up speed straight towards the beach and the path of sticks. It’s a little disconcerting to see a fishing boat heading full-speed straight towards you as you stand on the beach. It’s also hard to line up a good camera angle to catch the excitement while the fisherman all around you are yelling silly things about getting out of the way and watching out, alternating their addresses between amigo and gringo. I learned that it’s a good idea to listen to them because some of the captains are a little better at this dynamic maneuver than others. When it works well, it’s pretty smooth. The boat lands right on the sticks and slides smoothly onto the beach right as the motor winds up to screech and is killed. It comes to rest a couple of boat lengths up the beach and the captain acts super cool like he wasn’t even trying. When it goes poorly, the captain misses the sticks, the boat screeches to a stop near the water and he has to endure good-natured jeers in the form of whistles from a hundred peers.
This is when the fun begins. Before the boat even comes to rest, buyers swarm it. Some of them represent resort kitchens looking to score the best fish for the day’s meals and some of them are individuals looking to take the freshest catch home to their families. It’s an interesting exercise in dickering as the captain stands in the boat and people snatch up fish, haggle and complain about the prices. The wad of cash in the captain’s hand quickly grows.
Once the fish is gone and hauled away to various grills, fryers and sauté pans, the more mundane work of disentangling, repairing and cleaning the nets begins.
The whole spectacle was fascinating to me. I only saw the shore side of the drama but I filled in the rest with Hemingway’s tale of the old man and his struggle. Next time, I’m going to get up much earlier and convince one of those captains of my fishing prowess and good luck and see if I can tag along and help 'em out. I’m sure they need an extra hand on board and I won’t get in the way even a little bit.
Friday, March 30, 2012
Mexico Revisited (Lazily)
Snorkle |
Since Zipolite and Mazunte, we've covered a lot of ground along the coastline. A lot of ground covered, of course, means a lot of police and military checkpoints. This time around, we discovered our secret weapon to bypassing the annoying inspections: Lena. That's right, our vicious, "muy brava" guard dog. Here's how it works: The police/military dude says he wants to search the car, and just as he opens the back door, he sees Lena. Chuck is pretending to hold her back (you know, to keep her from mauling the guy), and the cop invariably asks if she's "brava." I always say "just a little bit." This, with only one exception (impressive considering the number of stops - three within our first hour back in Mexico, for example) has been enough to keep the cop/military guy from proceeding. Usually the guy will joke around with his colleagues about the dog, and his colleagues will make fun of his fear goodnaturedly, and we'll be waved on our way. Good dog!
Or at least we hope that's how it'll continue to go.
Monday, March 26, 2012
Random Notes and Instructions, Part I
2. It is possible to go four months (and counting) wearing only the following clothing: one pair of jeans, one pair of pants, two sundresses, two t-shirts, two tank tops, and one long-sleeve shirt. You really don't need more clothing than that.
3. Wash-and-fold laundry is the best thing in the world.
3. Hygiene is a relative concept, and swimming (ocean, lake, or pool) definitely counts as showering.
4. It is possible to live for four months (and counting) without apples, and without kale. Difficult, but possible.
5. No matter how many times you'll see dog or horse roadkill, it'll always suck.
6. You'll hate yourself for it, but goddamn after a few months you'll really start wanting a giant Starbucks coffee in a paper cup. With a lid. To drink while driving your car. What a jerk you are.
7. After you've been on vacation for three months, a well-meaning woman on her week-long trip will recommend a masseuse to you. Immediately -- rudely but inadvertently so -- you'll laugh in her face and exclaim, "But I'm already just so relaxed!"
8. After four months and counting, you'll wonder out loud where you'll buy water once you get back to the States, because you'll actually forget it's possible to drink the tap water there.
9. After three months in Central America, Mexico will feel like the United States.
10. After going for days on end without internet access, having access will seem like the most amazing thing in the world.
11. After half an hour of internet access, you'll remember that the internet isn't that exciting after all.