With a vengeance!
Summer has arrived – in FORCE!! The temperatures are up in the “warning” levels, the humidity is already here, and the first TWO named Pacific hurricanes are headed this way. Welcome to a climate change, el Niño, living in a desert summer! Seeing is believing! We won’t see any evening temps below the mid-seventies for the foreseeable future. The thunderstorms are the potential remnants of Hurricane Adrian. The next one, Beatriz, seems to be losing steam and may not give…
More Oaxaca: Food, Food, and Mezcal
We knew when we planned this trip that food was going to be at the center of all of our activities. Oaxaca has not failed in that respect. There are foods here that I’d never even HEARD of, even though I live in Mexico. Different region, different food. Not as much seafood (mariscos) here, but there are memelas, tetelas, LOTS of moles, empanadas and quesadillas that are very different from home, the list is never-ending! The food here ranges from…
Oaxaca adventure begins
We have been “accidental Mexpats” for almost 3 and a half years. During that time we’ve experienced “the before times”, full pandemic lockdowns, gradual easing of restrictions, flagrant disregard for a SERIOUS health threat, and eventual calming of emotions and acceptance of the “new normal”. Through this time, our dreams and joy of travel and adventure have languished behind a screen of uncertainty and health prerogatives. We are now embarking on the first of (hopefully) many adventures to new places,…
New Perspectives – Kayak
We’ve been talking for YEAR about getting kayaks. There was a lot of discussion about what specifics we wanted. Originally we were looking at sea kayaks with covered hatches and a rim for a spray skirt. Then we realized that we are living (nearly) in the tropics. The water here won’t have you hypothermic in under 5 minutes, we will be mostly in protected bays, and the weather is typically nice (no rain). We got two “sit-on-top” type kayaks. They…
Tropical Flora
The plants here are NOT what I’m used to. I have spent most of my life in temperate zones, so living in a hot climate brings new challenges, adventures, and beauty. Many of my plant photos are from walks – along the Malecon, around the neighborhood, etc. These were in the yard at our previous rental house: Who knew there were so many beautiful types of HIBISCUS? And BOUGAINVILLEA? And the other things, that I really don’t know what they…
More Malecon sights
Many Mexican cities have a “malecon”. In English it would be called the “boardwalk” (although here it is concrete, not boards), or the “seaside promenade”, or the “paseo”. Regardless of the translation, all malecons are the same – a lovely place to walk along the water in a beautiful Mexican city. The malecon is the center of social life – morning walkers/joggers, pet walkers, see-and-be-seen folks, evening post-prandial – everyone visits the malecon. Other than people, there are many public…
Malecón friends
I walk the Malecón just about every morning. Each day I see new things, or I see old things in a new way. I frequently see friends, birds, beautiful flowers, and random things that catch my eye. Today’s wildlife encounter was new and unexpected. I often see both of these animals at the beaches – away from downtown. Seeing these guys had me grinning 😀 all morning. Burrfish – a small puffer-type fish So cute!! It is really unusual to…
Sealions!
We recently had the opportunity to visit a sealion colony. A huge bonus was that the fees we paid would be used to help the local, volunteer paramedic corps buy their own ambulance. Why do they need to buy an ambulance? Good question! The health care system here is … different. The hospitals have private ambulances that they will (sometimes) send out to pick people up. But only if the patient has $$$ to pay. No dinero (money), no ambulance.…
Circuit Ricardo Tormo – MotoGP 2022
The second part of our trip, in Valencia, was for the purpose of attending the final races (Moto3, Moto2, MotoGP) of the 2022 MotoGP season. Going into these races, the Moto3 championship was the ONLY one that had been decided. The promoters for this race dubbed it “The Decider”. A little corny, but still a tense weekend for Moto2 and MotoGP. We were fortunate to be able to get VIP Village passes, which meant a private grandstand on the front…
Barcelona: Architecture
Going beyond just Gaudi’s well known structures in Barcelona, I had lots of fun taking photos of all kinds of little (and big) architectural details and styles. Purely Gaudi There is SO much Gaudi influence in Barcelona that it can be overwhelming! This trip, we did not go to Parc Guell, although it is AMAZING, we have been the last two times in Barcelona. If it were our first trip, we would not have skipped it. A caveat about many…