Lynch Mob Mexico Style (not for the faint)

So the other day Scott and I were hiking with two elderly couples who were in town visiting. We took them up the the chapel on the hill behind my dad's house. you know, a nice leisurely hike. On our way up, Scott took a wrong turn with one of they wives and noticed something odd in the bushes. He quickly realized he was off course and took the wife back the way they came and found the correct trail.

Now Scott, being the gentlemen that he is, does not inform the lady of what he saw. But rather comes up to me and whispers it in my ear. I am shocked, disgusted and eagerly want to check out what he had found.

Yesterday we find the same trail, through a different route I might add, where we had to navigate through 80 degree incline dirt landslides, thorn bushes and literally had to carry my dog through and over a broken down barbed wire fence amongst the roughage. Not fun!

After finally getting to the trail head we walk a few hundred meters and look up to the left and there it is... My jaw drops, my mind races, my camera comes out.




Now it may not seem like it, but this dog is as big as a small bear. I have no idea why someone would want to lynch their dog from a tree 20 meters off a commonly used hiking trail but this was fuckin creepy. But not creepy enough apparently to prevent me from getting up close and personal to take a few pictures. As I walked up there the flies started to swarm around my face and body and the smell was god awful. After a couple quick snapshots I was more than ready to get the hell out.

on a side note, the dog must have been there for at least 5 days or so which leads me to believe there are no large Predators/Scavengers in the mountains. Good thing for me.

Safari De Mexico

It has been 20 days since we left Ajijic but we finally made it back. And neither of us got arrested or killed. Not that there was no lack of effort. I'll try and sum up our road trip as it was quite a sprint.

After a long week in Mexico city we cruised to Oaxaca which is known for its Mescal ( a type of tequila), mole (a mexican chololate sauce) and Chapulines ( grasshopper tacos) We feasted on all of the above. But let me tell you, grasshoppers go way better with mescal than by themselves.

We then drove to Huatulco where my friends from boulder, Greg and Wes live. Immediately after we got their we hopped on their boat and motored off to a secluded bay where we docked, swam to the beach and feasted on the freshest seafood i have had in a long time. A perfect way to get welcomed into a town. Not to mention that these guys are in the real estate business so we got styled out in a pimpsky pad the first night. There are pictures in the slide show. If you are ever in Huatulco and are looking for a place to stay check out my buddies. www.RRestateservices.com

Next we drove up the coast to a little hippy town call Zipolite where there is no shortage of bungalows you can stay in, weed you can smoke, or naked people to encounter on the beach. Although all of those do sound appealing, we only checked this place out for a night as it was a little too mellow for our needs.

So we headed farther north to Puerto Escondido which is considered to be a THE surf spot in Mexico. The waves were small and perfect for us since we both suck at surfing. After arriving at 8 am and spending 3 hrs in the water we checked into our hotel and got ready for Friday night. Apparently the hot bar in town only starts getting crowded at midnight and the disco tech opens at 2. So we knew we had to pace ourselves. After a 9 pm dinner we went to the bar which gradually filled with international travelers of all types. After staying there and partying till 2 we checked out the disco which had still not even opened yet. Fuck that. it was time for bed.

Acapulco was next on the agenda which was perfect since my cousin has a place there. A sick place right next to the yacht club. We partied all night when we got there then went out on a sailboat the next day. Perfect for a hangover. That night Gov and I decided to get some American culture back in our blood so we hit up Hard Rock Cafe, got burgers and shakes, and watched Sunday night football.

The last stop was Zihuatenejo which holds a special place in my heart. You see, Andy Dufrane ends up in this small town after breaking out of Shawshank prison only to be met by his good friend Red at the end of the movie. (Maybe the best movie ever). I went to a bar there and grabbed a pen and marked my presence with "Gut was here"

Now we are back in Ajijic and looking forward to having a home base for a while. I know this last post is not full of interesting anecdotes, but i tried to keep it brief. So much has happened in the last 20 days it is too hard to capture it all. Enjoy the sideshow. These are pics starting from just before thanksgiving until yesterday.

Click on the Slide show to enlarge it

Mexico City...Chingoneria!

After a few low key days of exploring Mexico City's tourist attractions

-Frida Kahlo, Trotsky, modern art, national history & anthropology museums
-The pyramids/ruins at Teotihuacan
-The historical district downtown
-and the 10 peso prostitutes located every 10 ft away in all directions right next to the vegetable and chicken stands (of which i assure you we did not take part in, but was a good indicator that we were walking in the wrong part of town)

We moved on to pursue more constructive endeavors with my Mexican friends Bobby and Jose and their amigos in town. Thursday night we got to bobby's house and had a jam/sing along session for about an hour before we went out to some live music and reggae bars. We randomly started talking to some girls at the bar, one of which was the slut on the first season of big brother out in Mexico. Paola something i think.

That will be my only name drop for some time.

The following day we hooked up with one of bobby's friends who knew of a day party. We first stopped by grano's house (grano means zit in spanish) which looked like a decent place from the outside but let me just say i was glad i had all my vaccinations before walking into to that shithole. After Zit's house we drive out into the middle of nowhere looking for this party. We park the car in a fairly poor neighborhood and start following the high school kids down an alley and into a to a field. The field of dreams as far as i am concerned. There were roughly 150 people there, aged 17-27 (we were the oldest by 2 yrs), all drinking from a bar that serves only 32 oz cups of michelada's (which are beers with clamato juice and chili powder)listening to Mexican disco techno.

Mind you this is 2 in the afternoon and most of the people there were in high school. Scott and i were the only whites there but we made friends quickly and hung around till about 7 at which time it was necessary that i go to sleep until 9am the next morning. I wish this existed when i was in high school.






Tonight is our last night in Mexico City and we plan to go out on the town. This week has flown by. Thanks to the family and friends I have out here, we were able to view the city from a multitude of perspectives. It is a city full of contrast that hosts both the beautiful and the ugly all along the same line. I have to say that we have been dancing around this line during our stay which has granted insights into a day in the life. Although we have felt very embraced, 1 week is enough time to get lost and found while appreciating the journey in between. It is time to start pressing on.

Thanksgiving... in Mexico?!

No, Mexicans do not celebrate Thanksgiving. Nor does my Mexican family. However a few years back my mom decided to force my cousins, Pablo and Lisette, to let both her and my dad come to their bed and breakfast to celebrate Thanksgiving. That year there were 5 people at the celebration (not all of them family).

This year there were at least 25 of members of the family in attendance. I say "at least" because we were all to busy drinking, laughing and getting to know each other that we did not have time to take a formal head count.

I am just starting to become acquainted with my Mexican relatives and I must say they are Fuckin Awesome.

Below are some pics of the weekend that my cousin Peter took. Mostly of family, Nature in the surrounding area and of the Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary.

The Butterfly Sanctuary is worth noting because for some reason (scientists are unaware of) every year the Monarch Butterflies fly from Canada to Mexico and congregate in certain parts of the forest in the mountains near Zitacuaro, Mexico. It is an incredible site to see. Now i am pretty petrified of bugs, and i sometimes (all the time) scream like a little girl if a spider gets within 3 ft of me, but i had no problem letting these butterflies engulf my personal space. Truly a magical and spectacular event to witness.

Click on the slide show to enlarge it


I am writing this from Mexico City, where Scott and I plan to hang for the next week. My cousin Pablo gave us his house to chill in. Last night we met up with my old roommate from Australia (he is Mexican)and drank some beers in the hood. I hadn't seen him in 6 yrs and it felt really good to catch up with an old buddy. We'll stay with him over the weekend where we will get the insiders tour of the all the dirtiest dive bars in Mexico City. Maybe even catch some live music too.

On Sunday the plan is to drive to the coast and get some sand in our shoes.