The Parish Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe in downtown Puerto Vallarta Mexico.
Sayulita Cerveza
Though this was no Easy Street I was pleasantly surprised to find some craft beer in Mexico. The word on the street is that craft beer struggles in Mexico because the large breweries have such a strong hold onto the distribution channels. Hopefully demand keeps growing and this can be overcome.
Sayulita Street Art
Keeping the walls interesting in Sayulita Mexico.
Bean The Yucatan Black Howler Monkey
We were introduced to Bean the infant monkey at Wildtracks Belize. There they do primate and manatee rehabilitation. That is Emma holding her who volunteers for the center.
Backpackers Paradise Sarteneja Belize
The pace of life in Sarteneja being well represented by this sleeping pooch at the Backpackers Paradise.
Runs On Fat And Saves You Money
A couple of interesting art posters we came across in Sayulita Mexico.
Hola From Tikal Guatemala
So far on our trip we have pretty much always been able to connect to the internet. But I know that is not always going to be the case so I had to develop a new system in order to keep photos and updates coming.
The need to do this was made evident this morning with our arrival into Guatemala. For the first two nights we are staying at the Tikal Inn which is inside a national park and within walking distance of the Tikal Mayan ruins.
The hotel is great. Our room is large, surrounded by beautiful plants, and a nice cool swimming pool is right out our door. It is a little slice of paradise in the Guatemalan jungle. But such seclusion comes with a few sacrifices, one of the being we only have electricity and internet from 6PM to 10PM each night.
With situations like this in mind I have begun to preload the blog with posts scheduled far out ahead. Mostly photo posts with a paragraph or two of words. I can write these in batches off line and upload them when we are able to connect to the web.
I’ve also connected the blog to my email service so that it automagically sends you an email every Wednesday morning. This way you can receive the photos and blogs posts straight to your inbox and I don’t have to worry about finding the internet to send you an email update every week.
That is a long winded way of saying that the emails you get from me will look a little different.
Tomorrow morning we have to wake up early to do a sunrise tour of the Tikal site that starts at 4AM. I am not looking forward to hearing my alarm when it is still dark out but I can’t wait to experience the jungle waking up around this ancient place.
Most of all though I am looking forward to going deeper into Guatemala and meeting her people, sampling her food, and drinking her beer. I would really love to visit a coffee grower because some good coffee comes out of here but I don’t know if that is going to happen.
I always like hearing from you so don’t ever be afraid to hit reply and let me know what is going on in your part of the world.
Taking An Elephant For A Walk
The circus showed up in town while we were in Sayulita Mexico. And apparently in Mexico when you need to take your elephant for a walk you just stroll him through the neighborhood that is in the area.
One morning on our way to breakfast we turned a corner in our neighborhood and saw this elephant grazing in someone’s front yard.
Punta Mita Mexico
On our last full day in Mexico was spent a few hours in Punta Mita. Though we enjoyed our time and it was nice to relax a few hours I could have done without this town.
That is because it is one of those towns that is almost 100% resorts and restaurants. Which means it is not very interesting and also more expensive. Though there was still some fishing going on by the locals and Joyce discovered another beach she might like to surf one day.
Mexican Minerva Beer
At most places in Mexico your choice of beer is either Corona or Pacifico. Maybe you’ll find the light versions of these as well. But anything outside those two is rare.
Thankfully Sayulita had one very well stocked grocery store that offered more choices.
Minerva is the goddess of wisdom and can be found on many state, city, and university seals around the world. And I think it would be wise if this beer was made more available because it was pretty good and a nice change from the typical Corona style beer found in the warmer places of the world.
Sayulita Mexico Table Art
There was one taco place in Sayulita that had a Mexican wrestling or lucha libra theme going. Each table was painted with a different image but I found this one to be the most interesting. Especially since the restaurant was right next door to a church.
Sarteneja Sunset
Free Long Distance Calls With Your Meal
In Sayulita Mexico we came across this ad taped onto a telephone pole and I thought it was an interesting marketing angle for a restaurant. I wonder how well it works out for them?
Coca Cola Around The World
I grew up drinking more pop than any other beverage. Back then it was Dr. Pepper because that is what my mom likes. These days I prefer the iconic and classic American concoction Coca-Cola.
Luckily for me this is the one thing that can be found just about anywhere in the world. And thankfully outside the U.S. it is not made with corn syrup but with good old fashioned sugar.
Here in Belize most of it comes in returnable bottles, either 350ml or 500ml. So once again I am back to paying a deposit and having to return the empties like we did when I was a kid with eight packs of 16 ounce bottles.
I do know some are of the opinion that Coke is downright evil because of the way it has crossed the globe. Me I am just happy I’ll always be able to get my hands on some sweet sugar water wherever we go.
The Pets Of Sayulita Mexico
During our month stay in Sayulita we met a lot of different animals that people kept as pets. Dogs of course are the most common but there were cats and the occasional more exotic critter like the one in the photo above.
We believe it to be a Coati which is a kind of raccoon and they are pretty common throughout Mexico and Central America.
The dog pictured here is actually being more active than most dogs we came across. That is because its eyes are open.
It is pretty common to see animals in stores and restaurants around Mexico. They have a different view of health codes than we do in The States.
Mexico ATM Buses
It seems once you leave the borders of the United States traveling by bus is a very common way to get around. In Mexico we used buses within towns and also to get from town to town. They are cheap and there are a lot of them. Though it can be a bit intimidating navigating the system at first, after a while it gets a lot easier.
The biggest challenge these buses have for the traveler is lack of luggage space. Rarely will you find an overhead shelf or coach style compartment. So if the bus is crowded that means you have to sit with your backpack in your lap.
The other big challenge is knowing your stop.
By The Numbers Photo Project
For many years now I’ve had the idea kicking around in my head to do a photo project where I took pictures of numbers starting at zero and seeing how high I can get. This trip seemed like as good as any time to give the project a go.
Today I found this zero at a local market here in Sayulita Mexico. Now I’ll have to keep my eyes peeled for a nice stand alone number one. And of course have my camera ready when I find it.
Will be fun to see how far I get.
Sayulita Beach Haiku
Doughnuts on the beach
A favorite Mexican delight
Bano 50 pesos
Everything Is A Miracle
There are two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle – Albert Einstein.
Scenes From Sayulita Mexico
Starting our trip in Sayulita was a very good choice. The only downside is that we are not going to want to leave at the end of the month.
Everyday the weather is near perfect. The ocean is warm, the food is good, and the people are friendly. I can understand why people say, “the magic of Sayulita grabbed me and I stayed.”
Here is a small gallery of photos from around the town. Click on any one for larger version and use arrows on left or right to navigate.
Mexican Devil Babies
Surfer
Iguana
Gone Surfing
Jesus Christ
Bug On The Beach
Sunset
Art Gallery Window
Coffee Shop Roasting Co
Pick-up Truck Full Of Tomatoes
Surf School
Caballos Bajo Un Puente
Gaucho
Make Up Your Mind
Roadside Doughnut Shop
Payphone
Surf Graffiti
Angry Jellyfish