Let’s start by saying there are two roads to Barra de Navidad from Guadalajara. One is “la libre”, 80, which turns off from the toll road to Colima 10 minutes after the Plaza Outlet Mall thing. This is the one we took as the signs said “Barra de Navidad this way” and looked good to me, despite Sita shouting “don’t turn off here!”. Depending on the traffic and the competence of the driver this windy, twisty, convoluted, corkscrew route will take around 6 hours and you’ll see more topes than you should ever have to see in one day (see video in César’s blog). That said, it’s a stunning drive through the mountains. We set off late and arrived after dark, Sita and Monica checked out 5 hotels or so before settling on El Marquez de Santana which was perfect. Clean rooms, close to the beach, cable, secure parking, A/C, friendly staff and a pool for 60 bucks a night… bargain.

We wandered into town and had an outstanding meal at a restaurant whose name I forget, which overlooked the lake. Then continued on to Rocktavios where there was live music and a few tequilas on the beach. Next day was quiet, breakfast on the beach where the (short/long sighted/ blind?) waitress said I looked like Ricardo Arjona of “Pinguinos en la Cama” notoriety. Then shopping for trinkets. Then beers on the beach, pozole, nap, beers, DanceDanceRevolution, meal, wander, bed. Lovely day.

Yesterday we set off in search of Tenacatita to check out the mangrove swamps. It was a lot further along the coast than the bloke at the hotel said, so we had breakfast in Cuastecomate and watched pelicans doing their thing in a gorgeous natural harbour surrounding. We eventaully got to Tenacatita and had more food and then hired ourselves a lancha and lanchista (300 pesos, 16 quid an hour) who showed us round the manglares at high tide. A lovely refreshing ride, with none of the fauna we expected (no crocodiles nor snakes) but a fair few crabs and different coloured garzas (storks, i think)… High tide meant dodging the low hanging mangrove roots but was fun all the way…

After all that, back to Gwod. But not on the 80, we went to Colima on windyish roads, then pretty much 5 star roads from there on taking about 4 hrs all in all.

Monica’s got an alternative version of events over here. and there’s plenty of pix as usual at Flickr central.

Here’s a low res virtual tour of the Manglares de Tenacatita:

But not before checking out b3ta’s Friday linksfest. Fave bits: UK cleaning product advert gets the video treatment: Cillit Bang Remix takes me right back to me happy hardcore days. ‘Ard core raver, do ya-self a favour… And the dirt is gone. Class…

And amazon.co.uk’s reviews of Peter Andre and Katie Price’s new album.

And still haven’t completed level one of this mousetrappy game type thing.

Normal service, photos and bla bla bla on Monday. Happy weekend agaveweberos.

Had a nice afternoon/evening yesterday. First round Amour Fou to sort out some computer problems and catch up on Anel and Claus’s teutonic adventures then on to Goa to eat our own weight in curry. A & C gave me a bottle of Shnapps which will doubtless help stave off the non-existant cold round here. Tonight’s festivi-dees include peeps coming round here for pizza and drinks then Bar Calavera at 10:30ish for some Pocilga Beat, choons and ale.

Word of the week: Pocilga. Literally a pigsty. As is this place looks like a pigsty. Unlike my tiny, freshly-painted, new office for example. (give me a few days…)

And I’ve added another room to the mansion here. There used to be a room halfway up the patio stairs that doubled as a storeroom/ cockroach graveyard. I’ve just tidied it, swept it and painted the walls and once I’ve done the ceiling I’ll have a decent little office and should free up some room around the place. What did people do before wireless internet? Just have to get a cordless phone and away we go. Again.

Have another misty photo from yesterday of Tonalá’s latest craze- Follow-you-round-the-room-Jesus . I reckon he’s looking at Daniel to my left, mind. Just as unsettling as one of my favourite YouTube videos.

I cleaned the lens on me camera today before heading off to Tonala, but by the time I got there the lense had steamed up on the inside with the special cleaning fluid. I’ve been googling ways to get rid of it but all the results come up as “DON’T put drops of cleaning fluid directly onto the lens as it can cause condensation inside”, well, I worked that out for myself. How do I get rid of it is the question… I’m hoping that leaving it to bake in the car for a while will sort it out. In the meantime, I’ve got some interesting pix of Tonala with a hazy frame effect… Just hope it won’t be a permanent feature of my photography…

Also, M & D got their wardrobe. Here’s Monica in the back of their car with it:

The Artichoke place was nice enough, but unfortunately a few hours later I suffered a night of what has now become a fortnightly bout of gastric fun… If I’d know about CEPE’s new scatological bent they’d’ve been very interested. At times this house seems a home for sick gringos…

Anyway, all better now, thanks and heading to the place where Guadalajara was founded the second time, “The place where the sun rises”, Tonalá to go wardrobe shopping with M & D. That’s shopping for wardrobes, not things to wear… Sita’s up to her eyeballs in academia again so she’ll not be coming along but might tag along for jeans shopping in Plaza del Sol this avo. We also decided last night that next weekend we’re going to Barra de Navidad for a change. I’ve not been there for 10 years or so, it was the first time I saw the Pacific Ocean. There were waves and I managed to take the skin off my stomach when I got plunged into the beach by a Pacific breaker. I still vaguely harbour ill feelings toward the waiter at the restaurant who recommended I put salt and lime on the wound to help it heal. Strange how searing pain can help your memories… Anyway I’m older and wiser less young now (nearly 32…) so I’ll not be taking waiters’ advice on matters medical this time round.

Our little Agave Tequilana, itself grown from an hijuelo (or Agave Pup, as I’m unreliably informed by teh interwebs) stolen from the fields of Tequila, Jalisco has sprouted two new Hijuelo shoots. So in a week or two they can be replanted and maybe go some way to stopping itinerant cats crapping in the garden with their soon to be spiny pencas.

Help yourself to the photos, now with an all new Creative Commons share alike license. Don’t go crazy now…

Talking of agaves, I read Sita’s 2nd chapter in her dissertation today and it’s brilliantly written, fascinating stuff all about pulque, mezcal and tequila’s road to prominence in the United States of Mexico… Also, agave expert Ana’s coming round and we’re off for a meal in famous local restaurant called something like the Artichoke Heart. Should be good.

Hmmm, what did I do yesterday? Well we had a look at another furnished apartment with D & M but it was downright strange and far to pricey. Monica wasn’t overly happy with the lighting and I couldn’t deal with the weird combination of 70s lounge styling and random Catholic iconography in all its gory detail around the place. Never mind, no rush and all that. Sunny D’s still got some kind of throat infection so he’s not been able to go to Spanish classes. Bless. Anyroad, after looking at the house I survived a street hamburger and wandered round with me camera again as evidenced here :

I’m looking into taking some quick courses at the UdeG on various techy topics. PHP and advanced Flash look inviting enough and a snip at 100 quid or so for 20 hours instruction. That’s me next port of call.

Last night Daniel, Monica, Carlos, Jonathon and I went to the Lucha Libre. The usual plan is to meet at the Rincon de la Doa for pre-lucha banter, but it’s being remodelled so we ended up at the nearly empty Nuevo Leon. We drilled Monica on her Spanish verb tenses and got some tequila in to make the upcoming theatrics easier to believe. And once again the luchadores did not disappoint. The stand outs were Hijo del Rayo de Jalisco and some bloke in red gloves with vaguely indigenous features whom the audience chanted “Pocahontas” at… Another solid evening’s entertainment.

And since you’re doubtless wondering what I had for tea yesterday, Tortilla Espaola, and then Tacos de Carne Asada from Tacos Reforma (y Americas). Thanks for asking 🙂

My site’s playing up today, probably best not to submit any comments just in case. My budget web host, Ehostone promise they’re on it…

Just a few flights and car rental to sort out and WE’RE GOING TO THE YUCATAN! Staying here and seeing all manner of things. This is going to be SO GOOD! And I’m not one to use exclamation marks lightly…

Alrighty, with that paradise in mind, back to the translation.

Had a nice long walk this morning through markets and quiet Sunday streets and metroed it half the way back, photos flickrwards as per usual.

Yesterday Monica’s turn to cook came round again and we had bbq’d chicken and other stuff, then round Jose’s casita in the evening and drinks at Cafe Colibri. We’re also working our way through another HBO series, Big Love all about a polygamous mormon family and the special flavour of hell that it all entails. Essential viewing. Righty, back to Cancun research.

There’s 150 of the buggers, not 50 as first thought… Here’s me making friends with Earth Cow in Chapultepec:

I was reading in Sita’s book on the History of Salt (more interesting than it sounds) about how modern cattle are domesticated aurochs– vicious wild beasts that used to leave a trail of destruction across swathes of Europe.

Last night we went to Tinto y Blanco for the first time. It’s owned by a sommalier/chef bloke and is famous for its wines, so we felt quite safe ordering carafes of the house red. Sita reckoned the Pinot was where it’s at though. The portabella appertiser was the best thing we had there, though my asparagus and mushroom crepe was well nice. Having returned recently from the British Isles it’s nice to convert the prices to pounds sterling and feel even better about what you’re eating. Anyroad, then on to bowling. Somewhere along the line, my thumb’s got bigger and thus a shot where I couldn’t let the ball go and ended up chucking it in the air and it landing somewhere half-way down the lane, amazingly without leaving some smoking crater… It was a dodgy game all round, though Monica improved 10 fold, Daniel was consistantly brilliant and Sita’s always been a great bowler. I was not on form… Any road. We’ll play the decider once our scars heal.

Another spanish word of the week: La Baticueva. Bat cave. Bats of course, are called murcielagos… Here’s the one we saw in Los Colomos park t’other day. We also managed not to molest any of the fauna, which include abandoned house rabbits…

M & D are still casa-less, but they’re on it. We’re off for a meal somewhere and then bowling. It’s been a while, not since Ed was here this time last year. I think I’ve seen The Big Lebowski more times in the last 2 years than actually gone bowling. Anyroad, I’ve put on some nice, clean socks especially and am ready for a few white russians and fluking the occasional chuza (strike) at the bolinche…

So I can play my “favourite” game of trying to find a decent program to watch before I finish my sandwich…

Having a grand old time of it with Monica and Sunny D. Events so far have included house-hunting, a couple of parties, Colomnos park, markets, dinner parties, computer repairs, and DVDs aplenty (see Film Reviews).

I’m trying to fall back into some kind of routine which should include more regular blogging, but what with 3am cockroach scares and stuff things are still settling down.

Mexican Spanish word of the week: Tope – A road bump/ sleeping policeman thing. Ubiquitous in this particular part of North America. In Spain they’re Guardias tumbados I think, or sleeping (Civil) Guards

Since I left Gwod the cows have arrived, 50 odd of them I think. Just snapped a fraction of them today with my PDA so the quality’s not grand, but so far they’re an impressive bunch. We’ve now seen cow parades in Geneva, Atlanta and somewhere else that escapes me now… Chicago? Anyroad, little by little things are approaching normality round here.

No word from M & D as of yet… Hope they didn’t turn around and go back to L.A. to check on the cats.