Tropical Storm Cosme

The last few days have seen some high winds, rain squalls and big chunky surf from Cosme which has been spinning off the coast of Mexico.  It's left plenty of down time to learn how to edit video.  Here's the first effort from a culmination of clips during the first two weeks in Troncones:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOaoEu5uNGk&feature=youtu.be

If you have instagram that is where you'll find us for more of a daily look at life in Mexico.  I'm at: checkedout4now

Surfing In Mexico

When I was in high school my old man inaccurately prophesized that rock music would destroy my life.  Little did he know it would actually be surfing that would turn out to be my downfall .  Since I was a kid back in grade school, I always wanted to surf.  Our family trips to Ocean Isle in North Carolina fueled this desire to start surfing which always seemed painfully out of reach growing up in Chicago.  It wasn't until I moved to Portland and was able to try it for the first time in 1996.  At that point I was 26.  After trying it, I took several trips to try my hand again and again visiting Hawaii, Costa Rica and San Diego.  I'd go for week long trips to try to learn more about a sport I had obsessed about since i was a kid.  I even made several trips to Westport on the coast of Washington State when I lived in Seattle to try to better my skill set in the frigid 48 degree water.  None of it really clicked until i got to LA in 2003 to start my new job which I gladly accepted with the idea that it would get me in the water more consistently.

I met Melissa almost immediately when I got to LA and we would spend our weekends driving to Trestles, C Street or North County searching out where the best conditions might be on any given Saturday or Sunday.   We both eventually developed a pretty solid intermediate skill set and when the kids arrived that came to a grinding halt.  One of the big motivators for this trip of course was to surf consistently and get good before our bodies are too shot to push the limits of what we're capable of.  That is precisely what we've been doing the last two weeks averaging 4 surf sessions a week.  We'd be lucky to get this many in one month back in LA where our days were clogged with play dates, work, traffic, shopping, television and whatever else we could pile into a 24 hour day.

We've been logging the majority of our water time at La Saladita which is a short 15 minute drive.  it's a long left point break that has been referred to by some  as a reverse Malibu.  It's true to some extent with one big exception....  There aren't 200 of your closest friends clogging the line up on a solid head high south swell day.  We've had a lot of fun surfing this wave with Russell and Pedro who both have this spot dialed in after logging many sessions here.  It's a nice take off that spins down the line for up to 250-300 yards when it connects.  While not a top to bottom race track of a wave, it's a hell of a lot of fun allowing for you to work on any variety of skills from top turns to cut backs.  The crowd is always friendly and we find ourselves chatting up many travelers from California, Texas and Colorado in addition to the locals when were out there.

Last Friday we decided to head further north to The Ranch which is a bit further out of reach.  It's 45 minutes down a road that is currently experiencing heavy construction which exits into a small village where you follow a dirt road through the brush down to the point.  It has a very secluded feel with a small shack that serves up some fantastic tacos and huevos rancheros for a post session refueling.  That's about the only thing on the beach other than surfers.  When we arrived on Friday, south swell lines were pouring in with consistant sets in the 7 to 8 foot range.  When these waves hit they would rifle down the point with a lot of speed.  Both Melissa and I had some difficulty paddling into the waves with strong offshore winds and Melissa choice to ride a shorter board which she hadn't dusted off in years.  We each only had a few waves this day, but I did manage to catch one set wave that upon take off looked to be a solid foot or two overhead.  The wave freight trained out in front of me allowing me to ride it well over 300 yards to the inside carving multiple turns as I worked my way into the bay.  I probably didn't ride the wave as well as I would have liked, but it felt pretty darn good knowing we were finding what we came here for.

There are other spots we're interested in checking out down here over the next several months that require overnight trips like Nexpa.  It'll also require us to get our skills up to par since it's a dredging, barreling river mouth set up.  You'll again note the lack of photos.  We're working on getting the GoPro set up and any shots of us surfing at this point would likely be more comical than anything.   Maybe once we get things tightened up a little we'll share some.

 

Getting them started young:

 

 

 

We Finally Scored a Car....

We experienced some serious sticker shock as we shopped rental car companies for a compact car to get us into town and out to a couple of the point breaks that we moved here to surf.  Dollar, Enterprise and Thrifty all had great weekly rates all hovering around $250 a month.  Insurance for them was another $1,000 per month.  All I can say after speaking with several of these companies is that rental car insurance is the biggest scam on the face of the planet.

So we did the only logical thing one might do in this case to save a few bucks.  We took a referral from our property manager Russell to a local guy named Gustavo who stores cars for people that reside down here part time and also rents them to visitors like us.  I emailed him and talked to him briefly on the phone about pricing before arranging to meet him.  Unfortunately, when we chatted he only had a Suburban for rent which is way more of a vehicle than what we actually needed, but it was still far less expensive than what the traditional rental car companies wanted. for even a compact car.  I was about to find out why.

We met Gustavo in the parking lot of Commercial (a local mega grocery store in Ixtapa) and he was friendly, but a fast talking all business type of guy.  We walked over to a well road tested Suburban that probably is a mid 90's model.  He produced a half typed half had written document that looked less than legally binding and started walking me through the particulars before signing it.  He didn't ask me for a passport or ID, he didn't do a walk around to show me any irregularities or dents in the vehicle, there was no credit card required for the rental which all seemed unusual, but hey it's Mexico.  I shook his hand, signed his agreement and gave him $5,000 pesos ($415 US) upfront then it was a done deal.

After Gustavo left we did a huge shopping trip at Commercial and then started loading the kids and our haul into our new rig.  When I described this vehicle as "road tested" earlier I was being generous about its overall vibe.  Here is a quick assessment of the car after driving it for one day:

·         221,000+ miles on this bad boy.

·         Multiple seat belts missing or disabled.

·         Both sides of the rear quarter panels have been side swiped at one point or another.

·         Driver side electric mirror inoperable, but if I lean down low enough in the driver's seat it's still functional.

·         Rack on top rusted out and completely useless for strapping up surfboards.

·         Radio works but only plays Mexican music which is difficult to drive to.

All told it runs fairly solid despite the cosmetic issues and best of all the air conditioning works.  We're mobile and couldn't be more stoked.  Ranch here we come!

It looks safer than it actually is:

 

You Know You Live In Mexico When....

You're buying groceries at the local market and an 11 year old boy steps in front of you to buy 2 cigarettes (not an entire pack) and the lady behind the counter gives them to him like it was a pack of bubble gum.

You see a family of four riding on a moped, without helmets.

You arrange to meet someone in the parking lot of a grocery store to rent a suburban for cash over email.  Half now for the first month and the rest due when you return the rig - date TBD.

The 19 year old babysitter who watches your kids while you surf every morning allows them to eat Snickers, Doritos, cakes and crackers for the duration of your absence, on your bed, even though you've given explicit instruction otherwise.

You have found the most dangerous jungle gym in all of North America steps away from your new home and it is fast becoming one of your kids favorite play areas.

 

Note:  No photos for this one due to Google Mexico's extreem spottyness in retrieving email....

Stories Without Photos

A sure sign we're falling into the pace of life in Mexico is clearly illustrated by the lack of quality photos on this post.  The iPhone usage is way down and I don't carry mine anywhere with me.  This is good and bad.  Good because it's helping me detox from obsessive email and texting habits, bad because I don't have it on me for photos.  You'll just have to take what say in this post at face value with little to back it up.

For anyone that thought we were coming down here to stay in five star accommodations, think again.  The town we're in is fairly small and has a very local feel to it especially with it being the green season or rainy season.  Not many folks are here from out of town and the ones  that are here are primarily surfers who stay for a week then head back to the states.  There is no access to a cash machine or a huge commercial style grocery store in Troncones.  There is however a small market where we can get the basics.  The twenty minute drive to access these things really isn't easy since we haven't secured a rental car yet and have had to hitch a ride with our property manager when we can.  He's been awesome and without his help we would have really faced some tough challenges.  Once we have the rental car kink worked out ,we should be in good shape.

The place we're staying in is a nice two bedroom condo on the 3rd floor of a building near the center of town.   We have a beautiful view of the ocean and the surrounding area plus the temps that hover in the mid 90's are dramatically reduced by the sea breezes.  The style of living is an outdoor palapa with the bedrooms being air conditioned.  The outdoor style requires one of us to wake up and start sweeping up bugs and bat guano from the night before out of the kitchen and living area.  This has become a part of the routine for the last week and I imagine it will continue until November when we plan on heading to Central  America.  Cooking also has it's challenges since the kitchen is really only equipped with the basics.

The view:

 

There are two quick stories that illustrate what Troncones is really all about.  The first is our dining out experience at Chencho's.  This is a local place recommended by Russell our uber helpful property manager (who has really been more of a guide for us).  We walked the quarter mile in stifling heat to approach a large tin roof covering a very modest dining area with a open air kitchen in the back.  We were immediately approached by the friendly cook / waitress Angelica who is Chencho's wife.  Our kids were clearly moody because of the heat and unfamiliar surroundings which left them whiney.  Angelica took our order and headed back to the kitchen to begin preparations.  By the time she returned with what would be the best whole fried Red Snapper I've ever had, her daughter Yamalette was chatting up Jordan.  Angelica could see that our kids were being challenging, so she took them, along with her own kids, to the back of the house/restaurant to check out the chickens.  Leaving us to dine in relative solitude.  When was the last time someone took your kids out back to check out chickens at a house, let alone a restaurant you're eating at?  This was a pretty defining moment in the first week here.  The people are not only friendly, but they're willing to extend their hospitality on levels that many would never consider in the US.

Story number two has me walking the boys early Saturday morning to get some fresh fish from the local fish market.   The fish market is a beat up, rusted out Toyota pickup truck from 1993.  A local fisher sets up there every morning M-SA until 9A selling the mornings catch.  When I approached him he was standing over two healthy size blue fin tunas that had to have been roughly 25 lbs each.  I inquired what he had for sale and it turned out the tuna was the best of what he had that morning.   I agreed to purchase a kilo for $140 pesos or roughly $12 dollars US.  This fish would easily command $30 a LB in LA with it being sashimi quality.  His expertise with a knife was fairly evident as he carved four huge chunks from the whole fish, removed the skin and gutted it on a wooden stump in the back of his mobile fish market.  His wife then stepped in and filleted the 2 plus pounds of fish into grillable delights.   The people here are pretty hard workers and most have a specific skill set that has produced a tight knit community.

We found out just how tight knit this place is when Yamalette came back with us from dinner at Chencho's to play with Jordan.  I was speaking with Chencho after dinner and with my Spanish sucking pretty bad I apparently agreed to let her come back and play.  I didn't figure this out until she was heading down the road with us and had to ask Jordan for a quick interpretation of what just transpired in the short conversation I had with Chencho.  She's been by the last few days to swim with us and play in the skate park next door that has a semi dilapidated jungle gym where the kids play using Gatorade bottles as super soakers while mixing rocks up in other bottles to entertain themselves.  The locals don't have a lot here, but they are rich in many ways that go way beyond owning material items. 

Good surf on the way the next 8 days.  Next blog dedicated to the surf and our new friends we've met in the water.....

Happy Father's Day!

Slater having hilado with the locals:

 

 

Settling In

Getting out of LA was a complete mêlée and circus put into a blender that was liquefied into a meal you might serve to a person who has had their jaw wired shut.  But instead of vital ingredients to support life this one contained:

·         56 boxes plus all the furniture from our tiny 3 bed room home.

·         1 - 26 foot diesel moving truck that had to loaded to be driven 85 miles round trip and then unloaded into a storage space that now holds contents of our former life.

·         47 pints of beer consumed while saying goodbye to everyone we've befriended in LA over the last 9 years (this is the best estimate I could calculate over the last 2 week period in LA).

·         13 bags packed to move to Mexico including 2 - 7 ft. surfboard coffin bags with 6 boards total.

The last part was one of the most hellish parts of the trip.  We had so much stuff Embassy Suites insisted that we need to be taken  to the airport in our own shuttle separate from the other guests.   I won't even get into what a disaster customs was when we arrived.  It was no joke.

This process was maddening and now we understand why not many people just fold up their lives and head out.   After going through the process with the family, I'd have the say the number one reason more people don't do it is because it is a massive pain in the ass.  You'll also note there aren't any pictures of this mainly due to the fact that these events shouldn't even be documented on film.

It all ends like this:

We're moved into our place in a tiny town called Troncones.  It's a small surfing and fishing village that has a pretty vibrant culture.  The surf is pretty darn good to.  The first two days a large swell was hitting and produced 15 foot waves that are just now backing down to 5-8 feet.  We got to surf for the first time this morning and it resulted in Melissa catching a few good ones at La Saladitas point and I got a nasty reef cut on my foot after trying to come through a close out section.  More coming in the next week with the south swell season in full swing.

Were already finding out that things are pretty different down here.  We're basically disconnected from some relatively important things like a phone, TV, the Black Hawks run for the cup and the NBA finals.  All things we would take for granted back in So. Cal.  We do have internet, but it can be a little spotty.  I've waited about 2 days until the connection was good enough to post this.

I'll end this section with a little game we've been playing called "You know you live in Mexico when...."

·         You have to capture a live bat in your bed room the first night you arrive.

·         You see a 18 month old playing with a radial arm saw even though it's unplugged.

·         The main event in town on Sunday night is a live cock fight in the pueblo.

We'll continue the "You live in Mexico when..."   section on more posts with photos.