January Expenses

Well, nice to see our expense report is finally back to normal for January! In fact, it's the cheapest month for us in almost a year.

Normally, we do not spend very much money while touring Mexico. Last year's trip was an anomaly because we were still responsible for our fuel and toll road costs and there was a lot more driving involved than usual. This year, our route is a lot less distance and we try to stay off toll roads when it makes sense to do so.

Bought some more flight tickets!

Our regular readers will remember that we cancelled our plan to go to Newfoundland with the motorhome this summer when I bought us some cheap tickets to Australia. The Australia flights are from Calgary to Melbourne on May 16th.

Then, I bought us a couple of tickets from Ottawa to Calgary on May 8th. We will rent a car in Calgary and go back to Cabri, SK for a couple of days to visit. These tickets were on sale for $220 CAD each and I had enough Visa Travel Points to pay for them both.

Beach time

Went to a few different beaches yesterday. We were actually trying to check out some tour prices for the group. We were thinking of doing either a dolphin/whale watching tour, or a trip out to see the bio-luminescence effect in the lagoon near here.

There aren't many places in the world where you can see the bio-luminescence... Ruth and I saw a similar effect in South Africa.

Happy to be back with our Mexican family!

Yesterday, we brought the group from Playa Tangolunda in Huatulco to Playa Carrizalillo in Puerto Escondido. Not a long drive, so we didn't set out until 9:00am.

We haven't been in Puerto Escondido since 2014! Despite the fact that it is our favorite coastal town in Mexico, it just didn't happen the past couple of years. And after doing last year's route that didn't include any of our three favorite places, we weren't about to miss it this year.

A face only a mother could love...

Ruth and I went for a stroll on the beach here at Tangolunda Bay yesterday morning. While it's too hot to do any actually exercise as such, going for a "stroll" is okay.

Lots of people out enjoying their one and two week all inclusive resort time.

Bike ride and chicken lunch

The roads around Huatulco area are really good for bike riding. Well, except for the fact that there are a lot of hills! But, it's the hills that give you some good exercise... so Ruth and I finally got the bikes off the back of the motorhome and went for a ride.

This is the first time since we crossed the border eight weeks ago today that we have used the bicycles. There is not really a lot of opportunity in the first half of the trip... but there will be more in the second half.

Snorkeling day at Playa la Entrega

Yesterday morning, eight of us hopped in two taxis to head to the other side of La Crucecita to one of the best snorkeling beaches in Mexico... Playa la Entrega.

It's located on a very calm bay with a reef so there is always lots of sea life. Strangely, it's a very "Mexican" beach and not that many gringos go there. Quite a change from Playa Tangolunda where it is mostly white people due to the three all inclusive resorts.

Beach time and birdwatching

Nothing planned with the group yesterday. Good thing though, because after the long drive on Wednesday everybody needed some relax time. Four of us did go into the town of La Crucecita to the big Chedraui grocery store there to do some stocking up.

At 9:30am though, Ruth and I went for a walk on the beach before it got too hot. Here on the southern Pacific coast of Mexico, the temperature is a very consistent 30C (86F) every day.

Long drive to the coast

We've been in Mexico for just over 7 weeks and we finally made it to the Pacific Ocean. We're going to spend the next three weeks or so having some beach time as we make our way up to Zihuatanejo before heading inland again.

But it was a bit of a drive to get here!

Off to the beach!

Yesterday was a rest day so everybody did their own thing. A couple went into the Walmart, and another couple had missed the big tree the other day in el Tule, so they went in to see it on their own. I think everybody else just hung around the campground.

We chose to get out and get some exercise because we had seen a path going up a hill in behind the campground. Bob and Denise like to hike too, so they came with us along with dog Scarlet.

The biggest tree in the world

Only 5 kms (3 miles) down the road from the campground is the town of Santa Maria del Tule where the largest tree in the world is located. Not the tallest... the largest. To be more specific, the largest diameter of the trunk.

So yesterday morning, we got the group down to the main highway and flagged some taxis to take us to the central plaza where the tree is located.

The petrified waterfalls at Hierve el Agua

Our driver Omar arrived with our 20 passenger van right on schedule at 9:00am. This time, we had 15 people heading out. There is another couple here at the campground in their VW campervan, and we invited them to join us for the day of touring. Plus, more people in the van makes the cost per person cheaper!

First stop was the huge Sunday market at Tlacolula.

Back by happy hour!

A bit of a long day for me yesterday. I was up at 3:30am to get to the bus station in Oaxaca City in time for my 5:00am departure to Puebla.

Our campground host Del, was nice enough to get up at silly o'clock with me to drive me into the bus station.

Rug weaving, alebrijes, and pickpockets!

Most of the villages around the city of Oaxaca have specialty artisans. We visited two of them on Friday.

Our driver Omar showed up with a fancy 20 passenger van that we had booked for 9:00am. The van with bilingual driver rents for 370 pesos ($20 USD, $26 CAD) per hour. Omar can be contacted at [email protected].

Travel day... Puebla to Oaxaca

I'm certain that Roy and Sue thank you all for the "get well soon" thoughts. And, it seems to be working. Sue is pretty much back to normal, and Roy is improving every day. I'm pretty sure they'll be ready to travel when I go to collect them on Saturday.

In the meantime, the rest of us did the fairly long drive to Oaxaca City yesterday.