Baltzers' Ultimate Road Trip

Mexico

02/22/2011 - 03/29/2011 88 °F

mexican sunset

The first part of the following was written while in Mexico...but not completed. It was difficult to find the time to be on the computer when all we really wanted to do was enjoy the warm beautiful Mexican air, the breathtaking ocean views and the countless hours of relaxation. So here we are, back in Rocky Mountain house, several weeks after our return, and only now am I feeling like I can finish this entry and attempt to convey the experiences we had while in Mexico.

3 1/2 weeks ago we flew into beautiful Zihuatanejo Mexico, arriving to the warm ocean breeze and hot Mexican sun and we haven't looked back. Once we cleared customs and rented our car it was on to Troncones which is a small fishing/tourist/surfing town about 45 KM north of Zihua. We drove through several small towns, enjoying the views of mango groves, coconut plantations, pigs running down main streets, roosters pecking in the dirt. Eventually we hit Troncones, which is one of those towns that if you blink you risk the chance of missing it! We've been staying in the Troncones point surf camp and hostel for the past several weeks, enjoying meeting some interesting people....

....would it be cheesey and abit typical to say our time in Mexico was magic? Because that's really how it feels now that we are home. Of coarse with all the bad press Mexico is getting these days we were a little apprehensive, watchful and concerned intially. Yet within days of our arrival we realized that safety was definately not an issue, at least in the area we were. The hostel, with it's laid back feel was great, and definately not what you would think of as a typical hostel. It was intially built as a vacation home, then became a vacation home rental, so it was quite luxurious, clean and comfortable. We had maid service daily and our hosts, Celine and Patrick were very willing to assist us in whatever we needed, whether it be information, rides or translations. During our fourth week in Troncones our GREAT friends Shane and Selena arrived from Nova Scotia for a really amazing visit. We had hours of beach time and surfing and countless wonderful meals. BUt mostly we got to reconnect and catch up with friends we see far to little and create some wonderful memories.
Enos and Baltzers

Enos and Baltzers

waiting for the bus

So, with so many experiences to think of, what do I write about? The crazy public busses, zipping down the roads, much like a rollercoaster (only scarier). Or perhaps the unbelievably wonderful Patricio, the produce seller who 3 times a week would show up at the gates of the hostel with his produce truck overflowing with the freshest most flavourful product you can imagine. We would wait on those days....eager to see what he brought, the excitement when we heard his horn was much the same as you would imagine if an ice-cream truck were to find it's way in to a nieghbourhood full of children! More often than not he would gift us as much as we would purchase and would always spend some extra time chatting with Jeff...he chatting in Spanish, Jeff chatting in english, yet both able to realize that a friendship had formed. Upon leaving Troncones and moving in to a hostel in down town Zihua, Patricio and his family sought us out and gave us a tour of their city, a tour you wouldn't find through any tour company, ending of course with the best mexican meal EVER! If for no other reason we have vowed to return to visit with these lovely new friends.
Patricio and the Veggi truck

Patricio and the Veggi truck

One of my goals for our time there was to learn to cook some traditional dishes. So I found a couple of cooking schools that cater to tourists and attempted to book a class. For some reason this never really worked out so you could imagine my disappointment. Then one day a young family arrived at the hostel. Mom, Dad, baby and Grandma! I was extreemly excited when I realized they were from Mexico City and Grandma said she would be willing to teach me to make Chili Rellenos! I think that day will be one that stays near the forefront of my memories for a long time to come. The feast we had that night was fabulous, Chili Rellenos, Arrachera beaf (marinaded slow cooked pulled beaf), quesadillas, guacamole, salsas, fresh tortillas...

The Feast

The Food

So, for our final week in Mexico, we rented a car and drove to Acapulco to watch the famous cliff divers, then in land to Cuernavaca to see the castle Cortez built in the 1500's the basilica the Jesuits built at the same time and then even more impressivily the Aztec ruins found only a short distance out side of the city. Of coarse Payton found all this history facinating and would probably have spent days exploring this area, but we had more to see and our time in Mexico was coming to an end. Once we left Cuernavaca we drove, most definately off the beated path, to a place called Las Estacas, which is an area where natural springs bubble up out of the earth to create a series of little rivers and a lush jungle. We were able to rent a lovely cabin and enjoy these healing waters for a day and night, and were most definately not in your average resort.

The Castle

Out for dinner in Cuernavaca

The Ruins

Las Estacas

It is an area not often visited by gringos, the majority of the patrons being the wealthy from Mexico city, just getting away for a weekend. It was wonderful. Throughout our adventure we did not see another foreigner for days yet felt as safe as we would in our own neighborhood....as a matter of fact we had no problems stopping in the little towns along the route to buy sea salt or sopes at a road side stand. This was the Mexico we were itching to see and experience, and it was everything we had hoped and much we didn't expect.

Sopes Stand!

Angela's Hostel in down town Zihua

Our final days we did the All-inclusive resort experience...which was nice, but definately not the favorite part. IF you have a chance to holiday somewhere I would definately suggest at least one or two nights in a hostel, you meet a different sort of traveller and get a different sense of the area you are in.
Was Mexico scary and dangerous? I'd say no, we did however use common sense...didn't drive after dark...didn't break any laws, and worked at being as respectful of the culture as we could. Would we go back? In a second! The people are really lovely, the culture so rich, the food fabulous and the ocean warm!

awwww....

Posted by baltzers 07/12/2011 10:15 Archived in Mexico Comments (1)

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A decision is made

...and the trip is booked

01/23/2011

We've finally made a decision and we've booked our flights. We found this little town in southern Mexico where we will jouney too, and live for 5 weeks and we are EXCITED! The town is called Troncones, which is about a 45 minutes drive north of Ixtapa, where we have found a surf camp and hostel where we will live for the majority of our time in Mexico. So in the time being we will be practicing our spanish, writing, revising and then re-revising our packing lists and counting the days until we leave.
So, keep tuned and hopefully we'll have some fun stories to share soon!

Posted by baltzers 22:02 Comments (0)

2011...wow

Back in the Rocky Mountains

01/02/2011

So, perhaps you are wondering "where in the world are those Baltzers", it's been over a month since our last post and our adventure has veered widely from the original plan. We're actually quite impressed with our ability to adapt! Once we realized that Mexico was out of the question (at least to drive through) we weighed our options, looked at what we were/are hoping to get out of this experience and realized that we didn't want to hang out in Arizona, that we couldn't afford to continue to drive through the states for the entire winter and that we really didn't want to do that anyway. SO after much thought and discussion we decided that we should probably head back home, regroup and look to travel somewhere warm and beachy in the new year. Needless to say the kids (Chase mostly) were pretty darn excited about coming home. ANd even through the crazy winter driving, towing the trailer, getting stranded in Salt Lake City as the storm passed through, driving the black ice covered roads of southern Alberta as we were just about blown from the road by the high winds, even through the fear Jeff and I were feeling the kids excitement was palatable!
So, December 1st 2010 we arrived back in Rocky and as our house was rented out we were fortunate enough to stay with our dear friends Val and Andy. Once we got our house back the work began...and thus the absence of an update. We moved back in the house and have been unpacking and then hosting x-mas for my parents.
moving out of storage

moving out of storage

Now, being honest I have to say the thought of coming home was abit hard for me to swallow. I was really really looking forward to being on a beach somewhere in Mexico by December...walking to the market, practicing spanish, soaking up the sun, experiencing some culture. So to wrap my brain around coming back to the cold dark north...not pleasant! But I have been really surprised to realize that this was a good decision, that coming home was a good thing. In the short (5months) time we've been gone I think that we have really evolved as a family and as individuals and coming back here really solidified that. The appreciation for our family and friends, for our home, for our community, for our country that so often, in day to day life, we neglect to acknowledge is so present it's hard to ignore. So here we are, home sweet home, doing the things we love to do...drives in the cold snow covered mountains, cutting wood for the wood stove, hunting elk (yup the freezer's full!) sitting by the fire reading a book, vsiting friends...and doing these things the sense of 'right' is felt and we are hoping that we will remember this feeling and carry it with us now, that it will be the focus of our daily lives, replacing the negativity that so often takes that spot.

getting the Christmas tree

Gramma Ice fishing on Cow Lake

Having said that, we are currently in the process of trying to decide where to go next. We're considering Fiji, Southern Mexico, Thailand, or perhaps to join our great friends Shane and Selena back in Hawaii...where ever we go it will be for at least a month, and we know that the adventure will continue! (If you have an opinion as to where we should go we'd love to hear it)

So, to all of you, Happiest of happy New Years! May the Blessings of this magnificient creation remind you how fortunate you are to be living your life and may you always live every day!

Posted by baltzers 01/02/2011 09:05 Archived in Canada Comments (0)

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A couple more nights in Vegas

11/27/2010

We've decided to take my mom into Vegas and as we were there for Thanksgiving (US) we of coarse had to have turkey diner in a casino, which was good but definately not as good as home cooked. We also decided to take advantage of some of the famous black friday sales and although there were some good deals on electronics we didn't find anything really great on anything else...and man the people!

Apparently my mom has always wanted to see The Lion King musical and when she found out it plays in Vegas she insisted on taking us (thanks Momma!) It was wonderful....amazing really. But one of the most memorable moments of this trip to Vegas was definately witnessing the words Jeff and my Mom had with some PETA protesters...it was limited to afew comments but effective in getting their point across! (I was pretty proud of them).
So Happy Thanksgiving weekend USA!

Posted by baltzers 20:08 Comments (2)

5 full moons on the road

07/09/2010 - 11/23/2010 60 °F
View Baltzer's Road Trip on baltzers's travel map.

Baltzers in the desert

I know it’s been awhile but we’ve been busy! We’ve recently visited the Hopi Mesas, which are considered the oldest inhabited village(s) in North America. The villages are built up on the top of 3 huge mesas in central Arizona. If you’ve ever wondered why the US government gave so much land to the Navajo/Hopi, I think if you were to drive through their land it wouldn’t take you long to realize the why. As far as the eye can see...there is really nothing to see. Other than of coarse the unbelievably, breathtaking beauty of the land itself. The multitude of colors shades of reds, yellows, oranges, browns and blues of the sky. The mysterious shapes of the rocks in which you can find any number of faces keeping watch over the land. But it is almost beyond comprehension as to how these ancient peoples survived. The Hopi’s are an agricultural people, surviving on their success as farmers, but how? The land is dry and barren, yet as we drove through we were able to see the fields of corn growing and when we stopped at the Hopi cultural centre we were able to enjoy a bowl of their traditional Hominy and Mutton Stew. Those people who choose to live at the old villages do so without electricity, running water or plumbing. They do this as they feel it is important to not disturb the centuries of ruins they are built upon. Yet they are able to heat their ancient stone homes with coal and wood and have solar panels on some of the homes, but they still hall water every single day! Those we spoke with seemed happy and content and perhaps it’s unfair of me to think, but I couldn’t help but feel that this is a hard hard life to live and to think of what it would have taken to survive hundreds of years ago is unimaginable.

Meteor Crater

View at Meteor Crater

While in the area we also visited meteor crater, which was a great opportunity for Chase to complete her space unit in science.
Upon our return to Phoenix we were joined by Grandma (my Mom) who flew in to spend some time with us. We’ve enjoyed visiting with a friend of my mom’s (Robyn), who not only cooked us some wonderful elk burgers but then adjusted our backs (she’s a chiropractor) which let me tell you was much needed after spending almost 5 months in the truck!

X-mas in Phoenix

One of the really cool things about this part of the US are all the citrus and olive trees you can find. We've really enjoyed helping ourselves and eating the grapefruit and oranges and I'm currently in the process of brining some olives. But one of the best things we've found are the fresh dates! Now whenever I've had dates in the past they have been the rock hard variety you buy at the grocery store so I've never enjoyed them. These dates however are like a little gift from above! The taste,texture and sweetness are very similar to that of a really well made butter tart!

Oct Nov 070

We then made our way west, camping in a small town in the middle of the desert called Gila Bend. The RV park was really great, filled once again with friendly people from all over the US and Canada. We also met a couple from Australia who are extreem adventurists. They travel the world in their custom made offroad vehicle/camper. They have just arrived from Asia where they travelled all of the remote areas and are now enjoying the Grand Canyon area.

Australian Adventurers

But our furthest most southern stop on this trip so far has been Yuma which is located on the boarders of Arizona, California and Mexico. The first couple of nights we camped in the Cocopah Casino Parking lot for $5 for 3 nights! We met several other RV’s who were getting ready to head into Mexico. One couple in particular, from Calgary, worked pretty hard at trying to get us to join them in a caravan down to Baha, but the majority of those we’ve met have made the same decision as us and are avoiding driving into Mexico. And as we know our decision is the right one I didn’t realize it would continue to bother me as much as it has. I suppose the fact that we’ve been planning it for so long makes the reality that we aren’t following though a little painful. But luckily we were able to get a little of the Mexico feel (if not real Mexico at least tourist Mexico). We walked across the boarder at Los Algadonas where we were able to enjoy the colourful, noisy busy market. Payton especially got into the bartering, working the deals and practicing his Spanish, I’m sure if we’d spent the winter he would be fluent by the end of it. Chase was a little less into the bartering...until of course it came to buying her sombrero, her very large sombrero!

Mexican MArket

Sombrero Girl

Oct Nov 095

We really didn't want to worry about Chester so we found a grooming salon (and I use that term loosely) where we were able to leave him for $10/day. We were a bit apprehensive once we got a look at the place, not to mention the characters who ran it, but figured he would be fine for a few days. However, once in Mexico I got a call from the guy who asked if we could perhaps pick some iburophen for him as it's far cheaper in Mexico. (WIERD)! THe iburophen was $2.77 per bottle and when we picked Chester up the guy called it even...and Chester could not get out of there fast enough!

THe Dog Spa!

One of the major differences for me was the food. As we’ve been travelling throughout the southwest we’ve eaten some Mexican food which hasn’t been so great (all really tasting the same). But here we are, five minutes over the border and the food was wonderful! We’ve enjoyed the experience, my mom taking advantage of the cheap glasses and I was able to find some great gifts. Another surprise was the ease in which we were able to move over the border. It was far easier to get into the US from Mexico than it was to travel over from Canada.

Payton working the deals!

Chase and Grams

In Yuma we also camped afew nights at a full service park where much to our surprise we ended up right next door to a couple from Rocky! They spend the winters down in Yuma enjoying the milder weather.
We’ve decided to head up to Vegas for a few days as my Mom’s never been and are hoping to perhaps take in a show or two. So we’ve travelled up through the Lake Havasu area, camping for a night and are now back at the exact campsite on Lake Mead where we spent several days in mid Sept. At that time it was 105 degrees F (40 degrees C) which was unbearable without hook-ups (no AC) but now the temperature is only around 15 degrees C and as fickle as we can be we are wishing for just a bit of that heat!

Posted by baltzers 11/23/2010 07:40 Comments (4)