Scenes from around town...

Lot's of waves in the past few days, and lot's of people in town.  I thought I'd post a few pics of the area around Barra.  First, the map above shows the general area I'm located in southern Mexico.  I'm roughly in the middle of the screen area.

I've gotten a couple of new neighbors recently, a pair of bulls or oxen or something.  They are roped together and don't really do much other than eat and sleep, and every night about 9 pm they grunt and make weird noises for about 30 seconds.  They are no more than 30 feet from my rig.

I'm writing this from the internet cafe here in Barra de la Cruz.  The town is quite small, but the people are quite happy, and their lives revolve around this little town and its resources.  There are a couple of lagoons where they farm-raise Tilapia (fish), and there are the ever-present fishermen at the beach, and then the diverse array of tourists.  I've met guys (and some girls) from Ireland, England, Israel, Australia, New Zealand, Switzerland, Norway, Finland, USA, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Germany, Spain, France, and probably a few other countries I can't recall off the top of my head.

one of the main streets in town, internet cafe sign in middle-left of frame

close-up of the internet cafe sign

The internet works only sporadically here--as in you come in to town and check--if the gate is closed, no internet, if the gate is open, then maybe internet, and you walk up the stairs and check.  The family that runs this place is a bit eccentric.  One (or more?) of them is raising deer to help repopulate the depleted population in the area.  They hand feed the deer, and they really like bananas. They also have a couple of ducks and a goose in the yard.

Baseball is big down here--to the point of at least equality with soccer/futbol, if not even more popular.  They have their own field up on a high flat point close to the beach.  There's a game today against another local town.  The owner of the place I'm staying, Pepe, is one of the main players.  I threw the ball around with him some the other day, and am going to try and get up to the field to see some of the game.  I'm not quite sure how they make it work, as the field is pretty bare-bones.

baseball field looking down third-base line, "dugout" on the left.

looking down first base line from home plate, "dugout" for the other team.

The view descending from the field is pretty impressive, too.

And, in closing, just a little taste for my surfing friends.  This was Wednesday, I believe:

As always, more to come!!!

More sun and fun in Barra....

The sky has been blue, the water gin clear, and the sun has been shining non-stop for the past 7 or 8 days.  The waves have been gradually getting smaller, to the point where several of us have brought out the longboards--not a known commodity here in the land of relatively hollow and fast waves.  But the gentle waves and crystal-clear water have been a real playground for the past 4 days or so.  A new swell is forecast to fill in over the next day or so, but I'm including a few pics I took from the water on my big longboard just yesterday.  I'd almost forgotten I had the little gopro camera and mount for my big longboard.  It fogged up the first time out, but I went in for lunch and a little hammock time and by the time I was ready to go out again, the problem seemed to have resolved itself.  

Not much to report otherwise.  We had a bit of a celebrity encounter the other day--women's world champ Steph Gilmore and her crew of photographers spent a couple hours in the lineup with us mere mortals the other day.  She was quite nice, but ripped those little shoulder high waves apart.  By far the best surfer in the water, and some of the locals here are pretty good.

Anyway, the internet in town has not worked for the past few days, and it is this morning.  I'm already tired of sitting here and typing, so I'm going to get back to the important stuff--getting my board and my butt down to the beach and into the water.  More to come!!!

Stormy weather in Barra...

Smallish waves and variably cloudy skies from Sunday

Today we are getting some early effects from Tropical Storm Dora (soon to be a hurricane).  Beautiful sunrise and cloudless skies this morning gave way to increasing winds out of the southeast and a messed-up surf break.  The clouds have begun their advance as of about lunch time, and we can expect only worsening conditions.  Dora is forecast to track roughly parallel to the Mexican coast for the next few days, which should take it away from us here in Barra and hopefully diminish the stormy surf conditions.  No real concerns about weather impacts for us here, just the surf.  There are quite a few people in town right now, and it would be nice if the storm took a few of them with it!

Not much news to report, otherwise.  Hitched a ride into Huatulco with Zach and Sachi again (internet in Barra doesn't work on any sort of regular schedule, and not at all lately).  Sitting in the lovely "Italian Coffee Company" enjoying a Cappuccino Frio, some cold A/C, and a rather lively internet connection.

Accordingly, I'm going to upload a few pictures from the last few days.  Just some shots of the beachfront area, the lagoon/rivermouth, and the forest and mountains surrounding Barra.  As always, more to come!!!

The rivermouth and lagoon that front the beach in Barra.

The "community" restaurant and palapa at the beach.  They serve cold drinks and some food, including a mean fish sandwich there.

The mountains as you head away from the beach back toward the town of Barra (where everyone stays)

More mountain views.

Roman, the guy who mans the gate (closed from 8pm to 7 am) and collects the 20 peso fee to get to the beach.

Barra starts to show...

Things are rolling along here in Barra de la Cruz.  Just passed the one week mark here, so 3 cheers for that!  Spent a portion of Saturday evening enjoying a pretty good-sized festival/graduation/birthday celebration here in Barra, with seemingly the whole town decked out and walking around the basketball court/town square area.  Had to be close to 1000 people around--don't know where they all go during the day.  Live music, lot's of dancing, lot's of food, lot's of cervesa.  I didn't take any pics, but have a line into my friends Zack and Sachi to perhaps borrow one of theirs.  We'll see.

I've gotten a few pics of the setup here at Barra.  These are from Sunday, I believe.

The view on a sunny and small day from above the beach at Barra

Over the last few days, a good-sized swell has been forecast, and the crowds have been filtering in.  The swell started to show a bit yesterday afternoon, but this morning it was definitely there.  Also present were about 50 dudes (and a couple of ladies) jockeying for position on the point. I waited until mid-day, a slightly higher tide, and about 8 people out and had a decent session.   As you can see from the second pic, especially if you click on it and zoom in, those waves are a solid double overhead, at least in my book.  I took off on a couple of those today and have to say it's quite a rush, and by far the biggest waves I've ever ridden.

The view from the road of the setup.  Good size swell this a.m.

Good size set wave rolling thru.  Note size of wave and absurd amount of people in the water.

Another good one rolling through

Anyway, the swell is supposed to hang around for a few days, then fade into the weekend.  Hopefully the crowd will fade some as well.  

Things are still good in Nookie over at Pepe's Cabanas.  I've had a few hand-to-hand skirmishes with some ants trying to set up camp in the rig, but to date, I've forcibly and successfully evicted the little suckers.  I know they'll be back, however, and am trying to keep Nookie as clean as possible (insert laugh).  Not much rain over the past week, just a shower or two yesterday, but I can't imagine that will hold out for long.

Internet is spotty, but working for now.  Will keep the posts coming.  As alway, more to come!!!

Beautiful Barra de la Cruz

I'm currently sitting in an "internet cafe" in the sleepy little Oaxacan town of Barra de la Cruz.  That's Nookie settled in nicely out front of the restaurant at Pepe's Cabanas, one of the few places to stay in town.  This little sleepy town hosted a pretty good-sized surfing contestes back in the late 2000's but there is little evidence of that, other than the somewhat extensive crowds here.  The town actually sits about a kilometer inland from the beach.  The access to the beach is controlled by the local community, and a 20 peso toll is charged per person to get down to the beach.  The little town area is bordered by a lagoon with lot's of birds, frogs, and, unfortunately, mosquitos.

egret? wading

some kind of duck/coot type of bird.  my sibley's guide to n. american birds hasn't been as helpful as I'd like.

wider view of the swamp/bog

Pepe is a local legend and a very nice guy who runs a surprisingly tight ship.  The cabanas are simple thatch roof huts with a row of bathrooms and showers behind them, but he keeps them as clean as any facilities I've experienced so far in Mexico.  Cabanas are roughly 9 dollars per person, double occupancy.  I'm staying in Nookie for about half that--50 pesos per night, or around 4.50 US.  Not bad.

The drive down from Oaxaca was uneventful except that the frequent military checkpoints that I previously sailed through with a wave have now become a stopping point.  They make me get out and look around the rig, but I think it's more out of curiosity than any genuine concern that I might be doing something illegal.  The soldiers are professional and courteous, and thus far, haven't stolen anything.  I have first-hand accounts from fellow-travelers who had a few pesos lying around that were mysteriously gone when they were allowed back in their car after a stop.  I need to be more careful about where I leave money in the future now that I'm getting stopped more regularly.

I reconnected with a couple friends from la Saladita here in Barra--the Swiss couple from baguslife.com, and Jackson from malibutomatapalo.com.  Good to hang with them, have a few beers, and a few waves. The waves were crappy the first couple of days, but I caught some fun right-handers yesterday and today (friday).  Nothing epic, but fun, chest-high open lines to give the new shortboard a test drive.  I'm favorably impressed so far.

 I haven't gotten any pics of the beach yet, but I'll remedy that asap.  I'm posting in a few more pics of Pepe's place below for perspective. As always, more to come!!!

By the time I get to Escondido...

Nearly 10 hours from Acapulco to Puerto Escondido.  And did I mention the TOPES!!!!  Those things are everywhere in Mexico, but especially ubiquitous south of  Acapulco.  Usually you get kind of a sense of where and when they will show up, but there were several that caught me going way too fast and Nookie bumped and lurched and inside contents spilled everywhere.  Plus it is just a drag to just get up to highway speed, then have quickly slow down for another round of Mexican speed bumps.  But such is life driving in Mexico, and that's all the complaining I'll do about it (for now).

I've crossed into the state of Oaxaca (pronounced wa-haca) and am in in beautiful Puerto Escondido right now.  The town is surprisingly cool, with an odd assemblage of surfers and backpackers amidst a town of 50,000 or so inhabitants.  Last night I was going to treat myself to a decent hotel room, warm shower, real bed, etc.  It was raining pretty hard as I came into town and the combination of that, plus no real street signs, seemingly conspired to prevent me finding my chosen accommodations.    After doing several circuits of the beach, I finally came across a nice hostel that let me park in their gated lot for about $15-- a bit high but I needed to get off the road and out of the rain.

It was interesting being outnumbered as the only gringo in the place.  3 mexicans running the place or living there, 3 aussie dudes on a trip, and a nice young Irish couple.  Played a few games of pool and drank a few cervesas.  This morning I got up early and hit all the surfshops in town in hopes of finding a replacement short board for my beloved but purloined Revolution.  I found a decent replacement, I hope, and paid far too much, but that whole supply/demand thing seemed to factor in the pricing around here.

I also was able to track down the hotel at which I had originally planned on staying.  It is up on the hill and away from the beach, but the waves aren't really happening here.  I'm geared up to make what should be a 3 or 4 hour drive to Barra de la Cruz and hopefully some fun right-handers.  It's open-ended how long I'll stay there, but I think some amigos I met along the way will be there for a bit (Zach and Sachi from marshmallowchronicles.tumblr.com) and possibly another guy I met while he was passing through la Saladita.

I didn't get any good pics of the beach here in Escondido today but will try to get some before I head out.    I also don't know about internet, but will of course update when I can.  Pasting in a few pics from the drive down yesterday--some kind of crazy sunday afternoon band/dance party right on the street.  I think it was either Copala or Marquelia, can't remember for sure.  As always, more to come!!!

lunch spot in the main market in Escondido today

Adios, la Saladita...Hola southern Mex

Surfed the previous 2 days at a little spot called the Ranch, as the waves in Saladita have fallen off precipitously.  I'm attaching a little video (hopefully) of what my daily view was like (see update below).  Nothing great, and the camera searches for focus when I try to film the surf, but I'm posting it anyway, damnit! I'll miss my routine there after spending a full month in the same spot, but I'm also ready to move on.  I know I'll be back, probably sometime in August on my way back north towards Puerto Vallarta.  Am flying back to the States at the end of August for a long weekend in Austin followed by a week or so on the Outer Banks of NC.

My spot in la Saladita

One thing I found interesting (of many) is that there are a bunch of teachers--male and female-- spending the summer surfing in Mexico.  The academic calendar rules, as I've been wont to say.  Hardworking, underpaid educators of our youth get to spend a month or two surfing and living a simple but rewarding life.  I'm good with that.  Anyway, good luck to all those fine folks in Saladita.  Thanks for the ride to the Ranch the last few days, Chris.  

I packed up shop and headed into Ixtapa/Zihuatenejo today.  I needed to do some stuff with Nookie, get a new front tire, get the oil changed, etc.  I was able to make that happen this afternoon, and also re-provisioned at the big mega supermarket in Zihua.  I'm at the fancy Ixtapa campground, where I think I might be the only RV here.  I'm kicking myself for not taking a pic of Nookie in downtown Zihua just off the main highway getting worked on.  Would have made a good shot.  Some pics of my current hood below:

river-mouth dirtiness

all those white posts are campsites. goes around the corner, too.  I'm the only one here.

river mouth from the back of my camper

The plan is to stay here for a day or two, do some much needed laundry, and get a little creature-comfort, as in run my air conditioning--glorious after two months of sweating it out in Nookie with nothing but a fan and a hot camper.  I'll head for Acapulco, then Puerto Escondido.  I'll see what the surf is like there, but am not anticipating charging too many 20 ft closeouts.  But I am hopeful of picking up a new/used shortboard there.  I'll check it out there, and thence to Barra de la Cruz by middle of next week.  After surfing nothing but lefts for the last month-plus, I'm looking forward to a nice right point.  It can get big there, too, but everyone I've talked to loves the place.  I'll get some shots from around there and post them later.  As alway, more to come!!!

Update:  I tried to upload the video but, once again, Mexican internet has stifled my creative inertia.  Downsized pics are one thing, but videos are apparently in another as-yet-unavailable to me uploading realm. Will try to get that up when I can...

Update # 2:  Got the vid uploaded finally.  See link above.

Bungalow Siete

First off, surf has been great the last few days.  Head high to a little over on the sets and nice, long, glassy lines.  I know, I suck.  A couple of pics below.

Since I arrived in la Saladita I've been parked next to Bungalow Siete, aka, Seven.  In that time, quite a few people have come and gone.  As I near the time to leave this spot, I found myself reflecting a bit the other night on just how many interesting people have breezed in then out of my frame of existence in just one little bungalow and in just one short month.  There was the family from Mexico city, the young surfers Jackson and Corey? from Santa Barbara, the retired group from California and also by way of a house near la Manzanilla, another Jackson and his pal Julian on a land-speed record attempt from Cali to Costarica, just to name the ones I can remember off the top of my head as I sit in the small internet cafe in Llanos.  Jackson and Julian have a blog (malibutomatapalo.com) that, while somewhat content-limited due to their absurd schedule and lack of internet along the way, promises to be interesting after they fill in some of the gaps.  I also met a great couple from Cali, Zack and Sachi, who have their own blog at marshmallowchronicles.tumblr.com.  They're in a '94 Toyota 4x4 with a crazy flip open camper shell with a tent that attaches on the top.  Wish I had a picture to show but if you check out their site you'll see what I mean.

My plan is to stay here another day or so, then head south to Ixtapa.  There's a "real" campground there with hookups, a pool, showers, and laundry.  I need to be able to plug in and charge up my batteries properly after the questionable voltage in Saladita.  I also need to run the A/C and dry things out a bit, as hurricane Beatrice left a distinct wetness around everything.  I also will be doing a mountain of laundry.  Add to that I need an oil change for Nookie, the generator on Nookie, and the Ruckus (not sure I'll get them all done here) as well as a new front left tire, and I should have a few days' worth of work.  Plus, the forecast is for the swell to disappear until at least next week, so that makes the decision a bit easier. 

I'm including a few random shots from the last week or so here below.  More to come!!!!

looking down the beach from Saladita

another beach view from the end of the wave

Laguna de Esteban, the lake outside my door after Beatrice, as named by Omar and Blanca, who work at Lourdes' place.

sunset last night

sunset wave--one more...

More rain, less internet...

That's some serious rain we've had over the last 3 days or so!  I've got a lake around Nookie, but all is relatively dry within.  Surf was good yesterday evening and there is more swell out there today, but a little chopped up.  It has bascially rained non-stop for 3 days, finally letting up a bit today.  The internet at Lourdes' place (where I"m staying) is still not operational, and not likely to be anytime soon. Between rain squalls,  I was finally able to take the Ruckus into town today and get online at the "internet cafe" here. Very slow, and they have some funky USB stick to use to connect to the internet.  I can't also fit my card reader in there, so no pictures for now, unless I can figure some other way around it.--strike that--figured that mess out and uploaded a couple below. 

sunset the other day from my spot

Anyway, surfing has been great--shoulders and arms are sore constantly, which is a good thing.  Met some nice people passing thru town, including some other fellow travelers and campers, and have read a ton of crappy books.  One thing I have decided for sure--I am getting a Kindle when I visit the states in September.

Had some horses grazing on the grass beside Nookie the other day, before the rain came.

rain has brought out the congrejos (crabs)

Will try to post more when I can.  As always, more to come!!!