Playa Roca Blanca

A great bonus of attending local language classes is weekend activities or outings to secret areas.  We were invited to head to a secluded beach about 30min away called Playa Roca Blanca (White Rock Beach).  The strange thing was, all 6 who attended this adventure were all Aussies.  

After hoping on a mini bus to the edge of town and then fitting 7 into a taxi we arrived at this secluded beach and spent the day eating and drinking.  As this is not a tourist beach the prices are very cheap. Eg, one dozen oysters that were retrieved from the ocean while we waited cost less than $7AUD.  Note to self........Steve when you go back to Playa Blanca take your surfboard, smaller waves than Mex Pipeline but NO one surfing.  

The little cove created a calm spot for swimming and a short walk over rocks saw a secluded surf beach.  The surf beach was like most other non tourist surf spots in Mexico, strong rips, good waves and no crowds.  

Looking back through the white rock from the Surf beach.  

A view from the water

Petrina´s spot for a few hours 

From the restaurant looking to where the locals swim 

This is where we ate, drank, rested, drank and ate.  El Buzo means "The Diver"

The view inside of El Buzo. In december this place is apparently packed with Mexicans on vacation

Roca Blanca and El Buzo, thank you!  

Relaxation Mexican Style

A collection of photos showing how hard we worked while in Mex this time.  Too good.

A juice by the beach

Waiting for our main meal

Mojitos

Coconut at the place where we are staying

Cooking Mexican Style

If you have ever tried a genuine Mexican taco with salsa you will know how good they are.  We were shown how to cook a few Mexican basics.

Salsa Roja (Red Salsa)

Tortilla hecho de mano (Tortillas made by hand)

Huevos a la Mexicana (Mexican style eggs)

Salsa Roja, A few chillies in this one.

Tortilla, Maize rolled into balls

Tortillas part 2

Eggs Mexicana ingredients

The end product. Time to eat!

Our cooking teacher Louisa experiening an iPad for the first time looking
at photos from Australia

Quick update

Blogger and iPads dont seem to get along all that well and we are having issues uploading more than one or two photos. 

First week of Spanish lessons done! Steve's brain is fried (i should have paid more attention in grade 3 learning nouns etc) so he is just surfing now. Petrina finds study relaxing so she is continuing lessons.  Hasta Pronto!

View from Spanish lessons... " steve, pay attention to your teacher" Hang on, sounds like school report cards.... A pattern perhaps?

Random photos

The sounds of Mexico...the sound in this video is a classic example of a very popular style of mexican country music.  This was playing at a restaurant across the road from where we were having a drink the other day.


Below is just a collection of randomness!

The waves in Pto. Escondido are becoming more popular 

A little gross, but this is a typical sink....blocked with Frijoles (beans) 

A sign at the local supermarket explaining what to do when an earthquake hits.

Even the brooms are colourful.......just makes you want to sweep.

Pig skin deep fried about 10 times

With the current exchange rate, this 950ml bottle of El Jimador Tequilla is around $10

This corker of a word.........just means short term parking

Adios!

Thatched roofs = Muy chido (that's mexican slang for 'way cool')

The art of using palms for roofing in pictures...

Before, prepare leaves

During, prepare frame. No safety gear, just hang on.

End product, this is our room.  But.... There are gaps, wear n tear etc  that are hard to see.

HOWEVER.... if you don't maintain the roof when it rains Steve and Petrina get a little wet. 

Lucky, this is not the rainy season and storms like last night are rare.

Money 101

What a crazy 24 hours. Turns out our online savings account is No Bueno when overseas. Long story short - we have had to delay paying for accomodation and Spanish classes. Mexicans are soo relaxed. Imagine if you went to a hotel in Oz and said..." Excuse me, i had a cock up with money, can we pay in a week?"

We have been in pto escondido for 1 day so all we have done is sleep and went to the local supermarket where you can buy anything from a motorbike ($1800 au) to beer and food.

But this is the view from where we are staying. Exact same room as last time, and for those who care, waves are only 6 foot today.

Nutrition promotion in mexico retail-land

Top ten reasons to eat fruit and veg that we saw on a board in a 'health food shop' at the Mexico city airport. Don't know about the accuracy of some of them -- like no. 6 'they help eliminate excess liquids'....the nutritionist in me wants to say hmmmm....

Mexico Numero Dos

Hello friends, family or randoms,

This is the start of our second edition blog. We last left you in March 2011 after nearly six months abroad. We are now about to embark on a short trip back to Mexico and we invite you all along for the ride.

We are much wiser this time around. 

• Speak the language... Tick, (well Petrina anyway)
• Been there before... Tick (kinda know what to expect. But Mexico will still serve up some of her randomness, but thats just part of the FUN)
• Hardcore backpacker luggage... Tick (bags with wheels on dirt roads in developing countries does not work- lesson learnt!)

What have we been up to since March 2011? We live on the Gold Coast after a brief stint on the Sunny Coast. We are both redundant, Steve finished work last week and Petrina is due to finish at the end of November. 2013 will mean a whole new life for us both and give us a chance to try something new. 
But for now its time for a month long vacation to Mexico with a brief visit to our wonderful amigos in Orange County USA. 

Game on!

Steve and Petrina

Thanks

To all those that have suported us during our trip, we thank you very much.  It was a magic time and we feel blessed to have exerienced the things we have during the past 4.5 months away.

We are happy to see our families again, especially our dogs who gave us such a special welcome home.

Thanks to you all.


Love Steve and Petrina

Back on Aussie soil

Yay, mummy we missed you.  The dogs were squeeking a lot once they saw us return

Our bag did not hold up well, but its 13yr old

 

US of A

Nearly Home

Before we made our last flight home we thought we would stop in New York for a week and then stop by and see our friends in Orange County LA.  After about 4 months in a country where we were a novelty and a fish out of water we enjoyed talking in English again, even if occassionally we were mis understood.

New York

If there was one word to describe our time in NY, it would be....... COLD.  We were caught short a few jackets but soon worked our layering out.  New York is amazing, you all know it from movies and shows but after experiencing the Big Apple wehave a new interest in the place.  But instead of typing lots, we will let our pictures do the explaining for us.

The view from Rockafella Centre

Rockafella Centre

Times Square, just in case we forget what year we visited

Its so big says Steve!  Time Square again

Petrina next to one of the many steam vents that emerge from the bowels of the earth here

Kelly Slater; I guess after 10 world titles have your images in lights over Times Square is deserved.

Left and above, NY state library. 

Taken looking skyward from the terrarium-like underground Apple store

Scouts (pub) from SATC

NY cheesecake, so good.  Juniors is one of the oldest establishments to enjoy this fab desert

The M&Ms store....Three levels of M&Ms.....

Ahh, what a woman!

The following images are of Central Park, such a photogenic place. 

 Los Angeles - Part Two

On our way back to Australia we stoppped by our new friends in Orange County.  However we did find time to visit Disneyland and also a second stop off at Hollywood. 

Steve surfed with Seals and said it was the coldest water he has been in, but at least the outside temp was quite enjoyable.

With frozen hands Steve needed some assistance. The wetsuit was a lot thicker than he is used to at home so was quite difficult to remove.

When there is no surf, you go tarp surfing. 

Trestles beach.  Just like in the movies!

Huntington beach  (above and below)

These are actually skateboards

Out to see the OC sights.  The neighbourghood was just like a scene from Desperate Housewives!

In n Out, a huge burger chain in California and more cooler and tastier than the big M.

Our California family - Barb, Ralph, Kelly & Jeff