Quite the Scare

Two nights ago we were hanging out with Gabbys family. It was pouring. Sony and Gabby decided to give another friend a ride home. On the way back home Sony could not see as the windows were foggy and it was raining unusually hard. Mexico does not have a good drainage system...sorta like Southern California but worse. Well they were trying to unfog the windows and driving very slow when all of a sudden the car stopped working and the began to feel water at their feet. They had driven into a flooded area and the car ended up filling up to waste high. They were able to get out right away and shortly after this fireman arrived to get the car out. We were able to meet them where they were about 10min later...just in time to see the news vans driving away. Sony and Gabby were on tv! Luckily no one was hurt as this could have been very bad but unfortunatly they are now down a car. They will find out wednesday what the damage is and we will cross our fingers for a ride to the airport!

This morning we are off to Michoacan, a state near Jalisco....for our final 4 day adventure. :(

Another Movie

So last night we decided to go to another one of those expensive movies. We were planning on seeing Pirates 2 but when we got there it was sold out! The only thing left to see was Terror on Silent Hill and since it can be quite a chore to get anywhere in Mexico (with all the busses n´such) we decided to see it. Besides its $2.50. Well I am here to report that I have never seen a funnier "terror/horror" film. Wow. There were monsters. There was a female cop in a tight plastic uniform. I have never laughed so much in a scary movie. I would say it was a definate waste of 2.50 (I would go so far as to say it would be a waste to netflix) but worth every penny for the experience, which included many sarcastic comments and a round of applause when it finally ended (started by us..but seconds later everyone joined with some laughter). Oh and by the way...it was of course over 2 hours long. At one point I tried to nap but then there were more sarcastic comments and I was trying my best to not burst out in laughter. There was even a time when Sony answered her cell phone! and no one seemed bothered!!!

The Zoologico, Safari Y Tren

On Tuesday we got to go to the zoo. As always it was an adventure to get there. We walked to the train station and went about 10 stations or 30min. Once we got off we walked a little ways and took a bus about another 30min. Once there we had to choose what package we wanted. It was a choice between just the zoo, the zoo plus the safari and train, or the zoo and the train. We chose the whole package for a mere $7.00. Not too shabby. We walked around until about 6pm (we got there at the crack of dawn...1pm or so). and got to see all sorts of creatures you would see in a any zoo. Below are a few fun pics.

The monkeys...look close in the 1st she has a baby

On our little safari you actually got to feed the giraffes! They definatly got close as you can see in the pictures below.

We also got to feed monkeys! or shall I say chongos...it was quite exciting although they were very picky. They would rummage through the cup throwing out the fruit and going for the fruit loops and peanuts. Although it doesn't look like we got super close in the pictures we did get to pet them a few times but you had to be quick.

The white tigers, which we swear are pirated
and the hippo.

Our 1st Outing Alone (2 weeks ago...)

First we took the 30 (bus) to the 625, which took us to Gabby and Sonys work. Its about 3/4 of a mile walk to the first bus and maybe 4 blocks inbetween the stop for the 30 and the 625. Then we walked about 4 more blocks and took the 258 to Plaza Del Sol. Its an outdoor mall type of thing. Didn't do much shopping here...we prefer the market where things are much cheaper. Nevertheless it was a fun adventure on our own. Of course we ate where any gringas would eat when given an option....McDonalds...typical.


Rather then taking all those busses home we decided to just walk the 4 or so miles back to Sony and Gabbys work. It worked out perfect and we got there right at 9pm when they got off (we did stop for dinner and some card playing halfway through the walk.

Drying the clothes and Toasting the Marshmallows

The first picture is before we left...before the rain. The second is from the ride back to our cabanna.

A few thoughts...

Is it odd that last night I payed more for a grande coke then to see the movie The Breakup. (I am not complaining just confused). The coke = 3.50 The movie = 2.75. I suppose they must have to make them cheaper since you can buy a pirated copy for a dollar on the street.

I think the thunder storms here put the ones in Florida to shame. I felt the house shake last night and I am sure the lightening was non-stop for at least a few hours.

The rain

Ok this first pic is at the waterfall....the second is shortly before we left for our ride back. Unfortunatly this is the only picture I have once it started to pour. Notice the road behind us...its like a river...that is what we rode back in the whole time.

On our own

Still no luck with posting the pictures....Perhaps Ill have better luck tomorrow. Yesterday Cruz and I headed to San Juan De Dios (a marketplace) while everyone was at work. We were very proud of ourselves as we took the two trains to get there all by ourselves. This market is full of all sorts of fun pirated things. We bought 5 movies for $10...unfortunatly the only real one was Man On Fire. We also got two copies of Pirates of the Carribean 2, which were ever so carefully filmed in the theatre. The picture is a little fuzzy and the sound not that great but hey for $2 it wasn`t a total loss. The two other movies were Failure to Launch and Mission Impossible III both also filmed in a theatre but suprisingly good quility. Also at the market we were able to get our fake Lacosse polos and a few other random things. We easily made it home and bought some of that amazing fruit on the way home. At 8:15pm we headed to the bus station and then another bus....to pick up the girls from work at 9pm. From work we just went to a nearby taco stand and had dinner and then home for a movie.

Today was more of a laid back day. We have been doing laundry all day, which is quite the chore here. See there washing machine has no water pressure so with each cycle and rinse and whenever else the machine fills us, you must get the hose and help it fill. Oh and the washing machine is on the roof (kinda the 3rd floor). Once that process is over you just hang up all the clothes...underwwear and all right on the roof. Its kinda fun. We will go again at 815 to get the girls and then of course have dinner.

Oh Mexico....

Where do I even start....ok....so this weekend we went to Mazamitla, a town about a 3 hour bus ride from Guadalajara (in the mountains). Our adventures began with a 20min taxi ride to Wal-mart where we bought groceries for our meals. This was on Friday....we would be in mazamitla until Sunday afternoon...about 2.5 days...if that. We walked out of walmart, Cruz and I with backpacks, a oversized shoe bag and our purses. Sony and Gabby each had a soccer bag and a purse. On top of this we were each carrying two grocery bags full of food! So we decided on a taxi to go the 2 blocks to the bus station. We get there and it turns out our bus leaves from the other station...across town!!!! So we hop in another taxi and take the 20min ride to the other station. Luckily the bus was there and we left a minute after buying our tickets.

Finally we arrived in the "Magico Pueblo" and found our cabanna. It was pretty sweet with 2 rooms, 5 beds, a kitchen and living room with 2 bathrooms. So that night we walked the 2 miles into town and just kinda walked around the downtown part since everything was closed. Saturday morning we woke up around 11am. After Sony and Cruz showered the shower stopped producing hot water. Not because it was out because the kitchen had hot water. So we waited an hour for a man to come and look at it and test the water and say that he had to call someone to fix it. By this time it was past 1pm so Gabby and I took buckets of hot water from the kitchen and used them to shower in the bathroom. We would have done the whole cold shower thing but it was too cold. So around 2pm we finally set out for this waterfall. Well during our 2 mile walk into town we tried our hardest to get a taxi but for some reason none would take us to the path to the waterfall. Once in town it started to rain but we forged ahead. After another mile it was pouring and the thunder and lightening began. At this point we decided to stop and eat in a resturant hoping the storm would pass. Once we ordered the sun came out. Once we paid the bill...it clouded up. As we got to the path to the waterfall we had three choices...1. walk the 45min-an hour to the waterfall or 2. rent a horse for $14 both ways 3. rent the horse for $8 one way. We chose the round trip horse. The path to the waterfall was tricky. There were hills with rocky muddy paths where the horses sometimes slipped...and then there were places that were pretty smooth where we could get the horses to trot and even gallop a little. At one point we crossed a stream and my house, Cuervo and Gabbys horse decided to head up stream for a drink and some digging in the water where it went past their knees. It was quite an experience. Once we got to the waterfall it began to pour and when I say pour...I mean pour so hard the roads flood. Oh and yes there was thunder and there was lightening and definatly some hail. We had 30min to look at the waterfall and then we had to head back. Our guide said we could try and wait out the storm but there was no end in sight so we decied to brave the storm. So imagine riding a spanish speaking horse...through a downpour...with hail...thunder....lightening...on a road that has an inch of water covering it....up and down hills. I can`t say that I really felt safe and comfortable at this point...yet I will never forget it. By the time we get back we are soaked. Like no dry spot on my body. I could squeeze cups of water out of my sweatshirt. At this point as were standing shivering at the stables, Sony tells us taxis will not pick us up because we are wet. So we decided to ask the men how much for someone to take us home on the horses! Immediatly its as if we have started a war. See they dont get much business here so any chance to make money they jump on! There were about 15 guys yelling things in Spanish as the price kept getting lower and lower. The first guy said 40 pesos ($4) then it was 30 peses...and finally it stopped at 20 pesos ($2 a person for the 3mile ride home!). So we got on...2 people per horse and a young boy led us the whole way back to the cabannas. Who needs a taxi when you can just take a horse! Oh Mexico. Upon arrival to our cabanna we decided to buy some wood so we could build a fire. For a mere $5 we got about 20 logs and some kindling. We did have to buy another bunch but the fire lasted long enough to dry out all of our clothes and warm us up. I will try and attach some pictures later as this computer is not the fastest.

Frutas

Here we have the most amazing fruit ever! We got these bowls filled with watermelon (sandia), mango, cucumber, la tuna (cactus), pineapple, and papaya for $1.20!!!! You can pick all of the fruit or whatever combo you want. Behind us is the hill we like to climb, there are more pictures below from the top....the sidewalk behind us is the one we would take to their house which is at the bottom, or I guess part of the way up the hill.

Downtown GDL

Whoops

Definatly one of my favorite pictures so far! Teresa (marthas mom) took us downtown while everyone else was at work. We really wanted a picture of the cops with the shotguns but you can't just take the picture so we tried doing the thing where you stand in front and get the sneak picture. As you can see the cop caught on to what we were doing...little did he know Teresa took the pic anyway!

Starbucks

Well turns out this computer is really struggling and it will only let me post 1-2 pictures at a time.

So here we are finally getting a little Starbucks. The girl next to me is Gabby and next to her is Sony or Martha....Sony being the nickname.

Hanging out in GDL

Cruz and I decided that on the mornings we are home alone we are going to climb this hill/mountain thing that is behind her house. We did it last week and the pics are from the top. So this is Guadalajara.

Colima, Mexico

We spent the last 5 days in Colima (city), Colima (state), Mexico. It was a 3 hour bus ride south west of Guadalajara. We missed the first bus (of course) so we got there around 830pm. We stayed at Gabbys moms house (she is a friend of Martha). One of the days we were there we got to go to a lake where we grilled some quesadillas and meat and onions and some other things while it poured rain! It was still a lot of fun though and very pretty.

Manzanilla

On Saturday we got to go to Manzilla, a beach city about an hour drive away from Colima. First we went to a resturant and watched the final World Cup game...Go Italy! Then we went to the beach and swam for a while. It was perfect considering it was around 80 degrees with 97% humidity. The water was also a lot warmer then ours. After swimming we walked around where these pictures were taken...beautiful.



This is us with one of our servers!

Mexico Travel

What a day. So our flight left at 2 am and being the good travelers that we are, cruz and I arrived at LAX at 1045pm to find complete chaos in the Tom Bradley International Terminal. There were four lines out the door of the place packed with people and bags and more people. So luckily we see a mexicana representative and show her our papers. She points us to the longest line where we work our way in amongst all the families. I must point out we...or I was the only white person in this line. So we wait in this line for 30min....it did not move. Every other line went inside...ours remained. I then ask a different rep for another tag for my bad and by chance she asks if we are on the 130am flight. We tell her we are on the 2am flight and she tells us we are in the wrong line. So we make our way inside and finally find the right line to be in. By this time it must be 1130pm. From 1130pm until probably about 100am we did not move more then 5 yards. The had to check in other flights before anyone from our flight could be checked it. Once they started on our flight it moved quickley and within 10min we made it to the front. I had the man our itinary and he types in my name and goes "you made changes" I look at Cruz and reply nooooooo. He goes "yes you did" and starts typing more. By this time I am ready to cry as I start to sweat. After what seemed like hours of typing in the stupid computer he calls over this other lady and they both begin to look at our stuff. At this point I was thinking this is it...were not going...no mexico for us. Then finally he goes oh! I fixed it and grabbed our passports!!!!! So after checkin we rush to the x-ray machine and get the bags taken care of. Next we go through security which has no line now that its 130am. Finally as were about to pee our pants we make it to the gate and have just enough time for one song on the Ipod and a bathroom run before boarding the plane. The flight was amazing and scary. As we sat in our seats we met Ana, as she asked us in Spanish to help her get her bag up and then she asked Cruz to help her get her jacket off. Throughout the flight she would ask Cruz to turn the air up or down, the light on or off as she was too short to reach it (I know I know Cruz was taller then someone). So the take off was interesting. Many very loud sounds...I thought the landing gear was stuck at one point but knew I didnt have to worry about that until later. So during the flight Ana asks Cruz how much her Ipod was and I help her out with the answer...probably wierd looking to have a brown person asking a white girl to translate. Apparently Ana didnt notice because a few minutes later she asked what the pilate was talking about as far as cell phones go. She told Ana she didn`t speak spanish and all of a sudden Ana spoke perfect English. Who knew. So anway the flight went well, we played a few games of cribbage had a sandwich compliments of the airline and watched ice age 2...I highly recommend it! During the time when the pilate talks about the cruzing altitude and all that jazz he says something about 2 stops and says 2 city names!!!! So now we think we could very well have 2 layovers....well lucky for us he just spoke bad english and I have no idea what he meant. The landing was one I have never experienced before. I think the pilate may have forgot to descend at the right time so all of a sudden we were descending so steep that that we had to put away cribbage since it was sliding down! We also came too close for comfort to some mountains!!! We made it though and now were safe in GDL ready to have a blast!

I had to do more Brazil

So I just had to post a few more Brazil pics after looking at them tonight. The first one is our team in Langley, BC. Next is Tiago, he loved to listen to Switchfoot on my walkman and would have me turn it up full blast!

Angie and I recieved these hats after our last game compliments of the other team!

This is a "game" where you climb on one box then they give you another and then you keep climbing until you fall! good times. The girl in the pictures is breaking the record or 17 boxes....I got 12 :( but not too shabby....12 is still high up when its swaying as you get past like 6.

Happy 4th Of July

Another fun 4th of July here in Cali! The festivities technically began around 330pm. There was a watermelon eating contest, rib cook-off (judged by my parents), water-balloon toss, and of course the bounce house located on our front lawn from 10am-6pm. Here are some pics from the day and a few from last night! Tomorrow afternoon Keagan and Ronda head back to Washington and then at 2am Cruz and I are off to Mexico. I will try and blog when I can but I just don't know what things will look like til I am there.

Keagan

Keagan and Ronda are back for a 4th of July visit. He is 5 months old now and obviously smiling and lauging. He has started rolling over and can sit up by himself for a rather long time! They will be visiting until the 5th (kinda the same day Cruz and I leave for Mexico...we leave at 2am on the 6th).

Pool Time

I am pretty sure we got the dogs a pool...everyone seemed to enjoy it yesterday ;).
Hershey seemed more interested in her bucket at first...she enjoys dipping her toes in and then putting her head under to cool off. Emmy just likes to stand in the pool.



Finally Hershey started to play by running around in circles and splashing the water everywhere. Of course I didn't have my camera ready the night before when they were wrestling in it and soaking wet.