San Sebastian Hermosillo

... When we docked, I got down to my deck and freed my bike, and fairly launched it out of the hold and down the ramp with a little excess enthusiasm. Felt good though. Los Mochis was celebrating Mexican Revolution Day, so there were many people in the streets and random fireworks and other loud pops, which I hoped were really big fire crackers. Fond a nice cheap hotel, then off to sleep. Sept 16-17 North to Bahia Kino, the beach near the city ...

... People think I´m Hawaiian otherwise and think Samoa, New Zealand are close enough together to be Hawaiians. I hadn´t realised what a huge hispanic community there is in California. They seemed to outnumber others 4 to 1 but maybe it was where we were staying. Anyway it makes you feel a little out of place because you don´t know the language but it gives you a little motivation to learn it, quickly. Some of the guys here wear ...

... her for favours. http://www.sacredsites.com/americas/mex ico/nuestra_senora_de _guadalupe.html Then the mandatory tourist trap, the cactus plantation (where a cactus attacks me, bad scratches on my legs) AND precious stones workplace. We take the Panama highway for 48 kms north. The Panama highway is paid by the American government and runs from the far south of South America to Alaska. BUT: minor problem: a accident happened on the other ...

We arrived in Mexico at night on December 30th and kicked our vacation off with some beer and tequilla. On new years day we just relaxed and did a lot of bartering on the beach. For the night, our hotel had a party but we couldn't see from our seat so we decided to go into town to experience a real mexican new years. It was so crowded! At 12:00 we were on the Malacon (the downtown boardwalk ...

After last night´s activities, I slept in pretty late...almost 10! I know, that´s so unlike me...but it´s also unlike me to get into a massive foam fight on the street. haha. So I rolled outta bed, grabbed some breakfast, then Leanne and I went to find the english bookstore. We also wandered through the streets, taking in the atmosphere. There were thousands of people moving towards the city centre to attend ...

... from this point on that I can say that for a short while in Mexico I heard some great stories, stories that bring the ordinariness of shopping mall life and apathy seem ever more banal and at the same time privileged in only the way our American life can be. The conversations I've had in Mexico are the ones I long to hear, the ones that bring my own life into sharper focus, but those stories will come at a later time. To be continued...

Today was a long one... In the hospital today, my group was assgned to tour the kitchen with our translator, Juan Carlos. Although I am not a nutritionist, it was actually pretty interesting (and a LOT cooler and less gruesome than some of the other areas so far). Because this is a hospital that primarily serves the poor population, they do not have access to computers and such that another hospital´s kitchen might have. Therefore ...

... deeper to encounter cleaner water, in the range of 30-50 meters. We also visited the dried up reservoir, which was built in 1994. The reservoir was built as flood control measures, and ironically flooded in 1995 when the water was released into the river and lost into the Sea of Cortez. That marked the start of a 10-year drought in the area, and the reservoir has been dry since 1998 or 1999, and is currently being used as grazing land for cows. This has ...

... is dry - more on this later) that wasn't filled completely with wastewater. We explored the city, ate some delicious black bass and enchiladas, then joined the sleepy village for an evening song and dance festival in the plaza before cashing in for the evening. Tuesday we rose early and took a taxi to the train station, only to find ourselves the first people at the station. There are two classes of trains on the Chihuahua al Pacifico, Primaria and Economica, and their differences ...

... of the water and preparing them johnny-on-the-spot. I ate raw clams and oysters for the first time, and while I don't think I'll be jumping to prepare them in my own home, they weren't half as bad as I would have thought. The best part was the fried fish, which is served whole on a plate after being deep fried. It comes with all the makings for fish tacos, and you just pick the meat right off the fish to stuff your tacos. We left full and satisfied, but the bumpy road back ...