The Beach Life

Leaving Mazatlan was a bit tougher than expected as the buses were
chock full for much of the day. We finally got onto a very nice first
class bus at 2 pm but as the traffic was terrible and the going slow
we arrived into the city of Tepic after the last bus to the beach side
town of San Blas had departed for the night. Next to the bus depot
was a very basic hotel so we settled in there and sought out a yummy
full roast chicken for dinner. It was relatively cold up in the hills
in Tepic at night, cold enough that we were glad to be back on the
coast at San Blas the next morning.

Since arriving we have been staying in a tree house type cabana just
behind the restaurant's large palapa at a surf camp. It would not be
too much to call this place heavenly. We were reunited with two
cyclists currently on a arctic to Panama trip while filming their
travels for a documentary. We'd met them in Mazatlan and have had a
good time hanging out, surfing, playing beach volleyball, and making
spectacular meals of prawns and fresh fish caught nearby. We also
have two Finnish girls, a Germans couple, and two Swiss guys in our
entourage at the surf camp; it is a very nice atmosphere so we'll all
be spending Christmas here.

Yesterday the Germans and the Swiss joined us on a boat tour of the
mangroves located behind the town. We were delighted to see an
amazing array of birds, crocodiles, turtles, fish, iguanas, crabs,
orchids, and other forms of life, all so very close to the boat. The
tour was about 4 hours on the boat and was a great deal at only 80
pesos, about $6.25 CDN. In addition to a couple dozen wild crocs we
visited a crocodile breeding centre; where juvenile crocodiles are
bred for release to the wild. There were a few 7 metre long monsters
there. The largest wild croc we saw was 4 metres or so; in other
words BIG.

Tomorrow, for Christmas, we'll probably spend the day on the beach,
surfing, lounging, and perhaps go via boat out for some whale watching
or paddle the surf boards out amongst the dolphins which frequently
come by during the day.

I hope everyone has a great Christmas!

Hello from Torill....I don't really have much to add...except to wish
you Merry Christmas!

This is my first Christmas away from family. It's a little strange not
to be at home, but it also doesn't really feel like Christmas - must
be because of the beach. Maybe also because we'll be home soon!