Black-throated Magpie Jay

 

 

One of the birds we really wanted to see in Mexico.

 

Walking along a path, we found this one.

 

We couldn’t get a really good look at him.  Then he flew out and back.

 

Goofy looking bird.  He flies kind of like our ragdoll cat ran.  All over the place.  Way fun.

 

Speaking of flying, we’ve flown to Houston.  We’re trading in our pesos for dollars, and trading in our stilted Spanish for stilted English as we try not to say everything twice, once in English and once in Spanish, even to each other.

 

Our connecting flight to Harlingen is delayed, so we’re not going to be home tonight as planned, but with any luck we’ll be home very early tomorrow!

 

Can you spot the iguana in this picture?

 

 

 

 

Iguanas here.  Just hanging out.  Being cool.

 

 

 

 

And traffic lights

 

 

Some intersections have a lot of them.  Some, not so many.  Sometimes you drive through an intersection and see a line of cross-traffic cars waiting their turn.  In that case, stay with cars around you as best you can, and try to find the single light somewhere to see if it has changed or not before you get to and through the intersection.  A couple times I have spotted it after I was already in the intersection and been the last one through, when I should have been the first one, next cycle.

 

Northern Jacana.

 

We’ve seen it before, in the states, but just once.  It is a super rare bird that shows up maybe once a decade.  Here, it’s just a bird.

 

 

And baby Jacana.

 

Our street in town.

 

Driving in Mexico

 

 

Traffic laws.  Not really laws, just suggestions.  Kind of follow them, but then do what you need to do.  Speed limits.  I think that’s the number to not go under.  Need to stop, need to merge, just go for it.  People will wait, go around, or let you in.  Stop signs mean stop.  The stop signs that read “Stop uno y uno”, I take that to mean 4 way stop and we should alternate.  What it really means is blow right through the intersection, unless you see somebody else blowing through it first, then hit the brakes.  If you’re a motorcycle or a scooter, all bets are off.  Do whatever you want, at any speed, from any lane.

 

Our apartamento.

Off street parking.  Two bedroom, two bath, front room/dining room, kitchen.

 

The cathedral around the corner from us.

 

The courtyard inside a nearby hotel.

 

A walk in the park in Tepic, the capital city of Nayarit.

 

Tepic on the map, inland from San Blas.

 

https://www.google.com/maps/@21.5651459,-104.7026048,8.04z

 

A family we met in the park.

 

Setting up the photo shoot.

 

San Blas

 

 

 

 

 

Random dogs sleeping in random places.

 

 

This is how we roll in Mexico. 

 

The record number of riders we’ve seen on one scooter is five, but one of those turned out to be the little girl’s doll, so really four.

 

A spoonbill in the wetlands.

 

Ruddy ground dove.

In a tree.

 

Wood Stork.

 

Judy cooling down with a cold fresh fruit smoothie after a four mile walk in the sun!

 

 

San Blas

 

 

Drove back to Vallarta.  Switched out the car.  Drove back north.  No trouble, no charge.  I had read advice online before the trip that when it comes to rental cars, just accept the most insurance offered.  It will double the price of the rental, but that’s just a few hundred dollars.  Because we had all the insurance, that coconut drop won’t cost us a penny.

 

So, we made it back to Lo de Marcos just in time for lunch.  We pulled over there and had a good meal, then continued on north to a new destination.  San Blas.

 

Here is a map showing where Lo de Marcos is.

 

https://www.google.com/maps/@20.8753002,-105.2063681,10.57z

 

Here is a map with San Blas.

 

https://www.google.com/maps/@21.1721161,-104.8766059,9.27z

 

 

San Blas is not like Lo de Marcos at all.  This is just a busy Mexican town.  Not a lot of tourists.  Not a lot of Expats.  This time, instead of having a room, we’ve got a whole apartment.  Right on a busy road, so it’s not quiet, but our bedroom is way in the back so it should be fine.

 

About town.

 

 

 

 

 

See the decoration on the top of this house?

 

It’s not a decoration, that’s a real dog.

 

Uneven footing?

The open hole in this sidewalk goes down about four feet!

 

Golden-cheeked Woodpecker.

Year bird!

 

There are policia standing around town keeping us safe.  Of course, Judy stops to talk with them.  She was working her Spanish on one of them, then comes over to me totally embarrassed.  She was talking about washing her face, to get the bug spray off, and accidentally invited him home with her.  She had to work up an apology on the translator and take it back over to him to set the record straight.  He was wonderfully tolerant.

 

Uneven surfaces

 

 

That describes everything in Mexico.  Cobblestone streets.  Sidewalks in every state of repair/disrepair.  Construction.  A constant walking challenge, but we’re managing.  It’s a little tougher for Judy, because she had cataract surgery on both eyes and got distance vision only.  Her feet are too close to focus, so she is not so sure-footed.  We hold hands a lot.  We’ll check with the optometrist when we get home to see if there is something he can do with lenses to help.

 

More Lo de Marcos.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Judy wanted to carry home a driftwood souvenir, but couldn’t get this in the carryon.

 

 

The coconut palm tree.

 

The rental car.

 

The offending nut.

 

Coconut tree 1, rental car 0.

 

We’re making a trip back to Puerto Vallarta tomorrow morning to change out the car.

 

Blue-footed Booby, Orange-fronted Parakeet, Black-throated Magpie-Jay, and Social Flycatcher.  Life birds!

 

Using my Spanish

 

 

I’ve been impressing the locals with my knowledge of Spanish.  As soon as I start talking to them, they get big smiles for no apparent reason.  I just seem to make them really happy!

 

The wifi is good enough to keep up at work.  We have cell connection as well.  Having fish tacos, shrimp tacos, a normal breakfast and coffee, and more tacos.  We can eat Mexican food every day, no problemo.

 

A shot at Casa Botanica looking down the stairs.

 

We’re on the 2^nd floor.

 

The town looks like one would expect a tropical Mexican town to look.

 

Nice tree in the plaza.

 

I like the shower tile.

 

Got swarmed by frigatebirds today.

 

This time up close.

 

 

And scenery along the estuary.

 

 

Exploring towns and beaches is going well.  Finding a functioning ATM can be a challenge.  That ate up some time today.  Adding a few birds to the year list.  Gray-breasted Martin, Rufous-bellied Chachalaca, Sinaloa Crow, and Yellow-winged Cacique to the life list.