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Latin America 2021
  • Gemma Craig H
  • Gemma Craig H

Latin America 2021

A 142-day adventure by Gemma Craig Read more
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  • Gemma Craig HLatin America 2021Gemma Craig H

    Mexico Day 30-35 - Campeche

    February 14, 2021 in Mexico ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    On the 7th of February we took the bus from Merida to Campeche, a small town 2 hours east. Similar to villadolid, it was a beautiful colonial style town but with a coastal promenade and wall protecting the town centre (from pirates originally)! On the bus we sat next to a French couple, Emmanuel and Amelie, who were a similar age to us and doing a similar trip. We chatted the whole way and exchanged numbers so we could meet up for drinks. We actually ended up meeting them on two occasions and had such a good time with them. Conveniently, they live in Bordeaux which is great timing given my recent and growing appreciation for wine 🍷

    The main Street in Campeche, 'Calle 59' ran straight through the centre of town and was lined with restaurants and bars. It was pretty lively at night with tables and chairs filling up the whole street. It felt just like a cosmopolitan city in the summer and we loved trying the different restaurants.

    We stayed in a pretty average hostel for 3 nights and then found a hotel with a pool at a similar price so decided to stay a few extra to enjoy the sun. The intentions were great but unfortunately coincided with me picking up a stomach bug and being room bound for the whole time hah! Craig was brilliant and managed to nurse me back to health, whilst also keeping up his running and making friends with all the Mexicans relaxing by the hotel pool in the evenings (in Spanish with only a little help from Google translate!).    Read more

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    Mexico Day 36-40 - Palenque

    February 19, 2021 in Mexico ⋅ 🌧 22 °C

    After our longest bus journey so far (6 hours) we arrived into Palenque feeling relative fresh but very hungry! We dumped our bags and headed to a local place called Cafe Jade for some dinner!

    The next day we walked to explore the local town and to plan our next days trip. The trip was a full day starting at 8am with a drive to the Palenque Ruins, though not the biggest we had seen this were definitely the most picturesque with the backdrop of forest making them look amazing. We had time to walk round and take everything in before getting back to the bus.

    The next stop was Mishol Ha which was beautiful and much bigger than either of us expected! The water was freezing but refreshing and after a dip we walked through a small cave like entrance the get behind the waterfall. To see and hear the power of the water falling from so close to us was impressive!

    Finally we stopped at Agua Azul - after a couple of hours around the winding roads I felt pretty sick - but after having some lunch on a chair that wasn't constantly moving from side to side my stomach settled! These were the best waterfalls by far and the pathway leading to different levels meant you could get the views from numerous angles that made it look different each time - we had time for pictures and a quick swim before heading back to rollercoaster for the journey back!

    The next day gem was starting her new contract job we moved hotels in the hunt for better WiFi and with the weather taking a turn and getting loads of rain we spent the afternoon relaxing before our nine hour overnight bus tonight to San Cristobal!    Read more

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    Mexico Day 41 - 43 - San Cristobal

    February 22, 2021 in Mexico ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    After delaying our bus trip a few days so gems bad back could pass we were on our way Sunday night, and after a relaxing day by the pool discovering 'Bohemia Clara' (the nicest beer so far) we both felt ready for a sleep!

    The bus itself was the same as we had been used to but with a little more legroom, we both slept pretty much from the start but were awoken at midnight and told to get off the bus for fifteen minutes whilst they refueled. We went from a quiet dark bus to a bright white terminal which felt like a hospital that also had the loudest tannoy announcements we've heard yet!! After that short wait I was wide awake and any more sleep was impossible, gem was back out before the bus reserved out the terminal!

    7 hours later we arrived into San Cristobal were both struck immediately but the crisp coldness of the morning, a first for this trip! We checked in and tried to relax but both couldn't escape the jetlag type feeling from a long flight so after breakfast we headed out to explore.

    First stop was Iglesia de San Cristobal and with its 470 odd steps to the top it seemed like a no brainer for two weary travellers... We made it relatively easily and were rewarded with great views across the city!

    For lunch we met with Michelle - a Welsh girl from our waterfalls day trip in Palenque - and had a nice meal at a veggie place called Te Quiero Verde before walking towards the other main church called Iglesia de Senora Guadalupe. After yet more stairs and another great view we found a cocktail bar with a terrace offering uninterrupted views across the city. We based ourselves here for the afternoon and after some snacks and drinks finally gave in to our bodies and went back to the hotel for some much needed sleep!    Read more

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    Mexico Days 44-46 - San Cristobal

    February 24, 2021 in Mexico ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    Our last few days in San Cristobal were spent working, exploring and enjoying the amazing (and very reasonable) food and drink that San Cristobal had to offer. The hotel that we stayed in was called Ixmukane and we had a few fantastic meals there. The quality and presentation was gourmet style but we never paid more than £20 for food and a few drinks each. They did these tasty omelettes for breakfast, pretty tacos for lunch and delicious fresh pasta / a rich creamy chicken dish for dinner (my descriptions won't do the food justice so refer to the pics haha).

    We also had some of the best authentic Italian food that we've ever had in San Cristobal. For one lunch we went to a traditional Italian pasta restaurant. I was a bit jealous of Craig's sizzling lasagne (they didn't do a veggie one) but my pesto pasta was also incredible. We also had a delicious traditional Napoli wood fried oven pizza (the owners are from Napoli so yes, still authentic haha).

    We actually had a bit of help finding these amazing restaurants. We did a group walking tour one evening with a lovely Mexican guy who was so passionate about San Cristobal. Rather than a purely historical / informational tour, it was meant to show you lots of places that you can try out yourselves.. as if a friend or family member was showing you around their town.

    Although we were only staying for 5 days, we're seriously considering heading back to San Cristobal and staying for a few weeks. We loved the mountain setting, the climate, the food and the low cost of living / quality of life!    Read more

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    Mexico Day 48 - Sumidero Canyon

    February 26, 2021 in Mexico ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    We left San Cristobal and headed an hour away to Tuxtla, the capital of Chiapas. We based ourselves here as it's the easiest way to to do a day trip to Sumediro Canyon.

    We intended on getting a local bus to the canyon but came across a tour company on the way to the bus stop and they offered us a pretty reasonable price so we decided to go with them instead.

    The tour included a two hour boat trip through the canyon. Although the guide spoke only Spanish, there was a Mexican lady translating for her English speaking friends on the boat which really helped (although bilingual Craig probably didn't need it hah).

    Sailing through the Canyon was incredible, we felt like we were in Jurassic park! But even better was the fact the we saw a family of crocodiles resting on the bank. They were absolutely huge and looked extremely menacing. After seeing the boat some of them made their way into the water which was pretty terrifying! We also saw some spider monkeys, happily swinging through the trees and enjoyed watching them curiously hang down from the trees to watch us!

    Once the boat trip came to an end we had a few cold Bohemias at a restaurant on the river before heading back to our hotel to prepare for our flight to Mexico city the next day.    Read more

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    Mexico Day 49 - 55 - Mexico City

    March 5, 2021 in Mexico ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    We arrived into Mexico City on Saturday and were immediately pleased with our choice of accomodation, we are staying in Casa Decu which is a hotel in Hipódromo (an area of La Condesa) We are close to two big parks and have numerous bars and restaurants within a shirt walk.

    After shaking off a bout of sickness by Monday I was better and whilst gem was working and I was out running laps of a 2km running route called Avenida Amsterdam. I found a Spanish language school close by and booked to start lessons. The first 3 lessons this week were an introduction to verb conjugation, which turned out to be a massive introduction to the size of the task at hand!

    We had some great sushi on a delivery one evening, though the pictures of the menu were definitely not to scale... The portion sizes were more suited to a kids menu but the food was delicious!

    On the Friday I arranged to visit a speakeasy bar with the instructions to 'walk through a fridge in a taco restaurant' to enter - after walking up and down the same road and asking numerous people we eventually worked out the bar was shut!! It's even harder to find a speakeasy that's closed...

    We were given instructions to try a place close by called Le Bistro and the ceviche here was great! We stayed for a few drinks after and then got a taxi home.    Read more

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    Mexico Day 56 - 61 - Mexico City

    March 11, 2021 in Mexico ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    On Saturday we set of for Xochimilco (Little Venice) which everybody we had spoken to recommended. After just over an hour on a metro train and a tram we made it to the town. We hired the boat for 2 hours and after a quiet start we reached the M25 of the canal system which was packed with other boats full of locals and tourists drinking and other boats with mariachi bands taking requests! We stopped off at a couple of floating bars and after our 2 hours stayed on the boat a little longer to finish our drinks!

    After taking a taxi past the impresive looking Estadio Azteca we spent the rest of the evening in a quiet bar near our flat!

    After a lazy Sunday we headed out for a walk of the local area and settled on sushi for dinner (in the place.we had previously had our baby portion delivered from) the food and service was great but after a few Asahi beers and too many nice.dishes 'La Cuenta' was anything but great!

    Through the week with gem working every morning I continued making progress with my Spanish lessons... We spent Wednesday evening at a local wine bar and on Thursday after a completely Spanish speaking visit to the barbers I was delighted and we celebrated with drinks, pizza and a game of cards on our terrace!    Read more

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    Mexico Day 61 - 64 - Mexico City

    March 14, 2021 in Mexico ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    We started by visiting a Van Gogh Exhibition (Sensory Experience.....) which was actually really good, you snaked around a gallery with information on his most famous pieces and finished in a giant cinema room with 10 or more big screens all linked to his life story and accompanied by music - worth the visit for sure.

    On the Friday night we met my Spanish teacher Eunice and her friends for her birthday party - it started in a bar/restaurant similar to boxpark in Wembley with loads of independent restaurants downstairs and seating and a bar upstairs. After a few hours here we ended up back on our hotels rooftop until the early hours with birthday cake and beers!!

    The late night meant Saturday was a right off but by Sunday we (I) felt better and we headed for Hotel Condesa DF for some stomach settling sushi and cocktails... The rooftop was beautiful and the food delicious as well, thanks again Paul and Claire for that!!    Read more

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    Mexico Day 68 - Mexico City

    March 18, 2021 in Mexico ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    After working Mon-Wed we had a full day to explore more restaurants and bars.

    We headed to Cicatriz which we actually tried to go to the previous week but it was too busy and there were no tables available. It rained for the first time in weeks on the 40 minute walk, just our luck haha! We also took a detour to go past a famous monument called the angel of independence but it was covered with scaffolding and you could barely see it (I suppose a hit like big Ben in London at the moment).

    Anyway, our luck changed at Cicatriz where I had a cocktail with mezcal, aperol and sparkling wine - all the best things! The whole front of the bar opened up onto a lovely quiet roundabout full of trees, we said it almost looked like a green screen programmed to show a beautiful background.

    We ended the night on balmori rooftop with more cocktails and a DJ playing disco / house music which was great!    Read more

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    Mexico Day 69 - Mexico City

    March 19, 2021 in Mexico ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    Today Gem booked up a lunchtime 'taster' menu at a restaurant in Polanco called Fujol. We done some research beforehand and apparently the food here was incredible so we set off in a taxi ready for our 1pm start!

    The restaurant was in a posh residential are and seemed like an old mansion that had been turned into a restaurant. We started with Introductory drinks and a discription of the menu before they brought out the first course....

    The food and the flavours were absolutely amazing, we started with some sort of corn in a spicy sauce - moved on to a Campachi Ceviche followed by some crab with a garnish of flowers??

    Then it was a stuffed aubergine before the grilled octopus main and Mole, fig tamale and sorbet then ice cream with churros to finish.

    The food and the whole experience was great on an afternoon we both loved. Afterwards feeling completely full and tired we gave up on exploring Polanco and got a taxi home for an early night!    Read more

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    Mexico Day 70 - 75 - Mexico City

    March 25, 2021 in Mexico ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    After a quiet weekend relaxing and walking around our local area we settled on Mercado Roma on Sunday for some drinks before visiting Tandoori on our way back for our first Indian in a long while which was actually delicious!

    On Monday once Gem had finished work we headed over to the Freida Kahlo Museum which was interesting. The design and layout had been set up to show how she lived day to day as well as her artwork, and the grounds that she lived in had the nicest gardens. From there we explored Cuyocan the local area which was basically a little village of its own in city - we found a nice rooftop terrace for a drink before heading home for some takeaway sushi!!

    And on Thursday we decided to try and cycle around the huge Chapultepec parks - we hired some of the local Eco Bici's and set off. The first part of the park was fine and really nice but with some roads and footpath closed getting to the next part of the park was an ordeal! We ended up pushing the bikes along pretty much a motorway before getting to a footbridge and by the time we made the other park we needed a break before the cycling!

    This part of the park was even bigger and after stopping off at a waterfall we set off on a lap of the whole park before finding a cyclepath out of the park and away from the motorway that led us to a bay to return the bikes and a nice bar at the foot of a giant office block!    Read more

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    Mexico Day 76 - 77 - Mexico City

    March 27, 2021 in Mexico ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    After the best Chilaquiles we have had so far from a restaurant called Ojo De Agua we relaxed for the afternoon before getting a taxi to 'Centro Historico' in the city for the evening.

    We started in a rooftop bar called Catedral Terraza which is actually on top of a hostel and was beautiful as the sun was coming down! After a few drinks and some food we set off for Garibaldi Plaza to meet my teacher and her friends. The square was buzzing with people and mariachi bands, we settled on a bar on the edge of the square but soon decided to head back to a friend's flat with terrace in Cuyocan! We spent the evening drinking and laughing and even trying (and failing in my case) to learn to dance Mexicano!

    In the end Saturday was a quiet one, we chilled out in the day whilst watching the boxing and stayed local in the evening for a dinner!    Read more

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    Mexico Day 78 - Mexico City

    March 28, 2021 in Mexico ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    We started the day with an hour's walk through Chapultapec park towards Polanco taking in the beautiful park and all the Mexicans enjoying their Sunday (most of them with Dogs, of course).

    By the time we got to Museo Soumaya we were starving and stopped at a breakfast place called Elizondo which seemed be a French Mexican. We had some lovely pastries and then shared some enchiladas and Chillaquiles.

    Once refilled we went over to Museo Soumaya and took in the amazing architecture of the building which looked like a mixture between a discoball and a halfpipe. The exhibitions were great too, we loved all the traditional Mexican style art and skipped swiftly past the European religious & renaissance style art.    Read more

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    Mexico Day 78 - Mexico City

    March 28, 2021 in Mexico ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    After a long walk in the heat and some lunch we were both feeling far too tired to head to our friend Eunice's area of Tipito for a guided tour but we jumped in a taxi and were immediately blown away by the scale and busyness of the place.

    Apparently it's an area of the city that most locals wouldn't even go to, however as is always the case (during the daytime) if your friendly and respectful you are welcomed. The whole place is essentially a giant market spanning multiple blocks and roads, lots of the stalls are made into makeshift bars and restaurants with music, dancing and people having fun! We settled on s place and were served a beer with loads of lime in a plastic glass with Tamarind around the rim that's dipped into sesame seeds so they stick. It was a strange mix and I can't see either of us were fans!

    After more walking past fakes of every brand and product you can imagine (I spotted a red and black hooped Tottenham shirt....) And a slight detour after getting lost in the maze of the markets we found another bar and also bought some Chapulines (fried grasshoppers) to try - surprisingly nice with chilli sauce and lime!

    Veering away from the market to a side street looking for a toilet, we found a shop with a friendly lady who suggested we sit in there as the police would be closing down the market in the next 10 minutes. We agreed and ended up spending the next hour or so with her and her family. We had a great time speaking (or trying to speak) Spanish and luckily had Eunice to translate when it got difficult. As night time approached Eunice mentioned it was time to leave and we were escorted with one of the ladies sons through the now closed market to our taxi.    Read more

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    Mexico Day 81 - Mexico City

    March 31, 2021 in Mexico ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    On our last day in Mexico City I wanted to go and have a look around the Estadio Azteca so whilst Gem finished up her work I headed on the metro. Unfortunately the stadium itself was closed off and you couldn't even get. close enough to walk around, but it was an impressive sight from a distance and you could sense how good the atmosphere would be for a match day!

    That evening we wanted to head back to Garibaldi Plaza (the square with the bars and mariachi's) and after some food and drink we got talking to some guys who I assume had been in there most of the day! They had obviously paid one of the bands a lot as they seemed to be playing exclusively for them the whole evening, and they insisted on teaching me to dance and also requested a dance with Gem who reluctantly agreed! Their final parting gift as we left was a game where me and the two of them hold hands and also hold an electrocution machine until it gets so bad someone drops it! Not necessarily a fun game and afterwards I felt like id being using some sort of high powered drill for a day but he dropped it first so that's all that matters, obviously...

    We finished the evening in gems favourite cocktail bar Balmori who also had a vegan menu - the perfect end to an amazing month in CDMX!    Read more

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    Mexico Day 83 - Guadalajara

    April 2, 2021 in Mexico ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    After a surprisingly comfortable 9 hour overnight bus journey we arrived in Guadalajara. We booked hotel Francis for two nights which was right in the central historical district. The interior hadn't changed since the 70s but had so much character and was lovely to see something last that long.

    We spent the morning exploring the lovely architecture and squares in the historical district. Craig grabbed some empinadas for breakfast which set us back about £1.50 and I had some chillaquiles for the 5th time that week (nachos with cheese, chili sauce and and egg). We headed back to the hotel rooftop just after lunch to do the family zoom quiz (and I think achieved our best score yet!!).

    For dinner we went to a Vegan restaurant (sorry Craig) but we actually both enjoyed it, promise!! Craig had a mexican style pizza and he said it's the best he's had. Then we headed to a rock bar for drinks which had an extensive beer selection and played good music. We sat on a lovely terrace enjoying the view over another one of the city's lovely sqaures.

    We had an early night in anticipation for the day we've been waiting for for months - the tiquela train!    Read more

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    Mexico Day 84 - Guadalajara & Tiquilla

    April 3, 2021 in Mexico ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    We set off early this morning to the coach station for our day trip to Jose Cuervo and sunset ride on the Jose Cuervo Expréss! The day started with an hour's coach ride with complimentary Tiquilla before arriving to the vast agave fields for a talk and demonstration on how the agave is harvested which included the opportunity for a volunteer (me) to prove the technique is nowhere near as easy as the butch Mexicano Antonio made it look... Apparently he can trim and replant thousands of agave plants per day!

    Afterwards we were off to the museum but due to the amount we needed to fit into the day unfortunately this was slightly rushed. Some of the old cars/wagons and traditional mexican clothes on show were great! After the jog thorough the museum we sat down for a quick Tiquilla tasting, it was the first time either of us had learnt and actually made us both realise how nice it could be when you don't take a burning shot whole! The process involves taking a small sip and leaving it to sit in the front of your mouth, breathing in through your nose (not mouth like I originally thought resulting in coughing and choking) and then swallowing and breathing out through your mouth!

    For lunch we chose a local place with a buffet and mariachi band, the food and cocktails were delicious and the whole thing felt like a Sunday lunch with a big mexican family!! Afterwards our guide offered to show us around the grounds of the estate and to the longest bar in Mexico! Unfortunately they had a wedding on so we had to be quick through again but it was great to see!

    Afterwards we were sent to an arena for some traditional Mexican music and dancing - by this point the majority of the crowd were very well oiled on the complimentary Tiquilla so the atmosphere was brilliant - seeing people sing, dance and enjoy themselves to songs that I can only assume are classics was brilliant!

    Finally we headed out to the train station for the main event of our day which was the express train with Tiquilla tasting! The station itself was very small but the train looked amazing - completely black with gold trimmed Tiquilla branding across the side it was like an alcoholics Hogwarts Express!!

    Once on board we were treated to a carriage that looked like something from a film - a first class carriage with a bar, a table seat with revolving seats and a traditional decor that seemed like a New York Speakeasy! The waiter would bring a fresh drink seemingly immediately after your last was finished and the tasting Tiquilla was incredible! The tasting itself was entirely in Spanish, which was of course fine for me but Gem struggled a little...

    We spent the rest of the ride speaking with various guys on the train, there was a group of blokes from Costa Rica on holiday who insisted on us getting in touch when we arrive in San Jose and a German/American couple who were lovely!

    After a short walk back from the station we made it to the hotel and got an unexpectedly early night in preparation for our 7am flight in the morning!    Read more

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    Mexico Day 85 Puerto Escondido

    April 6, 2021 in Mexico ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    Surprisingly after the early alarm we both felt really fresh, probably good quality Tiquilla saving the day! After a short taxi ride to the airport we were greeted with a huge queue for bag check in, luckily we already had boarding passes and with 90 mins before our flight was due to leave obviously had plenty of time.....

    Fast forward 40 mins and from the check in desk we are told baggage check-in has closed and we have to run to gate 36B immediately, suddenly the freshness of a good quality Tiquilla hangover was rapidly fading!!

    After having to sacrifice numerous bottles of aftershave, sun cream and our precious Tiquilla we made it through the airport security and started running to the gate! We weren't the only ones running which filled us with a little confidence we might make it... Sure enough we made it onto the tunnel between the airport and plane, dealing with numerous tutting Americans intent on reminding me that my suitcase wasn't a 'carry on' we somehow made the plane!

    Arriving into Escondido we needed to find a hotel for that night as ours had only been booked from Monday onwards, we settled on a place in La Punta called Gallo Del Mar which was beautiful and right next to the beach! We spent the afternoon relaxing at a beach bar before getting a well earned early night!    Read more

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    Mexico Day 86-88 - Puerto Escondido

    April 8, 2021 in Mexico ⋅ ☁️ 31 °C

    After a lovely night in La Punta we checked into our air BnB called Casa Cascada, a 10 minute walk away from the town centre in Puerto Escondido. We were amazed at the architecture, huge communal living space and the stunning infinity pool overlooking the bay below.

    We got chatting to a really nice Texan / Mexican couple around the pool. They had a restaurant in Texas and a boutique hotel in Punta Mita in Mexico and we're in the area looking for their next business's venture. Craig referred to the lady as 'Senora' and got a clip round the ear as apparently you only call grandmothers Señora! Luckily she saw the funny side and they invited us out for a drink that evening.

    We met them in a lovely beach bar in La Punta called Xcaanda for some Mezcalitas and then headed to a Thai restaurant called Lychee which was a nice change to the Mexican cuisine (not that we'd ever get sick of it!)    Read more

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    Mexico Day 89 - Puerto Escondido

    April 9, 2021 in Mexico ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    We woke up early for our first ever surf lesson at Cazadillo beach. We spent 15 minutes on the beach with our instructor learning the basics and then went straight out to the ocean to try.

    The first wave that the instructor pushed me onto felt so weird, as if I was flying but had no control over it at all. I didn't even try to stand up as the whole process felt so strange. Craig tried to stand but toppled off pretty much straight away. We then paddled back to where the instructor was to try again (sounds easy enough but after the 10th time your arms feel like they're going to fall off!)

    After that I had a pretty successful run. Most times I stood up and surfed the wave into the beach without falling off at all. I absolutely loved it too and can't wait to try again. Craig wasn't as lucky and seemed to struggle a bit more with the balance than me (which I absolutely loved given how competitive we both are)!! After an hour or so we called it a day. Our arms were like jelly and we even discovered some bruises the next day.

    We were absolutely starving after the surfing and had lunch in a great middle Eastern place after. I had a falafel wrap and Craig had a cross between a pita and a Quesadilla.    Read more

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    Mexico Day 90 - Puerto Escondido

    April 10, 2021 in Mexico ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    The great thing about staying at Casa Cascada was the interesting people that we met e.g. Thao Nguyen, a Vietnamese New Yorker who is now working remotely and living between Mexico City and Puerto Escondido (basically the dream)! She's hoping to start up a restaurant / cafe in the area in the near future so we went out for the day with her to check out some vacant spaces and taste some of the competition.

    We ended up visiting 5 or 6 different restaurants and bars. In each one we ordered one or two dishes to share and then moved on the the next. It was the perfect day!

    Craig and I stayed out for the evening and ended up in a Mezcal bar called Juana Mezcala. Lucky for us, there was also amazing live music from Los Tarantinos who played 'phsycadelic surf' guitar music from Quintin Tarantino films. We had such an amazing time and it was such a great end to the day.    Read more

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    Mexico Day 94 - Puerto Escindido

    April 14, 2021 in Mexico ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C

    After a few days relaxing around the pool and eating locally in the evenings we decided to use our last night to visit the bioluminescent plankton in a local lagoon that had been recommended to us.

    It was around a 45 minute drive and we arrived just as the sun was setting, we were told it's only possible to see the plankton at night. After a short boat ride we settled right in the middle of the water and were told we could jump in! The water temperature was surprisingly hot for the time of day and as soon as you touched the water the plankton lit up like Xmas fairy lights!

    It was strange to swim around in, similar to swimming through glitter or something as every movement created more lights and patterns! As well as the plankton it was amazing to stare up at such a clear night sky, there seemed to be thousands of stars that all appeared more prominent than we had ever seen!

    It was a great evening and the perfect way to enjoy our last night in Puerto!    Read more

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    Mexico Day 95 - Puerto Escondido

    April 15, 2021 in Mexico ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    With a night bus planned for the evening we decided to make the most of our last hours so headed down to the beach for some snorkelling around the bay. The strong waves made getting close to the rocks a little difficult but we were rewarded with seeing loads of different shapes and sizes of exotic fish! Afterwards we had a great brunch beach side and relaxed reading for the morning!

    In the afternoon we decided to head back to Xcaanda our favourite beach bar in La Punta for the last time. It has the perfect setting with the huge waves constantly crashing infront of you and always seemed to be full with good people!

    Finally we headed back to the hotel to collect our bags and head for the bus station. An 11 hour overnight bus to Oaxaca City awaited, as usual Gem was perfectly tired and managed to get to sleep seemingly before we had left the station! I struggled through til the early hours but got some sleep at least before we arrived!

    Luckily our friend Thao Nguyen was staying in the city so we had a place to head straight to and shower before checking into our Airbnb that afternoon!    Read more

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    Mexico Day 96 - Oaxaca City

    April 16, 2021 in Mexico ⋅ 🌧 27 °C

    After our longest overnight bus journey yet we made it into Oaxaca City feeling both tired and excited! Luckily our friend Thao had already arrived so we had a place to head straight to at 7am for a shower and a nap!

    That day we walked around to explore the city and Gem went with Thao in the afternoon/evening for a cooking class. The class was lead by a mexican chef who had worked all over the world. The class was in his beautiful garden which also doubles as his restaurant that is usually hired out for private parties. He also had three gorgeous dogs - a retired German Shepard guard dog, a rottweiler puppy in training to be a guard dog and a cute but dopey Andrex advert dog (can't remember the breed hah).

    The first part of the class was walking to a local market and buying all the fresh ingredients. Once we made it back we learned how to make maize tortillas, empenadas and quesadillas from scratch and a chilli sauce to go with it. Next it was onto mole, a traditional mexican stew with really rich flavours. For desert we made fried plantain balls flavoured with chocolate, cinnamon and vanilla, with a cream cheese stuffing. All so delicious!!    Read more

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