MANZANILLO!

Hello from Manzanillo, Colima on the west coast of Mexico. It's a short 6 hour flight from Sitka, Alaska to here where the climate couldn't be more different. I left a frosty 20-something degrees where it was starting to snow and arrived to over 80 degree weather; sweaty and hot, humid and beautiful. With the exception of the crazy lady in front of us at Customs who cursed at us for being tourist trash, the whole arrival at the airport went very smooth.



From the moment we arrived here, I realized I wasn't anywhere I could recognize. Being in a foreign country makes you realize very quickly that the only way you're going to enjoy yourself is to let go of any preconceived notions you have about "comfort" and just adapt. I keep telling myself that if I wanted to be comfortable, I could have just stayed at home. Even so, the condo we are staying at is amazing. La Puesta del Sol is about a five minute walk to the beach, where waves break late and come crashing constantly onto the shore. We are in what is considered "the nice part of town": a relatively private, fenced-in area, with a posted guard. The condo is on the fourth floor, overlooking the pool (which is freezing cold and a total relief at the end of a day walking around in the heat).




The language barrier, the dress, the way people look at you, the way they interact with you... all these things are new and different. And yet there is something universal about seeing people at the grocery store buying dinner with their families or driving through town, listening to music and singing along. Of course, in America, we frown on drinking and driving but here, people pour tequila into cups at the stop lights and pass it to the four people riding in the back of their pickup truck and no one bats an eye. These are subtle differences but, overall, Manzanillo is very much like anywhere else: people getting by, poor folks and rich folks, a Starbucks on the corner.

Speaking of traffic, the streets here are purely all peril, no weakness, full-throttle crazy cakes. Lane changes with no fear, pushing 70 on the residential streets, passing to the middle with no care for solid lines or other cars int he oncoming lane whatsoever. Our driver for the trip so far has been a cab driver named Savino. He is friendly and helpful beyond all measure. When we first arrived, he recommended a very nice restaurant and even offered to wait until dinner was over to take us back to our rooms. He refused t be paid, which was the weirdest thing of all. He pointed out shops and places for us to visit while we were speeding along the main strip through downtown Colima.

The few days we've been here, we have mostly just eaten and lounged. It's not so much travel per se as it is a vacation from our vacation. Sitka for the holidays was fun and New Year's Eve was a blur of laughter, drinking, and dancing around the living room of our good friend Jenn. But there was still loose ends to tie up while we were there as we continue to plan and perfect our ongoing journey across the world and so, here in Mexico, I finally feel like all those things I are out of my control and I can do nothing else but wait to see what happens. Meanwhile, I'll be drinking Margaritas (sooper strong!) by the pool (nice and cold) and soaking in the sun (hot hot hot).