Looking for Silver Linings

 As we post this things have drastically improved in our lives.  We are exploring the beautiful state of Hidalgo and can eat solid food (and take solid poops)!.   These, surprisingly, are huge accomplishments and we can not wait for the days ahead!!!

January 4^th – Happy Birthday Kendra

Our Airbnb was the perfect place to spend Kendra’s birthday.  The pool, although cold initially was the perfect place to relax in the heat of the day, which happened to be 32 degrees.    While it was still cool we walked to the gold zone of Mazatlán and went into various tourist shops.  We left our wedding rings at home as we didn’t want anything to occur that may require us to part with them but found ourselves missing them as a symbol.  We didn’t find anything that we wanted to purchase, but we will keep looking for less sentimental rings.

It was nice to walk along the beach and enjoy some Pacifco beer, a national beer made in Mazatlán; we agreed we still like Corona or Tecate better.

Paul had purchased Kendra a cake and a bottle of wine and both were enjoyed, along with more beer, laughs and good times.  It was a great day for Kendra to turn 32 for the second time.

January 5th & 6th - The arrest of Guzman while we were in Sinaloa

We wrote about these days in a previously, so if you haven't read about these stressful days, feel free to click the link below:

https://gogogauthiers.blogspot.com/2023/01/our-experiences-during-unrest-within.html

January 7^th – Debrief

After the last couple days, we needed to take a couple days off. We spoke and documented the last couple days while sitting on a beach and eating ceviche.  It was what we needed!  Unfortunately, we had an outstanding issue we had to address, Rupert’s paw.  We thought it was getting better in Mazatlan, but we were wrong, it was definitely infected and he could barely walk on it.  We decided to walk to El Centro San Blas, (with Rupert in his backpack) and ended up hanging out at a bar, talking and people watching.  Thankfully with decent service we learned that there was a vet in San Blas and it was open 7 days a week!  We had a plan; we would go to see the vet first thing in the morning!

San Blas is famous.  If you speak to anyone who has been there for any amount of time they will tell you about Jejenes, which are little sand flies.  These things bite and their bites result in extremely itchy red dots all over your legs.  If we had bothered to do any googling we would have known that it is a requirement to dose your legs in bug spray before going anywhere where the sand flies live. We were also told they are the worst when it’s a full moon, which was when we were there. Unfortunately, we didn’t know this so paid the ultimate price; our legs looked like we had leprosy. We had prepaid for two nights in San Blas but knew we wouldn’t be staying there any longer than we had to.

 

January 8^th – We have to stay longer than we thought

We took Rupert to the vet where his paw was cut into to allow drainage, and various shots were given.  We were also told that he would need follow up appointments for the next 3 or more days.  We didn’t really  want to stay in San Blas due to the flies so we started to look for communities close to San Blas that did not have the sand fleas, this is where we learned about Aticama and some Permanent Residents from the US that rented out their driveway to overlanders.  This place was awesome with an outdoor kitchen, pool, bathrooms and hot showers!!!  It was exactly the place to stay.

We spent the afternoon doing a deep clean of some key areas of the van, namely the fridge which was coated in dust since we drove up to the Arctic Ocean.

 

January 9^th – A Day of Grazing

After Rupert went to the vet we decided to stress him out some more.  He was also in desperate need of a grooming, especially with temperatures in the high 20s and there was a groomer in San Blas.  We assumed we would have to make an appointment, but turns out the groomer could groom him in that moment so we dropped him off and went for breakfast. 

After breakfast we decided to keep on enjoying ourselves and go for fresh fruit smoothies trying the fruit local to the area, known as Yaka, or Jackfruit.  We were told that the consistency is odd, but in a smoothy it was delicious. The smoothies were in the municipal market, a daily farmer’s market that most communities seem to have where you can buy local produce for pennies.  We decided to buy ingredients to make Pico de Gallo and Guacamole. 

Next we did a little bit of exploring. San Blas is described as the Mexican middle class tourist destination and for years various resorts have been built, then fallen in disrepair meaning that the community has a few ruins of resorts of 50 to 60 years ago and some more recently.  We had hoped to do some urban exploring but unfortunately it was clear we were not allowed to go any further than the signs and fence allowed us to.

Rupert was still not done being groomed so we ended up killing more time, by having some ice cream; honestly the best ice cream we had ever had.  It really made us think maybe we should be eating out more and spending more money on delicacies. Not knowing much Spanish Kendra assumed the ice cream with queso/cheese in the name must be cheesecake even without knowing what the other word was. It could have been carrot and cheese ice cream, but luck was on her side and it was berry cheesecake.

We spent the afternoon continuing to graze, eating our Pico de Gallo and guacamole and trying out the cheapest alcohol we could find at the local grocery store- Cane alcohol for $29 mxp a  bottle.

 

January 10^th – Jamming it all in

The vet gave Rupert his thumbs up, he had recovered faster than he thought he would so we would be able to leave San Blas tomorrow, if we wanted to. The consultations and medications over the last few days had only cost $15 CAD.

We discussed the pros and cons of leaving and in the end decided we would do everything today that we had planned to do in the next two days and head east.

We saw crocodiles and purchased (and ate) delicious banana bread (the area was known for its banana bread) we also made our way to a waterfall. 

The waterfall was beautiful, the hike down was easy, but we knew that the hike up would be rough.  Frustratingly an American ended up showing up at the exact same time as us who wanted to make “content’ (1 guy with 1 GoPro on a tripod and 1 GoPro in his hand).  His content was jumping from the top of the waterfall to the bottom.  Paul had already swum the area before he attempted and knew that the depth of the pool of water the American would be jumping into fluctuated wildly, and if he jumped at the wrong spot he could seriously hurt himself, or worse.  We did not realize this was his plan until he was out of ear shot.  It took a long time for him to climb up to the top of the waterfall, so much time that another American family had also hiked down.  We were quick to disassociate ourself from this lone content creator, and when it looked like he was about to jump we ended up walking away.  We could not watch.

He jumped and didn’t die, but did hurt his knee.  He ruined the vibe of the area and in general was a really weird guy.  Unfortunately, I would not be surprised if I see an obituary for him on a facebook group in a year or two.  He seems to prioritize content over other people’s enjoyment of nature or himself.

Thankfully, after his stunt we, along with the other American family where finally about to enjoy this beautiful spot and re-enter the water without fear of a deceased person floating by.

As this was our last day in San Blas/Aticama we decided to go for a seafood dinner.  We found the busiest and best reviewed place in the area and somehow were able to get a table (probably because it was 3:30) [we hadn’t eaten lunch yet]. 

As seems to be a consistent issue, we ordered way too much food, but it was the best seafood we had ever had. We decided to suffer through it.

Our final evening was full of laughter and drinks, the couple who allowed us to camp in their driveway took us to a local hotel for margaritas, and the drinks continued after we returned.  It ended up being a pretty late night.

January 11^th – The long drive that wasn’t

We had planned to have a long day of driving, we would leave relatively early and drive as far east as possible so we could slowly work our way back to Nayarit, specifically Puerto Vallarta. 

Although we did leave early, traffic and a few missed exits resulted in us getting into Guadalajara far later than planned.  We also had a new (but old) problem.  Our van was making the same sound it was making when the sway bar was loose.  We thought, due to the size of Guadalajara that we would look for a mechanic, but, every one we went to was closed for some reason.  As the afternoon started to turn into the evening we knew we had to change our plans and camp somewhere close(ish) to where we were.

The campground was a mess.  It was the first “state campground” we had heard of (or found) in Mexico.  There were no bathrooms and there was garbage everywhere.  There was nothing nice about this campground, but it was free and safe, (we later learned the police patrolled it every night to ensure anyone who was there was safe).  We were the only people there and based on the state of the park were sure we would be the only people to willingly camp there.

 

January 12^th – Can we skip to the good part…no

Paul had chosen the state campground, very purposely, it was the last safe campground, after it the locations accessible were not safe.  Paul, did not tell Kendra this fact and woke up feeling ill and sort of forgot.

It was Kendra’s decision day, so she decided that the goals of the day where to go to the nearest large community, do laundry, get water, and get the van fixed.  That brought us into La Piedad within the state of Michoacan a state that the government of Canada says to avoid.  We dropped off our laundry at the first well reviewed laundromat and was told it would be ready at 4:30. Our next stop was finding somewhere to get some drinking water.  A quick google search yielded a spot, but it was at that time we realized our issue, we were somewhere we didn’t want to be, and the next safe location with a campground was over 2 hours away, right around, if not after sunset. 

Although we were worried about finding a mechanic and being able to communicate our issue, we ended up finding one very easily; Paul knew how to say that there was a weird noise and had learned how to say sway bar in Spanish.  That doesn’t mean it went off without a hitch, they asked many questions with many words Paul had never heard before, and in the end ask if they could just drive the vehicle themselves.  Without thinking, we gave one of the guys our keys and he was driving down the road with our van. 

A few minutes later he returned saying he had heard the issue and could fix it.  $60 CAD later, Paul and the mechanic were on the road (Kendra and Rupert were left at the mechanic shop, as he wanted to make sure that it was no longer making the weird sound and that Paul would know that he fixed it byt not hearing the sound.  It wasn’t!!

There was a huge Walmart in the community so we thought to pick up some groceries, but after doing so Paul finally said he was not doing well.  He had made comments most of the day saying that something wasn’t right, but could no longer hide it.  We still had 3 hours to kill until the laundry was done and Paul was adamant he couldn’t do anything adventurous.  Around this same time a local couple who spoke English approached us asking us if we where camping in the area.  We said no and planned to leave soon, the couple smiled, looking relieved and let us know that we are not in a safe community….great…

5 minutes later Paul started throwing up (in a plastic bag lined puke bucket).  We decided to stay in the Walmart parking lot until the laundry is done and just return to the dirty campground that we were at last night.  Although we wanted to get a hotel, there were no hotels within a 2 hour drive that were both dog friendly and decent reviews that didn’t talk about bed bugs, cockroaches and other insects in the rooms.  This was also the first time that we probably would have paid anything to stay somewhere half decent, there was just nothing available.

The next 3 hours were some of the worst for Paul, without fail every 30 minutes he would throw up everything in his stomach, then he’d clean himself up, start drinking water, and repeat the process. 

The laundry was done a bit later than planned, closer to 5pm, so we really didn’t have any other options.

The drive back to Jalisco and the campground was not enjoyable.  Paul felt that if he was driving he could focus on that rather than being sick, and that that would be better than being a passenger, so after throwing up once more, we jumped in the van and started our 1 hour drive back.

Like clockwork, 30 minutes later Paul knew he needed to throw up, but cranked the A/C to freezing and hoped that would delay the inevitable.  It did, and by the grace of god we returned to the campground.

Kendra set up the vehicle while Paul laid in the grass trying to feel better.  Within an hour Kendra also threw up and we learned another “fun” symptom we’d have to contend with for the next couple days.  Diarrhea, but again, no bathrooms here…so you can imagine how much fun we would be having.

 

January 13^th – A Proper Friday the 13^th

Neither of us could function today and had the same symptoms of yesterday.  It was a horrible day and all we wanted was a place with a bathroom.  Unfortunately, we were in no shape to drive so we spent the day napping, drinking electrolyte drinks and water, and trying to eat anything. We were successful this evening when sharing a pack of chicken ramen.

 

January 14^th – The worst had passed

I
t was time to leave, we knew we could at least drive so we packed up knowing that we had somehow made this terrible “campground” worse and drove towards the state of Hidalgo.  Trust us, we usually try to leave places in the same or better condition, but it was unfortunately not possible this time.  After 6 hours and quite a few bathrooms stops we arrived at a proper campground on a river with toliets, flush toilets!  It was beautiful and everything we wish the place we had stayed at for the last three nights had been.  We even got to watch a group of goats as they wondered around the campground while a newlywed couple took photos in the canyon, all from the comfort of our van.

 

January 15^th – Maybe this isn’t food poisoning

We woke up feeling far better, better enough to start exploring and enjoying the area.  Within a couple hours drive east where three Pueblo Magicos, so we decided to celebrate our return to relative normal we would explore them.  The first one brought us into the mountain of El Chico National Park.  It blew our minds how much it resembled the Kootenays.  This whole state is full of mountains, trees and hot springs and it felt like we were back in B.C.

The first Pueblo Magico was Mineral del Chico, a mountain town that looks like it had been thought up by Disney.  We were not surprised at the number of visitors exploring the town, what surprised us is that we were the only international people visiting.

The community starts near the top of a mountain and follows a river down towards where the people of the community used to mine.  We decided to walk this route but after coming to the end we realized we were exhausted.  We seriously were concerned how we would be able to walk back up the hill, thankfully we were able to take a public bus that allowed Rupert on it for $1 CAD.  We half joke that we would have paid ANYTHING to be taken back to the top of the hill, ANYTHING, because for some reason we were completely drained after our downhill walk.

Once back to the main part of the community we grabbed a table at a little café, drank the most delicious (non-alcoholic) drinks we had ever had, known as fresquitos and had some delicious pizza.  We assumed we were exhausted due to not eating anything for days so hoped that some pizza would give us the energy we need for tomorrow. We always used to wonder who would go to Mexico and eat pizza or hamburgers when there are so many good national/regional/local dishes to enjoy, but after 6 months on the road and having not been feeling well, we realize that we have become THOSE people who will order pizza or a hamburger when in Mexico.

We found a campground in the national park and unsurprisingly it was packed full of people enjoying the last day of the weekend in nature.  We, decided to go to bed.

We woke up after a couple hours with terrible muscle pain and a cough and a runny nose, it was the first time we really started to wonder, what if we don’t have food poisoning, what if it was covid, we had all the symptoms over the course of the past few days.

 

 January 16^th – Being Ignorant

We decided we would take a hike in the national park; we had eaten and should have the energy to do something.  We hiked 3 kilometers return to a mountain lake.  It was beautiful, the hike started at the campground and went down the mountain, meaning after we got to the lake we had to make our way back up.  We did it, we did struggle but we took this a proof we were okay, but we decided we would start wearing our masks because we took significantly more breaks to catch our breaths and regroup along the way back.

The next Pueblo Magico was Real del Monte, another mining town.  Once again it was beautiful, except they had just finished a 2 day festival (that unfortunately, but probably for the best) we missed. Even though it was 1pm when we were exploring the town, the whole community felt like it was HUNG OVER.  We’ve never experience this but so many people were sitting on the ground trying to hold on for dear life, chugging Electrolit (Mexico’s brand of Pedialyte), or drinking Micheladas.  They community was trying to clean up and take down all the vendor stalls and stage but it was a slow process.  Everything was more or less closed and although the people watching was 10/10 we decided to continue to the final Pueblo Magico, Huasca de Ocampo. 

Fun fact, Paul was able to purchase a “road trip wedding ring” at Real del Monte.  We had left our actual wedding rings in Quesnel as they hold a lot of sentimental value and we knew we didn’t want to be in a situation where we could lose them so we decided we would eventually buy new rings when the price was right.  With the area known for silver Paul was able to pick up a silver plated wedding band for $25 CAD that checked off all the boxes.  Kendra is still looking for the right ring.

We learned that Huasca de Ocampo was the very first Pueblo Magico, and it was well deserved, once again a very beautiful community with a lot going on. 

It was around this time that Kendra started to develop a cough, so we decided we would get a hotel and try to get a good night sleep while avoiding everything and other people.  We wanted to do more in the community but thought it best to stay in our hotel.  After the streets went quiet we did go for a little walk around the town again to get some fresh air, it was really nice to see the place without it being full of people and vendors.

 

January 17^th – Memories of Korea (Avoiding people)

We slept in, and left just before check out.  We had one stop we wanted to do before heading to western Hidalgo again, which was the basalt columns.  We had guessed correctly that there would be no one there if we went mid week.  It was neat to see a geological feature that we often hiked to in Quesnel, but this one had a waterfall right at the columns as well. 

We then picked up some pies as the whole area was famous for its pastries (thanks to European miners in the 1800s who shared the recipe with locals) and we finally had an appetite again. We got them for the road and ate them in the van, they were delicious and we regret not buying more.

We did stop in the big city of the area, Pachuca, for a view of a bunch of painted houses, which remined us of Gamcheon Village in Busan, Korea.  In fact the whole day reminded us of Korea, from the tourist infrastructure around nature and the pastries we found ourselves reminiscing about wandering the streets of Busan.

Our day ended at the campground we had stayed at when we first entered Hidalgo, but this time we knew we were almost 100% well again.