Kermito El Rana

I’m back in from Mexico and not super thrilled about it. Luckily, I have no job to take away from the time I'm spending reminiscing about all the good times I had with Kermie in Sayulita.

Meditating at Haramara.


Enjoying the view from our casa in town.


Playing on the beach.


Going out on the fishing boat.


Marveling at our catch.


And, of course, sunbathing.


And no, neither Kermit nor I came home with the Swine Flu. Thanks for asking, Grandma, Dad, Mom and every person I’ve ever met.

Giddy-up

Horseback riding. On the beach. At sunset. With beer.

Life doesn't get much better.

Lazy shoppers

A fun thing about Mexico is that you don't have to get out of your seat to shop; the products come to you. A muffin man comes to our door every morning to sell us breakfast. Vendors come up to you on the beach selling everything from dresses to plates to jewelery to flan. Flan! On the beach!

Here's a perfect example of what I'm talking about - this truck drove by me yesterday while I was working at the Internet cafe.

Mission: accomplished.

After a lot of time, work, energy and devotion. I think I may have found it: the Best Fish Taco in Sayulita.

I still have a few more days left, and a few more places to try, however. So I'll keep you posted.

Casa Verde

My name is Audrey. I’m 32 years old. And I am a groupie.

The band is called Casa Verde. And they’re the most amazing band I’ve ever seen. Ever.



I’ve been in Mexico, what? About two weeks? (I’ve lost track of time). And I’ve seen Casa Verde play no less than five times (at three different bars). You know it’s bad when I walk into the club and the band waves to me.

I know every word to every song. I sing along even though I have no idea what they mean. I am their friend on Myspace. I bought their CD and have uploaded every song into my iTunes. I dance in the front row and swoon over the band members, though I’m having a hard time deciding whose babies I want to have more:

The sweaty lead singer,



Or the mustachioed trumpet player.



I have tried to talk to them a few times, but none of them speaks a lick of English and my Spanish is less than perfect. So far we’ve been able to discuss our love of music and hats. The Saturday night’s conversation went like this:

Audrey: (in Spanish) Me gusta la musica.

Lead singer: (in English) I like hats.

I think it’s love.

They leave today to continue their tour around Mexico. I’m heartbroken. Perhaps I will follow their tour van.



Here is a clip of them playing. The sound is poor in this video, so it doesn't quite do them justice, (but you can see how sexy the trumpet player is). The song is about how they want love (from me). I can't understand the other lyrics, but I think they're about the sexy American girl that shows up at all their concerts. Maybe you can clarify this, Eliza?

Images of home

There are a few things around Sayulita that remind me of home (aside from all the San Franciscans, that is)

Tacos de Pescados

Up until now, I thought my purpose in Sayulita was to do nothing but relax and pass the time. However, yesterday, I had a realization that I do have a clear and very serious reason to be here. My job here in Sayulita, as I’m hereby declaring, is to find the very best fish taco in town. (Or as I've been asking the locals in my mangled Spanish: "The most better fish taco of everyone in all the town.")

This may seem like an easy task in a village the size of my San Francisco flat. However, every restaurant in Sayulita offers fish tacos. And every building in Sayulita happens to be a restaurant. Even if it’s a private home, they have a few tables outside and a heavy-set grandmotherly lady frying up some tacos de pescados. Then there are the street carts, which pop up anywhere from la plaza to la playa selling fish and shrimp tacos.

This is a job I will take very seriously for my next week here. Be it marlin or mahi mahi, deep fried or grilled, corn or flour tortilla-ed, I will rest at nothing until I’ve found the Best Fish Taco in Sayulita.

It’s good to have goals.

Sayulita life

Here are some images from life in Sayulita. I'll post more over the next week.


Care for some candy while you sunbathe?

Coconut water

I got a little homesick after Spanish class yesterday. I was tired and cranky from too much sun. My Spanish teacher recommended drinking coconut water to combat heat exhaustion. So, on my way home, I bought a coconut from a fruit stand on the beach. The seniorita hacked off both ends of the fruit with a machete and gave me a straw. I sipped the juice from the coconut all the way back to my hotel as I walked along the sand, and realized that I have the rest of my life to be at home.

Right now I happen to be in paradise.

Haramara

As I promised yesterday, here are some images from chapter one: Haramara.

This was my walk to yoga class every morning.


I'd never done somewhere so beautiful. I mean, Yoga Tree is nice and all, but this palapa had a 360-degree view.


How can I count the ways in which I loved my outdoor shower. Let's just say that I showered every day while at Haramara, which, as you are aware if you know me, is a really big deal.


The grounds had beautiful gardens to get lost in.


One of the six gorgeous sunsets I enjoyed from the dining hall.


We lucked out with a full moon in the middle of our six-day stay. The moon was so bright, we didn't even need flashlights (Haramara is solar powered and has no electricity at night).


I still have a long way to go, but I definitely saw an improvement in my yoga practice.


And, last but not least, my favorite part: my bedroom.

Chapter Two

My three-week trip to Mexico has three chapters. They all take place in the same town, but each chapter has its own focus. This is a stark contrast from my usual way of traveling, where I see as much of a country as possible in a short period of time. But that can be a little stressful. And I needed a relaxing vacation (from my relaxing vacation of a life back home as a laid-off copywriter.) Still, it’s been nice to just slow down and get to know one place (and, more importantly, myself).

Last week, I enjoyed a heavenly yoga/meditation retreat at the amazing Haramara retreat center. From the open-air, candle-lit rooms, to the 360-view yoga palapas to the amazing food – that place was built for relaxation. Although the best part of my retreat was the people. And they were all imported from San Francisco.

Right now, I’m on chapter two. This one is a mix of Spanish lessons, surfing lessons, and yoga classes while at the same time, attempting to get my freelance work done. The latter is slipping a little. But, as you saw from yesterday’s post, my Spanish is improving.

Chapter three, starting Saturday, will unravel all the relaxation and centering I’ve accomplished in the first two chapters. From the wheat-free, meat-free, sugar-free, dairy-free and sometime cooking-free delicious food at Haramara (for two days we ate raw – I was amazed at how good it was). And this budgety week of eating nothing but smoothies and fish tacos. I expect next week to be a feast of cheesy, chicken enchiladas, margaritas and beer, to drown out all that health, when six friends arrive from San Francisco and we spend a week partying in a rental beach house. I think it’ll be a great way to end the trip.

Tomorrow I’ll start posting some pictures.

When in Mexico...

Today was my first Spanish lesson in Mexico. Also my first Spanish lesson in 20 years. Unlike my sister, who speaks every language in the world fluently, I’ve never been that good at them. I took Spanish in elementary school and then French in high school and college. And in the ten years since I’ve stopped taking any language, they’ve gotten jumbled up in my head until I can’t speak anything (sometimes I struggle with English). But I’m convinced that all that knowledge is there – I just need to access it.

Today I was able to learn a few key phrases that I’ve been practicing around town. Complexly constructed sentences such as “Me puede traer una mas taco de pescado por favor?” (can you bring me another fish taco please.” And “Me gustaria la cuenta.” (I would like the check).

The thing is that I’m so proud of my new language skills, that I expect a big reaction when I bust out with my new learnings – applause, or at least a solid pat on the back. Instead, I have been getting another fish taco. Or sometimes the check. It’s a little disappointing.

Cleansing

I’ve been on a cleanse for almost two weeks now. No, not the horrific Master Cleanse. This one is the Oprah diet, (God, when I write it out like that it sounds so shallow). But really, it’s just about being more aware of what you eat. The diet is vegan (no meat, dairy or eggs) and nothing fun (alcohol, sugar, or caffeine) and the trickiest part, no wheat/gluten, which is surprisingly in everything – from soy sauce to many soups.

What does that leave to eat? Plenty of stuff. I’ve been eating stirfries and quinoa, lentils and kale, smoothies and peanutbutter. These are all the all the things I ate before anyhow, only now I’m more aware of them because I’m not drunk all the time – kidding, kidding. Mom, I don’t drink THAT much. In fact I haven’t had a single drink in two whole weeks. Two whole weeks! And no sugar either.

I’m going to reward myself with a margarita… in Mexico.

No really, I leave tomorrow for a yoga retreat in Mexico. Will not be blogging for at least a week (like that’s anything new). Will blog in a week and tell you how it went.