Sherri
An Array of Traditional Ingredients for Mexican Cuisine
For me, eating is always a huge part of travel or life for that matter. It is very important to me to connect with the people serving fresh and local food. Whether one is traveling on a budget or traveling in luxury, they can (and should, IMHO) make a point of sampling the local cuisine.read more…
Sherri
A Mariachi Band Helps Celebrate a Birthday
What can I say? Part of what makes Latin America so charming is the way that music is infused into the culture. Whether you are strolling down an alley, meandering on the malecón, or sitting on the beach – music is never far away. The Mexican people live their lives with simplicity and joy and part of that means being more tapped into being and less into doing. And how better to pass the time than to create some sounds to fill the air.
One afternoon, I had the small downtown beach, Playa La Principal, all to myself. I am not sure why none of the locals came to enjoy it that day, but hey, who’s complaining? read more…
Sherri
The Malecon With Playa La Ropa in the Background
The appeal of Zihuatanejo is undoubtedly the beaches. Of course, the geography gives rise to the food and shapes the people and the culture, so it’s hard to separate them all (the way I am attempting to do when writing about my trip). But still, at the end of the day, the locals and the tourists flock to the beaches. There are five of them in Zihuatanejo and many more when you head north to Ixtapa and south to the villages.
Sherri
The Parrot Seems to Like Being Near People
At the end of the day, the magic of travel is about the people. It’s arguable, since certain styles of travel are scenery and geography based – but that aside, it’s all about the people. It’s the people who raise the food and develop the architecture and create the history that any particular region is steeped in. For the most part, when I travel, I find that locals are very friendly and accommodating and eager to help me make the most of my time in their country. People have a lot of pride in their homeland and with good reason – it’s the land that they know and love and it has provided for their needs throughout their lifetime.
With ten days in the region, I interacted with many people and I am going to highlight but a few to show the variety of interactions I had.
Christian was a Frenchman who married a Mexican woman. He spoke French, German, English and Spanish – all them with a French accent, which was interesting to listen to and try to decipher what he was saying. read more…
Sherri
Frida Kahlo Artwork in Barra de Potosi
I woke up early and wanted to do laundry so I didn’t get to the village of Barra de Potosi, my next destination, with sandy items filling my backpack. I found una lavendería downtown, got the process started and I headed to the Mercado where I got some fruit and a smoothie and admired the usual hustle and bustle. I came back to put my clothes in the dryer and while I was waiting, I watched how the laundress was folding the tablecloths – and when she went to check on something else, I began to fold laundry. I liked it! I told her- me gusta trabajar (I like to work).read more…
SherriSince I chose to write this blog in a different format than the daily accounting format, I ended up with some pictures I thought “should” be included, but didn’t have a tale to tell with them. Well, since I am making up my own way of retelling my stories, I decided it would be simplest to put another entry just for pics of Zihuatanejo and Barra de Potosi. Thus we have the Zihuatanejo Photo Album.
Enjoy. . . .
Sherri
The Chugach Mountains Envelope Anchorage
It’s true, I am in Alaska in the middle of the winter. What is a sun worshiper like myself doing here? I am someone who thinks of heading to the lands where the coconuts grow when it gets yucky in Oregon. But I have always wanted to see the Northern Lights. I just think it would be an experience of a lifetime (but I say that about so many things, don’t I?) to see the sky light up in a psychedelic show. Sort of like going to a Pink Floyd concert minus David Gilmore and Roger Waters.read more…
Sherri
Clouds Intereplay with Mountains on the Kenia
Well, I am back at the Captain Cook Hotel and feeling totally exhilarated from a day trip to the Kenai Penninsula. When I was in Alaska two years ago, my trip was primarily on the Kenai and when I think back to the brilliant and majestic turquoise river, I start to quiver. Excluding very bad weather, I was pretty set on getting back there again.
We woke up very early and walked to Snow City Café. At 7am, it was still dark, but as we sat there eating our Alaskan breakfast, salmon cakes and eggs, the sky slowly turned to dawn and into day.read more…
Sherri
The Ice Sculptures Give Anchorage Charm
It’s 10am and I am watching the sun peek over the Chugach Mountains. It’s a sight I could get used to, this is for sure. Dan wanted to go for a vigorous morning walk and I am catching up on blogging. Always a challenge to write when traveling, as there is more adventuring to be had. So I am looking out the window at the city and it is very interesting to note that most of the tall buildings in Anchorage are hotels. The Sheraton, the Marriot, etc. The other tall buildings are related to the oil industry, like the Conoco Phillips building. At nearby Resolution Park, where we watched the sunset Friday night, there was a plaque explaining that Anchorage is close to many of the world’s shipping locations (when you count that flying over the north pole gets to you to global destinations quickly, especially before planes had as much range as they do now), and so, it has grown into a hub for air transport. Henceforth, the large hotels that make up the downtown landscape.
Yesterday we went over to Snow City Café again for breakfast (we found our groove there). It was pretty hopping on a Sunday morning and everyone seemed to be in good spirits. We both discovered that their gluten free bread is very good. Sometimes gluten free bread tastes like cardboard, but this one is made from tapioca and, with butter, it’s awesome. read more…
Sherri
The Alaskan Light Is Something to Behold
Well, it’s our last night at the regal Captain Cook hotel. The Anchorage component of the Alaskan adventure is drawing to a close. It’s been fun, but as with travel and with life, we must be moving on. We started our day by hitting the Athletic Club to get some real exercise in. The weight rooms are separate by gender, so I did my own routine and got my blood pumping. Dan did his routine and we met afterwards by the Jacuzzi (coed).
We took a quick jaunt down to the Spenard district to get a few souvenirs in the food department. At Alaskan Sausage and Seafood,, we stocked up on reindeer sausage and some salmon products. read more…