Playa Las Animas, lovely beach

For the last day in Puerto Vallarta J had a great idea to spend that on close by Playa Las Animas beach. Although I missed girls already before the bus there. Well, we had agreed to see at bus station at 11, but received a message, that let’s see already 10:30, so I run like crazy to the bus station, but was still delayed. As I couldn’t see them and reach by phone I assumed they were already on their way and took the next bus. (You can’t trust you would receive all sent messages, at least not in time.) But they were even more late and as such took the 11 o’clock bus after all. So we met only on the beach. 😄 After all they were more devoted to the beach by checking also the close by uninhabited beach.

When arriving to Boca de Tomathan from where a boat taxi would take to Playa Las Animas I was immediately asked ”Have you been there before?” The only correct answer is ”Yes”. I hadn’t, but with this answer he continued: ”How much did you pay back then?” I knew the pricing so answered 50 for return ticket. ”Oh, but nowadays its 100 one way...” From my face he saw, that I wouldn’t take that for an answer, so he showed me from where I could get more reasonable price, but without suncover on the boat. Well, it was 10 min boat trip, so I felt safe to stay that time in direct sun.

While walking to the other pier I met a nice couple J&P from San Fransisco. They obviously seemed more wealthy as a woman was requesting them 500 for a return ticket -and 200 extra if I will join. Not a change! I continued to the pier and J&P followed. I was looking to the sea and yes, a boat almost leaving returned. The local men sitting in that boat suggested me to join them to Playa Las Animas where they were heading. And yes, 100 for return. And yes, 300 for three persons. I winked my eye and said to P: ”You own me a beer.” ”Or even two”, he answered.

We arrived safely to Plays Las Animas, but skeptical me didn’t allow us to pay more than 200 now -the rest after return.

We planned to hike to the close by waterfall, but now we were adviced, that for that we should have taken the next beach. 🤷🏼‍♀️ On the other hand we also heard that it could be reached through the jungle, but I have lately seen so many waterfalls, that I decided just to stay by the beach. And even went swimming as the currents didn’t seem as strong as in Puerta Vallerta. Or atleast there were no warning flags 😁 and I assumed I could atleast reach the long pier or one of those many boats full of tourists. And loved it! Pacific is almost as refreshing to swim as my dear Baltic Sea. 😉🌊💙

We sat in one of those beach restaurants and as I don’t drink beer P kindly offered me a diet cola. As we sat there one of those men that had taken us to the boat came by selling piece of jewelleries. He told us, that the boat driver was the restaurateur’s son and as such, we could also have our return later -he would just call his son. Well, we kept our plan and so did our driver. I saw he had checked his watch carefully when we said we would like to stay for two hours. And never before in Mexico (or even after): our driver was 15 min early in the pier waiting for us.

I had been concentrating only to the sea and photographing, so I was quite happy when J&P arrived to pier bringing two tacos, nachos and guagamole in a dogy bag. I probably needed salt already. When you can’t travel with your parents, adopt ones and they will assure you won’t get headache from too much sun. 😉😎

Not only our driver was early, but when I had paid our missing 100 to him and P without knowing that offered another one, he refused. Just said, that I already paid it. Sooo lovely experience after fooling taxi drivers in turistic areas. ❤️

I was thinking this all in a bus on my way back to Puerta Vallarta. This is the most turistic area I have seen in Mexico and as such you don’t see so much poverty in here. But dogy bag is always a must when travelling in not so wealthy countries. Restaurant portions are always way too big and there are always someone on the streets missing their daily meal... I only ate those nachos and guagamole, so when leaving the bus as last person I showed the tacos to the driver and he was happy to take those as his afternoon snack. ☺️ Money well spent J&P. 😉

But now it will be jungle, vulcanos and trekking in Guatemala for a while... I will miss the sea already. But we will meet soon again in beautiful Belize.

P.S. You know my weak point for souvenirs is piece of jewelleris, so yes, I bought something from the man that had so kindly taken us into their boat. Lovely pink bracelet, turtle earrings and medallion, all in silver. The suggested price was 200+400, but I got those in 193 pesos. It was all the cash I had with me. 🙈🤷🏼‍♀️

Sun and beach life

Sayulita and Puerta Vallarta have been nice beach breaks for my travelling. As I told you, I lost common language and all communication with my computer, so I haven’t had any other option than just have vacation. I still haven’t found such a vizard who would get my computer to communicate again, but I keep my hopes high and hope to find such from Mexico City. Although my experience is that computers are extremely stubborn species. As such, not even DELL’s official support line had any advice for my situation. Luckily my studies are fast, so no stress from those, but I’m not used to just sit by pool without doing anyyhing, so I’m close to critical level of fustration.

My Spanish is slowly getting back to me. Most of the time I get correct answers when I ask directions and I’m usually also happy with my meals. At least I have managed to avoid fish, seafood and anaphylactic shock. I would say that is already something. 😃

Sometimes I still face the language barrier. I’m pretty sure that was the case when I kindly asked some more body lotion from the cleaning lady of my hotel. That was the first time such request have been refused from me. I took her no as no, but then started afterwards thinking the way she had done it. A bit laughing... And now I’m pretty sure my body language ”body lotion” was her ”body massage”. So I just need to be happy how kindly she refused. And accept the fact that I made her thinking, that Ringos ask just anything from anybody. 🙈

Luggage w/ wheels vs. Back packing 😄

I’ve been actively keeping up the reputation of Scandinavian girls being liberal and sporty. More or less consciously. Maybe I (and other Scandinavian girls) just want to be practical and it is seen liberal and every now and then pushing you to your limits to do some sporty kind of actions.

I arrived to Puerta Vallarta by plane, but continued to Sayulita by local bus. It took 1,5 hours instead of 30 min, but on the other hand the cost of a taxi was 1400 $ compared to 46 $ bus. And the athmosphere in the bus was great. Even met a lovely mexican couple in their sixties who were on a cruise and visiting PV for that day. One of those acquintances with whom you share a moment, have a great time, but somehow unfortunately don’t change any contact information to be able to hear how they are doing later.

In Sayulita the temperature got me again! I knew it was warmer than in MC, but still had assumed I could walk that 450 m from bus station to hotel on my treking trousers. (Those are so great to travel as you can put all your small things into thigh pockets!) But the heat was stunning when I got out of the bus. 😅 The bus station was just a small hall, no toilet or place to hide, but I’m so glad, that I anyhow decided to change my chlothes. When you don’t make such a big noice of yourself, changing your chlothes in public is not that reveiling as it sounds. (In my teens I wasn’t in scouts in mixed tents for nothing... 😏) So, after a quick change I was ready to walk to my hotel.

Do you have any idea how many times a road can fool you in 450 meters? I had walked maybe 20 m around the corner when I was supposed to turn right. Turning right was Ok, but the road was steep uphill road, type 45 degrees. It would have been possible to get around it, by extra 500 m. But hey, my luggage had wheels, so how hard could it be? 😃 And after an uphill comes always a down hill. So off we go! 🤩💪🏻

Yes, there was downhill as I assumed, but the road got me again -it was cobblestone. 😆 Certainly I still had a possibility to take the other way around with extra 500 m again, but it seemed I would anyhow sooner or later end up to the same road. So 🤷🏼‍♀️ And I was actually surprised how well my roller took the cobblestones. But evidently it didn’t look as smooth as I thought as one lady came to me asking: ”Do you know where you are going?” I managed to convince her and continued.

Then the road got me third time, although I don’t know was it for better or worse. 😄 Now the road was just a bumpy sand road. But finally I made that 450 m to the hotel. And have to say, shower was again one of the best experiences here. 😄

But it was all worth it, my friends had chosen us a nice hotel and as soon as I had unpacked my staff, I was ready to join to the beach life. ☀️👙🌴🍹🏄🏼‍♀️😎

P.S. I had also study mates, yesterday when my computer was still working. Let see how I arrange my studies without computer... 🙄

Uxmal

Do you know what is ”packing break”? It is the point when you have done a lot and notice that you will survive one more packing hell. You still haven’t done enough, but decide still to have a break just to admire the work you have already done. I usually also prolong this break until until my drive to airport arrives. I find that break very satusfying and usually that’s the moment when you realize if you are missing something. Well, for this trip I didn’t have such and now I miss some items... 🤷🏼‍♀️

Packing (the part before packing break) is kind of my weak point. Starting packing is painful. Keeping it fluent is almost impossible. And oh I have tried to motivate myself! ”The sooner you finish this the more you have time by the pool to wait for your drive...” Even that won’t usually work, but luckily I’m excellent at the later part of packing, namely fitting all that staff into as small volume as possible. Some study logistics, I was born with that. God’s logistic gift to the world. 😜 But it didn’t comfort a bit when changing hotel twice in Merida. 😫 But that is an other story... I planned to tell you a little bit of those stones I mentioned they have in here... But this is more about everything else again and I will keep those stones on my TODO list. 😄

In Merida the temperatures finally were ”Mexican”. Or actually, not really. This is not the hottest hot season, only nice 30 degrees. But while driving to all the amazing ruins they have here in Merida you naturally hope to have air condition. I was the first one getting into the car on my very first Maya ruins tour. It was Uxmal, a guided tour at day time and light show in the evening.

Must say, the guide don't know me, didn't guess from my look or just is one of those brave/suisidal men as our acquaintance started wirh this discussion:

- Outi, it would be good if you would have more comfortable shoes.

- These are comfortable, thank you, I answered almost before he had ended his lane.

He didn't continue from there, just was laughing, aloud. 😁

Air condition was on and I was a bit worried if I have enough clothes on. (I should never make these small wishes -He listens me all too well.) And by the next stop we noticed, that the air condition didn’t work anymore. Of course our guide started immediately working on it and with the possibility to change the car. There were also some other logistical challenges on our third stop. The trip date had changed for that couple that joined us, then they hadn’t been picked up from hotel but they needed to take a taxi to some cross roads to meet us and much more. So as they sat in, they were already pretty hot and didn’t understand why we were just staying there (waiting for a car with air condition).

The situation then exploded a bit and I learned some new English expressions 😳 but those are probably not suitable for a public text. 😅 They left us threatening the poor guide with everything possible. But for the common atmosphere, it was maybe the best. They were already unhappy with everything. And while they had their hassle I managed to clarify to Him, that I didn’t mean, that I don’t want any air condition and suddenly it started to work again. 😎

As I’m coming from the country of rally drivers (and maybe even have a bit of that talent too) I was offering myself for a driver to get us to Uzmal as long as we still had that air condition working. He kindly refused my offer, so we were late in Uzmal and I had only half of the planned time to run and pose in the ruins. 🤨 I would loved to stay there sitting and breathing the Mayas’ atmosphere, like I did in Machu Picchu. But what can you do -the stars wasn’t today for me. 😃

As a summary, what did I learn? I have issues with the temperature, what ever it is. So I should just adapt that to be back ground noise, the new normal. 😃 And I love the atmosphere of these archeological sites. It was wild being able to touch those walls and walk their pyramids. The light show included three myths, but they were told only in Spanish, so didn’t understand more that Uxmal, princess and father. Sounds like a love story, where father don’t accept daughter’s chosen one. 😢 They had had translations for the stories, but story didn’t tell what had happened to those. 🤷🏼‍♀️😃 So if I could choose again, I would take the tour with two sites at day time without any light show. 😁

Took also an other tour with Mayan Travel. Logistics is not their thing -in both tours we were waiting the guides to arrive. But must say their included lunches were one of the bests I have had in such tours.

Mexico City, Part I

Never ever leave your merino wool underwear home! ☝🏻 That is the one thing from which everybody should start planning and preparing their round the world trip. Well, this is only a trip to visit all the Americas, North, Middle and South, but it doesn’t fade the fact a bit. And that was the first actual thing I did when started preparing my round the world trip last year.

Oh, that was a process. When I decided I will do that half a year RTW trip and decided to include at least Himalaya and Machu Picchu, Merino wool underwear were my first acquisition. And I didn’t take it lightly. I compared online prices and bought the best ones, online and from sport stores. After I had the best offers at home I compared the softness and certainly also warmth, but mostly how comfortable those were, and after serious considertions sent the runner-ups back. I can honestly say I have compared them all and selected the one for me. ❤️

It’s very special relationship you evolve with your merino wool underwear when you are on the road. There is no such warn or cold place where you wouldn’t feel just perfect those on. Those can even make the world more tolerable place to be. In the middle of the worst ever fever and flu they fondle you with their soft fibers and you fall into peaceful sleep. Yes, been there, done that.

For the RTW trip I also made a proper excel about monthly temperatures and rain amounts in each destination. And based on that colour coded table I chose my route. And it went pretty well as the nice weather also went pretty logically round the world. 😅 Such an excel is also something I warmly recommend. I missed that for this trip, trusting these are ”warm countries”. 

Traveling to warm countries you always remember to check whether accomodation has air condition. But when did you latest checked that they have walls? I didn’t. So it has been quite cold even for a Finn in the mornings in the common areas. In the dorms it’s nice and warm, although the doors to dorms are not much to mention either. (Probably based on some ecological bio gas warming system, but that’s an other story... 🙈)

But as I respect the first rule ”Never ever leave your merino wool underwear home!” the wall-lessness (Yes, I know it’s not a word, but it is a situation that would deserve such a word monster to make it clear, that you should be awake of that situostuon.) wasn’t a crises. But without the first rule the situation would have been critical already the first day in Mexico City. So always remember your merino wool! ☝🏻

My upper level capsule

Luckily the shower is hot and the first mirror in the morning tells "You look great" and second confirms "Yes you do".

You find anything bothering you in this pic?

This was my first day without any assisting Spanish-English speaking friend by my side, so I had the opportunity to test my Spanish again. (Just to keep the facts straight, there is no such thing as my Spanish. Just my smile with Hola and my strong trust that no one will fool me, no matter the language.)

So what did I found out? Well, I still can’t get meat and cheese into one quesadilla, but when I consider, whether to take a muffin or not, the situation is so totally fluent and I get all the information from all the used ingredients etc. There are two possible explanation for that: 1) they are more fluent in Spanish than I am and as such situations where they have most of the lines are more fluent or 2) by misunderstanding me they get money from two quesadillas meaning they get 2€ instead only 1€. So there is a slight possibility, that they are fooling me a bit... 🤔But I would say, they rather just find me so skinny, that they want to assure I will get my carbs. 😌 Well, either way, I get plenty of food, so no worries. 😋🙄

But what happend in shopping mall? Totally lost in translation... Went to bye jeans and maybe a jacket as the weather is a bit colder than planned. (And last minute packing might lead to situations where all planned is not packed. 🤷🏼‍♀️) Somehow I got out again without that so many times planned jacket but with two dresses, for work. 🙄 One of the dresses missed one button, so I suggested to get extra discount (in Spanish). It was probably the critical mistake that make the salesperson to tell me all about her busy working day (in apologizing way), for which I managed to answer ”De nada”, but next minutes I could just smile as I have absolutely no idea what she was talking about. But maybe she just needed someone to listen her. 😅 I probably need to stop smiling to everybody... 🤔 I think I made it pretty clear I don’t speak Spanish (although I now know word descuente as there were sales in every store). 🤷🏼‍♀️

But I still hope there wouldn’t have been any English speaking salesperson in Victoria’s Secret either. Because she translated to me ”take 4 pay 2”. And you do the math, if bras are 100€ and panties 30€, it is not much discount to take 2 bras and 2 panties or even 1 bra and 3 panties as you always get the cheapest ones free. 🤨 So I got 4 bras and 12 matching panties. 🙈 And what is our plan to balance the budget again? Well, I would say no fancy restaurants but more street food. And I need to learn to order cheese and meat to the same quesadilla. 🤓

Love being back in Latin America

Latin World is still the same: The good ones take care of the silly ones. What ever was stated before my trip about the cities I will visit this time, I feel safe. It feels good to be here again.

I arrived pretty early as the plane landed at 4 am. I was kind of almost prepared for that. I did sent email to my hostel telling I’m arriving early and they answered I could leave my luggage to their front desk at 7. Someone else would have maybe understood from that, that they are opening only at 7. But no, didn’t ring a bell. 🙈

So I arrived to the door at 6 am. The whole city was totally dead. No one answered to the door bell. The same with the phone number in Hostel World. As we had spoken English the whole way to hostel, my Uber was concluding ”So you don’t speak Spanish” and denied to leave to the door alone. I might endorfiineja up in troubles he said. 🤷🏼‍♀️Although he had just said that the neightborhood is safe even for a blond woman to walk alone at night time. 🤔But obvioiusly not sitting. 🤷🏼‍♀️ While he was googling I noticed the phone number in the hostel email was different than in Hostel Worlds information. And it was the same my Uber had googled. By a miracle, someone also answered there. 🎊 I even got bed right away, althoug decided to book some more flights for the coming week. Anyhow, I arrived succesfully and safely to my hostel.

So we can officially conclude me being prepared as I had that number in my email. (Although I totally understand if someone quietly in their mind thinks something like ”How nice that the good ones still takes care of the silly ones”.)

I’m now already second day playing total tourist. Audrey and Andrea seemed tohave nice plans for these two days and have been kind enough to allow this blond to follow them to the attractions. Oh boy, they have stones here! Snd I assume this will be just a start... I will be so totally stoned before this trip is over! But that’s another story...

Final preparations

Most certain sign of fortcoming departure is that I start renovation. So I have been painting kitchen. It seemed urgent rask at this point.

But yes, I have started also preparations for my trip. Mental preparations. I’m enjoying the things I now think are granted knowing there will be a day I’m just dreaming of those. One of those will be toilet paper. In Finland we have all these forests and long traditions within paper industry. Oh boys, if you would only know... ”Paperman” is much more profitable profession in Finland than many others. And our papermen are doing us endless rolls of paper. As such, the situation is always as confusing when Finnish starts to save toilet paper, hiding it a little bit in groups, offering only for the very best friends and finally counting each and every sheet. And when realizing that... Oh my the feelings 🙈 And after a short while the laugh for yourself. 😂 (Although laughing won’t mean you are even considering changing your act. 😝) So, the only thing you can do is preparing yourself and enjoying endless toilet paper to deposit. And yes, that’s indeed what I’ve been doing lately. 😌

And I had a succesful training trip. It was only 50 km to Tallinn by boat. It was only 22 hours cruise, but those of you who have done it know, that it is not as easy as you could think. But my subconscious somehow found it still all too easy to be a proper training, so decided to broke my instep the same morning our boat was leaving in the evening. And yes, for a short while a was a bit concern how to handle that endless night with high heels. But immetiate cooling and compression and lifting the leg above heart and boom! I was back on my heels. I kind of had to take this lesson to learn to always kick with leg, not with instep. And if you consider, it was better to learn here in Finland than in action in Mexico City’s alleys. 🤷🏼‍♀️