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We had two primary goals on this leg of the travel adventure: explore more of Mexico, and explore Colombia for the first time. Lots of searches for flights in/out of Colombia led us back to Cancún where there’s a very cheap non-stop to Bogotá (and return). After flying into Cancún we took the ferry to Isla Mujeres for a few days. It’s a border island just a 20-minute ferry ride from the mainland.

It has the whitest sand beaches I’ve ever seen. A soft fine powder that’s so bright in the sun it hurt my eyes. The water is warm and calm and shallow. You can walk out a couple hundred meters and still be only chest deep. But, alas, it’s touristy and crowded. Lots of folks make the easy day trip from the mainland and for good reason. The beaches are incredible and it’s a fun scene.

We stayed on the main strip at the north end of the island just a five-minute walk from the beaches. The island is several miles long, so to explore it, we rented a golf cart for a couple of hours one day. The southern tip of the island has some nice trails with a nominal entrance fee that goes towards support for the native turtles.

And though we didn’t see any turtles, we saw plenty of iguanas.

Looking north on the west side of the island.

The southern tip of Isla Mujeres.

Beware of sharks.

The food on Isla Mujeres was really good, especially the ceviche at a mid-island spot called Don Pino that we visited during our golf cart outing. We also went to Ballyhoo a couple of times. It’s a nice spot on the beach near our place. Sunset from the dock at Ballyhoo.

After sunset, as we were getting ready to order some dinner, we started chatting with two couples at the next table. Their table had gotten several fish platters – grilled fish, fish tacos, and fried fish – and they let us know that it was a Mahi Mahi that they’d caught that day. The fishing trip had returned to the dock in front of the restaurant, and the restaurant will happily prepare your catch of the day. Well, they had too much food, which was a nice problem for us. They were kind enough to invite us to share in their bounty. So good! After we’d had our fill, they consolidated the remaining food (still plenty) on one platter and took it out the the boat crew that was still on the dock tending to the boat. You could tell by the body language that they were super happy to partake.

Our friends Matt & Galina told us they were heading to Mexico City the first weekend in February for a friend’s 50th birthday. With plenty of cheap flights, we decided to stop through to see them in one of our favorite cities in the world. We stayed in Roma and once again enjoyed great food in the neighborhood, Chapultepec park, and I even made it back to an indoor golf simulator shop. Twice.

We met up with Matt, Galina and their friends on Friday night to see luchadores at Arena Mexico. It started with a 3-on-3 tag team match. Introductions:

And action! Yes, it’s fake, but it’s still impressive to see the moves they pull off.

Next up was another 3-on-3 tag team match. This time it was men.

Celebrating victory.

A new match. A wrestler being thrown off the top rope.

They’d even go off the top rope outside the ring.

We met up Saturday afternoon and enjoyed some rosé at a bar overlooking the zócalo.

We’ve spent a lot of time in Mexico over the last few years, and over that time, I’ve extensively sampled Mexican lagers. I am ready to divulge their ranking.

Tier One

1. Tecate. Yes, it’s quite an upset! Tecate has flavor without being skunky, tastes great on its own and great with a wedge (or more) of lime, and is universally cheap.

2. Modelo Especial. It’s a smooth and tasty lager. It’s also the best of the lot as a chelada: a couple of ounces of lime juice on the rocks with a salted rim. Just add lager.

And a note on cheladas, my favorite way to enjoy a Mexican lager. A chelada usually means just lime and salt, but I’ve had it show up with tomato juice and other spices. Those are usually micheladas, but evidently not always. I’ve seen it referred to as a sueno as well. To be safe, I order a chelada and ask “¿Solamente con limón y sal?”

3. Dos Equis. Stay thirsty my friends! These are great, and I’m really splitting hairs on Tier One here. I like them all pretty much equally.

Tier Two

4. Pacifico. This is the lightest taste among the Mexican lagers. There’s nothing offensive about the flavor, it’s just very subtle.

5. Victoria. These aren’t bad, and they’re head and shoulders above the next tier.

Tier Three (or lower!)

6. Corona. I tip my hat to the marketing. Find your beach! I love everything about it but the awful skunky taste of Corona. Too bad the marketing’s been such a hit in the US. Nice AirBnB hosts who offer a beer upon arrival universally serve Corona. I always hope it’s ice cold to dull the flavor. Otherwise, it’s a struggle.

7. Sol. I really wanted to put Corona last, but I had a Sol the other day in the name of research for this post, and boy was it rough. Leena made fun of me for my mistake and related a story where she and a friend got a bucket of five Sols once on a deal. After the first two they flagged down the waiter and swapped out the last three for Dos Equis and happily paid the price difference.

We rented a car in Oaxaca and set out for a 10-day road trip along the Pacific coast of Mexico. Though it’s only 250k from Oaxaca City to Puerto Escondido, the drive takes 6 1/2 hours. That means you average less than 40k/hour (around 20 mph). I can assure you, this is the windiest and hilliest mountain road I’ve ever driven. Then there are the numerous topes. A tope is a speed bump, but to say that doesn’t do the Mexican tope justice. They come in many shapes and sizes, and they’re a super-effective method of speed control. Some topes are so steep that you have to pretty much stop before heading over them. Seriously, just a few miles an hour on some could damage a car. Most are marked in some manner: a sign, or paint, or rumble strips before them, or all of the above. But beware the homemade and unmarked tope. Every time I drive in Mexico I have a total fear of just destroying a rental car by not seeing one coming. This isn’t an unwarranted fear. We heard a story from an AirBnB host of an RV that dropped an axel by hitting one at speed.

I almost hit one on the drive. The beginning of the drive is actually a flat and straight road in the valley, and I was doing around 70 kph when I hit a pothole. I hit it hard enough that I was paying attention to the car, making sure it was still driving, well, like it didn’t have a flat tire. Everything seemed pretty good when I looked up and saw a tope. It was at a bus stop, a very usual place for one. I slammed on the breaks and eased into it at just the right speed. But I bet the folks waiting for the bus had a chuckle at the gringo who almost nailed the tope.

We started the drive around 10a and started thinking about lunch near 12:30p. But we were deep in the mountains at that point with very few options. Nothing looked attractive, and most places were closed. By 1:30p, my stomach was in knots from the motion. Believe it or not, I had no appetite. We had snacks in the car and just kept going. We pushed all the way through the Puerto Escondido and checked into our AirBnB. We were on the second floor with a large balcony and a view of the ocean. I decided to lie down in the hammock. Now, if you’re prone to motion sickness, you know this was a terrible idea. After a few minutes I was green and just smart enough to go inside and lie down on the bed. I slept for an hour but still had no appetite. Leena was on her own for dinner. I didn’t eat a thing until the next morning.

Puerto Escondido is an awesome beach town. There are no resorts and no chains. All the restaurants are local, and the food is great. There’s a large ex-pat community that’s almost entirely Canadians. The beach is beautiful, and the waves are great for surfing in some spots, body surfing in others, and calm enough for swimming in others. We enjoyed four lazy beach days and seem to just have some sunset pictures.

Here’s the view from the balcony at our place:

We then drove west along the coast to Port Angel and spent a few days there. We again had a place up the hill from the ocean with a great view.

From a lunch spot on the beach.

Back to sunsets. This was in the middle of a cloud burst. It rained pretty hard at times and lasted about an hour.

We visited a turtle sanctuary in Mazunte, a short drive east from Puerto Angel.

We did a final stop in Huatulco, a spot we’d visited four or five years ago. For the drive back to Oaxaca, we took the long way around the mountains. Though it added many kilometers, it was only 20 minutes longer. And there was no motion sickness.

As you probably know, we love a good walk/hike. We booked a 3-day/2-night hike in the Sierra Norte mountains northeast of Oaxaca. The area consists of eight Pueblos Mancomunados, a collection of eight communities (villages) that are self-governing. They help support themselves through tourism, offering guided treks between villages.

We left Oaxaca City’s 5000 ft elevation and mid-70s temperatures and arrived about 90 minutes later in Cuajimoloyes. The temperature was now in the 40s and we were now at an elevation a bit over 10,000 ft. We did a short hike upon arrival to a viewpoint over the town. We learned about some of the native vegetation and about the community.

The village of Cuajimoloyes:

After the hike we were taken to our cabin for the evening and shown the nearby restaurant where we had a delicious dinner. The cabin had a fireplace and they brought wood at 8p so we could start a fire and heat the cabin before retiring. The low that evening was about 30F, but there were plenty of blankets and the fire did a decent job of warming up the cabin.

The view from our cabin.

We awoke to a beautiful morning for Day 2. The hill in the right of the frame is the viewpoint we hiked the previous evening.

On Day 2, we hiked to Latuvi through dense pine forests. Here’s Leena and our guide.

We came to a mirador (viewpoint) at mid-day and stopped for the lunch they’d bagged for us. Not a bad spot for a picnic.

We had frequent views of the valley through the forest as we descended to the valley floor.

Orchids.

We came to a stream at the valley floor and had to “walk the planks” to cross.

Just after the stream was a trout farm. They divert water from the stream into pools and grow the fish. The largest trout are in the pool in the foreground.

Remember how we’d stopped for a picnic lunch? Well, that sandwich was just a snack. We were served trout for lunch. The trout was steamed in aluminum foil along with tomatoes, squash and onions. Fortunately, I have a big appetite.

After a decent climb, we stopped at a woman’s house to sample pulque and tepache. Pulque is fermented from the sap of agave plants. It’s an alcoholic drink, though generally a bit weaker than beer. The version we tried used the wood in the foreground for additional flavor. It was tart and yeasty. Tepache is pineapple rinds fermented with cane sugar (that’s a chunk in the middle of the frame). Sounds sweet, right? Indeed, it was sweet and thick. We both preferred the pulque.

We completed our climb to Latuvi. At an elevation of just over 8000 feet, we’d had a net descent of 2000 feet on the day. But it wasn’t all downhill. Though my Garmin watch says we descended 300 flights of stairs on the day (!), we also climbed 61.

The view from our cabin. Oh, yes, they had some Modelo Especial at the store.

On Day 3, we hiked to Amatlán. This was also downhill, though only about half as much as Day 2. As we continued to descend, the foliage changed. We passed by a number of farms with cows, horses, chickens, dogs and cats. We passed fields of corn, dormant after a December harvest. We passed beautiful rustic farmhouses.

The trees were soon covered in Spanish moss, and I may have become obsessed with finding a picture to capture how it was everywhere.

Careful, low clearance!

We enjoyed some stunning vistas in the early afternoon.

The edge of the village of Amatlán is in the right side of the frame. Our hike ended just behind the hill you can see.

Though Day 1 was a small hike to a viewpoint, we covered a bit over 15 miles on both Day 2 and 3. We were plenty tired by the end!

Hierve el Agua translates to “the water boils”. It’s a petrified waterfall a little over an hour’s drive from Oaxaca. Leena’s telling me these things and I’m trying to wrap my brain around what this could be. We learn that it’s lime water that bubbles to the surface (hence the “boils” part, though the water isn’t hot), then calcifies as it runs off. And it just happens to boil up along a cliff’s edge. With enough time and volume, the calcified tracks look like a petrified waterfall.

The main pool is like an infinity pool. We arrived early and it was breezy and cool, but by the time we left around mid-day, people were soaking in the pool.

A look back at the “infinity” edge of the main pool.

There are two major petrified waterfalls. This is a look from the edge of one over to the other.

Another pool.

We spotted a few brave souls hiking out to an extra spire just beyond the first “waterfall”.

I made the hike.

Then I contemplated how big a drop it was.

A shot from my spire across the front of the first waterfall with the second in the background.

There’s Leena back at the top of the first waterfall.

We hiked over to the second waterfall. A look back at the first.

From the top of the second waterfall.

There was a trail around the back of the second waterfall down to its base.

Some detail of the calcified rock formations.

One more infinity pool effect.

We flew from Cabo to Oaxaca. It’s a mountain town just less than a mile above sea level (5102’). It’s at the bottom of a valley surrounded by mountains on all sides. It’s a large city – nearly 4 million residents – but it doesn’t feel nearly that big. We stayed about a 15 minute walk from the zocalo, or downtown center.

Oaxaca is famous for its many mole sauces. We love mole, so we signed up for a cooking class to learn how to make a couple. We started at the 20 de Noviembre market where we bought ingredients for the day. Of course, this included chiles.

During the first part of class we made salsa verde, guacamole, salsa rojo, and sliced up some onions (cebollas) and habeneros just in case things weren’t spicy enough already. We snacked on this on tostadas while cooking the main dishes.

We made the tamales next. One of the things that’s great about a cooking class like this is how they measure ingredients. We’re making enough tamalaes for 8-10 people, so it’s “three hands of lard”. When I grab a handful, they clarify that it’s more like “three lady hands”. Ha ha. After we roll the tamales, they’re put in a pot to boil while we make the mole.

Our laboratory for the day.

Mole is a complex sauce. We made a mole negro which involved 32 ingredients. We sauced the tamales and enjoyed a late afternoon meal.

We toured a botanical garden in Oaxaca. We learned a lot about the history of the place, including plans a couple of decades ago to turn it into a parking lot. The artist community in Oaxaca stepped in and proposed an ethno-botanical garden to reflect not just the plants, but the people and culture of Oaxaca. It’s a beautiful place.

They were setting up the tent for a wedding later that afternoon.

Irrigation channel.

I may have become obsessed with the succulents.

Leena found a great rooftop bar where we enjoyed cocktails. I had a margarita con mezcal; Leena had a jamaica con mezcal. Jamaica is a hibiscus flower-infused juice. And though it’s spelled the same as the Caribbean island, it’s pronounced “ha-MIKE-ah”.

We were there in the early evening (5:30 to 7?) and had the place to ourselves. Mexico follows a different schedule for sure.

Monte Albán is a site of pre-Columbian ruins a short trip from Oaxaca City. Like many ancient ruins it’s located at the top of a hill, an easier position to defend. The elevation is around 6400 feet.

We start with a view back to Oaxaca.

This is an ancient sun dial, and the changes in how the shadow progressed throughout the day identified the season of the year (longer shadows in winter make a larger arc when traced during the day). It’s oriented to the north so that a shadow directly to the right indicates mid-day. That’s the case in this picture taken about 15 minutes before noon.

Large stones with carved figures, most resembling humans.

The site from the top of the largest pyramid.

Surprise, we headed back to Mexico! We found a cheap flight from LAX to Cabo San Lucas. Cabo’s a super-touristy beach town catering to west coast Americans and cruise ship passengers. The tourist zone surrounds a large marina, and it’s about what you’d expect: crowded with overpriced restaurants, LOUD bro bars, shops with cheap souvenirs, and touts ready to sell you just about anything. But that doesn’t spoil everything. If you venture a few blocks from the tourist area the food is cheap and delicious. We went back to Taco Gus three times!

We visited the self-proclaimed “smallest bar in the world” which has dollar bills all over the place.

And fortunately, Cabo is a stunning setting. The beaches are lovely, and the water is just warm enough for a swim even in January. We took a boat ride from the marina (on the inland side) around the tip of the peninsula into the Pacific Ocean.

The guide pointed out plenty of illusions in the rock formations. This one looks like the Baja Peninsula itself.

Here’s the first peek at the Pacific Ocean through a tiny slot in the rocks.

And here’s Cabo’s famous arch.

The seals were plentiful on this rock. And rather stinky.

The arch from the Pacific side.

We climbed Mt Solmar, the biggest hill near the end of the peninsula. It’s on private land that’s used as a dog rescue, but they guide tours twice a day. We went in the late afternoon to enjoy sunset from the top. A look back at town.

Cruise ship in the harbor. Fortunately, there wasn’t a cruise ship every day. But one day there were two and the tourist zone was packed.

Looking down at the Pacific side.

The tip of the peninsula.

I recognize that silhouette.

This dog is named Polo and took quite a liking to Leena. He kept circling back during the hike to check on her.

Northwestern landed in the Holiday Bowl on December 31, so after our San Francisco house sit we rented a car and headed to SoCal for a few days including the game. We stopped for a night in Carmel and stayed with Brian and Anne (uncle and aunt). We met Jack the cat and lined up another house-sit. They’re heading to Europe for three (or four?) weeks when the school year ends in June (Anne is a teacher). We’ll take care of Jack and rough it in Carmel. The US Open is at Pebble Beach during our stay (how nice), so get in touch if you’d like to come by for that or some other part of our stay.

We next stopped in Los Angeles and stayed a night with my college friend Maria. Another college friend, Andrew, joined us. We all jumped in the car and headed to San Diego the next day. To break up the drive, Andrew found us a nice brewery to visit.

Unfortunately, it was overcast on game day with a few showers thrown in. We met up with Branaca, another college friend, at her tailgate.

Andrew, Maria, Branaca, Leena, Drew.

We also connected with Randy and his tailgate. The west coast crew made plans to meet again for Northwestern’s 2019 opener at Stanford.

The weather was looking decent at the start of the game.

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Midway through the first quarter, rain was imminent, so we moved to some mid-field seats just under the stadium cover. That was a good call because it rained for the rest of the game.

Northwestern was dominated by Utah in the first half and we found ourselves down 20-3. Oh well, we were 7-point underdogs. We got a stop to start the second half, and then drove for a touchdown on our first possession. But Utah moved the ball down the field and had a first-and-goal from the six. Then came the game-changing play: a strip-sack fumble followed by an 86 yard return for a touchdown. Suddenly it was 20-17. Northwestern got three move turnovers in the quarter and two touchdowns, taking a 31-20 lead heading to the fourth quarter. I can’t ever remember Northwestern scoring 28 points in a quarter.

Northwestern controlled enough of the ball and the clock for a scoreless fourth quarter to win 31-20.

The team headed over to the band for the Alma Mater after the game.

We drove back to LA for a few days before flying to Cabo San Lucas on the fourth. I got in a last round of golf (for a few months) at Rustic Canyon. From the 16th tee just after sunset. I finished on 18 in pitch black.