Huatulco, Mexico

Hello Huatulco!! We touched down Dec 4th and we have had a busy month and more, blogging has taken a backseat but I need to get myself into gear!  I keep getting requests for a new blog and so I'm sorry to those who are faithfully following us and wait for a new post. We are all alive and well, we just went AWOL for a bit!! lol  I think since we have been here in Huatuco twice before once we arrived here we set into relax mode quickly and then family showed up!!  We knew the place so we didn't have the adjustment period like we have had at all of our other stops. We knew where to go for groceries, money, the beach, shopping and we knew the ins and outs of the area.  All we had to do was drop our bags and head out, felt pretty great actually! We have been on the go for months now and exploring so many new and cool places but arriving here we feel a sense of coming home.  Huatulco is our favorite place in Mexico!! It is a resort region in the Mexican state of Oaxaca along the Pacific Coast and on the edge of the Sierra Madre mountains.  The region is made up of 9 beautiful bays and 36 beaches, some beaches are developed others are only accessed by boat, such a beautiful HOT place!!  The thing about Huatulco is that the weather is consistent daily, it is always hot with clear skies, the only way it deviates is in how hot it is! The area is centered around the town of La Crucecita which is super close to us, we have a condo in the Santa Cruz Bay which is where the Marina is located and the cruise ships come in.  The beach is only about 2 blocks from our condo, it so easy to walk to and there are restaurants all along the shore if we decide to eat or grab a drink.  Makes for a easy day!

We know this area very well and it is a great area to walk around to explore or to check out the markets, it is also very quiet and safe.  The hotel across the street, Binniguenda All Inclusive, is where we have stayed in the past and that is where Doug's Mom and Dan checked into for 2 weeks only 2 days after we arrived.  So close for us to visit and the kids ran back and forth the whole time they were here, so awesome for them to spend time with them!  The first days with them here we took it easy, we swam in our pools and went down to the beach by our house.  They were tired from travelling and Doug got very sick only a couple of days after they arrived.  He was housebound for about 3-4 days before he started to feel better, poor guy!  I felt bad for him! We made our way into La Crucecita, a small town close to the Bay of Santa Cruz, to take in the markets as well as the church just by the town square. It is a beautiful place to visit and to feel the vibe of the town. The church is known for its 20m painted image of the Virgin of Guadalupe, which is the largest one in Mexico.  The church is so beautiful and it is right by the center square which is a great place in town to take in so many different fun events.  Always something going on there and it's also across the street from our favorite ice cream shop!! Kids didn't forget that place!! Haha

Dec 10th was a day we were all looking forward to, it was the day the cruise ships were coming into the bay and porting for the day. It was the first time we were able to see the ships come in and since that first day we have seen about 4 others come and go.  Everyone here was telling us that we needed to go down to see this, a pretty cool thing to see.  They were right!!  The one ship was already there when we arrived and then another one pulled into the Marina as we were on the beach.  We had been warned to stay out of the water when the ships were in because the under current caused by the ships engines can be really dangerous.  It can suck you out and as we looked out into the water you could see the water swirling and it was very rough, pretty scary! We stayed along the beach to watch and the kids created some sandmen instead of the usual snowmen they would have made back home. So cute!

Later that day we went back down to the beach to watch the ships leave and as we watched them sail away we noticed a local man off to the side of the walking path. He had a machete in hand beside a table set up with many bowls and buckets.  We were curious as to what he was up to so we watched him for awhile, turns out he had a bag of clams on the ground and was breaking them open with his machete and cleaning them out.  Bowls were filled with water to wash and house the fresh clams that were then sent to the restaurants or sold on the beach to locals/tourists.  Pretty cool to watch the process and its crazy to see all of the hard work put into one clam, NOT easy to break open that's for sure!! They are super hard and look just like a rough rock.  One day I will be brave enough to try them fresh like that, it's everywhere here! Just add limon and chili salt!

Just around the corner from us is a little store owned by a local family who are so kind and sweet.  Everyday when they come to work they also bring along their dog, Brandi.  She was quickly discovered by our kids and of course they fell in love with her.  Adison purchased some dog treats from the big supermarket and goes once daily to feed her and multiple times to love her.  She has also been walking her every few days as well, never a question if our kids are animal lovers!!  Love it!

A favorite place of ours here was discovered quite quickly after we arrived and we have visited it probably a few too many times! Haha  The staff recognize us as soon as we walk in and its all smiles when they see us, such a great place!!  Inside the big supermarket, Chedraui, is a small restaurant called Crepas y Waffles Guzette and it is AMAZING!!  Sooo yummy, great find for us and we have enjoyed taking the grandparents there this past month. Can appreciate the prices as well! ;)

December 9th and 12th is a day of celebration here in Mexico, it is the Day of the Virgin of Guadalupe.  It is a Catholic celebration for the belief that a man encountered the Virgin Mary, Mexico's patron saint, in Mexico City on December 9th and 12th, 1531. On the 12th there was a celebration and parade in La Crucecita for this event so we walked into town to see what was going on.  There were children dressed up everywhere, the girls as the Virgin Mary and the boys were dressed as Pedro. So cute!!  There was music in the town square, food for sale, games, and a parade that led the people into the church for a mass.  We stayed for about an hour to take it all in and it was great fun!! I love taking in the local festivities and seeing a part of their culture, so different than back home in Canada!  There is a celebration for everything here it seems, always something going on! The sights, the sounds and the smells are incredible!!

 As we walked around that night we were approached twice by a small group of girls around 15 years old who asked us if they could ask us some questions in English and record our answers.  They are all involved in an English class and are working on their conversational skills.  They all did a great job despite how nervous they were and how much they had the giggles!  Good work girls!!

A few years ago when we were here we went out on the water on a boat tour with a guy named, Santiago and sure enough we ran into him again down on the beach.  He remembered us and we really liked him when we went out with him last time.  Teresa and Dan had never been out on the water here so we booked a beach tour with Santiago, he would take us out far enough to see turtles, dolphins and then hit up a few beaches with snorkelling along the way.  We never did see dolphins but we did get to see some turtles out in the wild as well as we pulled some garbage bins out of the ocean which were full of little fish.  Kids loved that!! It is sad to see how much garbage is out there floating around so it is nice to see these boat tour guys stopping and pulling it out of the water.  They really do show a love and respect for the ocean! We hit up Cacaluta, which is beach that is only accessible by boat and it is absolutely beautiful!  So peaceful and the sand is so soft, a must go if you ever find yourself here in Huatulco.  We also went snorkelling just off the shore there, the water was so crystal clear and the fish we saw were incredible.

After our stop at Cacaluta we then stopped at Maguey which is another beach where we had lunch on at a small beach restaurant.  Had our fair share of fish tacos and nachos before we headed out off shore to snorkel.  Again, another great snorkelling spot!! We love discovering the underwater life, so amazing and so memorable to the kids.  Teresa really enjoyed being in the water as well and I think she was quite surprised by what she saw under her once she got her goggles on!!  Super cool!!

Our day on the water with Santiago was so great, we were able to see some wildlife, snorkel and enjoy some fun fresh air with Teresa and Dan.  Great memories for the kids!  We couldn't have a successful day on the water without having our fishing crazy Rhett throw out a line.  He loves it so much and he is still put out about the big fish Adison caught in Costa Rica and he didn't catch a thing that day.  Even though it wasn't part of our tour Santiago was so good to us he didn't mind letting Rhett try.  Didn't catch anything of size that day, but Rhett was thankful he got to try and we left with the promise from Santiago to take us out fishing again with his family. His plan was to take us out for Red Snapper, it is easier for the kids to catch because you can use just line and a hook, not the massive poles they use for the larger fish.  Red Snapper is also caught along the shoreline or rocks and is caught later in the day and into the night, new info to us!

We had so many fun days with Teresa and Dan! We enjoyed the beach tour day with them and then we planned a day trip up into the mountains to a waterfall a few days later.  The beaches here in Huatulco are so amazing but there is another side to this area with the mountains just in the distance surrounding the area.  We thought it would be nice to let them see as much of the area as possible before they went home.  Our fisher friend Santiago set us up with his amigo, Luis, to take us on the waterfall tour. We had an amazing day making our way to the Magic Falls.  We drove up on a winding, super bumpy road through the Sierra Madre Mountains with a few stops along the way to check out the local farm life, saw all of the corn and cactus fields, and to shop.  One of the places we stopped at, we had to stop!  Kinda funny how they do things here in some ways and they get away with it.  Close to the Falls was a souvenir shops owned by a local family, it was right off the side of the road and if the tour guides bringing tours up didn't stop they would then put a chain across the road and deny them access to the road to the Falls for one week. Haha So, we stopped and had some fun sampling coffee, cocoa, tequila and liquors.

 Magic Falls is a hidden little treasure!! It was so refreshing to be in the mountains with the cool fresh air and to listen to the water as it flowed down the stream.  Water from the falls makes its way down to the Copalita River which then flows into the Pacific Ocean at Playa La Bocana. Such a beautiful journey through the mountains!

Once you parked in the parking lot you had to hike down the hill to get to the main area before the next little hike to the actual waterfall.  The walk down was a bit steep in a few places and the path was very rocky and uneven.  It was easy enough to get there, just a 10 min Mexican hike (lol), we just had to take our time and watch our step. We made our way to the beautiful waterfall, love the powerful energy from the roar of the water!  These falls were pretty amazing because we had the opportunity to climb in behind the falling water again like we did in Costa Rica, so great!! Pictures to follow in my next blog because I have since bought a waterproof phone bag! ;)

 After our hike, we had some swim time and rope swinging adventures with the kids and Teresa, yes she did the swing! lol  Kids thought it was pretty fun!! Midway to the parking lot is a restaurant that is owned by a local family and they serve some traditional food to the people coming through.  We enjoyed an incredible meal there before making our way home.  Such a great day, after 7 hrs we made it back home exhausted but full of great memories!!

Our time with Teresa and Dan here went so fast, it was hard to believe when the time came for them to head home.  It was a great 14 days with them and we are so thankful they made it here to spend time with us. They spent a lot of time playing, swimming and shopping with the kids creating so many wonderful memories.  I believe they had as much fun with us as we did with them!!  We will miss them and look forward to spending time with them again once we are home to Canada!!

I now need to sit myself back down and continue blogging,  I have so much to write about and need to catch myself up!! I love that people love reading about our travels and I can't believe how many there are of you out there!  Thank you for all of the positive comments and feedback, we sure have a lot of wonderful people in our lives!!  We are all safe, happy and our hearts are full!!!

XXXXX from the Steel family