Something is underway in the downtown centre park. I'd always thought it looked it pretty good but it's getting a facelift. Half of it has been blocked off by a big white screen for a while.
Just a quick peek behind the scenes.
The job is scheduled to finish in late November, well before Christmas.
The amphitheater at Santa Cruz is undergoing some repairs. Notice anything missing? All of those white cloth sails have been taken down. They look great but the years of sun, salt and seasonal tropical storms have taken their toll. It's going to be great to see this spot all spruced aagain before Christmas.
A week later, it's looking better already with a fresh paint job.
The upcoming pedestrian arcade looks ready to go. The only thing missing are the expected shops, galleries and restaurants.
There's even a sweet new bus stop ready to drop people off at the downtown entrance. Check out the ecologically friendly night lamp posts. This will be up and running in no time.
Inspired by Homemadegameguru, the man responsible for the video below and tons of other creative ways to recycle cardboard, I've started making my own standup cardboard cutouts and I've been prolific. Fortunately, for a teacher who already has an office crammed with essential teaching materials, some of these have already found homes in the offices of colleagues who have generously taken over the Comic Zone in my absence.
Homemadegameguru shows you how to make incredibly fun cardboard toys and I want to try more of them out some day. I just decided on the cutouts because they seemed so accessible to a beginner with glue, carboard and a utility knife.
This is the first batch. Wonder Woman was the only image printed specifically for the purpose. Black and white WW was a complete printer accident but doesn't she look groovy? The rest were an attempt to use up some of the small scraps left behind and the overflow of some of those essential teaching materials that are just too god to throw away.
Some of these will be door prizes for Cinemapocalipsis on Tuesday nights when I return to the work world in February next year.
There's the Black Widow in fighting pose on the beach and a small army of Phantom Strangers, a personal favorite from my childhood.
Even making the images on the computer has been a little tricky. Homemadegameguru uses Photoshop which I neither have or know how to use. I've been using Microsoft Publisher. The Hulk is from a PDF of six different pages.
There is no cardboard standup cutout action figure stronger or bigger than the Hulk. So far.
Avid cyclists should consider renting themselves some wheels while on vacation here. There is more to be seen in our beautiful resort than the pristine beaches.
Having learned of this trail through a tourist map, this great trail has been on my to-do list for months. The number one cause for delay was I didn't want to go alone. Sure, it looks more like a representational map and the actual trail might not be as long as the map shows but that is still a long stretch of lonely wilderness to be stranded in if you suffered an accident or attack by wildlife.
Take a look at the map. The trailhead begins at the end of the residential area near Santa Cruz and extends way past UMAR Huatulco. From downtown to UMAR is about 15 - 20 minutes, depending on the rider so this looked to be a satisfying little adventure. But what maps can't show you is the condition of the trail and the jungle reclaims itself very quickly around here without regular maintenance.
Not too many people I know have bicycles. Fortunately for me, Romeo was available and keen on taking the trip. We agreed to be on the road before dawn and I convinced myself that I would be ready so early that I'd be knocking on his door and hustling him along but It was the other way around. The alarm had been ringing for an hour before I opened my eyes and Romeo showed up, ready to go, while I was still trying to remember everything I needed to bring and slugging down at least one cup of coffee. Another advantage besides the safety factor of having a buddy along is that other people can help push you out the door a little faster.
The sky was just starting to turn light when we arrived at the trailhead.
Below is Romeo with his super deluxe camera.
What a revelation! That trail is so well-maintained. Either park maintenance is constantly on the move or they'd just finished cleaning it the night before.
This shaded shelter is about 10 minutes in. The sign provides a guide to the flora and fauna you may or may not see.
Look at that the trail! You could easily drive a car through there if you were allowed. It's certainly more than adequate for cyclists. We were psychologically prepared for rough terrain, maybe even crossing a river and this is what we got.
By the time you see this building for park rangers, the end of the trail is just around the bend. I had broken a pedal about 2 kilometers back.
There it is. The highway is just beyond those trees.
One last look back at the highway entrance. Most people driving by would never see this gate.
Heading home down the smooth highway, straightened and widened all the way to the airport.
It didn't seem to take us long but it turns out the map was surprisingly accurate. We made it back to town around 9 AM.
Update: January 2, 2017 Recently friends and I took the same trail but took a left fork to Playa Cacaluta.
Update January 1st, 2033. Posted a youtube video startimg from the highway end of the trail to Cacaluta.
It has been a few years since I last visited Playa Organo. It's a lovely beach but they all are and others don't require a hike through the woods or hiring a boat. That is going to change soon.
Cruising around on the new scooter, I learned that the whole area, including the scenic route from Playa Entrega all the way to the trailhead at Playa Cacaluta has had an incredible upgrade.
There is a concrete bicycle trail at a safe distance from the auto route, sometimes with guard rails to keep 2 wheelers protected on tight turns. Bus stops are in place. Soon these more distant beaches will be only an affordable bus ride away.
This will mean fewer days like this most recent visit where there was virtually no one there. Some people may not care for that but the truth is the beaches are for everyone and populated beaches are automatically safer than deserted ones.
Two tourists were lost in the ocean in the past two months. The circumstances were unclear but the usual reasons are swimming while drunk, swimming in rough waters and/or panic.
Unfortunately tourists who don't live on a coastal area are often unaware of hazardous conditions. It's just one big wet playground to them.
I like to pride myself on being savvy but that is not always the case.
Below is the view of Santa Cruz from the lookout point.
This closer shot gives a better idea of just how far out from shore the buoys are. Provided the conditions are good, it's a great swim. Some people do it almost every day. Will and I have done it a few times and quite a bit further I would never dream of doing it in choppy or windy conditions. That's just savvy. Right?
This is a good case of learning from my mistakes. It was about 7:20 in the evening. I thought it got dark around 8. Will suggested a quick run out to the buoys and back but he was just kidding. He started off to do the length of the beach and I thought he was just intent on getting a good workout. He has become quite a fast swimmer. He could leave me way behind any time but he slacks off and waits for me a lot of the time because he's a strong believer in the buddy system. I appreciate that. Not that I think either of us could save the other if something went horribly wrong but at least someone could explain why I wasn't showing up for work on Monday.
Off I went, figuring he would catch up in no time. He did but only after reaching his own destination and realizing what I was up to. Buddy to the watery end, he came after me. It was above and beyond of him but I would have hated explaining to his wife how his loyalty plus my stupidity had lured him to Davy Jones locker. I think we both reached the buoy at the same time but he might have beaten me again.
Sure enough, my timing was completely off. I felt like taking a floating breather but he insisted we had to go back immediately. He was right. We didn't get far before it turned pitch black out there and we ended up swimming most of the way back under the rising moon.
That's another common way of dying in the ocean; night swimming, which is usually only associated with drunk swimming. They're almost the same thing.
We made it back alive of course but if I had been watching us roll in from the sand, I would have thought "What a pair of idiots." In the future, I'll stick close to shore around twilight and so should everyone else.
That's a happy guy standing beside his brand new Vento Hot Rod Classic scooter from K Garage in Huatulco.
It's been more than a year since I surrendered the old Italika to the graveyard for parts. I always knew I'd replace it but never felt in any hurry. The bicycle was plenty for bombing around our little town. A friend gave me a little canvas cooler to dangle from the handlebars. The only thing I couldn't figure out was how to transport the boogie board. That's not a problem anymore.
On the mechanics advice, I've been taking it easy and never driving it faster than 40 kmh. A virgin bike has to be treated gently for the first 1000 km. The needle has snuck up to 60 a couple of times. You know how it is, coasting along, having fun and oops. You get carried away a little. The time will come when I can put it to the test but for now, it's all foreplay.
I haven't been to Cacaluta for a few years. It isn't the quickest and easiest beach to get to when I feel the need to swim but it's worth the trip on special occasions like Rowena's birthday. I don't know how old she is but she's still quite young.
There's a sign at the trailhead with dos and don'ts, some of which shouldn't be necessary, like don't leave your trash behind, but you'd be surprised. One of them is a recommendation to only enter the woods in a group. While you probably wouldn't be attacked, there are wild animals in there and a lone person is much more tempting prey. I've come across packs of wild dogs myself. They didn't attack or even growl but it might have been a different story if I'd been alone. There are snakes, crocodiles (or alligators, I'm not sure) several species of snakes and wildcats.
A few years back, I came across a young couple, tired, hot, dehydrated and completely shaken, stumbling along the road from the trail. There were on vacation from Mexico City and had wanted to visit the site of "Y tu mama tambien". They hadn't packed enough water. However much you think you're going to need, double it. This unfortunate pair hadn't even made it to the beach when they'd been chased by an aggressive giant snake, probably a python. They can grow to an intimidating size, length and width.
After a 25 minute hike through the forest, the beach is always a welcome sight.
A friend had told me that morning that the beach had been steep on the previous day but that had been on the other end. It couldn't have been much better on Saturday for us.
Life doesn't really get much better than this.
Here's our birthday girl, sitting with Lupita.
These two daredevils decided to jump off the rocks. I declined.
Just so nobody puts this on their to-do list, look at how close they came to hitting rocks beneath the surface. It's also worth mentioning that you can't get a cellphone signal at Cacaluta and the beach is usually deserted. Your best option, if you suffer a debilitating injury, would be to wait for a tour boat and signal for help. Wave your arms and scream loudly.
Will, Romeo and I took the big swim to the rock island. It was Romeo's idea and I didn't jump at the idea at first. I was concerned about cross currents but a passing tour boat operator who knew what he was talking about, convinced us that the currents ran deep below and wouldn't affect us unless we were diving.
You have to approach the rock beach with caution. The only way to do it is to crab walk backwards. When a wave comes, plunk your bum down and hang on tight. Move in between the waves. Don't try to stand on the wet rocks and move slowly on the dry ones because they're not stable.
The waves make a beautiful cracking sound when they shake the rocks but it sounds a bit sinister, like breaking bones, when you're trying to move on or off the beach. Will gives a good demonstration of how to do it on the video.
Good times. It was the sort of day when you have so much fun, you don't even realize how busy you were until you feel your aching muscles the next day.
Finally, for those who have never seen Y Tu Mamá También ,
someone has posted the scene where they wake up and discover the beach they've been looking for for the first time.
