Santa Cruz

We started off our one and only full day in Santa Cruz by sleeping in. We had planned to surf, but there were no waves. So, we slept in and leisurely made our way over to Café Iveta on James' recommendation. It was excellent! We ended up getting breakfast (breakfast burrito and bagel with lox) and sharing a second breakfast (egg on toast) to go with our coffee and chai and fresh squeezed OJ. Every single thing was delicious. We lingered for a while making plans for our future empire and plotted out a course for the rest of our morning.

We decided to drive a few blocks down to the ocean and check out some of the nearby breaks. We stopped at the surf museum and Steamer's Lane and watched a solitary surfer wait for waves from the cliff above. He caught one and finally another and we moved on. Continuing down West Cliff Drive, we thought the houses looked more east coast than west. Our drive took us down to Cowell's and the boardwalk where we played some air hockey and video games at the arcade, did a little shopping and strolled down the boardwalk.

After we'd had our fill of carnival fun (not very long), we went to New Leaf to pick up some groceries for pizza making! When we got home, our hosts were in the yard relaxing and getting the oven ready for us. We got a lesson in wood-fired pizza making and we became instant pizza chefs. Our hosts took off and James and his family came by to make and share pizza with us. It was magical.

We decided we MUST have a wood fire oven. After James and his family left (their 2 year old had a previous engagement), we made one more pizza with an egg from the house chickens. It was fantastic and we were stuffed. We cleaned up the kitchen and ourselves, took a moment to rest and then went downtown to check out one of my favorite shops in the world, Bookshop Santa Cruz.

We got a great parking spot in front of a sweet cafe and had espresso and hot chocolate before heading over to the bookshop. There, we got some other ideas for our house with the pizza oven in the design section and bought a "surfari" book. After a short stroll around the block, we headed home. Tomorrow, we hit the road! Destination: Los Angeles via Big Sur.

El Última Día

We just had our last full day in Mexico. Falling asleep listening to the pouring rain and rolling thunder, flashes of lightning light up our room like a strobe light. It's been a great couple of days. Yesterday we booked a downwind paddle and snorkel at Marietas Islands through Punta Mita Expeditions. We saw some pretty fish, swam through a cave that opened up to a little beach, and worked up a sweat paddle boarding around the islands. We cooled off with a swim in the deep sea, floating in shivasana for a bit. We saw blue-footed (and green and yellow) boobies. The only other place they can be found is the Galapagos. And on our way back, we encountered a pod of dolphins. They came to greet us, swimming alongside us darting from one side of the boat to the other and chatting with us. One even jumped out of the water for us just a few feet away. That was definitely one of the highlights if the trip.

Today, we rented a car. It's nice to finally be free to move around as we please without relying on others. We had our last dance lesson with Tony. Hit some balls at the range during the hottest time of the day. Drove to Sayulita for lunch, one more Ginger Punch at Choco and some souvenirs from a cool little shop we frequented. Then, we played 9 holes at the Pacifico course in Punta Mita. It started out unbearably hot and ended up storming. Somewhere in the middle of it all, Sean made par on the world's only natural island green which was actually closed because the tide was in. He waded out to the green and finished the hole. It was pretty amazing and I'll never forget it.

We went into town and had dinner at Sí Señor. Sean surfed the Cove with Gustavo, the owner, in the morning. He is all about fresh food, bringing the catch of the day to each table before ordering. We had some of the best ceviche of our trip and some guacamole made table-side. Gustavo gave us a few little treats. We decided to save room for dessert and have it at The Four Seasons. Since we had our own wheels and a newfound freedom, why not? We ended up having chocolate souffle with ginger ice cream. It was amazing and the perfect way to end our sweet day!

Surf Report

"What up brosef its Sean! Surf's been decent. shoulder high. dewd neha has been ripping! one day she took all the waves away from everyone!!! LOL one guy said it was destroying his confidence to watch her take every wave ahahhahaha. mexico is trip."

Salutations from Sayulita!

We have arrived today in México. We took the bus from PVR to Sayulita, where we are staying for the first part of our trip. We arranged a surf package with a surf instructor I met here last year. He will be taking us on 6 surf trips and we're staying at a house he manages. The house is nice -- a little rustic. (Water pressure leaves much to be desired. It's more like a trickle.)

The view is amazing (as you might have noticed.) The cost of the view is a very steep uphill hike home if we decide to venture out on foot. It's a 5 min walk into town and there are enough shops & restaurants in the small town of Sayulita that we won't need a car while we're here. We have a full kitchen and bought some groceries last night, so when it was pouring rain this morning, Sean made us breakfast and we stayed in and read. The internet is down at the house, so we won't have email access at home until that is fixed (hopefully today.)

I'm eating well. (That's to answer my grandmother's perpetual question.) Mexican seafood is delicioso! I have a favorite cafe that I discovered last year, as every tourist does on their first visit to Sayulita. It's called Chocobanana and it's on the square right in the center of town. It was started by a British woman who used to sell chocobananas (chocolate covered bananas) on the beach. They serve some American food and healthy Mexican food, good coffee, and fresh fruit drinks -- our new favorite is the Ginger Punch which is mango, orange and ginger. Yum. They are one of the many places that have free wifi and one of the few places that take credit cards. There are no banks in Sayulita, no bank-owned ATMs and there has been a lot of ATM fraud here recently, so being able to use a credit card is a big deal. 

It seems like everyone here speaks Californian. I've never had to use my broken Spanish less in Mexico. There are many expats and some tourists. When I told our host, Beto, that everyone had California English accents, without skipping a beat he promptly replied, "all the girls are from California." Sayulita is a small village far from home in Mexico, but it doesn't feel too foreign. Lots of surfers, fresh organic food, massage & yoga. And not too touristy! We've only been offered silver jewelry from a man on the street one time and he moved on without any hassle.

Eating lunch, we've seen 3 different police vehicles drive by. No drug lord sightings yet. Although, we did see a gang of little surfers.

Esalen: Home Again

http://m.soundcloud.com/michaelkiwanuka/michael-kiwanuka-home-again
I've returned to Esalen! It's my fourth visit and it feels like home. It helps to have a great friend living here to welcome me. This will be my shortest stay at only two nights. The others were five. It's a short time to make that drive twice! The drive from LA to Esalen/Big Sur is just short enough (at about five hours) to enjoy a weekend here, and just long and treacherous enough to make you not want to do it too often. It's definitely part of what makes it so special. It was a gorgeous day and I found myself falling in love with California all over again with its luscious, green, rolling hills, hypnotic rows of vines, the occasional herd of cattle and some gorgeous stallions grazing, dramatic ocean vistas, and the endless blue sky.
If I had $100 for every shiny, new convertible I saw with the top down, I'd have about $600. That'd be sweet.
I noticed a real deal drive-in movie screen just before the Madonna Inn and made a mental note to stay at the Inn and check out a movie. I've never been to a drive-in (a bucket list item) and there don't seem to be too many left.
http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/7784
I had some car trouble (nothing major) that took me through the cute little town of Los Olivos -- another spot to revisit.
http://www.losolivosca.com/
That detour took me through Sideways country to Solvang where Jimmy of Jim's Service Center got me back on the road sans the large piece of plastic dragging under my car.
Continuing up past Pismo Beach and Hearst Castle, Highway One makes it's way to what feels like the edge of the earth. It's those last 35 miles that make me think twice about shooting up to Esalen on the regular. Especially driving alone. Falling rocks, crumbling highway, hairpin turns around deadly cliffs, slow drivers who won't use the turnouts(!), speed demons who cross the double yellow on a blind curve to pass (who you have to let back in), pedestrians and cyclists, and absolutely no cell signal should you get into trouble keep you on your toes every single second of the drive. I have a glorious thirty-six hours in one of my favorite places on Earth before I have to do it again!