Tumbleweed

During our last week of traveling in Mexico, I've noticed an interesting phenomenon in which people like to trim their trees and shrubs in the shape of a square or rectangle. I guess it makes sense as it's probably easier to trim the tree that way but I'm still getting used to the look - it's not very natural after all! See photos below for some examples of the square trees.  As an avid runner, I love to explore new places through my daily runs. I used to do this as a cyclist and in some ways that was better as I could cover more ground on my bike. However, going slower can be an advantage as I notice things that I wouldn't have seen flying by at 20mph on my bike. The last two days I've been running in the highlands above Guanajuato and it is easily some of the most beautiful country that I've ever run through. It's got this wild west Mexican silver mining vibe mixed with the quaint cobblestone European charm of the City of Guanajuato. This place is a ru...

We've spent a good part of the past week un poco enfermo (a little sick) which presents its own challenges when you live in a van. There's no curling up on the couch with a bag of Funyuns watching Netflix with a full service bathroom at your beck and call, for instance. The good news is that we're almost recovered and feeling much better. On the topic of feeling under the weather, Mexicans appear to take Covid much more seriously than most of the US. Almost everyone wears a mask (even outside), people take your temperature whenever you enter a building and I even got a text the other day from the state of Jalisco offering notifications of potential Covid hotspots based upon my location via cellular data.    After being in Mexico for over two weeks now, we're definitely starting to feel more comfortable and less like we're being taken advantage of - at least I don't, I won't speak for Ginny. My Spanish is improving (as is Ginny's) so communication is gett...

Greetings from hot and sunny Mexico. I know much of the US is freezing cold this weekend so I hope you're all staying warm and cozy! If any of you want to meet us down in Mexico this winter, we would love a visit and are happy to take a break from van living and get an AirBnb for a while! We're likely to be in Guadalajara, Guanajuato, San Miguel do Allende and San Luis Potisi over the next two to three weeks. Then we'll maybe head south to Mexico City (if we think we can handle the big city) and eventually on towards Oaxaca. Let us know if you're interested and we can coordinate dates and locations.  After our first stop in Bahia de Kino, we decided to head inland to the small mountain town of Alamos. It's a pueblo magico which is a collection of over 100 towns in Mexico that are known for their cultural and historical significance. Alamos was founded in 1685 and was designed by architects from Andalusia, Spain including the Plaza de Armas which is a beautiful centr...