San Miguel De Allende

We spent the first week in July in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico...lindo y querido como siempre. Suzan kindly hosted us at her beautiful townhouse there. We managed to fit in all of our favorite things--churros, swimming at La Gruta, tacos al pastor, live music by Gil and company, pie at El Pegaso, the jardin, margaritas, more churros....while relaxing quite a bit. Annika loved doing projects and spending time with her Mimi. We left happy, relaxed, and a few pounds heavier (so well worth it). Until next time...

To view the entire album, click here.

Mexico Despedida

After two years of great memories, great friends, and great times, our tour in Mexico has come to an end. We said good-bye to our boxing instructor Changa and other boxing amigos at a great last class. Our Mexi-friends treated us to a delicious despedida barbecue at the Moose, complete with grilled fruit sangria and empanadas, and came to say good-bye during happy hour at the St. Regis. Our little family--including Ceniza and Compay--crossed the border to spend home leave in Texas, where we've spoken more Spanish and eaten more tortillas than when we were in Mexico. We're already missing the Mexi-crew dearly but enjoying a summer packed with family time before the next adventure. Click here to view the entire album.

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Punta Pescadero 2013

As our tour in Mexico is coming to an end, we took one final trip with the Mexi-crew to Baja California Sur. A world of contrasts, BCS is beautiful and we were lucky to share it with great friends whom we will miss immensely. The Casa Blanca was our beautiful home at Punta Pescadero, and from there we took a day trip to La Paz and then Isla Espiritu Santo for snorkeling with sea lions and kayaking. Our adventurous fisher-friends took a day trip fishing in the Sea of Cortez. While it was our last trip in Mexico during our tour, it is certainly not our last trip to BCS. To view the entire album click here.

Click here to view our video from Isla Espiritu Santo.

And finally, click here for our Kayaking video in Isla Espiritu Santo

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Izta-Popo National Park

I had been wanting to go to Paso De Cortes ever since hearing about it in a documentary. It is a mountain pass between Popocatépetl and Ixtaccíhuatl volcanoes, roughly 11,000 feet above sea level, and the path through which Herman Cortes and his army marched to Mexico City. Julia and I with some friends headed to Parque Nacional Izta-Popo for a hike, picnic, and of course to take some photos. Roughly 2 hours from Mexico City, we arrived at Paso De Cortez and the entrance to the park. The view of Popocatépetl spewing smoke, as it is still active, was amazing. After entering the park, we drove north on a dirt road to La Joya where we parked and began hiking at roughly 11,857 feet.  Once we reached 13,235, we decided to turn back to give our lungs a break.  The park provided a great escape from the city life. To view the entire album click here.

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Chiapas 2013

Julia, Suzan, and I took a trip to San Crisotbal de las Casas in the state of Chiapas, Mexico. We stayed at Parador Margarita, a charming inn not far from the Zocalo. The service and breakfast were fantastic. Our first stop was Sumidero Canyon which was simply amazing. For me it was the sharp rise of the ocean floor as the river cuts through the mountains exposing the extremely slanted layers of limestone that was most impressionable. The air unfortunately was a little hazy due to the farmers burning their fields. The next couple of days were spent exploring San Cristobal and its markets where locals sell their handmade stuffed animals. We found a some great restaurants especially Comida Thai. How we craved Thai food! On the last day we drove to Chamula de Chiapa, an indigenous village in the mountains. To view the entire album click here.

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Riviera Maya 2013

The last time Julia and I visited Riviera Maya was back in 2006 and my has it changed. This time we stayed at Maykoba and while it was set back from the beach, the room was private and our balcony oversaw what to us appeared like a jungle. We saw all sorts of birds and heard the clean wind blowing through the trees. A much needed break from the city life. Seven years ago we visited Akumal and we were literally the only ones there and after snorkeling we had lunch at a tiny fish shack. This time, however, there were a lot of tourists and a plethora of restaurants unfortunately priced for the tourist. We snorkeled and saw plenty of fish and were able to swim with the turtles again. This was my first time filming underwater with my GoPro so the video is not perfect by any means. We also re visited Dos Ojos Cenote and again it was a bit more packed with tourists. The cenote was still fantastic and I would highly recommend visiting any of the cenotes in the Yucatan.

Below are some links to our videos. Akumal - A compilation of esnorkeling videosDos Ojos Cenote - Julia and I esnorkeling basically...Dos Ojos Cenote - Another video of Julia and I snorkelingDos Ojos Cenote - Snorkeling above scuba divers

To view our album click here.

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Hipódromo De Las Americas

Julia and I along with some good friends spent a beautiful Saturday afternoon at Hipódromo De Las Americas (http://www.hipodromo.com.mx) for some horse racing fun. I had no idea that a horse track and casino existed just in the outskirts of Polanco. The food at this family friendly venue was tasty and so were the drinks! Our time here in Mexico City is slowly coming to an end...

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Rainy Election Day

An early afternoon thunderstorm brought some good rain and cool fall-like temperatures to the D.F. but nevertheless voters headed to the polls. To celebrate our host country's election, Julia and I made some banana bread (yes I helped!) and smoked some spare ribs - important ingredients for watching election results tonight. Here's to no sore losers! Thanks to Mike for the new recipe. I put the mop sauce too early and the sugar caramelized a bit. Guess I'll have to try again.

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San Miguel de Allende

Julia and I drove up to visit Suzan in San Miguel de Allende, a picturesque town with cobble stone streets, narrow alleys, and colorful painted buildings. This town attracts a very large number of foreign retirees, artists, writers, and tourists. San Miguel de Allende hosts many art galleries and excellent restaurants. We stayed at the Casa de la Noche, formerly a bordello but now a charming Bed & Breakfast conveniently located near the center of town. To view the entire album, click here.

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