Carnival La Penita, Quading, Pig Roast

We celebrated Valentines Day at the RV park in a grand way - the annual pig roast! This years theme was red & white - lots of fun costumes, we were boring in our red & white clothes . Everyone decorated their tables, unfortunately didn't think to take pictures. The meal centered around 2 pigs stuffed with fruit & roasted in pits in the ground - quite the process. Dancing followed, under the stars, to an excellent DJ.

Life continues as before, we walk 6 days a week, 8 km. over cobblestones & dirt roads, not quite as difficult as when we started. We have done a few road trips to neighboring towns & beaches, best find was the coffee producing area .No signs but we found the "guy" - back yard covered with coffee beans from the recent harvest, drying in the sun. In his tiny shop was the roaster & the grinder, we watched him grind our order & package it for us. The whole town belongs to a cooperative so there are many of these "shops".

We have most everything that we need brought right here to the park or it can be found in town, a short walk away. The bread truck comes thru 2 days a week, fresh whole wheat jalapeno cheese bread, warm from the oven! The old "honey guy" walks thru carrying a 5 gallon pail on his shoulder, full of bottles of mango honey, bee pollen & jack fruit. What's not so good is the fact that there are way too many good paces to eat here, we went out for rib dinners to 3 different places over a week & a half! We have weekly hamburger nights, we have volunteered twice to help cook & serve. Movie nights under the stars is also popular. The Cancer Walk was a big success, several hundred "gringos" walking in support of local mammography efforts, then a fun street party.

Carnival in a big deal here - a 2 hour parade, lots of fun floats, all ages dancing, the usual queens & princesses, even some pretty old women princesses. I was in awe of the crazy high heels that so many women wear, marching along the cobblestones & pot holes. We spent some time in the midway, games of chance, rickety old kids rides, food & of course the tequila booth! I threw some darts & won a box of cookies, lucky it wasn't for toilet paper, also there as prizes! After the parade several bands set up on the street corners to entertain until the wee hours.

I have no experience on a quad, I was too afraid to ride them when we owned 2, any little hill had me panicked. I was invited to go on the Ladies quad ride, so I decided to bite the bullet & give it a try.  10 machines, 20 women - most who don't usually get to drive so they made up for it with a lot of speed! I held on for dear life & hoped for the best. Great scenery, thru the jungle, down the beach, country roads, crisscrossing rivers & thru lots of mud. I even had mud in my ear! Came home tired after over 6 hours of riding, a bit sore from my "death grip" on the handles, but over all a great day, complete with lunch on the beach ( a 2 beer lunch, thought that might make the return trip easier).

We have a good spot right out in front of the RV for bird watching, keeps me busy sorting & deleting excess pictures. We have enough for a pretty good bird book if I ever get to it. Floating around the pool on a pool noodle has become the afternoon activity, before our daily happy hour. We are in the process of packing up ready to turn & head north. We leave here March 1 to begin the slow trip home. We don't plan to be out of Mexico till at least mid March then on to Tuscon for some exploring. We must admit that it will be good to get home, starting to really miss all of the family!