!Hola from San Carlos!

Today I am in San Carlos, a small resort town just 30 kilometers north of Guyama. Got here yesterday, liked it enough to stay another day. It is really nice, but lots of gringos! Apparently a lot of people come here for retirement because it is cheap, and being on the beach, sure beats the hell out of living next to a freeway. So there are a ton of bars and restaurants where, when you walk in, they speak to you in English. I was curious, so I went riding around and found an open house for some beautiful properties for sale. Cost - for the lot, beach front of course, and a sq foot to build, average home being 2000 – 3000  sq. feet. Sounds like the influx of gringos has had more of an effect on the economy here than I would have suspected. But hey – I guess even paradise has a price….. Saw a restaurant here that was advertising thanksgiving dinner “traditional” style. I assume that means turkey and dressing?

El Burro Pepe

Yesterday, I went for a ride and a hike in the desert. It was really nice, got some great pictures. But the best thing that came from it was a nickname – I took a picture of my bike in the desert next to a really big cactus. On the way back, I stopped at a cantina for refreshment and happened to have my camera with me. There were a couple of “rancheros” who, when they realized you could view the pictures on the back of the camera (to their amazement!), they wanted to see them. So I showed the pictures and when we came across the one with the bike on the dirt road in the desert, one said, “deez iz not a moto, it is a burro!”, and the other one replied, “si, it is Pepe, el burro”! I kind of liked it, so I think the nickname will stick. My bike is now Pepe, el burro! (Pepe the donkey for you gringos…)