Half a Century. He looks like his father more and more. I’d say he moves slower but that is impossible:) We celebrated 50 years today starting with breakfast in bed, and then the beach. We finished with champagne on the beach at sunset and a handstand competition.

Yesterday Nick walked down memory lane with a drive out to Puerto Angel. We stopped in Mazunte ( pretty, hippy town), Zipolite ( nude beach, so yes, Nick loved it there) and then pressed on to Angel. Last time Nick came through here he was on a boat and Mazunte/ Zipolite were just a couple palapas with dirt roads. Now, they are paved with shops, alternative healing, yoga, etc. Nick was stunned, how time marches on in just 18 years.

Nick went looking for a guy he met last time in Puerto Angel named Marco Polo. The first time they met, Nick came ashore and Marco Polo was there smoking a giant joint and asked if there was anything he could get him. This time, Nick asked around and he found him, swinging in a hammock, smoking a giant joint once again! Well, the rest of our day was determined. We went to his sister’s place for lunch, watched the fishermen bring in their catch at the beach, the girls swam and we had a massive feast. You eat what they catch that day, so we had fresh dorado and shrimp. So yummy. We drove back to Puerto Escondido in the evening as the sun was setting and had a quiet evening in.

While we were out we were watched the Sierra Madres get smaller and smaller and the landscape change ever so slightly. We talked about how Oaxaca is known for their artists and much of that is due to the fact that 50% of the population is indigenous and up until the 1990’s widely uneducated. Many children were kept home as school is taught in spanish and it didn’ t recognize the local dialects. Instead, kids were kept home and taught handicrafts, and skills in self sufficiency. Of course that means they can scrape a living together but it isn’t much. It also means the art and textiles produced are spectacular.

Our big birthday feast for Nick today was bbq chicken for lunch and then the spiciest chorizo and pork tacos I have EVER had. So, so good. The girls ate them also and we were all downing any drink we could get our hands on. It was really fuuny, for about 5 minutes I couldn’t speak as I thought my ears were on fire. We only went to eat there as no one else was there and we felt bad for him. Once we sat down, the place filled up!! Nick was most pleased.

Tomorrow we are starting our trek north, but to be honest if I didn’t have that damn rental car I wouldn’t leave. Ever. I think I almost have the girls turned on to living in Mexico, just for a while. Seasonal maybe, like October to May. We’ll see, I like the element of surprise. Our plan tomorrow is to stop south of Acapulco for one night and then be in Zihuatinejo for G’s birthday. I don’t think I will have internet for a while, it is pretty remote where we are headed. We may have a chance to release turtles into the sea tomorrow night as the beach we are staying in (God willing) is famous for the turtles. Mads and I watched a turtle come up on the beach once before and lay eggs but to release them would be equally cool.