The cure for anything

Guanajuato is a place for lovebirds. And artists. And families. And history buffs. And foodies. And extreme bicyclists. We were pleasantly surprised that (after I was almost ran over by a bicycle!) the crooked winding streets were home to a urban downhill race our first day in town. Watching these guys (and gals!) fly around tight corners, jump over curbs and rumble down stairs was admittedly a little wracking to my nurse nerves. Luckily no one ate it too badly... that we saw. 

After we were filled to the brim with love and art and families and history and food, we packed Claudette up and headed southbound to Morelia, known for its history, infamous candy market and one of the most impressive cathedrals in Mexico. Any of you could probably guess what I was mostly excited about. 

Morelia was also the place where we decided to get an oil change for Claudette, as we had passed the 7000 miles traveled since leaving Portland marker!! Whooohooo!! (Dont worry...we had the oil changed and the van looked at in New Mexico... not as exciting, though) We found a little car shop conveniently right across the road from a pollo stand for lunch. Perfecto! The older mechanic was very patient and kind with us. The only oil they had was 25w50, which they said would be okay and our Chilton's guide said would be okay, so we went for it. Now I am not mechanically minded... so for those of you out there of the same kind... a normal weight of oil for a vehicle of Claudette's stature would be 10w30, a much less thick version of the oil that now runs in her veins. Come to find out... not the best weight for the van... so we are going to do the whole shebang again soon with the correct weight. Our expert van contact said there shouldn't be any damage to the engine. Keep your fingers crossed for us!

After meandering the interior of the country for a while, we packed it out to Zihuatanejo on the coast. Zihua is a mellow little fishing town graced by a calm turquoise bay. Lonely Planet said that the city has retained much of its charms, even though it is getting a little touristy, and we as, well, tourists, agree. Today we took a little fishing boat over to Playa Las Gatas for some snorkeling and sun gettin'. That mission, unlike the oil change, went without a hitch. Though we did wander around long enough afterwards looking for dinner fixins that we stopped for a 25 peso liter Minchelada (a delicious combo of beer, lime, salt and sometimes a dash of clamato) that Brian said was too good of a deal to pass up. And our fish market closed while we were wandering so we had a vege stir fry instead of pescado or camarones (fish or shrimp) stir fry. Still a success in my book. 

One of my favorite quotes which I find all too true sometimes; 

The cure for anything is saltwater; sweat, tears or the sea. - Isak Dinesen 

Though I find that right now my main problem is sweat from the humidity and heat that this little Portland body is trying to fight. And I guess that makes things pretty darn sweet.

The van is dirty. Kids are begging for it to be washed, haha!

Bike race in Guanajuato!

Watch out Brian!

Cathedral in Morelia. 

We were sitting on the sidewalk waiting for the mechanic to be finished when a very friendly candidate for the upcoming elections stopped and gave us a lot of swag! 

Mountains!

More mountains. Personally I cant get enough of um.

Mexicans have a love affair with the "tope".  I think I do too.  Makes you slow down and appreciate things you wouldn't otherwise see. And makes for a fun 3 second bouncy ride in the van. 

We were going for the iconic Corona commercial. Zihua in the background!