El Canon Del Sumidero

This was my first weekend outing, El Canon Del Sumidero.  I caught a colectivo on Saturday morning, and headed out toward the canyon.  Once you arrive at the river, you buy a ticket and then join about 30 others in a boat like this one above.  A guide takes you through this beautiful canyon, stopping occasionally to let you see waterfalls or even crocodiles!  The tour was a little under 2 hours.

A view of the canyon

One of the beautiful waterfalls

This waterfall was my favorite.  It looks like a Christmas tree from the distance.  They call it el arbol de Navidad.  

The crocodiles... we saw four on our tour.  The best  one was at the end as we saw a mom with some of her baby crocodiles.  You could just see her head, but the babies were sitting out on the rocks.  They were very small and our driver told us they were just 20 days old.  At one point the head of the mom disappeared and I leaned back from the edge of the boat just a bit... moms can be protective you know :-)  

I met a couple from Belgium on the tour, so they kindly let me ride back with them in their taxi.  Many people from all over the world visit San Cristobal.  They spoke three to four languages each.  That surely is motivation!  

Our adventures with Heather in San Diego

The San Diego portion of my trip would not be complete without adding these photos.  Sorry they are a bit late Heather!  Dad and I drove through the California heat wave on Wednesday and Thursday last week and ended up at Heather's apartment in Pacific Beach.  We were pretty tuckered, but we still had a great time together.  Here are a few pictures of our adventures together.  My favorite place we visited was La Jolla.  If you are in San Diego to visit sometime, you should go there.

Heather and I had never had Fat Burger before, so Dad treated us to Turkey burgers.  They were very good too.  We enjoyed a nice lunch of the boardwalk of Pacific Beach.

We had ice cream on this part of the trip too.  It is sure refreshing to have a cone on those really hot days.  Right Dad?

A funny story about the ice cream.  We had cones on our way home from Fat Burger, and then headed to a drug store to find something.  Well, it happened to be cholesteral screening day, so we had a family check up. A funny thing to do on your family vacation, but it is good to know none the less :-)

The family enjoying the ocean view.  

Bienvenidos a Chipas

Welcome to Mexico City!  Yes, they have Starbucks there too.  I made a stop while I was waiting for my second flight.  Cafe Espresso Americano con hielo.  It was pretty good.

I was happy to see this sight as I was walking into town one day. I am a fan of corn tortillas and get to eat them daily at home with my host family.  It is fun to walk the streets of San Cristobal because the buidlings are all different colors.  It is beautiful.

I have been walking around town a lot trying to visit lots of different places.  This is la iglesia de Guadelupe.  I walked up the stairs yesterday and was pretty winded.  The elevation does make a difference!  This church is close by to my classroom where I study Spanish with Jorge.

A view of San Cristobal from the steps of la iglesia de Guadelupe.  The city is surrounded by green, plush hills.  The elevation is about 7000 ft above sea level, so the weather is pretty moderate.  Not too hot and not too cold.  

My first cup of coffee in San Cristobal at Cafe Selva.  I had my favorite a cafe aulait.  It was pretty good.  I came back for another today.  The coffee shop is a nice place to study and catch with things on the computer. 

I had my first Spanish lesson today.  I will be studying with Jorge, my teacher, for 3 hours a day.  I start at 9:30am and end at 12:30pm.  A typical day here is breakfast with Coco, my host mom, and then off to class.  There is time to explore or study after as we eat lunch here at 2:30 or 3:00.  More time to study, rest, drink coffee, and then a lighter supper at 9 or so.  A bit different than our traditional schedule.   

I am very glad to be here and I know I am being stretched.  Not being able to communicate can be a really frustrating thing, but that is why you come to study right?  More photos to come...

Trip to Tijuana

Dad, Erica, and I at Peet's Coffee as headed out from Portland

 Our first stop in California, Mt. Shasta

     It was VERY HOT in central Cali, so we stopped for ice cream at Bud's

Dad and I  at the Castillo in the Baja Bible student lounge

Dad and I at church in Tijuana