Mexico Bound

Our journey to Mexico began on Wednesday afternoon, with a ride to Minneapolis. After a very short night in the hotel (we were up at 3:45 am) we headed to the airport and caught a 6:30 flight for Houston and then from there a flight to Acapulco. We arrived in Acapulco around 1:15 pm and were very excited to see Bruce & Jaime and the kids!!!! They picked us up at the airport and we all hopped into the MCC truck - kids in the back, adults in the cab and headed to our Villa!

The Villa we rented was everything we expected and more!! We had an amazing view of the ocean, our own swimming pool, lots of space to kick back and relax and our very own cook who made us some amazing Mexican cuisine! It was the perfect place to just "hang out" with Bruce & Jaime and the kids. We swam, watched lots of movies, watched sunsets, made amazing tropical drinks, played lots of Uno, laughed, laughed and laughed some more!!!! So many great memories made once again!

Just a few minutes from our Villa was a stretch of beach called Pie de la Cuesta - a beautiful, massive stretch of beach that went on forever with humongous waves! Since the waves were so big, it wasn't safe to swim - although Bruce & Elroy ventured out -the kids had a blast playing in the surf. The undertow was fairly strong, so we had to make sure to hold onto Cole & Hizee so they wouldn't get towed away. After a day at the beach, Antonia (Villa Cook) had a great Mexican feast prepared for us! Fresh guacamole and salsa, homemade tortillas, fresh fish and shrimp, doratos (rolled up tortillas with chicken), BBQ shrimp & chicken kabobs, fresh squeezed orange juice, shrimp/octopus cocktail were some of the many dishes she prepared for us on a daily basis!! It was so great having someone cook and clean up for you! As you can see from the picture below, Cole did not think much of the Shrimp soup that she made!!!!

Another one of our days in Acapulco was spent at the Cayuco Lagoon. We hopped aboard a small boat for a lake cruise. Elroy & Bruce were very excited that this was the location where Rambo & Tarzan were filmed. The boat took us on a leisurely ride around the lake where we saw Mongrove Swamps, local fishermen catching their fish, an island full of birds and our last stop was a small restaurant/swimming area. We stopped here for a bite to eat and a chance to jump into the warm water. It was an interesting experience as the tables for the restaurant were literally in the water!!!!

From our Villa, there was a cliff that jutted out into the water (top right picture). Elroy & Bruce went for a hike one morning to check it out. Later that evening we all ventured out on the hike and made our way to the other side of the cliff where there were lots of rocks to play on. The kids loved exploring on the rocks and finding crab shells and small pools filled with water and little sea creatures. Jaime and I were a little nervous at how close we were to the huge waves crashing in, especially when one snuck up behind Bruce & Hizee!!!

We spent lots of time down by the pool, relaxing and cooling off from the heat - most days it was a very humid + 35 C. Anotonia's sister came over one morning and braided the girls hair. Check out the mango Mac & Ziko are enjoying - picked fresh from the tree by the pool!!!

We also spent a fair bit of time at the beaches in Acapulco Bay. These waters were much calmer and the kids were able to swim in the waves and do some body surfing. Jaime & and I enjoyed one of our favourite drinks - I can't remember the name but it tasted like rice pudding through a straw!!!! YUMMY!!!

We always tried to make sure that we were back at the Villa for the sunsets - we had the most incredible view and it was the perfect way to end the day! We spent 7 nights in the Villa and we were now ready to hit the road and continue onward to Zacongo!

It took us 5 hours to get to Zacongo - 2 hours on a paved highway and 3 hours through the mountains(check out the roads on the upper right picture). The kids rode in the back for most of the ride and Elroy even took a turn. It was beautiful countryside to drive through and see. We stopped along the way in a small village to check out the church in the lower middle picture.

We were so excited to finally reach Zacongo and see Bruce, Jaime, Zam, Hizee & Ziko's home! We brought along some mini-sticks and the living room area was quickly turned into a hockey arena.

Bruce & Jaime's home is located in the middle of the village (bottom left corner). They've done a lot of work on the yard and have planted many trees (bottom right corner) including mango, papaya, lime, gueva (I think), bamboo and a few others. Many of these trees my Dad helped to plant when they were there last year and it's amazing how big they have grown already. And yes . . . that is a Wresting Ring in the front yard - more pictures to follow.

One of Mac's favourite parts about the village were all of the animals!!! There were donkeys, chickens, guinea pigs, rabbits, cats, dogs, pigs and more! Mac & Cole both loved going for donkey rides on Taco. One of the highlights for Mac was when her and Zam along with some of his buddies took Taco for a ride all by themselves around the village.

The adults went for a few walks around the village to see the sights while the kids played back at the house. Bruce & Jaime introduced us to lots of their friends and neighbours. Everyone was so kind, hospitable and generous. They also showed us their English classroom (top right corner) and some of the other projects they have been working on in their village. Top left corner - this man collects donkey poop, adds worms to it and turns it into soil to sell.

The night before we left was the Main Event Wrestling. Mac & Cole each made a mask and were part of the festivities! The villagers brought their chairs, eager to get a front row seat. Each wrestler has their own name, mask and costume. There's live music, a bell and championship belts. The kids had a blast (especially Cole) and jumped right in with the other wrestlers!!!

When we asked our kids what their favourite part of the holiday was there answer was unanimous - the stay in the village!!! They loved having the opportunity to visit their cousins and meet all of their friends. They made so many new friends by speaking the universal language of a smile and laughter! (We did also pick up some Spanish along the way!) Thank you guys for having us in your home and giving us a glimpse of your adventure! We loved every minute of it and have so many great memories!

Winter Sports

This year, Mac decided to play basketball once a week at her school during the winter months. They focused on basketball skills and always ended by playing a scrimmage to practice the skills they had learned. The best part, according to her was being able to play with some of her closest friends.

Cole had another chance to play at the MTS Centre during an intermission of a Moose Game! He loved watching the Moose play with all of his buddies and was super excited to step onto the ice to play. This year, he ended up in the net and got to play goalie in a very big arena!!!

Winter Fun

We made good use of the snow this winter and spent alot of time outdoors snowmobiling, sliding, playing hockey, building snowmen and so on and so on. Mac got creative this year and filled small tupperware containers with water and then froze them to create an Inukshuk! She was very proud of her creation. Cole spent lots of time with his new hockey net working on his slap shot on the driveway!

Moose Lake

We spent a weekend with some friends at their cabin at Moose Lake. We had a great time snowmobiling and playing in the snow. The kids loved going for rides on the tube behind the snowmobile. Mac even had a chance to knee board behind the snowmobile and behind the dog!!