"Those Parents"

I have always been in amazement at "those parents" who schedule their kids every afternoon for activities every single day of the week.  School gets out, the kids gobble down some energy and off they go doing whatever they do for part or all of the afternoon.  I wondered, do the kids ever get down time or an opportunity to actually develop the skills to keep themselves occupied?   Do they just follow orders and report for the next activity whether they want to or not?  Are the parents scared to have them at home doing...gasp...nothing?

Well, my thoughts on this have changed a bit in the past few weeks.  I have come to realize that the kids are older now, can do and handle more activity.  They want to do it all.  I have also come to realize that nothing can compare to what this little corner of the world can offer them each day.  So, unintentionally we are totally loaded up each and every day of the week with the coolest and rewarding of activities.  Even better is that all instruction is totally in Spanish.  Here is what is on tap for the next few months.  Each with it's own link.

Capoeira  
I am proud to say that the kids have been in the Capoeira program for over a year and a half and will be graduating again in March at this year's Batizado.  I really like this program and hope they continue with it with all the programs that are out there competing for the kid's time.  It is unique and the group of kids, coaching and conditioning are all amazing.  Certainly without the skills they have learned during their time with Capoeira they would have had a tough time diving into other things.

Alex aims for the knock out kick.

Celebrate the Beat
Alex goes it alone with this one and returns again this year at special invitation from the instructor.  Where Alex learned to dance is a mystery and her ability to control her body, keep the rhythm and remember all the moves is beyond me.  This a fantastic program for kids of all abilities and again, the instruction is fantastic!  We love that she gets to do this.

Entre Amigos Art Program
This one was unexpected and again Alex is attending by special invitation.  She submitted a painting for an art contest at Entre Amigos which is the community center in San Pancho.  For each age group the Entre Amigos staff selected a handful of submissions and those kids were given free art classes to learn new techniques for the next round of competition.  Cool!  Alex is way into it and she gets to take class with one of her good San Pancho friends too.

Alex and Adesha listen to the results.  Yes, Ozzy is in the back row.

Circo de los Niños

This one is really cool!  Circo De Los Niños is yet another offering at Entre Amigos.  You can click on the link to read about the program on the website but here is the short version.  In 2011, Cirque du Soleil co-founder Gilles Ste-Croix approached Entre Amigos with the idea of creating a circus show with the children of San Pancho.

The program basically takes kids out of the community and provides them with training and equipment so they eventually take part in a performance designed, sponsored and choreographed by Gilles Set-Croix and his wife.  It has become a huge fund raiser for Entre Amigos and we attended the performance last year.  It was great!!  Lights, costumes, make up, music, a packed house and we knew many of the kids from school and around town here in Sayulita. Alex and Trace are both in the beginner program this year and a whole portion of the Entre Amigos bodega complex has been rehabbed to accommodate the program permanently.

What is there to do in small town Mexico?  Just soccer and go to the beach right?  Think again!  All of these programs take place in San Pancho so we will be spending a lot of time there for the coming months until each of the programs comes to a climax in late March.  It's going to be a busy time for sure.  

An Adventure In Our Own Backyard - Sorry, I Can't Tell You Where

A friend from Vallarta recently came through Sayulita for the day and in an email the next day he said "I have never seen the big deal about Sayulita. I just don't get it." It's true that Sayulita can be busy and noisy and depending your timing, very crowded. That can indeed be a turn off.  But Sayulita is more than what people see walking through town or the hanging out on the main beach. There are places you can go just around the corner that are another world altogether. We've been going to a great beach very close to our new house in town. It may take all of 10 minutes for us to get there and you never hear the pulse of Sayulita just around the corner. We decided to head that way recently on a weekend day and other than 3 boys playing in the surf, we were the only other people on the beach.

The unique characteristic about this beach is it's jet black sand.  It gives this place a very different look than other beaches in the area.  The kids like to bring magnets with them since the sand also has magnetic qualities.  While were there, Trace decided he'd paint himself with the sand and bury himself in a hole.  It's a "boy" thing I guess.  We considered just leaving him there as the tide came up just for entertainment but we eventually decided against it.  The beach this day was pounded by a consistent beach break similar to Sayulita's north end beach. 

The kids had lots of fun even if they were only comfortable only going waste deep.  Nice to able to get out of the house and avoid the main beach during a weekend.

Not exactly a popular spot on a Sunday and that is a nice change of pace once in a while.  No venders either.  There are a few houses around and we have not been surprised to see some nude sunbathers as well.  

Alex couldn't let her brother have all the fun so she got into painting her body with sand too. So where is this place?  Well, we can't really tell where all our spots are but if you ask around it really isn't a secret.  You just have to know to ask around.

Sayulita has many of these little off the beaten path type spots and the day tripper or visitors who don't leave the the busier areas won't ever see things like this.  We are ok with that.  I have since told my friend who doesn't see the draw of Sayulita that he needs to come back for a personal tour since places like this will likely change his point of view.  This is Sayulita as well.

5 Years Old

Ozzy and Ashley Adventures is 5 years old!  We have always maintained that the blog is a means for us to keep in touch with family and friends but many folks have tuned in for other reasons.  We are amazed that some months there are over 1300 "page views" of our little piece of the web.  Where do they all come from?  Who are you?  (Yes, some hits come from spam)  Some folks want to know what we are up to, see photos, are considering a similar adventure, some find us by accident, some laugh at or feel sorry for us and some may just want to see "what happens next".

Well, we try to tell it like it is without the sugar coating or blissful commentary about how magical things are to be taking on an adventure such as this.  The reality is that it is the hardest thing we have ever done.  This is NO Corona commercial.  We have no intentions to leave so if things are happening we will post them here.

How To Piss Off The Locals

We see a lot of people come and go in our town and not everyone is a good guest. We especially cringe when that bad guest is from North of the Border. We are still learning but we try really hard not to rub people the wrong way. Here are some travel tips.

Feliz Año Nuevo

Image From Sayulita's Own Wicked Photos