Mexico Sunset

Sunset, originally uploaded by spinosaurus162.

Food Update

The food situation has changed since I blogged about it last. Apparently Vicki and Kristi are going to make Friday nights meal, Jen and I are going to do Saturday and Kyle/Tammy and Monika are going to do Sunday.

Another note about food:

I cannot emphasize enough the need for WATER.

Also - Vicki and I talked about this today but you really don't want to plan on buying milk in Mexico. Many things you can buy at the store but I highly recommend steering clear of the milk. It's unpasteurized and tastes odd (not entirely sure it's all cow's milk, could be some other animals thrown in there too).

Did I say WATER?

Oh yeah, and WATER.

Bring little snacks you think your kids will like - post a comment and tell me what kinds of snacks your kids will eat and I will pick up some extras when I am at the store.

Oh and I almost forgot. Appparently we are now each going to bring down what your family will eat for lunches.

Coca Refresco

Weekend Visitors 13 6-24, originally uploaded by superape.

Food

We had some thoughts on the food situation.

We propose the following:

Friday Night: Grilled Hot Dogs & Extras

Saturday Night: Eat in Town

Sunday Night: Grilled fajitas

We were thinking that we could figure out the cost per person and each family could contribute that amount towards the food for Friday Night and Sunday. We could just purchase the food before everyone gets to Arizona - we may need some help hauling it down there but between all of us we could do it I think.

In addition we thought perhaps each family could bring their own breakfast stuff and bread but we could also buy the stuff to make sandwiches before hand and divy that cost up as well.

We are open to other suggestions or willing to listen to any concerns this causes -

PLEASE vote yay or nay in a comment or email (if you comment it automatically generates and email into our account).

This trip is getting much closer!

Mr. Fish Taco

Mr. Fish Taco, originally uploaded by detritus.

A note about the standard of living in Mexico.

I'm sure some of you have been to Mexico before, or somewhere like Mexico perhaps. For the gringos who vacation there it is an endless surf, sunny beaches, gorgeous water, sea shells, good food, tide pools, and stunning sunsets. We stay in houses that are amazingly nice, with views that can't be beat. The Mexican people are very hospitable and it is a very relaxing vacation that almost can't be beat.

However, for the people of Mexico, this is a life reserved for the gringos, and not a lifestyle they share. Please be prepared and perhaps prepare your children depending on their ages that there is also extreme poverty. Small children selling chicklet gum is the norm. The first few times I went the poverty that you sometimes encounter is a bit jarring. There is a massive disparity once you cross that invisible line at the border that is simple amazing.

Don't misunderstand, it's beautiful and you get used to the way things are in a way - but you should be a little prepared.

Sunset at Rocky Point

Sunset at Rocky Point, originally uploaded by SeenOnce.

A little update,

Please email me with any additional questions you have so I can be sure to answer them. I think I have covered most things but I could be missing something.

Kyle called last night and told Kirk they are thinking of staying in Flagstaff the night before we head out to Mexico. This is actually quite wise for a few reasons, but mainly because it is MUCH cheaper to stay in Flagstaff overnight than in Phoenix. Winter in Phoenix is high tourist season and all our resorts are full and busy. The rooms here in the winter - and most especially from November through March and the most expensive of all the year and in many ways, more expensive than you might think. Flagstaff remains a bargain because of their cooler weather.

Flagstaff is probably about a 1 and 1/2 hour drive to 2 hours depending on your speed. Since we will probably be leaving mid morning for Mexico on Friday there will be plenty of time to drive down from Flagstaff before we get ready to leave. In addition this makes the dive from Utah seem a little quicker since it cuts time off the end of the drive when everyone is the most tired. The next day we will be stopping in Gila Bend and again at the border so that drive will seem shorter than it might seem.

So Flagstaff might be something everyone would consider if the cost of rooms in Phoenix seems exhoribant and/or they want to shorten the drive the first day.

Las Conchas Sunset

Mexico June 2006, originally uploaded by Botrash.

As promised here is the blog on money.

What you really have to do is bring cash. What you really don't want to do is rely on getting cash out of a cash machine while in Mexico. Peso's are cheap and cash machines in Mexico give you pesos, not dollars. So if you want a hundred dollars it will give you a THOUSAND pesos. And in addition, you get a slightly better deal when using american dollars anyway.

So how much cash do you need? Well I personally plan for the following, adjust your plan as you feel it applies to you.

Money for the Beach -
Aren't beaches suppose to be free? They are but the awesome thing about the beach is that local vendors roam down the beach all day so that every 15 minutes or so (when it's real busy) you might see a vendor and that vendor might have jewelry (personal favorite), pottery, swimsuit cover-ups, hats, sun glasses, trinkets, tiles, tortilla's, ice cream, horseback rides, or banana boat rides and a plethora of other things to numerous to name. Will you want this stuff? Well, not all of it, but I'm pretty sure you'll want some of it. You can get some nice silver jewelry, like a cool bracelet, for around $10. The kids love the banana boat rides and they are like $2 a kid or something like that. I just plan that I might need around $100 for the beach but honestly, I probably never actually spend that much.

If you go into town you'll want some for shopping there too - it's a lot of the same stuff you see on the beach but just MORE of it.

If we go out to eat I would say that for our whole family of 5 it's around $50? But you can eat cheaper than that if you want at some other places besides the restaurant we usually go to. Ice cream cones are like .50 or so. Mexican coke is around the same price as our coke. (but cheaper than buying Mexican coke here). If you are a non caffeine drinker, Mexican Orange Fanta is awesome!

The people I go with usually bring money for the farmacia (pharmacies). I'm just saying. Don't risk taking non-prescription drugs over the border though - you can get in trouble. BUT if you have a prescription that is costing you more money than you want to pay in the states you can get the EXACT same drug there MUCH cheaper. (most of the drugs you buy in the states are actually manufactured there - all the major drug companies have plants in Mexico) If you are interested in specific costs let me know, I might be able to find out before we get there and let you know. Bring your prescription bottle with you to Mexico if possible unless it's a drug no body cares about. No one's going to put you in jail for carrying lipitor across the border but phentermine is a different story.

Sometimes we buy fresh shrimp off the boats. Delicious! Not too expensive - we can usually feed the whole house for around $30.

Sometimes we run to the grocery store for something we forgot or ran out of - no problem, there are several good grocery stores. Food is slightly cheaper than here.

You can use your bank card or credit card for some things. Gas at the gas station. MOST stores or restaurants but not all of them.

Hopefully that helps you get an idea. Let me know if you have a specific question on money issues.

Next time we'll discuss plans for Sunday while there.

Senora, Want some Jewelry?

"Who Will Buy?" II, originally uploaded by James Patterson.

Another of my favorite things about mexico - SHOPPING ON THE BEACH WHILE GETTING A TAN! More on that in a later blog entry, but first -

Kyle and Tammy have written asking about passports. I was worried about this too when I heard about the new law - we've never needed them before. It turns out you still don't need them when traveling into Mexico by car. At least until 2008 and until further notice (they want to make it a law beginning next year but it hasn't actually been enacted yet). If you are flying out of the country you'll need one in Canada or Mexico (and pretty much everywhere else) but driving is no problem (or problemo). Honestly even birth certificates are probably not necessary. Just the drivers license's for the adults should be fine as ID.

Next blog entry I'll address the shopping and the money issues!

Rocky Point Sunset

Rocky Point Sunset, originally uploaded by jodi_tripp.

Sunsets are one of the things I love about Rocky Point.

As promised here are tips for the beach to have the best possible experience. You really need as many swimsuits as possible for your kids. They get wet, they get dry, they change, they don't want to change back into the wet suit, it gets super sandy and dirty and you have to wash it out, they need a different one in the meantime, etc. There are a million reasons why this is true but it is most defintely true. Because we swim so much it is not a big deal for us - the kids already have at least 6 or 7 suits each, but for those who don't have a ton of swimwear already I would highly recommend you not consider anything less than 2 suits per kid. 3 would be better. They don't need tons of clothes because they'll be in their swimsuits most of the time.

Towells, Towells, Towells, Towells, you need A LOT of towells. You cannot imagine how frustrating it is to find every towell you brought is full of sand and/or damp. There are towells in the house which I highly recommend stay in the house. But for the beach you need a minimum of 2 towells per member of your family. 3 is better!

I also highly recommend buying swim socks. Target usually starts to carry them right about now - if not now, then in the next few weeks they'll be getting them. They are also known as water socks. Every member of your family should have some (ESPECIALLY the younger kids), they are basically essential. This is the only way to save your feet on the rocks and sand.

Toys for the beach - obviously the usual sand toys are always fun, beach balls that can be blown up when you get there, boogy boards if you have them, or anything of that nature keep the kids happy for hours.

All this talk of swim suits, sand and water reminds me - CHAFFING is a problem ALWAYS. Bring something to help treat it because your kids are definitely going to need it about day 2.

I love Rocky Point and I'm getting really excited about going this year!

Write in comments with any new questions you have.