To Amacueca and back...

So, we left at 5:00AM towards Amacueca. It was the funniest thing hiking in the dark. I have never done that.  We did have flashlights and all, but there wasn't really any need for them just to move out of the way for passing cars. Like about 5:45AM we arrived to the entrance to the sierra. We wen't hiking through the woods in the dark.





At about 7:15AM there was enough light so I could take this video. We've been hiking for about 2 hours now.

We stopped at about 8:30AM to take a quick rest. There I had an orange and an apple and drank some very much needed water. The climate was changing here so I took off my thermals and my vest. I later put on my vest again because of it's very handy pockets.

We started decent at about 9:30AM. The view from up above, down to the rest of the place was incredible. Once we were down a bit more it started to get even more hot and arid. The pine forest changed into cacti and hot dirt.





We got there at a good time at about 11:00AM, it was scheduled that we would arrive in the afternoon. But we got there safe and sound but tired.

Here are more pictures of the hike.

Resting in the mountains

It's 8:25 and we have been resting for about 20min. The forest is so beautiful I don't want to go back.

Amacueca

Tomorrow I will be hiking to Amacueca and I think it will be pretty interesting.

Sunday

On Sunday I will be taking a hike and I will be posting pics. Let's see how that turns out.

Blogging from the Blackberry

This is a test to see if blogging with the Blackberry works.

Where and what is Tapalpa?

Where is Tapalpa?

Well, mostly this is a post for my friend Fawn to show her how wonderful and beautiful Tapalpa is. First off let’s start with a map:

Ok, you might be asking yourself where is that?! Tapalpa is in the state of Jalisco:

Jalisco is one of the south western states of Mexico. One of it’s famous beaches is Puerto Vallarta. Tapalpa is near that small city that says “Ciudad Guzman”.

If you don’t know where Mexico is, go back to school people shame on you! SHAME!!

“…Any where like Such As…” –Miss South Carolina

What is Tapalpa?

Tapalpa is a small rural town that was a Spanish Colony. What does Tapalpa mean? Well, the locals say it’s a nahuatl word meaning “Land of Colors”. It has the typical Mexican small town areas: Plaza, Church and Farmer’s market. Tapalpa is mostly famous because it’s a completely different world from Guadalajara  and surrounding areas. Climate and flora that surrounds Tapalpa is a pine forest and there’s a lot of nature. I mean like overflowing! So here are some pictures with descriptions:

This is the view from my house to the plaza in the morning. 

This is the view from my house to the plaza in the afternoon.

This is the view from the Country Club terrace.

The terrace Country Club

Cow I took a picture of while hiking.

Goat drinking water from a small river.

“The Giant Rocks” from far away.

  Going through the mountain to “El Salto del Nogal”

  “El Salto del Nogal”

Field with flowers

So that’s it ladies and gentlemen hope you like it!

Well, I’m doin’ it again…

Well, as some of you know I just moved to Tapalpa, Jal. Mexico. It’s a small rural town but it has great nature-ish views and well the type of living is very ‘GREEN’.

Here they make a three day long hike to this place called Talpa. It’s a religious of-sort of hike where they make ‘mandas’ or sacrifices so that God will give them what they want. I saw this as a chance to get involved with the community and well also to have a goal that I would like to accomplish.

I’m going to do this hike and well I’m training with Arnel Ricafranca’s 16 weeks to six pack abs: http://www.iwantsixpackabs.com/ and doing a hike a day goal for some weeks as follows:

• Week 1 – 4 miles
• Week 2 – 4 miles + 10 pounds total
• Week 3 – 4 miles + 20 pounds total
• Week 4 – 4 miles + 30 pounds total
• Week 5 – 6 miles
• Week 6 – 6 miles + 10 pounds total
• Week 7 – 6 miles + 20 pounds total
• Week 8 – 6 miles + 30 pounds total
• Week 9 – 8 miles
• Week 10 – 8 miles +10 pounds total
• Week 11 – 8 miles + 20 pounds total
• Week 12 – 8 miles + 30 pounds total

Weeks 13 to 16 I will be doing the same 8 mile hike with 30 pounds. Let’s see how this goes. Over and out!