Leaving San Blas

I left off writing about going to buy coffee on Sunday. This is the little one owner company we buy it from. He buys it from the small independent growers then processes it. From drying, to roasting, to grinding. 

His booth. He sells French Roast, a just regular mix and the Mocha that we buy. Because we wanted 10 bags he had to prepare it for us. 

Measuring the chocolate oil into a little spoon. 

Pouring it over the roasted beans. 

To mix it - coat the beans - he shakes the bowl. 

You can see the beans getting coated. 

These are beans he rejected. He watched the beans as he shook them and took out any that were not roasted enough or roasted too much. So we'd get no BAD beans. 

After they were coated he put them in the grinder. 

From the grinder they went into a bag and got vacuumed sealed. Cost us around US $70. It is delicious. If you add milk to it it tastes almost like coco. I like it black though. 

A hammock being made as we watched. 

Just a typical scene - a loaded motorcycle. 

Don't know what these plants are but they are sure pretty. A light gray green color and round. 

Sunday on the beach. Lots of people and lots going on. Cars, tractors, ATVs, motorcycles, and vendor carts going back and forth. 

Lots of people in the water and under the ramadas enjoying their day off. 

Yum the strawberries and cream truck. Love it. 

Getting into the freezer in the back of the vehicle. First he takes the carton of frozen strawberries out and squeezes it to loosen up the berries. Then he opens the carton and puts the heavy cream on top of the berries. 

The carton of frozen berries - part in English and part in Spanish writing on the carton. 

The heavy thick cream on top. Delicious and refreshing. 

Bill enjoying his. 

On Sunday evening we went into San Blas. There was going to be live music in the plaza in honor of Valentines day. The band's truck.

Just one of the sets of speakers - going to be very loud me thinks.

The stage - while things were being set up we went to have dinner at Tradiciones. Very good as usual. 

As we walked back to the plaza after dinner we met up with the band. You can see who was right in the middle of it all. 

The Banda Tierra Kaliente - I have their number if you want to call them.

We didn't stay to listen to them. Way to many speakers set up. Us old folks can't take the "noise." Beside we were leaving the next morning and had things to do.  Our trip to San Blas:

Toll roads $120 US back and forth

Coffee $80 US for 10 bags

Campground $66 US for 4 nights

Friends PRICELESS

And so we left Aticama early Monday morning. Hopefully the new toll road will be finished by the next time we want to come back here. 

Some kind of vine is covering everything in its path around here. Don't know if it is Kudzu or not but it sure is destructive. And needs to be controlled. 

The tunnel of trees I showed earlier - The Alfa just barely fits without getting all scratched up. But only because buses go through here too to keep the branches trimmed.

And here we had to make our decision - south or north...Guess that needs a little explaining - Where it says Mazatlan - we don't go that way because it is a very narrow and curvy road that climbs in elevation really fast to the 15D. It is the road we took in 1978 and also last year to go to Guadalajara.  If we go back to Mazatlan we take the mostly flat but horribly rough road through Villa Hidalgo.