Homeward bound

Buses, taxis, colectivos, rental cars, ferries and airplanes have landed me here in Venice Beach, CA at my big sister's apartment.
I arrived 2 nights ago after an amazing last week in Mexico. Re-cap:

After my last post several things unfolded. Ken, Thea's boss, really wanted to buy my surfboard from me. I kept ignoring his offers with hopes that he would give me a better deal for it, and he did! ... I had started planning a solo trip down the Caribbean coast towards Belize. I was going to rent a car and say goodbye to Thea, Luna and Tulum for a week. As this was unfolding Ken brought up the surfboard again. I agreed to sell it to hm if I could have Thea for a week! Yes, this is called human trafficking at it's best! It worked. I sold my board to him for almost the price I bought it, and got my girl Thea and her little white dog for a week!

Our trip was perfect. Not rushed at all. Consisting of many lingering meals, chatting around the table. Sometimes just Thea and I, sometimes with the locals in whatever town we were in, and sometimes with other travelers.
We started at a local sea turtle reserve north of Tulum. Thea's friend showed us this amazing beach where we camped one night. In the morning we went snorkeling in a cenote (underground river/ cave system) and explored this tranquil beach.
From here we drove to Xcalak which is far south on the little tip of land towards Belize. Here we snorkeled, ate Berracuda, and camped with a perfect view of the sunrise over the Caribbean. The locals told us our campsite was haunted by a man who was thrown off the bridge 20 years ago. A little scary, although the only thing that resembled ghost presence was when we found Luna asleep on top of the tent! Not sure how she was able to climb the tent, or balance well on top of it, most have been the ghost...
From here we went to Bacalar, the lagoon of seven colors. In the town of Bacalar we were welcomed in strange ways. We pulled up to a crowded and crappy looking campground to check out the options. The guard would not let us even look in without taking our money. We left and went to a little public beach towards the lagoon. Here we saw a baby crocodile. The cops came and threw it in the back of their truck to take it to the local crocodile breeding station. Luna was being as cute as ever. I took her to the lagoon to rinse off her muddy little body when a crazy old Mexican lady started screaming at me. "This is for people, not dogs! What is wrong with you! I will call the cops" I grabbed Luna and Thea and we left as she continued screaming at us.
This was good, because we found this beautiful eco-resort just north of town. We pulled up, paid, and grabbed a double kayak. We paddled out into the lagoon with Luna. This was officially her first boating trip. She cried a little, but did well over all! The water is crystal-clear and beautiful shades of blue and green. A storm came in after we finished kayaking. It rained harder than I had experienced in Mexico. As I hiked up to the car in my Freer raincoat I had distinct memories of rainy days at work. This feeling includes a knowledge that in Oregon the rain will likely not stop for several days, or weeks. I shook myself out of it, realizing that yes, I was still in Mexico and knowing that I will have to face my rainy, muddy days in the field later, with a Mexico tan and a large dose of Vitamin D!
That night we ate shrimp curry made by the local German couple (so good!). In the morning we swam and swam (this is the highlight of the town).
We drove North with plans to check out the ruins at Chichen Itza. We stopped in Tulum to pick up our friend Laura Dawn. This turned into an event that kept us in town for the night, drinking margaritas and watching Flamenco guitar. We had a blast and ran into some friends, old and new, including Davison from Tucson. I had met Davison and his 3 friends several days ago on the beach in Tulum when I was running around with Luna. Luna is responsible for most of the friends I made in Tulum!
The next morning we headed to the ruins, only making it as far as Coba. In Coba we wandered around in the heat of the day with Luna. Each picture I have of the ruins includes a little white dog! We ate a long lunch and decided that my last night in Mexico should be at the beach. From there we drove back to the Tulum beach to a little palapa resort called Papaya Playa. I know this place well because I spent several days on the beach here, pretending like I was a guest. This is the local "clothing-optional" beach as well! All of the kitchen staff here knew Luna by name and were excited to see us (her!).
We laughed, swam, ate and laughed some more. Thea fell asleep in her jeans and Laura Dawn, Davison and I went to a restaurant down the road seeking live music. Instead we found sangrias, which were also exciting. We swam at night and I said goodbye to the Caribbean sea.

My travels to LA were easy. The flight was nearly empty leaving me with a full row to myself. The flight attendants were hilarious. I don't think I had ever seen such a lively, happy group of air travel people before. I was greeted by my wonderful sister Crystal at LAX. Our first stop was Pinkberry's which is apparently a new LA trend. Non-fat frozen yogurt with fruit, so good! Then we went back to her beautiful new home. An upstairs apartment on Venice Beach with a huge garden, great light, and a 1/2 block walk to the beach! My parents arrived on Friday after I spent the morning in high school with Crystal (she is an art teacher). Her kids were hilarious, and reminded me what high school was all about (social life, fights, sexual energy, etc.).

Yesterday was full of friends, family and food. My uncle, aunt and cousins came by as did lots of Crystal's friends. The guest of honor was Kaya, Chris Michael's beautiful daughter of 15 months. We went to the Monarch butterfly park and the beach. She showed me the sign for butterfly, very cute.

One more day here, then back to Portland where the forecast is calling for rain, rain, and rain all week...