![screenshot_02](/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/screenshot_02.png)

**Note: This is a condensed version of the pictures I took with some added narrative. The rest of the pics can be viewed in the album [The Trip 2013 – LA to Mazatlan](https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151708298921031.1073741835.593661030&type=1). Each picture can be clicked to see a larger version and comment / like**

Its been a while since my last post, the past three weeks spent travelling across Mexico have been an intense non-stop tour of northern and western Mexico. The small amount of downtime we have been afforded has usually been spent catching up on much needed sleep.



That being said its been incredible so far, heres the highlights.

The trip kicked off from the Hacienda hotel in LA on the 26th of May.

[![photo](/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/photo.jpg)](https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151708306186031&set=a.10151708298921031.1073741835.593661030&type=3&theater)

There I met the people I would be spending the next 32 days with. Kelsie, Colette, Madeline, Rosie, Jac, Ralph and one incredible shock, Dan Blackhurst.

[![photo-3](/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/photo-3.jpg)](https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151708304921031&set=a.10151708298921031.1073741835.593661030&type=3&theater)

Incredibly I had met Dan about 10 years ago on a holiday in Lanzarote, he is a friend of a friend and I had no idea he was going to be joining us on the trip, its a small world.

It was a short drive from LA down to San Diego, then a hop across the border at Tijuana and we were in Mexico!

Our first night was in a town an hour or two south of Tijuana called Ensenada. There I spotted something Karl Pilkonton was searching high and low for:

[![photo-6](/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/photo-6.jpg)](https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151708309516031&set=a.10151708298921031.1073741835.593661030&type=3&theater)

That first night we revealed some tension by going for a nice meal, sharing a beer or two and watching the Mexicans celebrate Mexico City América's victory in the Mexican football cup.

The next day was spent in a town called Guerro Negro, south of Ensanada. There some of us took a trip out to a salt farm in the desert. This place was pretty other-worldly:

[![photo-21](/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/photo-21.jpg)](https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151708313181031&set=a.10151708298921031.1073741835.593661030&type=3&theater)

[![photo-19](/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/photo-19.jpg)](https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151708312871031&set=a.10151708298921031.1073741835.593661030&type=3&theater)

I had a ball:

[![photo-14](/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/photo-14.jpg)](https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151708311706031&set=a.10151708298921031.1073741835.593661030&type=3&theater)

[![photo-15](/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/photo-15.jpg)](https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151708311646031&set=a.10151708298921031.1073741835.593661030&type=3&theater)

[![photo-20](/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/photo-20.jpg)](https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151708312971031&set=a.10151708298921031.1073741835.593661030&type=3&theater)

Next up was a small town built round an Oasis called San Ignacio. We took a little trip out to see the oasis. The water was really warm and crstal clear.

[![photo-28](/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/photo-28.jpg)](https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151708316531031&set=a.10151708298921031.1073741835.593661030&type=3&theater)

A little around the corner was a small rock that you could only access by a rickety ladder.

[![photo-29](/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/photo-29.jpg)](https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151708317581031&set=a.10151708298921031.1073741835.593661030&type=3&theater)

There was no way that ladder was going to support us using it to get back, so there was only one thing for it..

[![photo-33](/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/photo-31.jpg)](https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151708317761031&set=a.10151708298921031.1073741835.593661030&type=3&theater)

[![photo-32](/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/photo-32.jpg)](https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151708319171031&set=a.10151708298921031.1073741835.593661030&type=3&theater)

[![photo-33](/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/photo-33.jpg)](https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151708319171031&set=a.10151708298921031.1073741835.593661030&type=3&theater)

That afternoon was spent in the hotel pool, splashing about enjoying the sun. Kelsie, had an underwater camera which we had a play with.

[![photo-46](/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/photo-46.jpg)](https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151708327221031&set=a.10151708298921031.1073741835.593661030&type=3&theater)

Had a great time that avo doing what I do best

[![photo-47](/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/photo-47.jpg)](https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151708329711031&set=a.10151708298921031.1073741835.593661030&type=3&theater)

Next up was a town calld Loretto next to the ocean, this place was really cool. Not literally as the temperature was into the 40's luckally there was plenty of shade.

[![photo-51](/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/photo-51.jpg)](https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151708331796031&set=a.10151708298921031.1073741835.593661030&type=3&theater)

In Loretto a few of us took a boat out to a nearby island and nature reserve. We weren't expecting much, perhaps some fish, the odd turtle. To our great surprise we stumbled upon a massive pod of dolphins:

[![photo-63](/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/photo-63.jpg)](https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151708335686031&set=a.10151708298921031.1073741835.593661030&type=3&theater)

We drove up and down and the dolphins chased us, darting in and out, over and under the boat, I have never seen anything like it before:

<iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4FiMkVPibUI" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

After a little while I dived in with flippers and tried to chase them down with the underwater camera but they were too fast for me and I couldn't get any good photos. Still, at times they were very close to me it was incredible.

After that we hopped back in the boat and headed round the coast where we came upon a group of noisy sea lions:

[![photo-68](/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/photo-68.jpg)](https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151708337366031&set=a.10151708298921031.1073741835.593661030&type=3&theater)

I was really nervous about getting in the water with these things as they were noisy and smelly and looked a lot more aggressive than the dolphins. The boat captain assured me however that they were safe to swim with so I jumped in.

About 30 seconds after getting in I went under water and came up and this big bugger had disappeared:

[![photo-69](/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/photo-69.jpg)](https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151708337686031&set=a.10151708298921031.1073741835.593661030&type=3&theater)

I couldnt see him anywhere, everyone the boat was pointing behind me so I turned around the next thing I know Rosie sneaks up behind me and grabs my leg scaring the crap out of me.

I spent the next 20 minutes or so chasing after the sea lions trying to get a good photo, they were all around me but the water was kind of cloudy and they were fast making a picture difficult:

[![photo-72](/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/photo-72.jpg)](https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151708339006031&set=a.10151708298921031.1073741835.593661030&type=3&theater)

I eventually gave up when one of the ones I was chasing let go of his bowels directly in front of me, from then on I decided to take some pictures of more continent sea creatures:

[![photo-77](/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/photo-77.jpg)](https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151708341586031&set=a.10151708298921031.1073741835.593661030&type=3&theater)

On the way back the captain let Rosie drive the boat:

[![photo-85](/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/photo-85.jpg)](https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151708344081031&set=a.10151708298921031.1073741835.593661030&type=3&theater)

All was going well until..

<iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HC50W_PxA4o" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Still I had a cracking time that day

[![photo-86](/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/photo-86.jpg)](<iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HC50W_PxA4o" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>)

That evening was spend drinking beer and enjoying the gorgeous sunset:

[![photo-95](/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/photo-95.jpg)](https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151708346601031&set=a.10151708298921031.1073741835.593661030&type=3&theater)

A few days later we found ourselves taking a ferry across from the Baja to mainland Mexico. Before hopping on the ferry however we spotted a big group of manta rays playing and jumping out of the water:

[![photo-99](/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/photo-99.jpg)](https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151708347491031&set=a.10151708298921031.1073741835.593661030&type=3&theater)

Apparently they do this to clean gunk off themselfs (technical term).

The overnight ferry across was fairly uneventful and boring, there wasn't much to do other than drink beer and take pictures. Here's one of the highlights:

[![photo-115](/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/photo-115.jpg)](https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151708350201031&set=a.10151708298921031.1073741835.593661030&type=3&theater)

When we finally arrived in Mazatlan we collectively exhaled as this was a place to chill:

[![photo-118](/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/photo-118.jpg)](https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151708351941031&set=a.10151708298921031.1073741835.593661030&type=3&theater)

During the day we took a boat then a Mexican taxi to the restaurant / beach:

[![photo-119](/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/photo-119.jpg)](https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151708351891031&set=a.10151708298921031.1073741835.593661030&type=3&theater)

[![photo-144](/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/photo-144.jpg)](https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151708361546031&set=a.10151708298921031.1073741835.593661030&type=3&theater)

The water here was super warm. We were meant to go surfing but apparently in the usual surf spot the chances of jellyfish was too high. Instead we all jumped in the water and hired bodyboards and rode some of the surf on our bellys instead:

[![photo-149](/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/photo-149.jpg)](https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151708362066031&set=a.10151708298921031.1073741835.593661030&type=3&theater)

A coupple of the group hired horses and galloped up and down the beach:

[![photo-148](/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/photo-148.jpg)](https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151708362061031&set=a.10151708298921031.1073741835.593661030&type=3&theater)

That evening we hopped in another Mexican taxi, picked up some beers and cruised around the town:

[![photo-133](/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/photo-133.jpg)](https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151708357891031&set=a.10151708298921031.1073741835.593661030&type=3&theater)

We stopped up on one of the highest hills surrounding Mazatlan for a quick Pacifico promotional photoshoot:

[![photo-137](/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/photo-137.jpg)](https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151708359116031&set=a.10151708298921031.1073741835.593661030&type=3&theater)

We polished off an incredible day by eating and drinking in the best restaurant of the trip so far.

<iframe width="480" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lejkCYFJH00" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Suzanne our trek leader (the one singing in the above video) got talking to man who turned out to be the ex mayor of the city.

I cant believe all that is less than 10 days of travelling, so much stuff crammed into such a short amount of time, I cant wait to see what the next 10 days brings!

dolphns

dolphns

dolphns