My Bruins in The Playoffs

As expected, it has been emotional times for me over the past couple of weeks. As most of you know, I take my Bruins pretty seriously. Having them get in the playoffs and get some experience for the younger players was what I was hoping for at the beginning of this season. If they got in, I promised myself that I wouldn't get too crazy about things if they lost in the first round. I said that I would constantly remind myself of what my initial hopes were at the beginning of the season. When I saw that they were playing Montreal in the first round (our long standing arch rival), I promised myself that I wouldn't get too patriotic and start wishing ill will to the Hab players and their fans.

Well, that has all gone for naught.



I made the mistake of watching the opening game with my buddies at their apartment (I talked my buddy Coog's into putting two TV's next to each other so we could watch two games at a time). These people got introduced to a whole new level of hockey watching. Hockey watching.....and rage. No matter how much preparation I did for these playoffs, I still can't stand to see the B's get scored on. This is a passion that is beyond comprehension to those of whom consider themselves to be Habs fans all of the sudden.

Regardless, I'm proud of my B's, and with the victory in game 3, it was nice to see the good guys win for a change. Good luck to them for tonight! Also, wish me luck.....these games are hard on my heart.

And oh yeah, I have posted the rest of my pics from Mexico below. Enjoy.


http://www.flickr.com/gp/30126387@N00/GyPL61

Back in Vancity

That's right, I made it back into Van just a couple of days ago. Pretty happy to be home. My trip to Mexico was just a short one (just under 3 weeks). Just enough time to get some beach time in, while also checking out some cool parts of Mexico. I will try to post up the rest of the pics soon. I have to figure out how to use this new computer (MacBook). It's been a slow process!

Technical Difficulties: Solved

I think.

Here is the pic link again. Hopefully I managed to get more than just one pic on it this time. Nothing too exciting here, but a couple of beach shots for those of you that have a morning routine that includes scraping snow off your windsheild.



The pic above is of the family that I was staying with in Puerto Escondido (the ones that were concerned about me not having any friends). They never spoke a lick of english, but we all seemed to chat a lot. I guess I{m just used to telling myself stories. The other pic is of my buddy Oscar, and his Toyota Tundra that we were cruising the coast in. I have a quick trivia question for all you movie buffs out there; Oscar is from a little town on the Pacific called Zihuatanejo (pronouced Zeewhateenayho). Anyone remember what movie it is from?



After a few days of hanging out in Playa Mazunte, I went and checked out a few of the other beaches in the area. Some great surf spots, but Mazunte was definitely the nicest of the bunch. Had a few stomach issues the other night, but feeling better now. Back is also feeling much better, so that helps also.

I am currenlty in Oaxaca City, which is an awesome little Colonial town further inland off the beach (staying in Ponche Hostel). Nice to be back in the city with lots of stuff to do. Not sure what the plan is from here, but going to enjoy the wkd and check out some of the local markets.

On a more important note, I saw today that the Bruins have now won 3 in a row and are making a solid bid for keeping their playoff spot. Four games left in the season. As you all know, it will be stressful times for me if they get in, so I will have to be back home for it (ahhh, my favorite time of the year).

Anyway, hope all is well. Once again, I posted a link of pics below, and have it so that you can copy and paste it into your browser if needbe.

Toodles!



http://www.flickr.com/gp/30126387@N00/803mP7

Playa Mazunte

Hey Folks,

I have been hanging out in Playa Mazunte. It´s a much more chill beach, that isn´t too crowded. My buddy Oscar and I initially were going to go to Playa Zipolete because we were told it was a nudist ´hippy´ beach. When we got there, the people were definitely correct, but they never said that ´nudist hippy´ was referring to creepy old guys. Anyway, Mazunte has been awesome, and the sunsets here are wild.

Back is feeling a bit better, but surfing is still definitely a no go. That has taken a little steam out of my plan. Days have mostly consisted of tasting the fine Mexican cuisine down here, and hanging out in hammocks. The break here is a lot more gentle, so people can actually swim here which is awesome.

Our hostel here is a little cheaper, but the washrooms were repulsive. I think that I have gotten quite a bit more comfortable in my new apartment in Vancouver. My buddy Oscar said that he couldn´t handle them either though, so I don´t feel too guilty.

I have also been tracking my Bruins and saw that they finally got a victory the other night. If they keep it up, I will be back sooner rather than later!! Priorities my friends, priorities.

We are planning on heading further down the coast to Puerto Angel, and then eventually to Huatulco. May try to go to Oaxaca City as well.

NOTE: Sorry folks, had some technical difficulties with the pic link that I tried to post. I will see if I can get some pics loaded up properly, now that I'm in Oaxaca City.

Puerto Escondido, Mexico

Hey all,

Well, my plan has worked out well. I have been hanging out in a hammock, relaxing on a beautiful beach in Mexico. Puerto Escondido has been awesome. I wasn´t too sure about it when I first got here though. As it is Easter wkd, it is a huge holiday here in Mexico, and apparently, P. Escondido is where they like to come to party. When I landed here on Monday, everything was full. It took over 3 hours of walking around with my pack, trying to get a place to stay. I finally found one way down a dirt road, and the end of the beach. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise though; an awesome part of the beach, no people, and a casa with amazing food. I also don´t have to worry about competing for a hammock. It has been awesome.



I unfortunately can´t say the same for my spanish. In the first 2 days, I never saw even one non Mexican tourist. When I sat down with a group of Mexican students that were here on vacation, I realized that my spanish had almost regressed back to zero. Twas a little painful communicating. Thankfully my spanish is coming back pretty quickly. I have had them all laughing at my broken-spanish jokes, so I guess that´s all that matters. I am now back to being ´Brian sin B´ (`Brian without the B´), as Ryan is hard for people here to remember.



The owner of my hostel is deeply concerned about me travelling alone and not having any friends. Ha. He is been introducing me to anyone who comes within earshot. I met an American couple this morning, and they already knew everything about me (Oooh, so YOU´RE the guy from Vancouver; Did you end up finding your sandals?).

The guitar hasn´t gotten much use, as I have unfortunately broke a string. I´ve gone to two neighboring towns but there are no guitar strings to be found. Thankfully I brought the ukulele along, so that will have to do.

As for the surfing, it has been horribly painful. This place has one of the craziest beach breaks that I have ever seen (ie. the beach is super steep so the waves come up sharp and hit it hard). I took a go at it a couple of days ago and got toppled by the first wave I went for. Ended up wrenching my back and have been hobbling around for a couple of days now (feeling better this morning). Going to have to wait a bit before I give it another go....hoping to find somewhere a little easier! Ha. If not, I may just stick to Pina Coladas in the hammock.

I have met a Mexican dude named Oscar, who actually lived in Vancouver for 2 years to get his MBA. He is pretty stoked to be able to use his english again and I´m stoked to learn my spanish. He´s got his own truck, so we´re going to start heading down the coast to check out some other beaches.

Anyway, Happy Easter all! Love seeing those comments on the blog again....brings back memories from last year. Will check in again soon.

Mexico City

Rolled into Mexico City last night and ending up finding a nice little irish pub to celebrate st. patties day in. Flight was a breeze. Going to check out some sites this aft, and then flying to Puerto Escondido later today.

Weird to be back in a hostel; I didn't realize how comfortable I got in my new pad in Van. I kind of forgot the fact that I don't really fit in bunkbeds all that well. I'm sure that I'm due for cranking my head off a low hanging door frame any time now.

Anyway, will chat with you all soon.

Ciao

PS. My broken spanish has come back like a charm. "Es Necessssssito..."

Mexico Bound

Yup, it is time for another trip. After 6 months back at the Bank, I figured that a little sand between the toes would treat me well. As I have said before, I love latin america, and so I figured that I would try to freshin up my Spanish skills and head to Mexico for a bit. Nothing too crazy this time though (don't know if I have the gas to pull off another round-the-world dealio), maybe just a month or so. Heading down to the southwest coast and starting off in a town called Puerto Escondido (en inglise: hidden port).



Leaving on Monday (March 17) and will be spending a day in Mexico city before heading to the coast. Not really planning on doing any crazy trekking around. Just hoping to find a cozy hammock on a nice beach, with some tastey Mexican cuisine close by. I decided on the southwest coast because it is known for all its cool little surf beaches. I will try to pick up a board while I'm there, so that I have something to do to keep me in shape.




Anyway, not sure how much posting I'll be doing down there, but I will definitely try to get some pics up. Talk to you all soon!