+ Msytical Crestone

Crestone is a tiny town, nestled on the west side of a rugged beautiful mountain range. tucked into these foothills, on the edge of the st. louis Valley, just an hour from New Mexico are a string of Zen Centers and buddhist meditation organizations. We quietly explored as we headed towards New Mexcio on day 2 of the adventure.

the Strupa of Crestone

Yaks in the Valley

Crestone Stupa and mountains 

Me and Otis / Art in the Zen Center 

inside the Zen Center. An amazing work of craftsmanship. 

The boarder into New Mexico

+ leaving Denver in a Snowstorm, heading west, then south on 285

at the top of Kenosha Pass

This is a recreation of a picture my Dad took of my Mom before I was even around. 

out of the front range and into the valley

in the St. Louis Valley, looking north east

Made it through most of the weather, got to Salida for a couple second hand shop stops and pizza for lunch

+ DIY passport photos

getting passport photos and prints can be 15$ or more, but you can also take them yourself and get 4 2"x2" for 1$. Jasper and I followed directions online for how to do it, and now we have pictures ready for visas in Southeast Asia. Laos, Cambodia, and Mayanmar can all do Visas as you enter the country, if you have your own pixtures ready, the process is much easier (or so we have heard). I am so excited, this will be perhaps the biggest adventure yet. 

+ a Life of Luxury

The Santuario. Does it get fancier? This is just enough fancy for me. The santuario had open free events every night, usually a singer doing completely random cover songs, live painters, even a live sand painter.. The whole space was covered from rain but completely open, just giant mayan-esque clay tile columns and lounge furniture and potted tropical plants.  My mom is so nice to have sent us here for a week and  a huge thanks to Uncle Ralph and Aunt Helen for helping us get here too. So kind.

We got a great bottle of Tequila and drank it throughout the week. We got rum too for fancy smoothies, and Iv'e come to be fully honest from now on about the fact that i don't like rum. Ive tried it many times and i finally a going to remember not to buy it anymore. We left it for the maid.  Tequila, in the summer is where it's at. (And california White wine of course)

The sun rose every morning from in between these 3 tall white hotel buildings.  Because it was november, I was up for every sunrise and sunset. It was so pleasant to wake up and daydream from this balcony. Seeing the workers below, people walking to the pools, iguanas in pal trees. Golf carts quietly whizzing down a little path.

+ Nuevo Vallarta in November

Some of the pools were right on the beach. 

Balcony selfie in the foggy morning light

What a cutie

We had a pretty intense boat experience, a ride from nuevo Vallarta to Yelapa. The best part was that we snorkeled off the rocky coast near yelapa and saw amazing fish, a couple eels, a blue fish, it was the most I had ever seen. 

This dress was the only thing I wore the whole trip. Im going to have to make a pattern and sew a couple more. Its too humid to wear anything tight fitting, so big sun dresses that you can throw over your swimsuit is the way to go while beach vacationing in central america. Im going to bring my tiny suitcase next trip. You don't need much.

The bird life was really amazing. Lots of pelicans, cormorants, a think i saw a booby too, blue or red foot i do not know. 

+ to the coast!

+ Orr Hot springs