I'm about half way through my trip south of the border so it seemed like a good time for a bit of an update.  Mexico has been in the news a lot lately both in the paddling world and in general.  I figured maybe I would give a stab at presenting a bit of a different point of view.  My wife and I have been coming to Mexico to kayak in the winter for seven years in a row now.  It seems like every year we come it gets just a little bit cooler and this is without us kayaking a lot of the runs you normally hear about.  Not to take anything away from the difficult kayaking in Mexico, because that is truly world class, but it is possible to come here and not run any 50 ft waterfalls:)  I think that's the cool thing down here there really is something for everyone.  This year its been a bit of transition for me due to the fact that I'm not kayaking very much while I'm trying to rehab my back.  As a result I've gotten to cruise around, hike, pick coffee and do a bunch of things I don't usually think about doing.  I feel like one of the best ways to show the Mexico that I know is through some photos, hope you enjoy!

The view from the home office in Jalcomulco, Veracruz

Paddling the Pescados section of the Antigua.  This is an amazing river as it has around 70 Kilometers of runnable whitewater ranging from Class II+ - some classic Class IV.  It brings to mind rivers like the Nolichucky, French Broad, and Yough just to name a few.  The exception being you can wear your shorty in January.

Mary Frances loving it below La Cueva on the Pescados.  The other cool thing about this section is that it's a 20 minute car ride out of town and you basically take out at your doorstep.  Nothing like that for an afternoon classic!

Me enjoying one of my first days back in my boat in 4 months.  Nothing like warm weather to spur some rehab

The beach on the Costa de Oro.   A bit blustery but that's all right when you're really there for the kayaking

On the hike into the Oro, we are not alone after all.  The Oro is one of the coolest runs I've seen and I didn't even kayak it.  It runs right into the Ocean and if you're looking to run some of those Mexican waterfalls this is one of the places to go.  The run itself is classic with lots of narrow canyons with good drops, then it's capped off by two 35 foot waterfalls that are great ones for anyone looking to run their first bigger drop.  However they're also super easy to portage then you get to experience the Toucans, parakeets, and hawks of the forrest (sorry no pictures of them, just cows, so you'll have to trust me).

Anna with our guide Fernando "El Flaco" on the way down to the put-in.  It's always good to put in at the base of a beautiful waterfall!

The crew at the put-in!

With the Rana's

My cousin Ben entering one of the many slides on the Oro

My cousin Ben gettin his waterfall on for the first time ever on the first 35 footer!

Anna following suite

Anna at the end of the Oro just before it empties into the Ocean.  How many rivers do you get to paddle right into the surf, I've only done one other in 21 years of kayaking.  Pretty special experience for sure

A day spent picking coffee. 

Don Sylvio showing us how its done.  Don Sylvio has more stories than anyone I've ever met, plus at 69 he still hikes to his Lime and Coffee fields almost every day.  The hike is no joke either, its about a mile and half with 600 feet of elevation gain.  His family also runs one of the rafting companies in Jalcomulco, Aventuras Sin Limites.

Anna workin hard

If nothing else Mexico has some of the best food that I've ever had!

At the end of day Mexico really is a wonderful place and I hope to keep coming back for many years to come.