My brother Tomas and I, the co owners of Point 65, were both born in Mexico and spent our first 7 years there. My father was stationed there heading the Mexican subsidary of the Swedish company Atlas Copco.
40 years later it was time for all of us to return for a nostalgic trip. My parents, now in their eighties, my siblings and all our kids and spouses. All in all there were 15 of us!
We roamed the country by car visiting old friends and favorite spots.
I did not place my butt in a kayak for 2 weeks even though I came close ones. Some really cool old wooden kayaks passed by my favorite beach spot but I was to busy with my frozen Margarita!
Arriving at Mexico International with my two sons Felix and Axel
In Mexico city we stayed at the very cool Camino Real. It's an architectural wonder of cool design. Supposedly inspired by world famous Mexican architect
Louis Barragan (1902 - 1988) actually he had more than a finger in it's design as he was hired to help the actual architect who was trying to copy his work!
While in Mexico City we visited old Swedish friends at their hacienda San Cristobál which is actually by
Barragan. Here Camilla and Chici in front of the famous stables and horse pool.
Here a photo from http://www.designmuseum.org/design/luis-barragan by a real photographer of San Cristobál.
You can see where Barragán got his inspiration. These hole in the wall restaurant on the beach at
Puerto Marques, near Acapulco served us the most fabulous lunch. Check out the link to Puerto Marques. This is not your usual holiday beach. Probably most anybody would find it a horrible dump.
Again a Barragán style wall at the beach restaurant.
Crowded with thousands of people, all Mexicans, I saw no other foreigners, sand not very clean nor white. Jet skis making noise, vendors bothering you every 2 minutes. Water not the best quality as the beach is located deep in the bay with monstrous Acapulco just 10 km away.
This lady sure knows how to cook. Hole in the wall at Puerto Marques
But for us this was perfect. Back to the way we did it when I was a kid in the 60s. We ate, read and had fun.
A sole
mariachi played for us for a few pesos. Here my mother and Vivi.
My daughter Axeline made some friends on the beach...
We had this huge lobster in
Zihuatanejo a few hours drive up the coast. It set us back some 15 Euros! And it was goooooooooooood!
Morelia, 3 hours inland, up in the mountains from Zihuatanejo was the biggest surprise of the trip. A wonderful city that reminds me of Grenada in Spain. Splendor and cultural. It was heaven.
But the highlight of the trip was the visit to Santa Monica. Tomas and my nanny, Esperanzas village. Esperanza, now well into her 80s received us with a feast of tacos etc. My Mother has been keeping in touch, sending some money every year. My parents also took her with them 3 times to Sweden for their summer holidays back in the 60s. Once for her to have surgery.
The village is what we would call dirt poor. But since we moved they now have running water, electricity etc. And a new house for her grand kids that looks like most any modest but modern bungalow in the states. Here Axeline looking out the door of one of the old houses.
Inside the house, 40 years later still hanging in the place of honor. A picture of me, aged 5 with Esperanza and her niece. Esperanza did not trust my parents to take care of me on her weekends of so she brought me along to Santa Monica instead.
Here, Esperanza in conversation with my Mother.
Tomas outside one of the old houses were the older generation still lives. Photo by Zoe Ö
The yard were I played as a kid. Photo by Zoe Ö
The compound is outside of the village in the bush. Photo by Zoe Ö
The farm animals. Photo by Zoe Ö
Esperanza and me 40 years later. Photo by Zoe Ö
Arriving at Mexico International with my two sons Felix and Axel
In Mexico city we stayed at the very cool Camino Real. It's an architectural wonder of cool design. Supposedly inspired by world famous Mexican architect Louis Barragan (1902 - 1988) actually he had more than a finger in it's design as he was hired to help the actual architect who was trying to copy his work!
While in Mexico City we visited old Swedish friends at their hacienda San Cristobál which is actually by Barragan. Here Camilla and Chici in front of the famous stables and horse pool.
Here a photo from http://www.designmuseum.org/design/luis-barragan by a real photographer of San Cristobál.
You can see where Barragán got his inspiration. These hole in the wall restaurant on the beach at Puerto Marques, near Acapulco served us the most fabulous lunch. Check out the link to Puerto Marques. This is not your usual holiday beach. Probably most anybody would find it a horrible dump.
Again a Barragán style wall at the beach restaurant.
This lady sure knows how to cook. Hole in the wall at Puerto Marques
A sole mariachi played for us for a few pesos. Here my mother and Vivi.
My daughter Axeline made some friends on the beach...
We had this huge lobster in Zihuatanejo a few hours drive up the coast. It set us back some 15 Euros! And it was goooooooooooood!
Morelia, 3 hours inland, up in the mountains from Zihuatanejo was the biggest surprise of the trip. A wonderful city that reminds me of Grenada in Spain. Splendor and cultural. It was heaven.
But the highlight of the trip was the visit to Santa Monica. Tomas and my nanny, Esperanzas village. Esperanza, now well into her 80s received us with a feast of tacos etc. My Mother has been keeping in touch, sending some money every year. My parents also took her with them 3 times to Sweden for their summer holidays back in the 60s. Once for her to have surgery.
The village is what we would call dirt poor. But since we moved they now have running water, electricity etc. And a new house for her grand kids that looks like most any modest but modern bungalow in the states. Here Axeline looking out the door of one of the old houses.
Inside the house, 40 years later still hanging in the place of honor. A picture of me, aged 5 with Esperanza and her niece. Esperanza did not trust my parents to take care of me on her weekends of so she brought me along to Santa Monica instead.
Here, Esperanza in conversation with my Mother.
Tomas outside one of the old houses were the older generation still lives. Photo by Zoe Ö
The yard were I played as a kid. Photo by Zoe Ö
The compound is outside of the village in the bush. Photo by Zoe Ö
The farm animals. Photo by Zoe Ö
Esperanza and me 40 years later. Photo by Zoe Ö
Tons of kayaks and gear. If surf is to big at the beach, vehicles run you to the optimal launch spot of the day.
Japanese tradion to bow to the sea before heading out
Susie, Aja, Hiroko, Hiro, me, Saturo and Tsutomo
The empty beach of Saltys
just 1,5 hours from Tokyo!
The Salty building. Lots of space.
the shop..
and the view!
Every day is paddling day at Saltys. Note Mount Fuji right over my head!
And Fuji again with some good looking kayaks.
Kamemoto and Ike each bought a new kayak. Kamemoto a Point 65 X-Lite and Ike a Point 65 Whisky 16. Japanese custom is to sacrifice some alcoholic beverage for luck. They start of by pouring some into the sea.
Than on the kayak. Ike was cheap on his Whisky with bag in box Sake. I would have thought a 16 year old Whisky would have brought even more luck to the kayak?
Kamemoto more classy with champagne!
Which also tasted better cold than the sake...
What, my flight has been cancelled? No problem, I'm in paradise!
And again, Mount Fuji in the background. Am I repeating myself? But it's really cool... Mount Fuji Mount Fuji Mount Fuji Mount Fuji Mount Fuji Mount Fuji Mount Fuji Mount Fuji.
Heading out in a Whisky 16. The surf was actually pretty hairy. There were some surfers out which is always a bad sign for a paddler...
Posing again. I guess they thought I was a real pain...
Heading back to Saltys after a day on the water.
Tom and Shinju zen after a hard days night.
