True Tales of Strangers' Kindness

I wanted to share this thread that I stumbled into via The Atlantic's Andrew Sullivan.

It's a Reddit thread on the topic "Have you ever picked up a hitchhiker?" which quickly becomes a collection of dozens of stories of people (mostly Americans) who have experienced first-hand the kindness of Mexican immigrants ready to help them when they were in a rough situation, like getting stuck on the side of a road with a flat tire and with hundreds of SUVs speeding by without any attempt to help them.

Here's the thread: http://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/elal2/have_you_ever_picked_up_a_hitchhiker/c18z0z2

I enjoyed it tremendously and hope you will, too. Especially as an example of how stereotypes created by the mass media come to distort the image of our Southern neighbors.

How to get to Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo from France

(en francais en  bas)
For our dear French guests, here are some easy instructions on how to fly to Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo:

CDG: Air France, Aeromexico, KLM, Delta, United and Lufthansa are a few of the airlines that have direct flights to Mexico City, where you can connect with an internal flight to Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo (about an hour flight). You may have to flexible with your departure time in order to avoid a long layover in Mexico City.

Here's a Flight Example of how your itinerary might look.

NCE: Same airlines as above, with an additional layover in Paris or Amsterdam.

The code for the Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo airport is ZIH and if you let us know in advance, we'll make sure vans are waiting for you to pick you up.  It's a 15km drive ~25 mins.  Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo Internacional Airport Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo Mexico

Please use this Airport Pick-up Sign-up Sheet to let us know when to expect you.
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Fracais:
Voila les directions pour aller par avion a Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo:
CDG: Air France, Aeromexico, KLM, Delta, United and Luftanza sont les entreprises qui ont des vols direct pour Mexico City, ou vous pouvez prendre un vol direct pour l’aéroport d'Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo (un vol d'une heure).

Voila des iteneraires
Il y en as d'autres, vous pouvez changer les dates.

Le code de l’aéroport d'Ixtapa est ZIH et si vous nous dites d'avance on peut arranger qu'il as un bus pour vous amener directement a l’hôtel.  C'est 16km de l’aéroport (25 minutes).  Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo Internacional Airport Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo Mexico

Utilisez cette liste de transports de l’aéroport pour nous tenir au courant de votre arrive!

Et pour vous donner l’idée de la belle ville d'Ixtapa voila des photos pour vous!
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And in case you have misgivings, here's a sneak peak of what's waiting for you:

View from the Terrace of Restaurant Villa De La Selva

One of the many hotel pools

Are explanations really necessary? :-)

Surfers: 2 Minute Loooong-Rides

For all others, here's where many nights can become a blur...
A pleasant blur. Margaritas, anyone?

More about Ixtapa and Zihuatanejo

Many of you have never heard about Ixtapa and are wondering where it is, why we are getting married there and what to expect.

To answer the first question, Ixtapa (and nearby Zihuatanejo, as you'll often hear about them together) are located in the Guerrero state, in Mexico. Here's where they are located in the country: 

... and in respect to each other:

Here's a list of web sites where you can learn more about them:

• Ixtapa: http://www.ixtapa.net/
• Zihuatanejo: http://www.zihua.net/
• The Lonely Planet version: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/mexico/central-pacific-coast/zihuatanejo
• And the Fodor's version: http://www.fodors.com/world/mexico-and-central-america/mexico/ixtapa-and-zihuatanejo/

Our hotel, and the place where the ceremony will take place is Park Royal Ixtapa: http://www.parkroyalixtaparesort.com/

• Park Royal Ixtapa
• Boulevard Ixtapa Lote 5-a, Bahia del Palmar
• 40880 Ixtapa, Mexico
• 01 755 555 0550

As for the why part, here are two reasons:

1. You can drink unlimited pina coladas while in the pool

2. Somewhere nearby (Playa Saladita) there's a glorious left where a certain member of the Gendreau clan has clocked in many an hour of surfing....

If curious, check out his You Tube channel.

A toute!

The Save the Date is coming your way

Dear friends,
The Save the Date for our wedding will be leaving our inboxes and heading to yours in the next 24 hours. Here's a sneak-peek:

Not to worry though - paper invitations will soon follow and we're hoping to hear from you with an RSVP by December 15th. 

In the next few weeks and months we'll post updates, links, and news regarding the wedding on this blog, so keep coming back.

Ed and Camelia