" Carcel"
"Jail"; a place to be avoided anywhere, but especially in Mexico.
"Jail"; a place to be avoided anywhere, but especially in Mexico.
Los Ayala
Local Folks - Lori
Local Folks - Lori
Lori lives in the small town of Sicamous, which is known as the "Houseboat Capital of Canada." Sicamous is located in British Columbia, Canada and sits on two stunningly beautiful and pristine lakes; Mara Lake and Shuswap Lake.
Sicamous, like Los Ayala is a tourist town and from the end of June to early September the population triples. Winter months bring the sledders, heli skiing, cross country skiers and snow shoeing aficionados to the area. The town, like Los Ayala is surrounded by mountains and during the winter the snow falls are non stop. Lori says her love for Los Ayala is because it reminds her of what she thought of Sicamous thirty-one years ago - a play ground.
In Sicamous one is just minutes away from creeks, rivers, lakes, trail heads – any kind of outdoor sport you want. The same can be said of Los Ayala. Lori calls Los Ayala " A little jewel." She is enamoured of Los Ayala because of the people she has met, the community’s heart, the slow pace of life ( qualified by the statement that each year she visits her goal is to slow down but that she has truly and sincerely failed to achieve this goal, each and every year) and of course the sun, beach and ocean.
Lori advises that her real attraction to Los Ayala is because it has not lost its' roots to foreign tourism, and she hopes it never does. She feels that Los Ayala offers a "True Mexico Feel" that makes for a unique experience each and every time she visits and for anyone that has the honour of finding this beautiful little community - tucked away from the world. Mind you, this year Lori was horrified to receive French fries on her plate at a local restaurant rather than the customary beans she received last year, and every year before. She says that her heart sank as she thought to herself, "Here it starts… the switch over."
Los Ayala is extra special to Lori because of the abundant hiking trails allowing her to explore to her hearts content. Next year, Lori plans to get a trail blitz going and open up some very overgrown trails leading to Punta Raza and to provide many more loop trails to accommodate all levels of hikers. She advises that they do this in Sicamous - Shuswap area and that it is simply amazing what a few people can do in a few hours.
Los Ayala came into her life in 2007 when a friend from her teens called up with his wife (Tony and Rhonda Swanson – Local Folks) after reading an article in the Kamloops newspaper about Bungalows Las Iguanas. Lori had vacationed in Hawaii with her husband the previous year together with Tony and Rhonda, and they had made a pack to try to travel south each year. Tony and Rhonda, had vacationed in Rincon de Guayabitos years prior and loved it. It did not take much to convince Lori and her husband to join them.
During vacation Lori and her husband fell in love with the Jaltemba Bay area, in particular Los Ayala and before they returned to Canada – they left a deposit on a small lot in Los Ayala, along with part of their hearts.
Lori says that it has been a grand adventure ever since their first trip here. She has made seven trips to Los Ayala since that first trip. Each time she visits she arrives with all her summer attire, hiking gear and a binder full of things to do, in preparation to build their dream home on the lot they purchased in Los Ayala. This year she collected the finalized compatibility and environmental study; the architect plans; and she is happy to say that she is finally ready for building permits. A huge accomplishment, that she feels she would not have been able to do; given the challenges one comes across as a woman doing business in Mexico; with extremely limited Spanish - if it had not been for the help of Los Ayala’s Jewel Romy Mora - Juez.
Lori loves all the restaurants in Los Ayala but says, "One Meal that Shines", each and every time she visits, is the Shrimp Tacos at Rosita 1 on Los Ayala beach. She has never been disappointed in her seven trips. Most recently she has stayed at both Las Iguanas and Charlies Bungalows in Los Ayala, and advises that both are wonderful, affordable options for accommodations in Los Ayala.
Sicamous, like Los Ayala is a tourist town and from the end of June to early September the population triples. Winter months bring the sledders, heli skiing, cross country skiers and snow shoeing aficionados to the area. The town, like Los Ayala is surrounded by mountains and during the winter the snow falls are non stop. Lori says her love for Los Ayala is because it reminds her of what she thought of Sicamous thirty-one years ago - a play ground.
In Sicamous one is just minutes away from creeks, rivers, lakes, trail heads – any kind of outdoor sport you want. The same can be said of Los Ayala. Lori calls Los Ayala " A little jewel." She is enamoured of Los Ayala because of the people she has met, the community’s heart, the slow pace of life ( qualified by the statement that each year she visits her goal is to slow down but that she has truly and sincerely failed to achieve this goal, each and every year) and of course the sun, beach and ocean.
Lori advises that her real attraction to Los Ayala is because it has not lost its' roots to foreign tourism, and she hopes it never does. She feels that Los Ayala offers a "True Mexico Feel" that makes for a unique experience each and every time she visits and for anyone that has the honour of finding this beautiful little community - tucked away from the world. Mind you, this year Lori was horrified to receive French fries on her plate at a local restaurant rather than the customary beans she received last year, and every year before. She says that her heart sank as she thought to herself, "Here it starts… the switch over."
Los Ayala is extra special to Lori because of the abundant hiking trails allowing her to explore to her hearts content. Next year, Lori plans to get a trail blitz going and open up some very overgrown trails leading to Punta Raza and to provide many more loop trails to accommodate all levels of hikers. She advises that they do this in Sicamous - Shuswap area and that it is simply amazing what a few people can do in a few hours.
Los Ayala came into her life in 2007 when a friend from her teens called up with his wife (Tony and Rhonda Swanson – Local Folks) after reading an article in the Kamloops newspaper about Bungalows Las Iguanas. Lori had vacationed in Hawaii with her husband the previous year together with Tony and Rhonda, and they had made a pack to try to travel south each year. Tony and Rhonda, had vacationed in Rincon de Guayabitos years prior and loved it. It did not take much to convince Lori and her husband to join them.
During vacation Lori and her husband fell in love with the Jaltemba Bay area, in particular Los Ayala and before they returned to Canada – they left a deposit on a small lot in Los Ayala, along with part of their hearts.
Lori says that it has been a grand adventure ever since their first trip here. She has made seven trips to Los Ayala since that first trip. Each time she visits she arrives with all her summer attire, hiking gear and a binder full of things to do, in preparation to build their dream home on the lot they purchased in Los Ayala. This year she collected the finalized compatibility and environmental study; the architect plans; and she is happy to say that she is finally ready for building permits. A huge accomplishment, that she feels she would not have been able to do; given the challenges one comes across as a woman doing business in Mexico; with extremely limited Spanish - if it had not been for the help of Los Ayala’s Jewel Romy Mora - Juez.
Lori loves all the restaurants in Los Ayala but says, "One Meal that Shines", each and every time she visits, is the Shrimp Tacos at Rosita 1 on Los Ayala beach. She has never been disappointed in her seven trips. Most recently she has stayed at both Las Iguanas and Charlies Bungalows in Los Ayala, and advises that both are wonderful, affordable options for accommodations in Los Ayala.
Lori Schneider Wood
Los Ayala's Pippi Longstocking
Los Ayala's Pippi Longstocking
About Lori Schneider Wood
Lori is an avid hiker and shares her passion for the outdoors with others by hosting numerous hikes; both day trips and back country over night hikes, as a hobby. Her longest back country hikes have been up to eight days.
In May of each year, Lori volunteers to host a hike up the Enderby Cliffs with the Shuswap Trail Alliance - a fundraiser for Shuswap Hospice in Salmon Arm. She also leads four of these hikes in the Fall of each year. Today these hikes serve as the hospice's second largest annual revenue generators. (This May 1st was a success with 39 hikers hiking 14.24 km.)
Lori also sits on the Columbia Shuswap Regional District – Area E parks commission. She is the Shuswap Trail Alliance Area E Rep; sits on the Board of Directors; and acts as a trail steward for Area E with British Columbia Parks.
Lori operates her own own business doing small business tax, consulting, management and bookkeeping and accounting. She has twenty-two clients that keep her very busy all year round.
Lori was born in Kelowna, B.C. and raised in Kamloops prior to discovering Sicamous. She is the proud mother of two amazing and wonderful children, Brianne 28 and Rylan 24. She is yet to become a granny… but looking forward to the day!
Lori is a strong supporter of community events in Los Ayala, and the absolute BEST 50/50 Raffle ticket sales person! Her hobbies include canoeing, kayaking and getting on a trail, any trail, any season, anywhere!
Lori is an avid hiker and shares her passion for the outdoors with others by hosting numerous hikes; both day trips and back country over night hikes, as a hobby. Her longest back country hikes have been up to eight days.
In May of each year, Lori volunteers to host a hike up the Enderby Cliffs with the Shuswap Trail Alliance - a fundraiser for Shuswap Hospice in Salmon Arm. She also leads four of these hikes in the Fall of each year. Today these hikes serve as the hospice's second largest annual revenue generators. (This May 1st was a success with 39 hikers hiking 14.24 km.)
Lori also sits on the Columbia Shuswap Regional District – Area E parks commission. She is the Shuswap Trail Alliance Area E Rep; sits on the Board of Directors; and acts as a trail steward for Area E with British Columbia Parks.
Lori operates her own own business doing small business tax, consulting, management and bookkeeping and accounting. She has twenty-two clients that keep her very busy all year round.
Lori was born in Kelowna, B.C. and raised in Kamloops prior to discovering Sicamous. She is the proud mother of two amazing and wonderful children, Brianne 28 and Rylan 24. She is yet to become a granny… but looking forward to the day!
Lori is a strong supporter of community events in Los Ayala, and the absolute BEST 50/50 Raffle ticket sales person! Her hobbies include canoeing, kayaking and getting on a trail, any trail, any season, anywhere!
Magical
Lori Schneider Wood - Los Ayala, Nayarit, Mexico
One of Pippi's Many Adventures
"Los Ayala's Pippi Longstocking" is an apt description for Lori, since adventure always seems to find her wherever she goes - whether she seeks it or not! The last adventure story I heard about Lori was the day she ended up stuck in a bull pen. How in the world?
Chelsea (Tony and Rhonda’s 13 year old daughter) wanted to have a closer look at a young bull (that appeared to be stuck in a room of an old casita) ,to feed it a carrot through the door which had a make shift gate. So Lori took a jug of water over for it. The trough was on the other side of the doorway just under a boarded up window. So she went around the building had climbed up to stand on the window sill to reach the trough and as she was leaning over to pick up the water jug which was at the time nicely balanced on the window sill between her feet, as she had needed both hands to balance her own body while climbing onto the ledge.
Here is where the tale really gets interesting. What Lori affectionately calls her four keys for King Kong's wall of defense (Charlie’s Economical Bungalows) where she was staying, which she kept on a lanyard around her neck were dangling and swaying. Toby, (that is the name the tourists gave this young bull) had eaten the carrot Chelsea gave him and without anyone noticing, the hungry beast turned around and came over to where Lori was still precariously perched and mistaking her keys for another treat, grabbed onto them pulling, and toppling Laurie and all the boards into it's poop filled pen. Laurie jumped up quickly as she felt bad about all the boards getting ripped down and quickly put them back back in place as best she could, not stopping to see why she was bleeding.
Lori tried to get Chelsea to help open the make shift gate at the door as she could not open it from inside; as she tried to get out, Toby thought her cute little buttocks might be tasty and took a nip there, before going for her shirt. At this final indignation, Laurie gave up trying to get out that way, twisted around and struck the bull on the nose causing it to let go of her clothes. Racing to the other end of the pen, she yanked the recently replaced boards down once again and escaped through the window, as fast as she could.
Once safe outside she could not help but notice that her companion, Chelsea was laughing so hard that she could not speak. Needless to say, that ended the feeding and watering as far as Lori was concerned. One suspects that in the future it may be best to confine the act of offering sustenance to penned animals to those found in such places as Petting Zoos? However, somehow I think that this advice will fall on deaf ears, and that we have not heard the last of the" Adventures of "Pippy Long Stockings"!
I first met Lori on Punta Raza beach where she was enjoying a picnic with some friends and this year I joined Lori for a hike to El Monteon. We spotted a wild boar that quickly ran off into the jungle; and she actually asked me if I wanted to go after the boar with her, presuming that I would want to seize the photo opportunity. No, doubt but on that particular day I was not up to risks of cornering a wild boar. Perhaps next year.
"Los Ayala's Pippi Longstocking" is an apt description for Lori, since adventure always seems to find her wherever she goes - whether she seeks it or not! The last adventure story I heard about Lori was the day she ended up stuck in a bull pen. How in the world?
Chelsea (Tony and Rhonda’s 13 year old daughter) wanted to have a closer look at a young bull (that appeared to be stuck in a room of an old casita) ,to feed it a carrot through the door which had a make shift gate. So Lori took a jug of water over for it. The trough was on the other side of the doorway just under a boarded up window. So she went around the building had climbed up to stand on the window sill to reach the trough and as she was leaning over to pick up the water jug which was at the time nicely balanced on the window sill between her feet, as she had needed both hands to balance her own body while climbing onto the ledge.
Here is where the tale really gets interesting. What Lori affectionately calls her four keys for King Kong's wall of defense (Charlie’s Economical Bungalows) where she was staying, which she kept on a lanyard around her neck were dangling and swaying. Toby, (that is the name the tourists gave this young bull) had eaten the carrot Chelsea gave him and without anyone noticing, the hungry beast turned around and came over to where Lori was still precariously perched and mistaking her keys for another treat, grabbed onto them pulling, and toppling Laurie and all the boards into it's poop filled pen. Laurie jumped up quickly as she felt bad about all the boards getting ripped down and quickly put them back back in place as best she could, not stopping to see why she was bleeding.
Lori tried to get Chelsea to help open the make shift gate at the door as she could not open it from inside; as she tried to get out, Toby thought her cute little buttocks might be tasty and took a nip there, before going for her shirt. At this final indignation, Laurie gave up trying to get out that way, twisted around and struck the bull on the nose causing it to let go of her clothes. Racing to the other end of the pen, she yanked the recently replaced boards down once again and escaped through the window, as fast as she could.
Once safe outside she could not help but notice that her companion, Chelsea was laughing so hard that she could not speak. Needless to say, that ended the feeding and watering as far as Lori was concerned. One suspects that in the future it may be best to confine the act of offering sustenance to penned animals to those found in such places as Petting Zoos? However, somehow I think that this advice will fall on deaf ears, and that we have not heard the last of the" Adventures of "Pippy Long Stockings"!
I first met Lori on Punta Raza beach where she was enjoying a picnic with some friends and this year I joined Lori for a hike to El Monteon. We spotted a wild boar that quickly ran off into the jungle; and she actually asked me if I wanted to go after the boar with her, presuming that I would want to seize the photo opportunity. No, doubt but on that particular day I was not up to risks of cornering a wild boar. Perhaps next year.
Christina Stobbs, Editor Magical Los Ayala
Lori Schneider-Wood
Enjoying a snack break on Punta Raza Beach
Enjoying a snack break on Punta Raza Beach
Lori during a hike in Sicamous, B.C. Canada