sea of change

new plans new blog

2011-03-31T08:39:00.000-05:00

we finally leave la punta friday, april 1 at noon no fooling. the agent will be here with our passports and documents to make sure we cast off our moorning line. next stop san cristobal, galapagos in about 10-12 days.

with the new cruising comes a new blog at http://seaofchangeagain.wordpress.com/. it's still a work in progress but has parting shots of la punta and chucuito.

more from the right side of the bus

2011-03-25T18:50:00.002-05:00

more shots from the right side of the bus. coming home on the local la punta bus, through the mercado area, there's just so much to see

and then we get to chucuito where the buildings are painted bright primary colors

this is just a taste. there's more to come in the next couple of days when i roam around the streets with my camera and i can have jim as my bodyguard.

only 2 buses and a taxi

2011-03-25T17:16:00.000-05:00

triple sanwich vegetariano is one of my mainstays - pan integral, olivas, tomate, lechuga y queso crema - yum
jim's tocino sanwich is in the background

ensalada greca - lechuga, tomate, huevo duro, olivas, feta y artichoke hearts - the best salad i've had since leaving home.

it's not easy being a vegetarian away from home, especially once we got south of mexico. here in peru everything has pollo o carne in it. sometimes i can ask for it sin carne y pollo but then it might have jabon instead.

today jim struck gold. we found an argentine butcher near our new favorite restaurant and he came back with chuletas de cerdo, tocino y chorizo (porkchops, bacon and sausage). we are forever indebted to pilar and micky for telling us about san antonio panadaria where we can eat these scrumptious salads, and it only takes 1 1/2 hours taking 2 buses and a taxi to get there.

la punta history lesson 101

2011-03-24T09:22:00.001-05:00

a little La Punta history.

La Punta is almost entirely surrounded by the Pacific Ocean except where it attaches to Callao. Callao, founded in 1537, is the largest and most important port in Peru. Virtually all goods produced in Peru, Bolivia, and Argentina were originally carried over the Andes by mule to Callao, for shipment to Panama, then carried overland for transport to Spain via Cuba. As the gateway to Lima, Callao was frequently attacked by pirates and buccaneers, including Sir Francis Drake who sacked the city in 1578.

Originally La Punta was a fishing community called Pitipiti. San Lorenzo Island sits offshore as a bald land mass, once visited by Charles Darwin in 1835 on his third expedition to South America.

La Punta was also completely destroyed by the devastating earthquake and the tidal wave of 1746. It recovered quickly and by the end of the 19th century was one of the most popular spas in the region. A spacious, open plaza with hotels and summer houses gave it a rustic, but elegant appearance, drawing the Limeñan bourgeoisie to its quiet and peaceful atmosphere. La Punta’s population grew from the tens to the hundreds as the indigenous community mixed with the new-comers and immigrants, mostly Italians and British, who worked on the building of Callao's docks, as well as with the British Steamship Company. With the railway extension in 1894, fishermen’s huts changed into organized streets and mansions. The peninsula became a resort town and home to the rich to enjoy the famous stony beaches and calm waters.

Four new hotels were constructed--the Grand Hotel (which unfortunately burned down in 1914), the Eden Hotel, the Hotel Bristol, and the Hotel International. The British colony held sumptuous parties at the International which started or ended with lively football matches. Peruvian families preferred to holiday at the Bristol, known for its splendid cuisine.

It was the accepted thing to own a summer home in La Punta. In the 1920's, the Hotel Riviera Plaza was the center of La Punta's social life and hosted the first jazz concert in Peru and carnival parties were famous. In the 1930s and 1940s many Italian immigrants settled in La Punta leaving their legacy in the district. In 1940 Callao and La Punta were severely damaged by an earthquake. Shortly after that, other beaches became popular and La Punta's beaches were sold and became deserted. In 1943 the beaches became property of the municipality.

La Punta never fully lost its prestige, but the aristocracy moved on and the middle class remained. Many mansions fell into disrepair and were replaced by modern buildings. Some of the elegant homes are owned by people who can afford to restore and preserve them and there is a development plan to restore some of the other beautiful old mansions.

This long stretch of land is so thin that today, driving into La Punta on either of its two main roads, you can see the ocean from left and right when you look down the blocks. During the summer months La Punta’s beaches, Cantolao, Malecón and Arenillas, are popular with surfers, swimmers and sun lovers. Almost a third of La Punta is occupied by the Peruvian Naval School.

some of the local buildings that have caught my eye...

more food from minka

2011-03-23T19:12:00.000-05:00

causa. one of the most popular peruvian side dishes you can find. usually served cold, it's something like a jellyroll of mashed potatoes with a filling like chicken salad. i've yet to find one without chicken, except last year someone made me one with veggies and it was really good.

another vegetarian option, hurray for me. found in the food court at minka. they use some kind of soy protein mix for the meat substitute.

i have no idea what's inside these little bundles but i suspect it's something like a tamale.

sh*t happens

2011-03-23T19:03:00.000-05:00

yes that's jim blowing into a water jug, one of six, to siphon water. a technique he's really good at. this has not been one of our better days. before having our morning tea we discovered one of the potable water tanks that was full was now empty. porque? apparently the unlabeled lever in the head got moved so instead of flushing the toilet with sea water we were using our precious filtered water. so we bypassed the tea and went right over to minka to buy six more jugs to haul back in the taxi, onto the launcha, and onto the boat. i should mention half of these jugs had no handles. that made it all the more interesting getting them from the launcha onto the boat with the strong wave action we're having. so we how have 30 gallons in the tank. only two more trips back and forth and we're all set. we're trying to put this in perspective. it's like using $1 bills for toilet paper, it's expensive and not very satisfying (jim's words).

big waves in the marina

2011-03-23T08:38:00.000-05:00

strolling back from dropping off the laundry i decided to walk along the malecon and watch the wave action. the rowing club was out practicing in these skinny little vessels.

there were even a few surfers trying to catch a few in the marina.

view from the dock looking toward the malecon. the waves normally lap the rocks much further back. yesterday the waves were at the sea wall.

tsunami drill

2011-03-13T13:03:00.000-05:00

we've walked past this sign at the end of the dock hundreds of times, but last friday it took on special significance for us. we didn't know about the tsunami warning until Lady J hailed us from their mooring to tell us to turn on the VHS radio. we checked the NOAA website and estimated we had about 10 hours to decide what to do. jim had to meet gonzalo in the morning to look for batteries and when he returned to la punta at 4pm he said it was like a ghost town and they were stopping traffic into the peninsula. we decided it was a good opportunity to motor out for the evening and check to see what wasn't working on the boat since Chesapeake's been swinging on the mooring for 10 months. everything worked except the steaming light and we were rewarded with a firey sunset.

we weren't the only boats to go out for the evening. the peruvian navy was out along with all the really big cats, sailboats and motor yachts. apparently this is standard procedure and they take these warnings very seriously. this weekend the navy continues to circle the marina and no traffic is allowed in or out. we heard later there was no appreciable increase in water level except it was a high tide.

grocery shopping at minka

2011-03-13T12:39:00.001-05:00

minka's. the biggest shopping center i've ever been to and it's only a 15 minute taxi ride away. three gigantic buildings filled with individual stalls of shopkeepers. surrounding these buildings outside are stores and kiosks, numerous local fast food joints and a cinema. here's a sampling of just one of the buildings.

this is one of the fruit aisles

in the veggie aisle many places sell pre-chopped veggies

i bought one of these tamales filled with choclo con queso (their white corn and cheese) and took it back to the boat to eat. it was really good.

more veggies beautifully displayed

another mixed veggie offering for chifa (chinese fried rice)

the potato aisle where hundreds of varieties are sold. they have many ways of cooking this tuber but not the plain old baked potato we know at home.

morada (purple corn) used for making mazamorra morada (purple corn pudding) which i have yet to taste and the very popular drink chicha morada which is really delicious.

even ajo (garlic) is displayed beautifully

accomplishments

2011-03-13T12:11:00.002-05:00

the day after we arrived back on the boat we were lucky enough to run into the local sailmaker, Steve. he offered to help us take the jibs off the boat for inspection and sure enough we had chafe and deterioration that needed to be repaired before we leave. the sails were rolled out on the beach for inspection before taken down to Steve's sail loft in a shopping cart.

last friday was water day. before 9am we took the launcha to the dock, caught a taxi to minka (the huge mercado in callao), bought 6 5-gallon jugs of water, carted them back to a taxi, loaded them onto the launcha and then onto the boat. jim said it was a lot of work for a drink of water.

yesterday jim found the replacement batteries with the help of gonzalo and is brother felipe. this was quite an accomplishment. jim started at 8am by taking a bus then a taxi to gonzalo's house, then a car ride to the battery store, then bring the batteries to the dock, to the launcha, and onto the boat. but wait we're not done yet. the old batteries need to come out of the box to be replaced by the new batteries. then the old batteries get loaded onto the launcha, taken to the dock, carted to the car and loaded. oh, and each battery weights 66 lbs. EACH. a relaxing lunch at the yacht club was the reward. and we don't know how we would manage without gonzalo's help.

back in peru

2011-03-02T16:12:00.000-05:00

here we are, back in la punta after being away since july 2010. the trip here was mostly uneventful except for checking our bags in at SFO. it only took an hour to convince Continental that we could check that extra bag. we arrived in Lima about 11:30pm where we had to plead with the customs guy to not charge us an arm and a leg for our 7 suitcases. it was a relatively quick walk across the street to the hotel -- imagine transporting 7 suitcases and 2 backpacks and you get the picture. we finally got to bed about 2am.

Gonzalo had us picked up and brought to the boat yesterday afternoon. his guys took great care keeping Chesapeake clean. our biggest challenge was where to put all the suitcases until we could begin unpacking. everything is exhausting and overwhelming. the boat moving, the mildew smell, lack of space to put anything including ourselves, and no food and very little water. dinner was a quiet affair of Trader Joe's instant soup, hot tea and oreo's only a little stale.

we planned out what we absolutely had to do on Wednesday and SUCCESS. you can tell by reading this blog that we got our Claro stick renewed for internet acccess. we also did a little grocery shopping and met with the sailmaker who actually came to the boat and picked up the 2 jibs that need repair and took them away. we even managed to have lunch at our favorite Italian cafe. unfortunately they no longer sell water in 5 gal. jugs. they sent us off with their last two jugs and now we have to find a way to continue to bring water to the boat. 10 gallons doesn't go very far for 2 people.

Jim is reclining in his underwear after starting the Genset and checking water levels in the batteries. i'm about to go horizontal myself to continue reading a real book.

more to come, perhaps with pictures.

lima and barranco on june 17

2010-07-05T17:42:00.000-05:00

on June 17 we were lucky enough to get a personal tour of downtown Lima from Susy, Yoya and Luis, friends of a friend. there's nothing like getting picked up and driven through crowded streets and escorted into amazingly old buildings of architectural grandure. and they speak really good English matched against our toddler Spanish. but that's not all. we were wisked away to their home for a delicious Peruvian meal including chicha morada (purple corn drink), maiz blanco (corn-nut sized kernel corn), papas ala huancaina with ocopa sauce (potatoes with sauce) and rice. I know there was some kind of meat for Jim but of course I didn't notice that.

After lunch we drove through Barranco which is an artsy little town. we stumbled into a taller de madera (woodworker) who was carving boxes and restoring old wood furniture. after a brief walk, and some spontaneous dancing (not Jim, of course), we headed back to the boat.

grandma just happened to be passing by and couldn't resist the music, nor could Luis

la biblioteca

view in Barranco

artist's loft in Barranco

mask made of gold from the museo in Banco Central de Reserva del Peru

inside la catedral

the choir in la catedral - made of cedar

exposed exterior of a really old building adjacent to the parking lot

settling in at la punta, peru

2010-06-21T16:33:00.003-05:00

we've been in La Punta, Peru for two weeks now, moored at the Yacht Club Peruano. On May 28 at about 5pm the travel lift in La Libertad, Ecuador dropped us back into the water and we immediately sailed over to Salinas about an hour away. We hadn't slept on the boat for a month. We wanted to have an early evening getting ready for our departure Saturday morning at first light. We were up at 4:30am so Jim could mount the boards against the stancions that would hold our extra fuel jugs. We headed out by 6:30am into rough water and a strong wind. Good thing I'd made soup the night before as that's all we could manage to eat the first couple days while we regained our sea legs. It took us 8 days to beat (zigzag) our way south to Callao, mostly sailing, against 15-25 knot winds.

The greatest challenges were avoiding the fishermen and fighting the Humbolt current and headwinds. Five days out we saw another sailboat and made radio contact with Edi and Michael on Sequitor.

Our routine consisted of Jim trying to sleep during the day with occasional sail adjustments and i slept from about 10pm to 4am. Once we were inside the Peruvian border which extends 200 miles offshore, Jim had to check-in at 8am and 8pm - a complex and annoying process of emailing from the Sat phone ($$$$). Once we were 20 miles out of Callao we had to check-in at 5 mile intervals waiting for them to make radio contact with us (which didn't happen). This can be a big deal if you can't document your efforts as they can charge you with a substantial fine or send you back 200 miles out to do it right! Our approach to La Punta was confusing with poor visibility at 6am. We were shown to a mooring and soon boarded by an agent and 2 health inspectors. We were officially checked into Peru and $900 poorer.

Since we've been here in La Punta we've learned how to bird proof the boat, get purified water onto the boat, buy an internet stick for the computer, feed ourselves from local eateries, and shop for food and dvds. We owe a huge thank you to the following people who have made our time here go more smoothly. Bev from The Lady J showed us how to negotiate the bus system. Frano (executive chef at the yacht club restaurant) has introduced us to amazing Peruvian food. Gonzalo (Seven Seas Sailing Assoc. representative) has extended himself personally and professionally introducing us to the culture and help with customs and resolving so many boat issues. Susy and her family for escorting us around Lima.

More reports to come.

too many pelicans to count fly out in the morning and come back at the end of the day

this area was known for their guano until the invention of artifical fertilizers. it's an endless chore getting it off our boat

Jim is up the mast creating a bird diversion on the spreaders - lots of boats do this here. it was pretty annoying to have the boat covered in bird poo hours after we'd moved it to the dock to hose it down.

Callao/La Punta has a serious rowing club, and we pass it each day as we haul our 10 gallons of purified water back to the boat

a month in ecuador

2010-05-28T14:22:00.000-05:00

by the end of today the boat will be back in the water and we'll be heading south to Callao, Peru. we've spent a month here in La Libertad, Ecuador. during that time we've had 3 trips to different parts of ecuador: Cuenca, Loja and Parque Nacionale Podocarpus in the south; Bahia de Caraquez on the coast; and Quito, Otavalo, and Cotopaxi in the north. Jim finally finished with the dentist, the keel has been repaired and Chesapeake has new bottom paint. Below is just a sampling of our travels around Ecuador. i'll revisit this in more detail in the near future.

landscape scene from the bus on the way to Otavalo (Jim shot)

one of the many catedrals in Quito

pre-Columbian ceramic artifact in Quito

Jim has a new look - el es muy guapo

Cotopaxi volcano (Jim shot)

animal market in Otavalo (Jim shot)

Otavalo - woman shopping with her dog

low tide in Bahia de Caraquez

on the beach in Bahia de Caraquez (Jim shot)

coffee on the balcony in Bahia de Caraquez

wildflower in Podocarpus cloud forest

from the bus to Cuenca

landscape from the bus on our way to Loja

one of the many churches in Cuenca

Santuario de la Virgin near Cuenca (Jim shot)

Ingapirca ruins near Cuenca

Cuenca

bus shot on the way to Cuenca

isla Contadora in Las Perlas

2010-05-04T10:56:00.000-05:00

our first anchorage in Las Perlas was isla Cantadora. during the time we were here, we saw several boats we'd anchored near in Playita. one evening we all gathered on the beach at sunset and it was quite a cultural mix - people from the netherlands, south africa, austria, canada, and australia. we also had a terrific breakfast at restaurante romantico, a cute series of bungalows and restaurant set back on the beach overlooking the ocean.

the patio was inlaid with shells

we took a walk across the island looking at all the beautiful homes with fabulous views. Jim decided he could settle down here quite nicely.

it is a working island with it's own airport.

the mosiac stairs outside a very busy restaurant and hotel

this was ground zero for supplies being carried out to film the reality tv show Survivor

and it was also the beach at the end of the runway where we stood for what left like hours in the hot sun, waiting to get a shot of one of the many planes taking off. as it turns out, they were all going the other direction.

but i did get to see a flock of pelicans

working harbor

2010-05-04T10:12:00.000-05:00

when we were waiting to check in we had front-row seats to watch the fishing boats come and go

more adjustments

2010-05-03T18:51:00.001-05:00

well maybe i have too much time on my hands. at any rate, i wanted to change the look of the blog and this is my first attempt. most likely more changes to come. in the meantime, here are a couple random shots of la libertad.

adjustments in La Libertad, Ecuador

2010-05-03T14:18:00.000-05:00

we've been in La Libertad, Ecuador for over a week now. you know the phrase "if you can't say something nice don't say anything at all" and that sort of sums up my feelings about this place. check-in to the country was complicated by the language barrier and a confusing maze of ambiguous rules. we had our first med tie experience (stern into the slip) and thankfully the marina provided ample help. the surge is strong so we're glad we have our cargo straps to prevent us from crashing into the floating dock. the weather is a bit cooler than Panama, overcast and only humid middle of the day. we keep the boat screened in against mosquitoes and gnats. the first week was an adjustment to the area and how expensive things are (this is NOT the inexpensive country the crusing guides reported).

the boat was hauled w/o incident last Friday. I watched with a tight stomach the whole procedure which took about an hour or more. it's like having your house moved with everything in it. Jim has been visiting a local dentist inbetween boat projects and I've been researching where to do some land travel. while the boat is on the hard (on land) we've taken a room outside the marina compound. it has AC, a hotplate and a tiny refrigerator and it's clean. it's also across the street from a mall with a movie theatre and food court. it's no different than any US mall with tweens and teens cruising with hormonal angst, young moms with toddlers and families of all kinds. the only difference is the double cheek kissing between all.

we cabbed over to Salinas (a typical beach town) for a change of scenery last Sunday and cabbed over to the other side of La Libertad for dinner last week. both trips reveal a well-worn low-income industrial area.

boat repairs will include fiberglass work to repair the keel, raising the waterline on the hull and new bottom paint. we're expecting to be done in 3 weeks when we'll go back into the water and immediately head down to Callou, Peru.

we had to wait to be escorted into La Libertad so we could anchor.

this is the fuel dock and the office for the marina. we were anchored in the middle of the entrance to await customs, migracion, pt. captain and health guy. it was a pretty cool location because we could watch the abundance of frigates and pelicans do their thing.

here we are at our first med tie. we opted for the side of the marina that had a dock. about $450/week. ouch. water and electricity are extra.

Chesapeake doesn't do reverse well, especially in surge or wind conditions. fortunately we had a lot of help getting into this bay and into the straps.

one of the four guys handing off the bow line

note the guy on the right fending us off the cement wall

positioning the straps into the places Jim marked on the boat

note the wheels on the left are about 3" from the side of the bay

yard manager George talking with one of the marina guys

carefully placing wooden blocks to balance the keel. I find it amazing that the entire weight of the boat rests on it's keel and is kept in upright position by the braces below.

we just cleaned the bottom in Las Perlas less than 2 weeks ago.

chains are attached to the braces to keep them in place. I still find it hard to believe this will keep the boat balanced.

damage to the keel, most likely from the last rock we hit in Las Perlas (more to come about that in another post)

damage to the front of the keel

damage to the back of the keel

downtown Salinas Sunday afternoon

our resident guard cat who seems to have no problem trusting the braces will hold up the boat

this morning work had already begun on the keel (bow)

these guys work fast. oh, that's not Jim, he's in the cockpit taking the helm apart to check for loose screws.

sign at the fuel dock - just one example of the duel-price system we've discovered.

last evening we watched the pelicans jockey for space on the crane. moments later one of the marina guys came by and flicked them off with a halyard. it took all of maybe 5 minutes before they were back up there. it's one of our favorite pasttimes, watching these guys plop into the water. there's also an interesting phenomena with these guys. just after a pelican has dived into the water he pops back up like a cork and there are 1-2 small white birds who join him, often landing on the pelican's head or neck. they're too fast to photograph so far.

one more day in panama

2010-04-08T18:47:00.001-05:00

the buses are individually owned and many of them are elaborately decorated as you can see

view from Balboa Yacht Club yesterday - note the tiny sailboats against the backdrop of a freighter having come through the canal - our constantly changing view

how do they see out the windshield?

i became fascinated by the skyline and architecture

driving through the city, the taxi driver was kind enough to go slow as i took pictures from his cab

and then there are the older buildings where anyone who's not upper class has been forced to live

you wouldn't know it but this is where we did our check-out - migracion and port captain. they both had tvs playing. the port captain had a huge flat screen with what looked like a male soap opera. huge stacks of banded papers sat atop filing cabinets. job security for someone.

water spilling through the gates of the locks

two sailboats that just came through the canal - they're tied together - we stopped to visit with Akka later in the day and she said you have to hope the other sailboat doesn't have engine problems

one of four little trains that run along the side of the canal as line handlers for the large ships - 2 on each side for bow and stern

before the water is lowered 27 ft

not a great shot but it shows where we were anchored - the far "island" on the right by the dotted lines.

another poor shot but it shows the whole canal system, along with the 3rd lock they're building now which will be done around 2014. we were anchored in the lower bottom right hand corner. it takes about 2 days to go through the canal for sailboats. they spend the night in the lake which is in the upper left area. are you confused yet?

flags representing the Latin American countries - we passed these every day in the cabs going from Playita to Panama City. Can you name all the countries?

we decided to delay one more day here in panama so we could see the Miraflores Locks. So glad we did. It also gave us both a chance to do a bit more emailing. Our plan is to sail over to Las Perlas islands which is supposed to be much like the Galapagos on a smaller scale. After a few days of (hopefully) relaxing and water play - and cleaning the boat bottom - we'll head over to Puerto Amistad in Bahia de Caraquez, Ecuador. Hopefully it will only take about 10 days but it looks like light winds which could make it a longer trip. We bought extra fuel jugs just in case.

cultural crossroads here in panama

2010-04-06T17:07:00.000-05:00

this is the monitor showing the chart. we're the small black boat in the middle of the screen, all the other red-lined boats are commercial ships setting off the alarm

one of the large freighters in the foreground with other ships further out and the Panama City skyline in the background

i think it's kinda cute

one of the older buildings with a close-up below - many have been torn down to make way for the more modern high rises

the green building in the background was built in early 1900s

the shorter round building was the tallest building in downtown until recently

what a view they have and out there somewhere is where we're anchored

i was fascinated by this rotund building and tried to get shots of it as we drove by

this was in the huge hardware store - i've never seen sandpaper by the roll before

the artwork on the buses is really something

traffic jam at the dinghy dock

this is what the boats look like when they're getting ready to transit the canal - they get fitted with tires to protect them from the sides of the locks

the molas - i wish i had the time to look at them all

We arrived in Playita, Panama (with Panama City skyline across the bay) last Thursday, April 1. Soon as we dropped the anchor we called the freezer repairman ("U-U") who just happened to be near the anchorage. He said he'd be over in an hour. It was a mad scramble to get the dinghy into the water (along with the motor) so Jim could pick him up. After tinkering about, he promised a fix for Sunday. And he was good on his word, arriving about noon. WE CAN MAKE ICE CUBES!!! Since it was Easter Sunday when he came back, I was curious why he was working on Easter so I asked him what Easter was like here in Panama. The way he explained it, the Virgin Maria and Jesus Christ walked down the street toward each other (3 days after the crucifiction) and when they met she welcomes her son back by tossing candies to everyone in the street. Apparently they are dressed in paper mache costumes that hold lots of sweets and people follow behind them, having chosen which camp they want to follow, the Virgin or Christ. It makes about as much sense as having a rabbit hide eggs.

We hired Taxi Tony to drive us to our various errands on Friday, April 2. We've been warned not to attempt negotiating Panama City on our own if we want to accomplish more than one thing a day. We dropped considerable $$$ at the Riba store where we found lots of our favorite US foods. I saw plenty of Morningstar products so I'm a happy camper. The last stop was to a store that was loaded with molas. These labor-intensive, hand sewn fabric works of art by the Kuna are really amazing. We also got a brief look at the Panama City skyline. Oh my--glass and metal geometric giants squeezing out all but the upper class.

Panama City is a true crossroads of the world. We're sharing space with fellow cruisers from all parts of the world, many waiting to transit the canal, some having just come through, others going south along with us. Listening to the net in the morning or the multitude of cargo ships checking into the port, I hear languages from everywhere. We have front-row seats to a constant changing landscape of freighters dwarfing us. Fortunately the weather is behaving most of the time--it's primarily overcast (smog?) with cooling breezes for a few hours in the late afternoon to early evening. It's just during the day that it gets humid and we turn to jello.

We're feeling quite chipper today now that I've done laundry and we've had a shower over at the Balboa Yacht Club. We plan on getting final provisions tomorrow and checking out of the country before we head over to Las Perlas islands for a few days. Then it's on to Puerto Amistad in Bahia de Caraquez, Ecuador. It's about 700 miles with light winds predicted and no fueling options so we hope it's only 7-10 days with a lot of sailing - somehow. And speaking of sailing, I should mention we actually got to SAIL for a few hours each day after we left Golfito. Our last day out before arriving here, we rounded Punta Mala with winds in the low 20s and choppy wave sets. The chart said this area is know for strong rip tides so it was a very long and bumpy ride up the channel. Soon our computer screen lit up with over 50 large vessels ahead. Our AIS system warns us about vessels when they get within a mile of us in 12 minutes or less. Suddenly our alarm was going nuts because of the heavy metal traffic ahead of us or coming at us after crossing the canal. Now that was pretty exciting.

If we don't have a chance to grab wifi before we leave, we'll have plenty of stories to tell once we get to Ecuador.

parting shots of golfito, costa rica

2010-04-06T15:51:00.000-05:00

final shots of golfito before i launch into our trip to playita, panama in my next post.

our last stop in golfito was the fuel dock where i saw this alter made of stones, right next to the pumps

just after fueling up we ran up to the little market to get an ice cream cone. hey, it was hot and we needed something to get us going as we left. 9:30am isn't too early is it? this was the view across from the gas station and mini mart. oh, it was so hot (at 9:30am) that the ice cream melted before we could eat it all.

one of the houses we passed on the way to the fuel dock

it's hard to see, but there's a US flag on this ship

the pier next to the fuel dock

it's still hot here in golfito

2010-03-26T13:19:00.000-05:00

Land Sea Services - their houseboat anchored next to us here in Golfito

down the way from us here in Golfito

view of approaching rain around a large rock while anchored in manuel antonio

downpour while motorsailing

what we were motorsailing into after leaving Isla del Cano

anchoring on the large mooring off Isla del Cano

watching the rain and lightening at the north end of Quepos

it was a tight squeeze into the fuel dock at Los Suenos marina

at the fuel dock looking toward Jimmy T's gourmet store

sunset at Bahia Ballena

sunset at Guacamaya

Marina Papagayos - at $2/ft no wonder there are empty slips - can you spot us?

the beach at Playa del Coco

some of the regular vendors at Playa del Coco

goesalthia meiantha tree on Isla del Cano

enormous leaves everywhere

some kinda lizard (I'll look for ID later) on Isla del Cano

leaving the Pt. Captain's office in Golfito we spotted this train

hats for sale in the mercado surrounding the duty free shops

Land Sea Services where we're moored in Golfito

just after the rain yesterday Dockwise Yacht Transport freighter (they transport boats all over the world) was getting ready to leave here in Golfito

view from where we're moored here in Golfito

another view down the way from our mooring

sunset last night after the rain

from the cemetary a view of us at anchor behind the houseboat

from the cemetary

once again it's a race against the clock to share our adventures with you before losing our wifi connection. what follows is a condensed version of what happened after we left marina papagayo march 17.
check-out was easy at playa del coco, though getting to shore was not. with our national zarpe complete, we motorsailed over to guacamaya (whaaa kaa my ya) where we enjoyed swimming around the boat and snorkling at a nearby reef. then it was on to bahia ballena, arriving the next morning exhausted. we spent a good part of the day napping. we watched the clouds amass into billowy backdrops for the hills, wondering how it would impact the weather. next day we crossed the bay to fuel up at los suenos marina, a very swanky spot tightly packed with big power boats. the highlight was the well-stocked gourmet store jimmy t's. 9:30am wasn't too early to enjoy a dos pinos ice cream bar. later we munched on potato salad for me and corn beef for jim. we arrived in quepos in the afternoon motoring around to find just the right spot to anchor. the north end of quepos next to the marina construction wasn't it. punta quepos looked like a lush tropical cove, the perfect spot - until we hit a rock with our keel. no that wasn't a good spot. by now the clouds had turned angry grey over quepos to the north with periodic lightening. we rounded the corner to manuel antonio just as the sun was closing in on the horizon. this anchorage was fringed with parque nacional manuel antonio and close enough to hear the wildlife. with only one other sailboat, it was the perfect anchorage. we huddled under the biminey when the rain came and watched the lightening show off in the distance. despite the closeness of the lightening (mostly cloud to cloud and not bolt to land), we felt safe and secure inside this little bay with hills higher than our mast. the next morning we left before sunrise and headed over to bahia drake (drah-kay) to anchor midafternoon. we finally inflated the dinghy - no easy task in this heat so felt like it took forever. jim checked the keel for damage (a dent removing some bottom paint - we were lucky!). next morning we motored over to Isla del Caño where we hiked through the forest among some amazing trees. we left late afternoon to motor sail all night. we were treated to a continuous lightening show moving all around us. sure it was incredibly awesome, but i'd rather not see it from our boat while motoring. we grabbed a mooring at land sea services in golfito and have been enjoying wifi ever since. check-in and out was easy. we even managed to get to the duty free shops. robert, the freezer repairman, came today and apparently our freezer needs a major overhaul. we're hoping to get it taken care of in panama city next week. in the meantime we're gorging ourselves with my precious morningstar veggie products. last evening around dusk we could see rain mist at the far end of the bay. a couple minutes later we heard it pounding on land just down the way from us. then we were treated to cool air and good hard rain lasting maybe 10 minutes. all too soon it moved to the other end of the bay. it seems to do this regularly.

that's it for now. i hope to give more information tomorrow before we leave for puerto amuelles, panama.

leaving Marina Papagayo March 17

2010-03-17T13:10:00.000-05:00

Terri took this picture of us leaving Bahia del Sol

on our tour in Antigua, Jorge our tour guide, s/v Volo Max and Sandy, m/v Traveller Brian and Terri, s/v Chesapeake Jim and Linda

We're getting ready to leave here (Marina Papagayo) which means no internet for a bit. You can check back with us in a week or two to see where we are.

papagayos and so much more

2010-03-17T10:48:00.001-05:00

drinks down the beach at "The Club" (Terri was taking the picture)

the wedding in front of our boat

the woman with the pig and other animals - one of her parrots (note the apron)

her husband had to lift this guy up onto his feet, he's 2 days old

mama is in the background a bit worried about me

Isla Meanguera with Traveller in the background

net fishing on the beach with Chesapeake and Traveller in the background

one of the wooden dugout canoes

fisherman's camp on the beach - drying his nets

chart plotter tracking us at anchor in El Astillero

flock of pelicans flying by in El Astillero

Salvadorian Navy coming to visit at Isla Meanguera

during the papagayos knot meter not at 42.6 yet, but still too much wind

everything was coated in salt, including our bodies

yes indeed we took a bath during the papagayos

we were flying at 9kn

Wifi at last. We arrived yesterday morning first thing (are we anxious or what?) so we could get as much wifi, water, showers, pool, laundry, and electricity as we could. 15 days away from these luxuries in a hot and humid environment isn't much fun. now we and the boat are clean and ready to continue south through Costa Rica on into Panama.

So where are we? We're currently at Marina Papagayo (very expensive new marina with US prices - ouch!) in the Guanacaste Region of Costa Rica, Bahia Culebra, the Gulf of Papagayo. Culebra, by the way, means snake and the locals are trying to change the name to Papagayo to increase more interest in the area. Here's the quick version of where we've been since leaving Bahia del Sol, El Salvador:

March 3 left on the high tide at 5pm and had an easy crossing over the bar. we left with our friends Brian and Terri on their diesel duck Traveller (yes that's a power boat).
March 4 arrived at Isla Meanguera 9am. Salvadoran Navy stopped by to check us out - very friendly. Brian took us ashore in his dinghy (ours is packed up on deck)where we chatted with some locals and while I was photographing a pig his owners invited me to come take pictures of their other animals.
March 5 sails up at 7am, by 10:30am we'd done 25 miles - great sailing in 25kn winds and we flew, 8-9 kn. By noon motoring. night sailing we were dodging mysterious lights and the winds were in the 30s. 2 reefs in the main and rolled up the jib. We were in the middle of papagayos and no place to go.
March 6 dawn and we were both exhausted from a stressful night. Still doing 8-9kn, winds in the high 30s and waves 4-5 ft. we found a place to anchor at Masachapa to try and relax and rest. It was a good spot and in hindsight we wish we'd stayed.
March 7 we went back out thinking the winds had abated. but nooooo. Winds started building and topping 42.6, white water everywhere. Boat was continually awash with high waves. We were in Nicaragua and we took the first good anchorage we could find which was El Astillero (no name). We decided to stay put until the forecast improved. The Nicaraguan Navy stopped by for a visit while we were making breakfast. He came down below and drank some weak barely warm coffee, took a few documents and left. He was very nice and polite. We spent the next 3 days listening to the wind howl outside (in the 30s) and hoping the anchor would hold. Needless to say we got very little sleep but we did get a lot of boat projects done.
March 10 winds had subsided considerably and we left to join Traveller in Santa Elena, Costa Rica. Did a brief stop on the way into Bahia del Sur San Jose to visit s/v Mandan and share morning coffee with Jack. Arrived in Santa Elena and were treated to dinner on Traveller. It's a beautiful soft-sided mangrove-lined bay and we had it all to our selves. parrots flew overhead at dusk and bait balls (bunches of fish) glittered in the water.
March 11 Jim changed the water maker filter and we went to shore for a very brief walk as I was concerned about snakes. That night we discovered we'd anchored in a snake pit. Really. Way too many yellow bellied sea snakes milling around after dark. Yuk. Jim says there were millions of 'em.
March 12 we left at 4am heading to Playa del Coco to officially check into Costa Rica and provision. It was a mad scramble to get to the Pt. Captain, Migracion and Aduana (customs) before everyone closed for the weekend. Very confusing and Pt. Captain closed before we could return as she instructed. To make matters worse, waves were too strong for us to dinghy ashore so had to hire a panga to fetch us back and forth, with about 10 bags of groceries (eggs included). Spent the night in a very rolly and uncomfortable spot and couldn't wait to leave the next morning.
March 13-14 we were outta there by 7am and went around the corner to Playa Panama. What a clean and comfortable anchorage in front of a resort. Jim and I went swimming and cleaned the boat bottom (trying out our hooka). Took a couple walks on the beach and were the backdrop to a beachside wedding.
March 15 took a taxi back to Coco to make sure our check in was fully completed. Pt. Captain office never opened (some kind of medical emergency we later discovered). But we got more food, really yummy great food, at a very upscale market. Winds died and it turned hot and humid. We couldn't wait for next morning to get to the marina.

and that's what we've been up to. For those of you who had birthdays I hope you understand why you didn't hear from us.

antigua, guatemala

2010-03-03T12:42:00.001-05:00

one of the huipils in my most favorite store in Antigua

Sunday at the farmers market

one of the many displays of traditional clothing at my favorite store

one of the little boys at the farmers market

the bus depot behind the farmers market - those buses are gorgeous and very clean

an impromptu traditional dance while his brothers and father played

a family of musicians

arch connecting the 2 parts of the old convent and Volcan de Agua in the background - in the late morning you could see smoke coming out at the top

on his way to the Sunday market at La Merced church

facade of the La Merced church

one of the many watercolor artists selling his work

facade of a colonial church

one of many open markets around town

I was thrilled to get back to Antigua, Guatemala. It was a very short trip, arriving just after dark, and I had half of the next day to wander around.

san andres archeology site

2010-03-03T12:07:00.000-05:00

layout of the site

a tree at the entrance to the site

goats kept us company on our tour

this hangs from the metal piece below and the boot goes inside for riding

a metal stirrup

indigo bath with water wheel

skull showing a jade tooth inlay in the front - they placed boards on the foreheads of babies to elongate the skulls as a sign of status or royalty

cocoa pods on the tree

San Andres, in Santa Ana, El Salvador, shows four good-sized Mayan structures. During the Spanish conquest San Andres was part of a colonial hacienda-type cattle farm. In modern times the Salvadoran government has created the San Andres archaeological park that includes a museum not limited to the Maya archeology, but shows examples of the colonial era. We saw the La Gran Plaza, an L-shaped complex which highlights Cerro Campana San Andrés. Most of the Maya business was done around this building.

joya de ceren, el salvador

2010-03-03T11:47:00.000-05:00

gift shop skulls

gift shop ceramic reproductions

getting the juice out to eat the fruit

i've totally forgotten the name of the fruit

one of the ginger plants on our way to the excavation

dried leaves everywhere

it looks small but it's really quite large, remains of a building

the village center with home in the front and the sauna in the background - it looks small in the picture but it's really a full scale village

the sauna

Joya de Ceren (“Jewel of the Ceren”) is a humanity heritage by UNESCO. It’s the only place in the world that shows the daily life of a pre-Columbian Mayan farming village. You get a sense of what every day life was like for the great majority of Maya who were not priests or officials. We saw adobe houses, communal baths and public structures. Because Joya del Ceren’s building materials were susceptible to erosion and quick decay, it took ash from a nearby volcano that erupted around 600 A.D. to bury the village and protect it from the elements. The excavation resembles the process of excavation at Pompeii and Herculaneum.

a day at bahia del sol

2010-03-03T11:39:00.001-05:00

really high tide in bahia del sol marina - another foot and the piling would have disappeared

a couple of the macaws that hang out by the office

while we were waiting for the bus to take us back this man came by with his plow

while we were waiting for the bus to take us to the mercado the gate opened across the street and out came the horses. a few minutes later the guard came out, stamped his feet and they plodded down the road to graze

not much happening at the super mercado

Yesterday we took the bus in to the super Mercado. I’m not sure what the “super” refers to but the Mercado was definitely not super loaded with food options -- canned and highly processed food along with beer and soda and a few waters. More than a half hour each way, and 50 cents per trip, it was more an adventure traveling on a very crowded local bus with school kids, grandmas and an assortment of other folks. The bus handlers are experts at shoving people on and off the bus as it slows down. You really have to hold on and move quickly.

ruins at copan

2010-03-02T15:55:00.000-05:00

sacrifical podium for the macaws

one of the stelae loaded with hieroglyphic metaphores - the square knot near the top indicates the ruler is getting old and will be handing his power over to his son (one of the few details i actually remembered!)

a large serpent statue

carving of a monster with big fangs

detail from one of the stelae

trees, really big trees, sprouding up everywhere

view of the Central Plaza - the ball court (2nd largest in Central America) and the Hieroglyphic Stairway which is covered by a tarp for protection. Apparently the captain of the losing team was beheaded after the game

one of the stelae covered in hieroglyphics giving a pictoral history

the wild macaws in flight

So after our "big adventure" into San Salvador we decided to hire a tour guide with 2 other cruiser couples (Max and Sandy on Volo and Brian and Terri on Traveller). In 3-days 2-nights Jorge drove us across El Salvador to Joya de Ceren, San Andres, Santa Ana and finally into Copan where we spent the night. The next day we toured the Copan archiological Ruinas and arrived in Antigua, Guatemala in the evening. The third day we took a tour of one of the convents. Well, actually they did the tour while I shopped for huipiles. We arrived back at the marina just after dark the third day. We all agreed it was an amazing tour, Jorge was a terrific guide and it felt like traveling with family (in a good way). I would definitely recommend Jorge for anyone wanting to tour any of these countries. http://www.tourinelsalvador.com/. We learned a lot about the culture and the history and he's passionate about making El Salvador a place to visit.

I was particularly impressed with the ruines outside Copan. It was a photographer's paradise and I have a zillion pictures to show but will only post a few here. You can check the shutterfly photo blog for the rest. Here's a brief overview of the information I came away with. Oh and I should mention while we were there a flock of wild macaws were flying back and forth in the trees. It's the first time I've ever seen them in the wild and it was heart-stopping. Okay on to the background info:

Copan ruinas culturally dominated the region for centuries producing sculptures and hieroglyphics – called the Paris of the Mayan world. Since 1200 BC crafts and trade thrived. About 426 AD the royal family began its rule. Not much info about the early kings but they sure have colorful names: Mat Head, Waterlily Jaguar, Moon Jaguar, Smoke Jaguar, 18 Rabbit, Smoke Monkey, and Smoke Shell. 18 Rabbit commissioned many of the sculptures saw on our tour. He was quite a military conqueror but lost his head (literally) in the end. Once Smoke Monkey came into power things began to decline. His son, Smoke Shell, built the ir most important monument, the great Hieroglyphic Stairway immortalizing achievements of the dynasty bearin the longest inscription ever discovered in the Maya kingdom. Archeologists are still debating what happened to end this dynasty but currently it’s believed the increased population strained the valley’s agricultural resources. As the residents expanded out and up the steep slopes, deforestation caused erosion lowering aricultural production and causing floods during rains. This lead to more diseases so people died younger. With fewer people living in the area the jungle soon took over as you can see from the trees sprouting all over the place. Most of the trees I'm told are only 70-80 years old!

around san salvador

2010-03-02T15:26:00.000-05:00

a typical site on the street, she sells veggies

street vendor who cooks la comida

cathedral metropolitana in downtown san salvador

more aprons and street vendors

not a great shot (try shooting out a crowded bus window) but it shows the painted poles found everywhere. the new ruling party has painted their colors and the name GANA from the recent election.

aprons are worn by working women everywhere. cute, beautiful, functional and always clean. i became obsessed with taking pictures of their aprons but found it nearly impossible to get their picture

one of the farmacias in san salvador - both have guns - we saw them everywhere but they'e quite friendly

the 495 bus to san salvador - $1.30 per person for the 1.5 hour ride. each bus is individually owned and operated. they bought old US school buses and imported them, paid a one-time fee of $10,000 and were given an operating route. a ban has been placed on buying the buses because so many of them were in poor condition from the US.

okay it's not my best shot, but it does show road conditions. lots of cows and horses meandering along the roads. surprisingly traffic accommodates them

I wanted to share some history about El Salvador because so many of us don't really understand what this country has been through. It's true you need to be careful where you go and there is a lot of pollution in the air and trash along the roads. It's the most densely populated latin american country, they are poor, but they've been through a lot and they're trying to overcome past history. We found them friendly and helpful, with a lot of national pride and very hard working. Here's a very condensed recap of what's happened here.

El Salvador’s history is steeped in struggle over domination. For 10,000 years one culture has built over another. In the 1700s a group of 14 European families controlled the entire colony of Spain using slave labor in cotton, balsam and indigo plantations. These 14 families retained control through unsuccessful rebellions. In the late 19th century synthetic dyes undermined the indigo market and coffee became the cash crop, displacing indigenous people. In the early 20th century a socialist uprising of peasants and indigenous people failed and led to The Massacre (La Matanza) of 30,000. By the 1970s landlessness, poverty, unemployment and overpopulation were serious problems. The government was tangled in coups and electoral fraud. When Duarte (the Christian Democrat Party supported by reform groups) ran for president and his victory denied amid fraud allegations, protests followed. The military averted an attempted coup and guerrilla activity created death squads. Thousands of Salvadorans were kidnapped and murdered.

El salvador’s history is littered with revolts, protests, coups, and an insurrection that turned into a civil war. This internal war generated death squads driving many Salvadorans out of the country. The results of internal struggles between the PDC (in power) and the FMLN (guerrillas) was economic destruction of bridges, power lines, coffee plantations and livestock. The UN negotiated a human rights agreement between both parties in the early 1990s. Paramilitary and death squad groups were reorganized into a civil police force that we see scattered throughout the countryside and in many stores. Land was redistributed limiting how much each person could own. The 12-year war killed an estimated 75,000.

Currently the country is trying to control gangs and crime. And then there are the natural disasters--hurricane Stan in 2005 and Volcan Santa Ana erupting causing landslides that ruined coffee and other crops. 16% of the GDP is from Salvadorans living abroad sending money home, but economic growth is slow. 30% of the population is below the poverty line in rural areas but they have the highest minimum wage in Central America. The FMLN (guerrillas) lobbied for educaion and health care for all. Salvadorans are hard working, friendly and proud of their country. They desperately want tourists to come visit.

el salvador at last

2010-02-26T08:01:00.000-05:00

how many cruisers can you get in one taxi? one more.

leaving the big box store

pathway from the marina to the hotel

the highway outside the hotel - moments earlier a herd of cattle were passing by

during our trip down here i saw many patches of this along the way. it looked like bees swarming on the water and when we sailed through a patch it/they just melted away so i have not idea what it was

we said goodbye to mexico after a year of exploring the land and the sea. we crossed the dangerous part of golfo de tehuantepec with blue skies and enough wind to let us fly at 9 knots. when the wind died, and we were out of the danger zone, we went off shore and couldn't see Guatemala as we entered central america. after 4 days, mostly sailing, we arrived at bahia de jiquilisco, the entrance to bahia del sol, to wait for our escort across the bar (shallow sand bar and high waves). jim meandered us back and forth in the open bay (just like he does when he's racing) waiting for the escort - a guy on a jetski - who said follow me. and we did. with everything we've heard about high waves pushing you up to surf the huge wave into the small estuary, we were really tense about it, but it was no big deal and we said, is that it? we're here?

so we arrived feb. 22 in the morning filthy and exhausted. after getting the boat secured to the dock i took 400mg of ibuprofen for my foot and we both crashed until early afternoon. since then we've enjoyed a lot of socializing with two power boats, Traveller and Solveig. Ed cooked us dinner the other night and i had a fabulous smoked salmon in alfredo sauce over pasta while everyone else had beef bourguignon.

yesterday most of us ventured into san salvador for some shopping. it took over an hour by bus, then we took a cab to el centro, eventually arriving at pricemart which is central america's costco. 5 cruisers with big shopping carts in a big box store - well let's just say it was a miracle all 5 of us fit in that cab who drove us back to the marina because we missed the last bus.

today we're taking a whirlwind 3-day tour of el salvador, a bit of honduras and antigua, guatemala. stay tuned for lots of pictures.

wandering around huatulco

2010-02-19T08:52:00.000-05:00

Everything went smoothly completing all the paperwork to check out of Mexico. We had very little wait with the port captain, then quickly went through migracion, back to the port captain, and finally left with migracion and customs who drove us back to the boat for our inspection. We’re ready to go after one last trip to la fruiteria and we get the bottom cleaned this morning then we’re off with about 7-8 other boats also heading to El Salvador.

We’ve enjoyed our time here and found some really good restaurants (you know we travel on our stomachs). Photos will follow in a later blog about all that. Here’s an overview of our most recent wanderings around town.

during a walk through the parque de ecologica i saw a number of trees with ant trails

and trees with serious thorns

and trees with odd growths

and trees with termite nests

and then there were the cactus - some in bloom

and more heart trees

and then walking around town i saw this huge full-body mask that's worn during carnival (i think) which they're gearing up for

carnival rides getting set up for the weekend carnival

the military setting up an exhibit across from the cathedral

one of the military guys and a camouflaged commrade

the information booth with photos, something like recruitment enticement

i've only seen young men operating the huge looms - and many of you know i take a lot of pictures of feet which will be part of a future blog

migracion and customs workers giving us a ride back to the boat - such a cute couple (but don't tell anyone it's a secret)

one of the many leaves found in the zocolo

one of the lucky mexican dogs with a home (in the chinese restaurant)

puppy report in huatulco

2010-02-19T08:15:00.000-05:00

i'm so excited to report the mama dog and puppies are going to be taken care of. in a prior post i mentioned jim and i finding a mama dog and 2 puppies in an undeveloped area near the marina. well it turns out there are 4 puppies. while they look fat in the photos, it's really distended bellies from malnutrition and parasites, along with skin infections common among street dogs. all of this can be cured with care and attention. jerry on m/v mystic michael was kind enough to give me the name of a local vet and he agreed to meet us (chris and craig from the big mega yacht in the marina) and look at the dogs. he showed up on his motorcycle, along with his assistant, but he was well prepared. he vaccinated the pups and mom and said he's sure he can find temporary homes for all 4 puppies until they're adopted and mama dog too. she's also getting fixed and he's going to look at her leg. she's about 2 years old and about to go into another heat so we caught her just in time. the pups are 5 weeks old and absolutely adorable. we were thrilled he was willing to help.

when i asked about any local animal rescue groups he said huatulco doesn't have one yet but they in the process of forming one. while we were visiting, a man came by on his motorcycle to drop off food which he's been doing all along. then a while later a couple drove up in a car to drop off food (they said they come by several times a day and were surprised to hear there were 4 pups). it was an amazing experience to know how many people came together to help this poor mama dog.

i'm so grateful for chris and craig's help with calling the vet and making this happen. it just goes to show it's a good idea to follow your heart - and don't let anyone tell you "why bother because there are so many animals that need help". we saved 5 today and that feels pretty good to me.

feeding time a couple days ago when there were only 2 puppies

mama is getting her injection for fleas and ticks - she was a very good patient

craig holding one of the puppies we hadn't seen before

the alpha puppy getting her vaccination

one of the 2 smaller puppies with beautiful facial markings

one of the bigger puppies who overcame her shyness eventually

alpha puppy who tried to hog all of mama's milk and the food

after food and water it was time to play under the bridge where they live until next monday when they go into temporary homes for adoption

heart trees and podcasts in huatulco

2010-02-14T14:00:00.000-05:00

a heart tree for valentine's day

mama and her pups

a yellow-winged cacique nest

the days pass in slow relaxation. we continue the hunt for good restaurants and yesterday morning our neighbors loaned us their bikes. we got to explore an on-hold housing development with flat streets and sidewalks, full of overgrown empty lots and a myriad of birds and bird chatter. jim discovered a mama dog and her 2 pups living under a bridge, and no i didn't take one of the pups. cruisers from another boat here in the marina are taking her food and water with the hope of getting her and the pups into a vet. it was loads of fun seeing huatulco up close rather than from th backseat of a cab.

we continue to monitor the weather. it looks like we'll be able to leave this coming thursday. if not, well i've been downloading plenty of podcasts and there's the america's cup to watch, along with the olympics if i can figure out how to get a live stream.

carbs a comin'

2010-02-09T14:53:00.000-05:00

oh oh, carbs here we come

i got one of the bird nests!!!!!

the church off the zocolo

termites

what a day of gifts for me. jim mentioned to enrique, the guy who cleaned our boat, that i wanted one of the long bird nests and how could i get one. he came back last evening with the most beautiful and intricate nest i could imagine. i was thrilled. it's now safely packed away. i've been told they build them, use them once, then they're abandoned. it will travel with us until we bring the boat home.

today i'm baking bread, my first attempt in many many years. jack from mandan came by with his sour dough started and showed me how to manage it on a boat - a mixed blessing, i know, considering my addiction to carbs. what a great experience and it smells fabulous as it's baking.

weaving weather forecasts in huatulco

2010-02-09T14:41:00.000-05:00

shuttles hanging from one of the looms

good luck piece on one of the looms

yes it's a real cactus but not sure why they're hanging at each end of this loom

upstairs at the weavers

undyed yarn

i spent yesterday exploring around the zocolo (town square/park). someone showed me the best fruiteria (pictures on another day). i also found a local weaver and other local artisians. there're a lot of items from oaxaca and guatemala here and it's hard to find the local artists. the folks at the weaving shop were friendly and allowed me to take pictures. the next weaver posted signs and said i had to ask permission and give a tip! i noticed the men do the weaving pulling a cord to send the shuttle back and forth. the women do the sewing.

on the walk back i was daydreaming about the long bird nests, wondering how i'd get one, and i wasn't watching where i was walking. oops. i took a nasty fall and spent the rest of last evening icing my foot while flat on my back. today it's much better and i can hobble around.

weather continues to concern us. it appears the high in texas is gaining strength which, in a few days, will send strong winds across the yucatan peninsula (gaining strength) and out into the bay - the bay we have to cross heading south. so it looks like we'll be here through the weekend.

hautulco - finally

2010-02-05T13:58:00.000-05:00

sunrise with a dolphin in front of the boat

yellow path of sunrise

standing watch - looking for wind

We finally arrived in Huatulco yesterday afternoon. As I said earlier, it was a long, hot and boring passage that seemed to take forever. A few bright spots along the way. Sunrises and sunsets were a welcome bit of color in an otherwise drab trip. several things stand out for me: turtles floating on the water, oblivious to our passing. Dolphins, lots and lots of dolphins, at the bow of the boat jumping out of the the water, twisting and flopping back down. Our last night out in pitch blackness before the moon came up, we were surrounded by dolphins trailing phosphorescence underwater. Squiggles of neon stretching out from the boat in all directions. Then jumping and twisting and splashing back into fountains of neon green.

journal entry. i'm surrounded by greyness. a thick impenetrable wall of grey except near the sky, a glimpse of sunrise. the morning is having difficulty pulling itself away from the night. water sloshes against the hull as we sway into the wind at 3 kn. it's nearly 8am now and sunlight has filtered through the grey layering, a glistening yellow path directly ahead of us.

you call this sleep?

2010-02-05T13:32:00.000-05:00

the cockpit would be a comfortable place to sleep if the benches were wider

If you’re not interested in the fine nuances of overnight passages, you can avoid this piece.

We start watches at 6pm with 2 hours on, 2 hours off, until 4am the following morning. Sleep, at some point is critical. This passage, from Zihautanejo to Hautulco, was hot and slow with almost no wind. Attempting to sleep down below was almost impossible. I prefer the v berth in the bow, Jim prefers the seatee in the main area. Here’s what it’s like for me to get the slightest bit of shut-eye.

I crawl into the v berth which feels like a wet diaper. Dampness everywhere. I flop face down like a steamrollered snow angel. Strategically flattened between 2 small fans and the open hatch above. Not a great position considering I’m suffering from a head cold and sinus infection, but necessary to prevent constant body rolling. Soon I’m flying up and down in sync with the bow. Fun ride if you’re 8 but not so good if you’re trying to sleep. Then the sounds. Wham blamblamblam. Wham blamblamblam. Thwack. Thwack. Thwack. Swish swish gurgle gurgle, swish swish gurgle gurgle. Oh, and it’s 4pm so it’s bright daylight and I'm trying to trick my body into it being night. It's hard work. You call this sleep?

5 days of grey

2010-02-05T13:21:00.000-05:00

just before sunset

looking aft before sunset - glassy smooth water = no wind

shades of grey

just after sunset - the camera enhanced the color, it's still grey in all directions

The passage from Zihautanejo to Puerto Marques (4.5 miles south of Acapulco) took 3 very long days. Almost all sailing at a snail’s pace. We stopped in Marquez to refuel then head back a couple hours later. The rest of the trip, to Hautulco, was 2 days of windless grey. 20 miles off shore with overcast skies that melted into the water with no visible separation. Hot, long and boring. Not much else to say. We were even too hot and bored to eat, and you know how we travel on our stomachs.

refugio de potosi in zihautanejo

2010-01-30T14:38:00.000-05:00

this is an amazing nest, about 3-4 ft long. i can't remember the name of the bird that builds the nest but i've seen several around town in restaurants. wish i could bring one home

a hummingbird nest about the size of a quarter

backside of the nest - built very strongly

one of the lizzards shot through the glass of the terrarium

one of the iguanas in the terrarium

one of the turtles in the tererarium

a very sweet coatimundi

i can't remember the name of this bird but he was following us around and very obnoxious

inside the butterfly pavilion

one of the macaws roaming the grounds

the foot portion of a humpback whale

jim buddying up to one of the parrots roaming around. he looked a lot like our deceased nameless parrot.

whistling duck

lizzard pile-up

horned owl

before i forget i wanted to post some pictures from our trip to El Refugio de Potosí just outside town. http://www.elrefugiodepotosi.org/. it's a center for wildlife conservation and environmental education. we stopped on our way back from the kayak trip into the mangroves. Laurel runs the place and she trains and educates local kids about the animals being kept here. we saw a butterfly pavilion, a walk-in iguana terrarium, parrots and macaws, several that roam freely, ducks, snakes, scorpions, hummingbirds, a horned owl sitting on a perch, and raptors. anyway, it was quite wonderful.

leaving zihautanejo on jan. 30 '10

2010-01-30T14:10:00.000-05:00

i finally got my turk's head ankle bracelet

this was my view last sunday. jim and i tried to figure out how to weave the turk's head knot around my ankle and he was patient enough to finally get it done

our favorite hang out is cafe marina where we ate many breakfasts

when the internet connection was lousy at the computer store we moved over to garraboa restaurant. my chiliquiles breakfast was great and they were very accommodating, allowing us to sit and email pretty much all day

one evening we decided to sit and watch the women's volleyball game at the basketball court which is down the street from cafe marina

when we were out making water a couple days ago one of the cruise ships was coming into the bay. a few days ago there were 2 cruise ships in at the same time

the motor has arrived. we're provisioned and we're ready to leave zihautanejo this afternoon. yesterday we dealt with offloading the broken motor and spent sunset time on s/v Blue Bottle talking about what to expect in Central America and heading over to Ecuador. the more we hear the more excited we get about all the interesting places to visit along the coast.

the bay here is beginning to fill up with boats for sailfest which starts this coming tuesday. we're sorry to miss out on the fun but we've spent way too much time here which will affect our stops further south. this morning we had a few sprinkles and there's rain predicted today with increased winds, but right now i see blue sky. a good time to leave.

although internet connections are spotty, we do enjoy hearing from you. we like to know what you're thinking, what's keeping you busy and anything else you'd like to share with us. feel free to drop us an email. linda can be reached at lindapowers.007@gmail.com and jim can be reached at jamesafair@aol.com.

19 days in zihautanejo but who's counting

2010-01-23T12:17:00.000-05:00

yesterday at the computer store. now i ask you, how often do you see this at your internet site?

our favorite breakfast joint here, cafe marina. looks out at the bay and is across from the very local fish market.
some of the artwork next to me just now.

jim emailing two days ago before we heard there's a delay with the motor.

i'm at a wonderful restaurant down the street from the outboard motor store. stormy weather is playing but the weather here is anything but. and so the saga continues.
we're still waiting for our outboard motor. while we love being here in zihautanejo (and i can easily spell it now) we are anxious to get going. we've been here 19 days. at least we don't have the bug problem we had in barra and elsewhere. the marine "store" where we bought the motor isn't very forthcoming about when it will arrive, maybe saturday (which is today and they're closed) maybe monday. we were bummed wednesday when they told us. our recovery was staying on the boat thursday and reading. and reading. and reading. i'm half way through "girls like us" which is a hefty 600+ page biography of carole king, joni mitchell and carly simon. for those of us women who came of age in the 60s it's quite a reminder of those crazy years we lived in. jim finished one book and has started another, something about death and destruction i think.

yesterday we kayaked back into town for breakfast at our favorite spot, cafe marina. then it was to the computer store but the connection was too slow to do anything. back at the boat later in the day we discovered jim's kayak has a huge leak so he can't use it and we have no way of fixing it. now he's reduced to rowing the dinghy in to shore and dealing with putting the wheels up and down on the sand (not an easy task). our frequent motto these days is "well it could be worse". let's hope not.

mangrove kayak trip in zihautanejo jan. 9 '10

2010-01-20T12:41:00.000-05:00

where we got our kayaks for the day

roadside memorial for an apparition of the virgin of guadalupe which appeared on this tree

fruit stand on the way to the mangroves

daub-constructed cabin, made from adobe mud, along the road to the mangroves

roadside fish joint

there were actually about five iguanas in this palm tree. this guy was huge.

he's feeding on shrimp. we saw him in the pond on the way to the mangroves.

one of the ponds we passed on the way to the mangroves.

i have a new motto - give up on being perfect and having this blog be in chronological order. i get too hung up on the whole business and then don't want to post. having said that, this post is about being in zihautanejo (since jan. 5). good grief i can't believe how long we've been here. anyway, one day rolls into the next but there have been a few highlights.

January 9 for example. here's my journal entry. It was a short-lived working motor celebration. Up early to motor in to meet Jack and family for a kayak tour. The motor worked just long enough for us to leave the boat then it quit. For good. We rowed back to the boat, transferred our gear to our kayaks, and paddled to shore – late. But the rest of the day was incredible.

We drove through small villages to get to the mangroves where we spent hours in a relaxing kayak tour. so many birds it's hard to recall them all but here's a partial list: juvenil white pelicans, red & white mangroves, cormorants, frigates, great blue herons, egrets, reddish egrets, green herons, white ibis, wood stork, whistling ducks, wood rail. brian was our tour guide and he was very knowledgeable about the area, the flora and fauna. if you're ever in zihautanejo be sure and take one of his tours (zoekayaktours.com). jim just reminded me there are two tour options but the second one into the lagoon he offers only to locals because it's often used as a body dump from warring drug lords. he said it scares away the tourists.

then he drove us into a small village where we bought some local salt which is mined in the mangroves. we ended the tour by stopping at the refugio de potosi. this place is truly amazing. laural runs the place and has trained young locals to educate us on the inhabitants: great horned owl, hummingbirds of various kinds, kingbird, snakes, scorpions, lots of parrots and macaws, several sitting out on open perches. and then there's the butterfly enclosure, iguana area, raptors, and indigenous trees and plants. there's more but my memory fails me now.

and now, looking at all my pictures, i realize there are too many to put in this one blog. more to come.

sudden squall in zihaut

2010-01-16T17:15:00.000-05:00

we had a very exciting (and scary) evening yesterday. jim put up the boat cover (at my insistance) to help keep the boat clean from the boobies and pelicans. we had just settled into the cockpit to watch the sunset and watch the lightening flashes move around the bay. then we heard the thunder. a few sprinkles of rain and we closed the hatches. just as we were discussing how wonderful the cool weather was, the squall hit. we were pelted with horizontal rain that felt like hail, and the wind (clocked at 35-40) caught our sailcover trying to make us airbourn. it dragged our anchor and us into another boat. while jim was scrambling to take down the boat cover i was fending off the bow sprit of the other boat. i had to untie our dinghy and both kayaks to give to them for safe keeping. we got the motor started and reanchored in the dark once we knew nothing would fowl the prop. later we discovered jim's kayak paddle was gone and a couple back cushions for the kayaks and a pair of his shoes. no real damage to either boat. we were lucky. it could have been worse. in the aftermath of debriefing we realized (okay i realized) how important it is to always always always be prepared. don't leave things on deck, don't leave boat covers up at night.

sorry, no pictures of all this. it wouldn't have been a pretty sight, both of us dripping wet.

today it's calm, slightly overcast, and we have 3 boobies sitting on our bow.

this is not a boobie

more to come.

pizza and crocs in ixtapa

2010-01-15T14:08:00.001-05:00

yes they really do have crocs swimming in here - jim saw one

what a great pizza rustica - pear and gorgonzola - yum!

here we sit, jim and i, side by side in a computer store in zihautanejo. our backs ache but our emails are almost caught up. outside i see pale blue skies with scattered clouds. we both wish we were back at the boat lounging and read. but we're not.

i'm waiting for him to finish his emailing and then we're going out for lunch. while i'm waiting i thought i'd post some pictures of our quick trip to ixtapa a couple days ago. we needed to get out of the bay here in zihaut. to make water, and the only fuel dock is next door in ixtapa. since we've been anchored in zihaut. since jan. 4 we decided it would be a good idea to spend the night in the marina and get the boat cleaned AND have showers. i don't know who needed a bath more, the boat or us. we needed waders to get through the guano on deck - really. we seem to be the pit stop for all boobies and pelicans in the area. it was wonderful to have some local guys clean the boat. they even came over to zihaut. yesterday to clean the boat bottom which had a healthy crop of barnacles growing in nutrient-rich bay water. they had to come over to zihaut. after we reanchored because crocodiles roam the marina in ixtapa. in fact jim saw a big one while he was cleaning the dinghy. sorry, no picture of him (the croc not jim).

we also had a couple of great meals while we were there.

once again we ran into friends who arrived in the marina just before us. margie and bob on a boat with no name came over at sunset. just as bob was unpacking margarita fixings we were attacked by a swarm of relentless mosquitoes that drove us down below. the down side of living in the tropics. we had good food and conversation way into the night.

outboard ordeal in zihautanejo

2010-01-14T12:34:00.000-05:00

we've gotten comfortable here, as you can tell

the fish market in front of where we eat breakfast at cafe marina

we're still in zihuatanejo. it's the saga of the outboard motor. we thought it was fixed in barra but when we tried to use it after arriving here jan. 4 we got about 2 feet from the boat and it quit. so we took it in to a local guy who worked on it. got it back, used it once, and it quit AGAIN. we debated chucking it overboard for a mooring, but have decided to go to plan B. we're going to buy what the mexicans use, a yamaha 2 stroke. but it's complicated, takes time to order and receive so we're here for another 5 days or so.

we love zihuat. more to come about our time here but for now i just wanted to make an initial entry to update the blog. internet is not easy. i have to put my computer in a drybag and kayak to shore then walk to the store to buy time for hookup.

more to come.

bugs bugs and more bugs in barra

2010-01-01T18:25:00.001-05:00

this has to be a quick post as i've squandered away the day here at the sands hotel in barra de navidad. the bugs are relentless and there's no breeze so it's time to pack up the computer and head back to the boat.

but first i wanted to do a quick summary. we left tenacatita and motored over to la manzanilla on the south side of the bay - for breakfast. yes we do travel by our stomachs. then we had to motor out and make water for 4 hours. we had wind so we sailed (oh darn) then headed back to tenacatita to anchor for the night. next morning we left and spent 2 more hours making water then headed into barra de navidad lagoon. we've been here several days. here's what we did:

got the dinghy motor fixed

had some great meals

spent time with scott and marlo on allegro

took a taxi to melaque (for food at the hawaiian market)

jim found a guy that makes corn beef here in barra

bought crossants from the french baker who comes out to your boat

showered poolside

spent new year's eve with many cruisers from the lagooon and had a really nice time - except jim didn't get his coconut shrimp - they forgot!

we leave tomorrow morning and continue our crawl south. above is a mix of pictures from here. more to come in a week or two.

jim and i both wish you a much improved happy new year and look forward to seeing you down the road.

sure doesn't feel like xmas

2010-01-01T17:12:00.000-05:00

it definitely doesn't feel like xmas here in tenacatita. i was up at 6:30am sitting in my hammock to watch the sunrise and it was spectacular with vibrant colors so jim could sleep in. he'd been busy the night before getting us a xmas tree! we met scott and marlo for a dinghy ride into the jungle river which is really the mangroves here. armed with cameras and bug spray we had a delightful ride through the overgrown but well-maintained swamp. egrets and other birds were hidden among the bushes and it was a beautiful ride. we ended at playa escolleras which is a small village of palapas along the beach. we got back in time to make something to take to the cruisers' potluck on the beach and spent the balance of the day lounging and looking out at the ocean. it definitely didn't feel like xmas.

xmas eve in tenacatita

2010-01-01T16:33:00.000-05:00

we left sometime around 9 and arrived in tenacatita at 1:30. a great anchorage, winds are 13 knots and building. i kayaked briefly along the cliffs and saw a few odd things - a pelican sitting in a tree, cactus growing out of a rock, a waterfall of cactus down a cliff, and cactus growing next to trees with vines draped around them. jim and i swam around the boat and cleaned the boat and dinghy bottoms. just as sunset was unfolding a couple we met in the sea of cortez back in march came by. turns out they'd arrived just behind us so we enjoyed visiting with them. i got my hammock up and gave it a short test. a day xmas eve for us.

one of those days

2010-01-01T16:26:00.000-05:00

good thing yesterday was relaxing because today was anything but. before we left chamela i wanted to see the town of chamela. we were actually anchored in perula but we didn't know that at the time. okay it was my idea to do this and jim agreed to take a short walk because i bribed him with a breakfast in town. HA. we explored the small town and kept asking where's chamela and people kept pointing down the road. i offered to hitchhike (grandkids, don't get any ideas here). surely there would be taxis to bring us back. a mary kay sales rep woman stopped for us. jim and i had to wedge ourselves into her teeny backseat and her little boy wouldn't take his eyes off jim. i should mention she drove like a wild race car driver and it took us 20 minutes by car to arrive at "chamela" which turned out to be nothing more than a taco stand. and of course no taxis. once again i hitched a ride from a pick up truck on it's last legs. our first experience riding in the back with the wind in our faces. he dropped us off a few miles later. another ride from a guy who spoke no english and didn't understand our spanish - not to mention we didn't know the name of the town where we were anchored. but we got to ride in the cab with him and he took us right back to the beach. a brief refresco on the beach and we were really glad to get back on the boat.
we left chamela at 1pm. fairly soon underway we saw a whale off our starboard and then boobies were flying eye level with us looking for fish.
then the autopilot went out. jim discovered the oil reservoir came off its mount and lost some oil causing it to suck in air. after a short time of hand steering he got it fixed. then we discovered the electronic charts we had for careyes (our next anchorage) were way off. we arrived in careyes about 3pm and tried to anchor 3 times but the anchor didn't hold. tired and frustrated we headed back north a short distance to a sweet spot called rancho paraiso. it's a private residence, a former coconut plantation nestled back in a small cove. 2 guys in kayaks came out to let us know it's private but we could stay the night. we spent a very pleasant night with a power boat also anchored there. thankfully a good ending to a frustrating day.
careyes, by the way, looked fabulous with the most amazing homes built on the hillsides. there was tons of snorkling and kayaking opportunities but alas no room for us this time.

kayaking around isla coronado in chamela

2010-01-01T15:59:00.000-05:00

up at 6:30 and into the kayak by 7:45. i paddled over to the outcropping of rocks and watched the fishermen casting their nets (for bait?). i stopped to chat with the kayaker i saw yesterday and he suggested anchoring over by the islands inside the bay so i suggested we do that soon as i got back to the boat. we were anchored by 9:30 and by 10 i was kayaking around isla coronado. jim wasn't feeling well so he slept hoping to feel better. it took 1.5 hours to circumnavigate this little isla and i saw boobies perched on cactus, ribbons of pelicans flying overhead, tiny bays with shear walls and beach full of tents. weather was perfect and the water is warm. nearing the end of the day, as the sun crept closer to the horizon, a large flock of birds with a loud clacking sound swarmed over the bay, across the beach, along the cliffs, like they weren't sure where to go. we reanchored back at perula and spent the rest of the day relaxing. jim needed to sleep so i read.

dorado dinner in chamela

2010-01-01T15:48:00.000-05:00

journal entry for dec. 21. up at 6:22am and out of ipala by 6:42. we're getting faster at all this. sails were out by 7:15 but the wind dies. sunrise color is beginning in the sky and the landscape is like torn paper. jim already saw his first dolphin of the day. weather is perfect but we're still waiting for wind to sail. the coastline is one long continuous beach with barren land - it's beautiful in its raw state. can't tell if there are any roads, i sure hope not to ensure it stays pristine. CA has lost all of this by building on all it's coastline so it's a real thrill to see so much here.

end of the day on winter solstice and we arrive in chamela at 3:30, anchoring near the tiny town of perula. our dinghy motor won't start and jim worked on it for hours to no avail. we'll have to wait until barra to get it fixed. the hills behind me are pink and the water is purple. the moon and soon jupiter will show up. mexican music drifts our way from the local cantina. 5 tiny silver fish skip by on their tails across the water. surf is a constant background of white noise. there are 7 of us here. 2 sailboats that have been following us from ipala. armando came by and offered us a dorado he caught earlier, along with a bag of ice. jim cooked it for dinner and we dined by sunset.

sunset in ipala

2010-01-01T15:35:00.000-05:00

journal entry dec. 20:
left at 6:30am heading around cabo corrientes. the hills are covered in something pink. dolphins came by to play in the bow wake and we saw whales close to shore. we arrived in ipala at 2:30 but it took a while to anchor. by 3:30 i was in my kayak paddling over to a small outcropping of rocks that make a perfect place to practice surf conditions. later in the day i tried cleaning more of the boat bottom. 3 other boats anchored nearby. jim even got into the water and scrapped some barnacles with his fingernails. stir-fry for dinner was a nice ending to a perfect day.

las animas dec. 19

2010-01-01T15:20:00.000-05:00

journal entry for dec. 19

up at 6am after not much sleep from all the banging as we rolled a lot in the surf. i wanted to capture first light, that elusive time before sunrise, the moment hard to pin down as first light. off in the distance was mismaloya looking like a bowl of fog. it was quite cold and the wind whipped my hair and stiffened my fingers. as the stars drew back i could see greater contrast in the landscape. by 7am the first panga came by and then a long line of pelicans drifted off the land low across the water, their wings barely touching. roosters have been crowing since i first got up and an occasional dog barks. the clouds lift and then it happened - another sunrise turns the sky soft pink to orange, a color i want to fall into. the day has begun. more pelicans fly by now, in pairs. lights are turned off inside the houses dotting the hillside and it's not yet 8am. a panga motor hums in the background.

we decided to motor over to yelapa for breakfast which means we made it by noon. a small bay with mooring balls only and expensive - 200 pesos for all day so we only stayed a couple hours.

reanchoring we decided on a nice spot just south of las animas. we have a sea breeze during the day and land breeze at night. little rolling so we slept better. just as i was prepping my kayak we saw a whale fairly close by and i tried to kayak over but i was way too slow. it felt good being back in the kayak. i tried to clean the boat bottom after i kayaked over to quimixto but there's too much surge.

quiet in quimixto dec. 18, 2009

2010-01-01T15:02:00.000-05:00

journal entry after leaving la cruz:
out into banderas bay i saw my first turtle - he was big like a floating boulder. then a whale off in the distance. a few dolphins and a frenzy of feeding fish. it's like glass and a thick cloud of smog hangs over vallarta. no surprise with all the traffic. we motored passed los archos and mismaloya, which is quite built up and nothing like i remember back in 85. tomatlan was too deep to anchor. las animas was a zoo with jet skies circling the boat and pangas racing back and forth. lots of party people. at 3:30pm we anchored at quimixto where it's more quiet. 3 large commercial cats and power boats are anchored waiting to pick up the visitors. tour boats left by 5pm then just lots of high-speed water taxis until 6pm. now sunset has passed and there's a slight breeze so it's wonderfully chilly and quiet. one last panga as night falls leaving a big wake causing us to rock and roll. i hear roosters in the distance and waves hitting shore. we experimented by cooking dinner on the bbq to avoid heating up the boat down below. huge long lines of pelicans fly past the bow as we eat dinner during sunset. i can see the lights of PV across the bay and grey clouds cling to the hillside at the edge of this tiny bay. now it's really quiet.

leaving la cruz

2009-12-18T09:55:00.000-05:00

christmas in the cab

and at mega store for salvation army

sunrise yesterday morning here in the marina

we did have fabulous sunsets just off the stern

and reflected in the water

so we leave la cruz in about an hour. we've had a great time while we were here and are very grateful to dave for driving us all over to run errands. we spent a lively evening at philo's last night for dinner and music and enjoying the company of alan and chris and dave.

next stop is across banderas bay, anchorage to be determined says jim. we'll spend a few days there then round cabo corrientes and gunkhole down the coast.

tromping through bucerias

2009-12-15T19:09:00.000-05:00

after breakfast this morning this is how i felt as we wandered around bucerias.

interesting stone work on one of the walls we passed

and murals in one of the alleyways

and another mural

and then we saw the woman working

it was a nice change to get back on a mexican bus. it's been overcast today and slightly muggy. on the way back to the boat we ran into jim's friend dave from berkeley so they're off doing their guy thing while i'm experimenting with the updated blog software. it looks like nueva vallarta is full, so we'll be staying here in la cruz for the next couple of days and then start working our way south. thankfully i have a good internet connection.

not for the weight conscious

2009-12-15T08:39:00.000-05:00

we've heard a lot about frascati's from other cruisers so we had to try it. oh my it was fabulous. no pictures because we consumed before i could grab my camera. they make their own pasta! we both left lbs heavier but with smiles on our faces. then last night we were going to have pizza at philo's. jim's mouth has been watering just waiting to try his pizza. and he was closed. so we went to the black forest instead. run by some german transplants, jim was not disappointed in his ghoulash and i had a really refreshing salad. another night of waddling back to the boat. good thing we're leaving soon or we'd not fit through the companionway.

before and after in la cruz

2009-12-15T08:03:00.000-05:00

dec. 24 2005 standing next to ana bananas looking out at the bay

dec. 14, 2009 i tried to find the same vantagepoint but couldn't because the land next to ana bananas was fenced in (which didn't stop me from taking the pictures below) so this is looking back at ana bananas and that sweet little beach is somewhere inside this fenced area, covered over with landfill, and the marina is behind me.

jim and dave dec. 24 2005 on the patio next to ana b's. it's not a great shot but they were looking out into the bay which was easily accessible.

dec. 24, 2005 - sign in front of ana bananas

dec. 14, 2009 - almost the same shot but slightly different angle where jim and dave stood 4 years ago. now, of course, the "view" is a landfill berm and big sign boasting the progress in town.

dec. 14, 2009 - i walked around back of ana b's where it's fenced in to try and get a shot of where that sweet little beach was - all i saw was abandoned property and the biggest ant hills i've ever seen.

dec. 14, 2009 - another slightly different shot where jim and dave had stood - with today's view.

and here's ana b's today. apparently they serve great ribs.

so why am i making such a big deal about all of this? because in 4 short years this wonderful little town has been hit by a tsunami of concrete and gringos. i know i know things change and for some it means jobs and a better life. but i'm guessing not for many that lived here, the ones who had to move because they can't afford to live here anymore. this just reenforces our desire to get out and see the world now before more of it gets turned into a concrete jungle.

okay i'm off my soapbox now. happier blogs to follow.

la cruz in the am

2009-12-15T07:30:00.000-05:00

we had our engine started and pointed out to sea by 7am on dec. 12. from chacala it took us 7 hours to get to la cruz. in the four years since we've been here, this little town has undergone enormous change. more about that in the next blog. we saw some familiar boats here at marina riviera nayarit la cruz. time is confusing here. nayarit (where la cruz is) is on mountain time but jalisco (where pv is and the airport) is on pacific time so we have to keep checking with people about what time they're referring to. anyway, the sunset came later because we switched to pacific time, and it is beautiful here (the sunset not the marina).

so yesterday i headed into town very early to avoid the heat and snap some pictures. had breakfast at hikuri which is a little cafe/gallery with two very sweet dogs, the one above is half ridgeback. journal entry is....tea and mollete will be served shortly. wow is it good. toasted pan spread with refried beans and cheese and salsa. wandering through town this early am, i shared the street with several mexican dogs looking for food or socializing with each other. they really know how to make the best of a situation. roosters crowed, small children sat on the sidewalk where women were sweeping. by 10am i could feel the heat on the my back - time to head back to the boat. and i did bring jim half my breakfast.

obsession with palm trees in la cruz

2009-12-14T16:48:00.001-05:00

Click here to view these pictures larger

this was an experiment to see if i could transfer (i guess i'm supposed to call it upload) photos from the photo blog to here. it works. we've only been here a couple days but the long walk out of the marina into la cruz is lined with palm trees, many of them still young and not so tall. i've been obsessed with them (and other flora) so decided to indulge myself.

more to come in the next post about la cruz.

feels like paradise in chacala

2009-12-13T19:05:00.000-05:00

journal entry dec. 11

we left isla isabela at 7am, heading south to chacala. i can tell we're getting close to land, i see clumps of sedge grass floating by, often with a small bird riding on top. about 1.5 hours more before we get there. i've napped and read and allowed my mind to slip sideways as the water flows by. we arrived at 4pm and it's hot with barely a breeze. we quickly get over to shore for a look around and a bite to eat before the sun sinks. sitting under a palm thatched palapa having beer and guacamole and chips we watch the sun sink behind chesapeake. our feet are dug into the sand and neat rows of waves crawl up the beach. jim ordered coconut shrimp in honor of eddie and anastasia who introduced us to it at memines in mazatlan. we wish they were here with us. the walk back to the dinghy was tricky in the dark (and no flashlight) over what i call ankle busters - those cobblestone roads. the tiny town looked deserted on our walk in but now it's alive and spending the evening in outside patios and plastic chairs propped against concrete walls. while i dodged the larger rocks in the road jim was clawing at his ankles from the bobos at the beach.

and more from isla isabela

2009-12-13T18:53:00.000-05:00

anchored off las monas

boobie in flight

gotta love those feet

the giving of nesting material

more to come and more on the shutterfly photo blog, eventually.

and then there are the babies

2009-12-13T18:46:00.001-05:00

journal entry

i saw a tiny white fuzz ball protected by 2 parents and another stretching his corkscrew limbs. jim pointed out a third larger baby on a ledge all alone. the hike up the hill on the "trail" was difficult and would have been impossible if not for clumps of grass as footholds.

and now for the close ups

2009-12-13T18:39:00.000-05:00

the top 3 pictures are boobies, the rest are frigates. i'll have more pictures on the shutterfly photo blog soon if i can get a good wifi connection.

they're everywhere

2009-12-13T18:21:00.000-05:00

nest are small and large dripping down from the stunted trees

trees crowded with nesting frigates

frigate drying himself off i guess

i had to watch where i walked because iguanas were everywhere, young and old. they didn't scoot away like they did at el cid.

frigates perched everywhere

more journal entries...

dec. 10 - after fried egg sandwiches it took forever to get the dinghy into the water. i think it's a job for the dock not the deck. we dinghed over to the south side, the fishermen's village of maybe 7 huts to get an ever better (is that possible?) look at the nesting birds. oh my gawd it was fantastic. birds everywhere. so many different kinds making different sounds of mating and welcome and stay away. many of the trees were only 5 ft tall so their nests were at eye level. the nest sitters didn't budge as we walked by within touching distance. it's our western galapagos or dawin country.

vibrating and bobbing the boobies are everywhere

2009-12-13T17:56:00.000-05:00

fishing gear at fisherman's camp

food fight among the pelicans

more fishing gear

fisherman's camp on the south side

view of the south anchorage and we're not there among them

this is where we're anchored in front of las monas

we finally made it to isla isabela which is south of mazatlan and north of puerta vallarta. i'm working on a drawing that will show where we are but it's not ready yet. anyway, here are my journal entries...

i'm on the 2-4am watch (dec. 9) the seas are calm and the boat is doing the sideways waddle at 6.52 knots under power. the sail is backlit by a half moon and the big something boat is now passing our stern. air is warm - perfect sailing.

i'm just starting my 6am watch. the sky is opening up into a soft palette of yellows and oranges, like a friendly yawn or smile. we're about 2.5 hours away from isla isabela and the moon is overhead in its half sphere. no boats in sight. oh wait, something large is on the horizon, a freighter or cruise ship i suspect. i see our empty slip (in mazatlan) in my mind - it felt like home.

9:30am and we're at isla isabela. 6 boats sit in the preferred anchoring on the south side so we're over on the east side next to Las Monas. as we approached 4 boobies fought for squatting rights on our weathervane. jim was not happy. mainsail came down and away they went, all 4 of them. the isla has a haze of birds flying over it. from our anchorage i can see birds sitting in the tops of trees. water is a healthy clear turquoise and we can see the fish and sandy bottom 23 ft. down.

it's been a lazy sort of day after anchoring we both slept until early afternoon. i got my kayak blown up and waited for jim. it was an easy landing onto the beach and blue-footed boobies are everywhere, in pairs courting with vibrating throats and bobbing heads. their beaks touching and swaying. frigates sat in the short trees aloof and uninterested in me. the beach was full of coral and a few shells. a saw an odd fish, dead, with blue lips. jim says they're teeth because the fish chew on the coral.

last days in mazatlan

2009-12-07T09:11:00.000-05:00

lorie, gene and ken last night at pedro y lola

cello player at te amo lucy's

new tattoo

gene's hands on guitar

outside ken and lorie's patio

valentino's at night on sabalo

quinceanera photo op at sunsetconfirmation photo op at sunset

we've been in mazatlan for 6 months now and it's time to leave and head south. we had a test sail last week to make sure everything works and it does. weather was perfect and we even put up the mainsail and the jib for some light wind sailing. off on the horizon were 3 spouts and whales breaching. we're ready to go. our first destination is isla isabella and then on to la cruz and beyond.

marathon for everyone

2009-12-07T08:54:00.000-05:00

i heard about the marathon on the cruiser's net. they started at 6:30am and would be going right past el cid marina so how could i not go? i was joined by 2 other cruisers and we stood on the median and cheered them all. what an experience. i made eye contact with so many who seemed very appreciative of our support. in the end, our voices were horse and our hands stung from 2 hours of clapping. but it was so worth it. there were people from all over the world participating, but but i was particularly touched by the people with physical challenges. the wheelchair men and women sped past at lightening speed. the blind runners thethered to their running partners went quickly. the amputees on crutches kept up with their fellow runners. young and old, fit and flabby jogged past us. two men really touched me - the guy in the wheelchair going backwards because he had to push with his left foot, the only part of his body he could move. and then the last person, on crutches, with obvious difficulty in the photo above.

turtle release in mazatlan

2009-12-07T08:43:00.000-05:00

i dragged jim down to the malecon for the turtle release last friday. it was a loooooong walk as the road was closed for several events. i couldn't believe how many people were there. we climbed down a rickety ladder to get in line for a turtle. they're so cute and squirmy. we all stood behind the yellow tape on the sand. when they said put your turtle down we felt proud and sad to watch him slowly make his way toward the water. jim said it was worth the walk.

estoy satisfecho outside capula

2009-12-07T08:33:00.000-05:00

and then lino took us to his favorite roadside diner - literally beside the road. there was a guy inside playing his guitar and singing. people kept coming to eat or pick up food to go. the owner was very nice and made me guacamole and brought me tortillas hot off the griddle. jim, of course, was in heaven with his meat. estoy satisfecho.

if you ever happen to be in morelia we highly recommend staying at lino's b&b la posada de san antonio - www.laposadadesanantonio.com/

capula cemetary

2009-12-06T16:41:00.000-05:00

we stopped briefly at this cemetary in capula. i saw briefly because i could have spent all day here taking pictures. we were hungry and i was way over my limit of "oh i'll just be an hour in capula". never trust a photographer with time.