Reaching our Farthest Points South... Part One (of Three)

We left Bahia Navidad and all our friends there on a Monday not too long ago. I just cant keep up with this blog the way I'd like to... By now, I am so far behind it seems almost silly to go backwards and recount all our adventures... But here goes!!! We loved it Bahia Navidad but were ready for a change and a slowing of the pace. Buddy Boating is great fun but coordinating so many people can get complicated. Our wonderful friends on Vales Valeo had headed South for Ixtapa. We were all attempting to get to Zihuatanejo before the SuperBowl so that we could see the game there together and so that we could be there in time for the SailFest activities and for Max to catch his flight home to Seattle for two weeks to take his exams and see his Dad and friends there. We stopped for two nights in Las Hadas, Manzanillo. It was a lovely anchorage in front of a wilting but lovely resort. LOUD, though, again. Construction all day long and loud music into the early morning. For $200 Pesos, we could tie up to the dinghy dock and use the pool and facilities at the resort. Always lovely to swim in fresh water and the pool was quite pretty but the resort felt tired after the glorious Wyndham Isla Navidad. We were joined there by Unleashed and then Sand Dollar. We had a really fun pizza/Italian dinner at one of the restaurants by the marina there and the next day I provisioned at the nicest WalMart we've been to as we steeled ourselves and prepared for the 36 hour trip down to Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo. The trip was quite easy and although we (AGAIN) did not catch any fish, we were boarded by the Mexican Navy for a "routine inspection". It was a little uncomfortable having someone with a machine gun onboard but the shiny-shoed YOUNG officer who took down our information was charming, respectful and non-threatening. They also boarded Sand Dollar and Unleashed who were following behind us.

The Mexican Navy boarding Sand Dollar, after us

We were so glad to get to the bay at Zihuatenajo! Such a lovely place. And the town was as charming and interesting as Barra Navidad. Some great shops and restaurants and an amazing "Central Market" replete with the skinned cow carcases and hanging meat, stands with tons of shoes, ones with piles of clothing, vegetable stands, cheap plastic kitchen items, pirated DVDs, and incredible "loncherias" for food. We had a great lunch sitting at one of the benches. The women all marvel at Sam's blond hair but thought she was a boy! That has never happened before. They all want to touch her hair. Suzy told me it is because they want to know that if they are staring it is not because they are giving her the "evil eye" and the touching of her head is to reassure her. Who knows! The SuperBowl was crazy. Many, many Americans and Canadians crowded the many bars and restaurants who were catering to that crowd. Our friends Vales Valeo, Sand Dollar, Unleashed, Neko all gathered to watch the game. We alternated between the beach where the kids played in the sand and the bar where they watched with the grown-ups. There was no marina and no dinghy dock but there were some guys who set up a little business "helping" the dinghies land and then watching them for $10 Pesos in and $10 Pesos out. It was actually really nice because we could go swimming or go for showers or load up the dinghy with heavy groceries and leave it there and it was safe. Alphonso, Jesus and Jose. Nice guys. The saddest part of our trip happened the next day. Vales Valeo needed to keep moving down the coast. I had become so attached to my new friend Suzy, her chipper husband,  and their wonderful girls. Kaley (who befriended Sonia), Samey (who loves Anna) and I were in tears to have them depart. We won't see them for awhile as they are headed to Costa Rica, Galapagos, crossing the Pacific and farther and won't return to their Redondo Beach, California home until the summer of 2015. Such great friends. But then, the SailFest began! I will cover that in Part Two and publish this now...

Max and Samey underway

My three Perfections on the iPad by the pool in Las Hadas

My Baby

LOVE these girls... Anna, Sonia, Kaley and Samey

She wrote SAM by herself...! Cute...

Two Peas in a Pod... Ben and Easton

I got my dinghy badge!!!!

SO PROUD,  I am!!! Thanks, Scoutmaster Brian!

Some photos from Bahia de Navidad

No, this is not a Mexican. It is our Marcus! iPad in hand, as always!!

Our friends Randy, Nancy and Adam Sysol from m/v Antipodes. WONDERFUL people.

The entrance to town on our way back from visiting the Port Captain

The only Post Office I have seen in Mexico. 

Approaching The Sands Hotel where we parked the dinghy when going into town.

Barra de Navidad from the dinghy

Julie Butler Dillard (S/V Sea Otter) and Max (they are buds)

Poolside at Hotel Cabo Blanco with awesome friends Julie and Mike Dillard (S/V Sea Otter)

Marcus and JC (S/V Sand Dollar) - BFFs

Street tacos

At The Sands Hotel. Not sure why this paper mache doll was there but Samey sure "made friends" with her...

Wonderful new friends, Suzy, Paul, Sonia and Anna Kortenkamp from S/V Vales Valeo, a family that we originally met by chance on Catalina Island and who we've now met up with again after keeping in touch via email... BIG LOVE for me, this family. Such wonderful people. And Samey also adores sweet Sonia and Anna.

Two old cruisers at The Sands Hotel

Ben, Max, Easton and Nate (both from S/V Sand Dollar at The Sands Hotel, geeking it up with their Nintendos

Reflections: 25 Things You Get Used to Cruising in Mexico

1. Trash. Everywhere. On land and at sea.
2. Loud music blaring from bars/palapas into the wee hours of the morning.
3. Free-range dogs everywhere.
4. Small limes. Tons of them.
5. Kamikaze birds dive bombing everywhere.
6. Salty towels.
7. Shower stalls that lacked forethought in their construction.
8. Frustrating internet choices, often worthless.
9. VHF radio.
10. Cruiser's nets on the VHF radio.
11. Bugs.
12. Fishing nets. In your way.
13. Plastic everywhere.
14. Plastic washtubs used for food preparation.
15. Sodas often more costly than the food. Our favorites are "Lift" (carbonated apple) and Fresca (grapefruit flavor).
16. Spontaneous alters for the Virgin Mary and other saints. In someone's yard. Between fences, etc. Often gloriously decorated.
17. Safety hazards that remain unprotected and unmarked. Like playgrounds with sharp metal and holes in the slides.
18. Long walks from docks to the bathroom.
19. Small tiendas (shops) that sell small quantities of a wide variety of groceries.
20. Pangas.
21. Everyone greets you as you pass by or responds to your greetings.
22. "Day of the Dead" decorations. I love the skeletons everywhere.
23. Partially-finished buildings, often colorful, often with animals (like horses) in them.
24. Not much coffee or coffee shops (if you like that kind of thing)
25. Tequila. Preferably with the small limes noted in #2.

Moving South...

This is the kind of place we have to live in these days. Really slumming it, right? We are currently in Bahia Navidad (yep, Christmas Bay) and the marina is part of the Wyndam Grand Resort, Isla de Navidad. Gorgeous. Glorious after 8 days anchoring and getting salty and stinky and low on food. The pools are fabulous, replete with water slides and a bar you can swim up to. We felt like we arrived in heaven! So civilized. But man is it HOT here. And hot is not always pleasant.

Marina Puerto de la Navidad, Wyndham Grand Resort, Isla de la Navidad in the background

Appa in our slip

As you can probably tell, we were finally able to tear ourselves away from Banderas Bay - Puerto Vallarta and La Cruz - after more than a month there. We loved it there and it was actually hard to leave it, knowing that we had only just begun to explore all that the area has to offer. Knowing we’ll be back in March helped some. Marcus wants to do the Banderas Bay Regatta in March so on our way back up the coast to further explore the Sea of Cortez, we'll be stopping there again. And we'll go back to Costco... OMG that was an amazing experience. A cool slice of home and familiar goodies and presentation and even cheap hotdogs! But we had miles to go... and barnacles to swish away. We were eager to get off the docks/marinas and get moving again. Hard to imagine I would say that but now that we are halfway through our adventure, it seems to be speeding by us. Marcus has decided that his best weather window to get the boat safely back to Seattle is to leave the southernmost tip of Baja California around the last week of May, first week of June, heading to Hawaii (three weeks) and then from Hawaii to Seattle (three weeks), chasing the currents and avoiding a bash up the coast. He has already started to focus on that aspect of the trip which oddly annoys me a bit since we still have so much to do before then. But I get it. We need that all to be in place sooner rather than later so our friends who are coming to help him deliver the boat have time to make travel and life plans. As you can tell, I have opted NOT to do the crossing with Marcus. I am not comfortable with it, especially with Samey aboard. It is too long to be “trapped” on a boat at sea for her and it would not be enjoyable for me to be “trapped” with her care, potentially seasick for days on end. She's a great little sailor girl and quite comfortable on the boat but not being able to get off the boat or run around or swim would prove unhealthy for her, I am sure of it. You should see her swim these days... Ben and Sam are eager to get back to “the blue house” and talk about it constantly. Samey even told me she had a dream about it. I know, however, that they will miss these days on the boat once we are back home and back into the routines there. I know I will, too. It's not easy living like this but it sure is "living". We are lucky to be able to do this, I know it. So, sooner than I can imagine, I will fly up to Seattle with the kids. 

See the whale fluke? It was swimming in the anchorage when we woke up!

Samey, Easton (S/V Sand Dollar) and Ben swimming off the boat in Ipala

Checking the "rope swing" connections at Ipala (village in the background)

There goes Marcus! 

Since we left Banderas Bay, we have made some great stops. Our first stop was Ipala. The guidebooks did not seem enthusiastic about it but we had a marvelous time. The whole family loves to be able to jump off the boat into the warm, clear waters. Its not something you can do in La Cruz or Puerto Vallarta. We did at Punta de Mita and Tres Mariettas but it had been some time and everyone was happy. Marcus rigged up a rope swing with the spinnaker pole and the boys (and Kaley) from Appa and Sand Dollar made fools of themselves trying to hold on and splashing into the water. Marcus and I dinghied into the little town to check things out and see if it would be a good idea to have a meal there. We have been burned by our less than enjoyable stay in the beautiful Yelapa with the incredibly unfriendly reception we received there so we were a bit wary. But Ipala was delightful. We were immediately welcomed by "Cande"who threw our garbage bag into the back of his pick-up truck and offered to take it for us. He explained (in Spanish so I may not have understood everything...) that the statue of the Great White Shark (with a baby doll in its mouth! So funny!) was there to honor the fact that even as recently as the revolution, there were tons of sharks in the waters and now there aren't many. He and his daughter "Gaby" have a restaurant there on the water and we told them we were coming back with everyone for dinner. Marcus and JC had lobster and Shauna and I had red snapper and the kids had shrimp tacos and it was a fabulous dinner. I finally was able to give the local kids (who were all beautiful) the pencils and stickers and books that we had gotten in Target for that exact purpose. It was fun to see them all running around the sea wall in front of the marina and on the beach right there with their "gifts". Gaby's brother was the ponga driver who picked us up and dropped us off. "Fernando". I kept singing the Abba song in my head, too. We left the next morning for Chamela.

 

Silliness underway...

A wonderful bay, great beach and easy anchorage. One of our least glorious dingy beach landings, though. Samey even lost her pants, we crunched the dinghy tires and the dingy we had a fish swimming in it! We didn't capsize but we were all drenched. Waterproof backpack proved worthy! NO internet again. Not even Telcel. And NO bank. And we discovered we had NO Pesos! Oops. Thankfully, Max had some and so did Ben so we borrowed from the kids!!! The town was odd. Like a thoroughfare. Many tiendas with, oddly, tons of beach toys. We were glad to have been there over the weekend and to see the Mexican families playing together and swimming and enjoying the surf. Antipodes showed up which was great fun for the kids. They love our powerboat friends and their son, Adam. Samey loves their kitties - Fiddlesticks and Oreo. And then, happily, we were joined by Vales Valeo again!! 

Off to swim and fish in Chamela Bay

Three Mexican lovelies

They were coming for just one night there and as we had been there in the bay for several nights we decided with Sand Dollar to travel with them to Paraiso. What a lovely little cove it was. But the wind picked up and by nightfall, we knew we were in for a VERY rough night at anchor. YIKES. But we all just went to bed and the kids slept from 8:30-8:00 am. We left as soon as we could and headed to Bahia Navidad. We love this place. The town is so colorful and has so much character. And the resort has proven to be SO much fun for everyone. Lots of bugs... HOT... but a wonderful place. Internet still IMPOSSIBLE but we do what we can. More to come as we are now leaving for Manzanillo!

Driving Ms. Dinghy

I am finally earning my Dinghy badge. Yup. Took me half the trip but, hey, better late than never? Yesterday, I loaded up Suzi and her oldest daughter Sonia (S/V Vales Valeo) and Kaley (S/V Sand Dollar) from where we are all staying at the Marina Isla Navidad, started the motor, backed up, turned around and got out of the marina, across the bay to tie up at the Sands Motel in Barra de Navidad to go shopping in the village, dodging pangas all the way, and did it ALL BY MY SELF. No Marcus. No Max. Of course, the girls helped me and didn't cringe too much. And then I did it all again to get us back again... in the dark and lightning (I did, however, forget the flashlight/lightsource - dangerous in Mexican waters but we hadn't planned having so much fun shopping that we would end up coming back in the dark). Scoutmaster Brian... Did I earn that badge? (No photo attached since I was too busy avoiding the wakes to also take photos. But I have witnesses!).

The miracle of dolphins

Riding on the noses of two dolphins!!!!

I want to apologize for blogging so infrequently. I want to write more but it is such a challenge. The internet (or lack of it), the lack of time alone with my thoughts AND a computer at the same time, the worry about what to post, the food, the schooling, the messy boat, the cluttered boat, the laundry, the too many books I have been reading, the pure exhaustion when everyone is actually in bed - it makes for putting my blog last on the list of things to do in a day. But then, yesterday, we had such an amazing experience that I can't help but blog... We went to Aquaventures (Nuevo Vallarta - yes, we are still in Banderas Bay after a month!!!), a water park that has a "dolphin experience", and got the "Royal" package.  It was worth every penny!!! Everyone - adults too! - loved the water park with slides and tubes and lazy river and "the toilet" and "the tooth breaker" and the works (but the whole park was small, just the right size and NOT crowded!!). The whole crew from Sand Dollar, Eric and Cora (age 3) from Rebel Heart, Isiah (age 5) and his mom Helen from Raireva joined us, as well as Steve and Sasha (age 5), our new friends from Bucerias. The little kids loved the young kids section and spent HOURS there together splashing and sliding. Just some of us (Sand Dollar and us, minus Marcus and JC who watched) went over to do the dolphin experience and went back to play afterwards. What absolutely amazing animals they are. We had such a great time!! 60 minutes in a group of 10 (including Samey!!). In true Mexican style, it was a casual and fun experience. Not hyped. Not too many rules. Not too regimented. Relaxed. Refreshing. I wasn't even sure if they would let me take Samey with me but they did and not only did they let her get in the pool with us, the instructor went out of his way to let her ride on her own in the pool with one of them on its tummy. Such kind and gently creatures. It was one of the most singularly exhilarating experiences of my life to see her just holding on and riding on the dolphin's tummy. It was breathtaking! She is so brave, so independent! And Benny was so brave, too. And Max just kept saying how he wants one for his own!!! He loves dolphins. I wonder if he could ever craft a life for himself working with them. I am SO glad we did this here.