Thursday, April 26, 2007
Huatalco to Barillas El Slavador
We crossed the Tehuantapec without any major traumas. We traveled with four other boats two of which had minor mechanical problems on the way—a 4 day 500 mile trip—and I am sure although they were able to resolve their issues themselves it was reassuring to them to have the support of the other boats. We maintained a six hourly radio schedule so was fun to chat on the way. We had our usual combination of wind calm and current. A surreal time was had in absolutely calm seas when we swam off the side of the boat in the middle of the ocean with no land in sight. We were joined by the usual school of dolphins and more turtles than we had ever seen—obviously these kind are not the endangered ones. Some have a bird perched on their shells taking a rest. The current was with us which was great until we had to drift along the last night to avoid getting in before dawn.
We arrived and then the panga came out to escort us over the sandbank—a little disconcerting as the surf is on both sides and you hope he knows where he is going. After the 8 miles up the estuary we arrived at Barillas Marina in El Salvador. It is in an isolated part of the coast—50 minutes along a dirt road to the main town of Uzulutan. The marina is very picturesque with a pool which although not cold enough given the air temperature is a lovely treat.
There are quite a few boats here as it a very secure anchorage and a great base to explore El Salvador or Guatemala.
After a well earned rest we went on a dingy ride back out to the coast with our buddy boater’s stopping at a small village for lunch. This consisted of papusas which is the local El Salvadorian dish, it is a corn based dough filled with a mixture of cheese, beans and pork fat which is flattened and put on a grill. It is very tasty even though I am not sure it would rate on the low cal diet.
We took the trip into Uzulutan to restock our food. It is a chaotic messy town which has noisy market stalls randomly over half of the town. It has nowhere near the order of the Mexican markets and there are hundreds of stalls all selling one type of fruit—I am not sure how the bananas are all sold before they go bad, I think it is a staple of their diet. Plantains are also plentiful as are tomatoes, mangos and watermelons. Everything seems to cost $1 and they just charge you that and give you as many as you get for $1—huge bags of limes and tomatoes so guess we will not suffer from scurvy. The “peasant Spanish” is very different from the more educated Spanish speakers and although I had thought I was doing well it is as though you are learning very correct English and go to Newfoundland.—humbled again!!!!
After a few days we went into San Salvador to take a trip to Guatemala. We got the bus, 5 hours to Guatemala City, a large not very attractive city and we were sure to be in our hotel room with the door locked by 9pm. The next morning we took a 8 hour bus ride up to the small town of Flores which is an island consisting of hotels and restaurants and craft shops which service Tikal—the Mayan ruins—1 ½ hours to the north. The bus trip was very pretty through a very hilly countryside which got greener as we got north, Rio Dulce on the Caribbean coast was very lush and made us hope we will do the full circle and end up going there with our boat at the end of our world voyage. We arrived at dusk and found a hotel easily, Guatemala is like New Zealand in as much as they have a system of mini vans which transport you to your hotel and help make all of your arrangements for any tours or onward travel. There are many young people backpacking through Guatemala and they continue to Nicaragua and Costa Rica.
We spent the next day exploring the town which is very quaint and picturesque and took a panga tour on the huge lake around the island with an old fellow by the name of Michel who reminded us of Ken’s dad.
The next morning we were picked up at 3.30am in the mini van to go to Tikal. At 5am we arrived and started walking in the pitch black through the jungle. It was very eerie as the howler monkeys would howl as we got near their territory sounding more like tigers than monkeys, a chilling feeling. As the sky started to lighten we arrived at the huge temple 4 of the ruins to watch the sun rise. We climbed the 65 metre tall temple and sat on a ledge high above the jungle beneath. As dawn approached the sounds of the jungle awakening was spine tingling. First the monkeys were howling and then the chorus of the hundreds of bird species began and the sun arose in the east lightening up the temples in front of us. It was heightened by glancing down and seeing a tarantula crawling on the stone beside us. It was truly an awesome experience.
Tikal was major centre of the Mayan people dating from 200BC to 500AD having 150,000 people living there at the peak. It covers 120 square kilometers and there are temple both uncovered and still covered by the jungle vegetation. It is incredible to walk through the jungle and find the buildings arising before you. We were fortunate to have a wonderful guide who not only was able to explain the various structures and their significance but he had an amazing sense of the environment and was able to find us many birds and animals on our walk. We climbed many of the temples and on top of “the pyramid” were able to sit with the treetops just below us and watch the parrots and toucans flying below us and the monkeys in the tree tops.
We found coatamundis, turkeys small foxes and many different birds and monkeys.
We were happy that we had made the effort to take the early morning trip as as the day got hotter the animals and birds disappeared and the number of tourists increased.
We returned to Flores to catch the night bus to Antigua arriving the next morning. Antigua was the original capital of Guatemala when the Spanish invaded but after a series of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions they decided to move it to Guatemala City. This meant that Antigua remained as it was and is very beautiful with old buildings and cobblestone streets. There are many Spanish language schools there and we would have loved to have taken the time to spend a week or more taking a course but our time is limited as the hurricane season is approaching and until we get to Ecuador we cannot spend too long anywhere. As in Mexico we arrived to a festival which appeared to be encouraging reading for children as there was a great parade of fairytale characters. Everywhere we went in Guatemala international restaurants abound, we never did find out what the typical food was but enjoyed tapas, pizza and kebobs.
Our next adventure was a day trip from Antigua to Chichicastenango (Chi Chi for short!!!) market. This is the largest market in Guatemala and the Mayan people come in from their surrounding villages selling their beautiful weavings and masks. We succumbed and bought a number of beautifully woven pieces, a tablecloth for our outside table and a wall hanging—pictured in the attached pictures. The bargaining was fun—similar to being back in Asia and seems as though if you get about half the asking price you are doing well.
We returned to Antigua and the next day made the trip back to San Salvador and then back to the marina. Our trip was very short and pretty intense and certainly did not make us feel we had really much more than a superficial understanding of Guatemala but was still well worth it.
We are at present hauled up on the land at the marina and are having the bottom of the boat repainted. They use a less environmentally paint than in Canada with a higher percentage of copper so we are hoping the barnacles respect this and attach themselves less rapidly than before.
When this is done we will continue our voyage, if we have time we will go to the Cocos Islands to do some diving otherwise straight to Costa Rica to meet up with Roz and Bob from Comox who will spend a week with us—bringing more needed things from Canada—be forewarned that although we would welcome a visit form all of you we expect you to come laden with what we can no longer buy here!!!!
Till next time
Wendy and Ken
We arrived and then the panga came out to escort us over the sandbank—a little disconcerting as the surf is on both sides and you hope he knows where he is going. After the 8 miles up the estuary we arrived at Barillas Marina in El Salvador. It is in an isolated part of the coast—50 minutes along a dirt road to the main town of Uzulutan. The marina is very picturesque with a pool which although not cold enough given the air temperature is a lovely treat.
There are quite a few boats here as it a very secure anchorage and a great base to explore El Salvador or Guatemala.
After a well earned rest we went on a dingy ride back out to the coast with our buddy boater’s stopping at a small village for lunch. This consisted of papusas which is the local El Salvadorian dish, it is a corn based dough filled with a mixture of cheese, beans and pork fat which is flattened and put on a grill. It is very tasty even though I am not sure it would rate on the low cal diet.
We took the trip into Uzulutan to restock our food. It is a chaotic messy town which has noisy market stalls randomly over half of the town. It has nowhere near the order of the Mexican markets and there are hundreds of stalls all selling one type of fruit—I am not sure how the bananas are all sold before they go bad, I think it is a staple of their diet. Plantains are also plentiful as are tomatoes, mangos and watermelons. Everything seems to cost $1 and they just charge you that and give you as many as you get for $1—huge bags of limes and tomatoes so guess we will not suffer from scurvy. The “peasant Spanish” is very different from the more educated Spanish speakers and although I had thought I was doing well it is as though you are learning very correct English and go to Newfoundland.—humbled again!!!!
After a few days we went into San Salvador to take a trip to Guatemala. We got the bus, 5 hours to Guatemala City, a large not very attractive city and we were sure to be in our hotel room with the door locked by 9pm. The next morning we took a 8 hour bus ride up to the small town of Flores which is an island consisting of hotels and restaurants and craft shops which service Tikal—the Mayan ruins—1 ½ hours to the north. The bus trip was very pretty through a very hilly countryside which got greener as we got north, Rio Dulce on the Caribbean coast was very lush and made us hope we will do the full circle and end up going there with our boat at the end of our world voyage. We arrived at dusk and found a hotel easily, Guatemala is like New Zealand in as much as they have a system of mini vans which transport you to your hotel and help make all of your arrangements for any tours or onward travel. There are many young people backpacking through Guatemala and they continue to Nicaragua and Costa Rica.
We spent the next day exploring the town which is very quaint and picturesque and took a panga tour on the huge lake around the island with an old fellow by the name of Michel who reminded us of Ken’s dad.
The next morning we were picked up at 3.30am in the mini van to go to Tikal. At 5am we arrived and started walking in the pitch black through the jungle. It was very eerie as the howler monkeys would howl as we got near their territory sounding more like tigers than monkeys, a chilling feeling. As the sky started to lighten we arrived at the huge temple 4 of the ruins to watch the sun rise. We climbed the 65 metre tall temple and sat on a ledge high above the jungle beneath. As dawn approached the sounds of the jungle awakening was spine tingling. First the monkeys were howling and then the chorus of the hundreds of bird species began and the sun arose in the east lightening up the temples in front of us. It was heightened by glancing down and seeing a tarantula crawling on the stone beside us. It was truly an awesome experience.
Tikal was major centre of the Mayan people dating from 200BC to 500AD having 150,000 people living there at the peak. It covers 120 square kilometers and there are temple both uncovered and still covered by the jungle vegetation. It is incredible to walk through the jungle and find the buildings arising before you. We were fortunate to have a wonderful guide who not only was able to explain the various structures and their significance but he had an amazing sense of the environment and was able to find us many birds and animals on our walk. We climbed many of the temples and on top of “the pyramid” were able to sit with the treetops just below us and watch the parrots and toucans flying below us and the monkeys in the tree tops.
We found coatamundis, turkeys small foxes and many different birds and monkeys.
We were happy that we had made the effort to take the early morning trip as as the day got hotter the animals and birds disappeared and the number of tourists increased.
We returned to Flores to catch the night bus to Antigua arriving the next morning. Antigua was the original capital of Guatemala when the Spanish invaded but after a series of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions they decided to move it to Guatemala City. This meant that Antigua remained as it was and is very beautiful with old buildings and cobblestone streets. There are many Spanish language schools there and we would have loved to have taken the time to spend a week or more taking a course but our time is limited as the hurricane season is approaching and until we get to Ecuador we cannot spend too long anywhere. As in Mexico we arrived to a festival which appeared to be encouraging reading for children as there was a great parade of fairytale characters. Everywhere we went in Guatemala international restaurants abound, we never did find out what the typical food was but enjoyed tapas, pizza and kebobs.
Our next adventure was a day trip from Antigua to Chichicastenango (Chi Chi for short!!!) market. This is the largest market in Guatemala and the Mayan people come in from their surrounding villages selling their beautiful weavings and masks. We succumbed and bought a number of beautifully woven pieces, a tablecloth for our outside table and a wall hanging—pictured in the attached pictures. The bargaining was fun—similar to being back in Asia and seems as though if you get about half the asking price you are doing well.
We returned to Antigua and the next day made the trip back to San Salvador and then back to the marina. Our trip was very short and pretty intense and certainly did not make us feel we had really much more than a superficial understanding of Guatemala but was still well worth it.
We are at present hauled up on the land at the marina and are having the bottom of the boat repainted. They use a less environmentally paint than in Canada with a higher percentage of copper so we are hoping the barnacles respect this and attach themselves less rapidly than before.
When this is done we will continue our voyage, if we have time we will go to the Cocos Islands to do some diving otherwise straight to Costa Rica to meet up with Roz and Bob from Comox who will spend a week with us—bringing more needed things from Canada—be forewarned that although we would welcome a visit form all of you we expect you to come laden with what we can no longer buy here!!!!
Till next time
Wendy and Ken
Friday, April 06, 2007
Thursday, April 05, 2007
Patzcuaro
As we continued our Southwards voyage along the Mexican coast it became clear there was a vast amount of the country inland which we had not seen.
We took a couple of short trips but the place we kept hearing about from fellow cruisers was Patzcauro.
While we were anchored in Zihuatenejo, a cruiser friendly safe anchorage we arranged for several nearby boats to check on ours for a few days.
We caught an early morning bus which was, as we have found all long haul Mexican buses, extremely comfortable with reclining seats with a lot of leg room, movies, snacks and bathrooms on board. Mexico also has a great system of toll highways so the five hour trip up into the mountains was painless.
Patzcauro is 7400 feet above sea level so the temperatures in the day are hot but you need a light sweater in the evenings, a nice relief from the heat on the coast.
The history of this region dates back to the Tarasco people who built pyramids dating back to 450AD. They repelled the Aztecs but were friendly to the Spaniards when they arrived. Conquistador, Nuno Bertrande Guzman was sent by Spain in 1529. He was a very cruel ruler and after a period of carnage Spain decided to send Vasco de Quiroga a judge and cleric from Mexico City to repair the damage. He established a society in which education and agriculture self sufficiency was emphasized and each village developed their unique craft specialty. These traditions continue today and he is revered with plazas and towns named after him. The next turbulent time was during the independence movement in the early 1800’s when another heroine Gertrudis Bocanegra was shot by firing squad in 1818 after both her husband and son had been killed in the fighting. She is also remembered with a plaza named after her.
The architecture and buildings in the town date back to the 1500’s and it is very picturesque town of 30,000 people with cobblestone streets and beautiful buildings with tiled roofs, it is hard to remember you are in Mexico not in Europe. The treed central plaza from which the rest of the town radiates is the hub of activity. It is surrounded by former mansions which have been converted to hotels and restaurants, most of which supply outdoor seating. We had most of our meals outside on the square as life went by. Tarasco soup which is a tomato and cream based soup with beans and crispy tortillas was a delicious specialty. American style desserts including cheesecake and black forest cake were available with cappuccinos so it was quite a treat.
We stayed in the prettiest hotel imaginable. The central courtyard was blue and orange stucco with plants everywhere and huge wooden beams, breathtaking.
The people appear to be affluent and well educated, we talked to a local man who currently lives in Houston but was having his children educated there to avoid the drugs and violence in the USA schools. The friendly people are justifiably proud of their community which has a deeply rooted colourful culture.
As we ate our breakfast on the square on our first day it started to fill with people. Hundreds of kindergarten age children all dressed in costumes, most girls were butterflies or some beautiful winged creatures and the boys various animals—there is no gender confusion here!!! They had a parade complete with marching bands around the town and it appeared it was the first day of spring. There is always a reason to have a celebration in Mexico, it seems every weekend there is a festival.
It was also Friday which meant market day and all of the surrounding villagers bring in their wares. One of the most unique was the native Indian people who have herbal remedies for all that ail you. They had cures for cholesterol, asthma, back pain and blood pressure to name a few; these appeared to be roots and plants from which you would make tea.
We continued to explore and found the former convent which had been converted into working craft studios where you could watch people make their crafts as well as purchase their products. Lacquer ware, brightly coloured woven fabric, painted wooden masks and corn husk dolls were amongst the local crafts.
The basilica was lovely with a domed ceiling and had a revered figure of the Virgin; this particular one is believed to heal. Pilgrims come from all over Mexico for a miraculous cure.
The library had a huge and beautiful mural depicting the history of the region from the original Tarasco Indians to the present day.
In the square in the weekends an energetic dance troupe performed the dance of “The Old Men” regularly. The origin of this is not clear but adds colour to the already colourful town.
In the evening we happened upon a dance performance put on by two local dance troupes, one was traditional Mexican dancing and the other Mexican style country western. The caliber of the concert was amazing and it appeared that they were raising money to send them to Chihuahua for Easter weekend for the National Championships. They should do well.
We hired a taxi for one day to take us to the surrounding local villages.
We started at the village of Quiroga which specializes in wood products. These ranged from trinkets for $1 to beautifully hand crafted wooden furniture.
We then went to the archaeological site at Tzintzuntzan where huge pyramid structures dating back to 450AD are being excavated. In 1978 an intact tomb full of ceramic offerings was found and the explorations continue.
Santa Clara del Cobre another town we visited was based around a copper mine and every craft imaginable made from copper was available. Jewelry, platters and vases and even the bandstand in the town square were all made of copper.
There are towns which specialize in huge stone carving, ceramics, one of straw where corn husk dolls are made and one which makes guitars. The guitars are beautifully crafted and range in price from $50 to about $500 for one inlaid with beautiful woods.
We finished our tour at the small lovely Zirauin Lake which is of the tears of a Tarascan princess who lost her loved one and her spirit lives on in the lake.
We would have loved to have had more time in this area as it is a craft lover’s paradise but the season is running down and we need to move on.
We continue our voyage and are readying to cross the Tehuantapec to go to El Salvador but are thankful that we had this window to this lovely region.
It is a place to consider as a vacation spot for anyone traveling to Mexico.
We took a couple of short trips but the place we kept hearing about from fellow cruisers was Patzcauro.
While we were anchored in Zihuatenejo, a cruiser friendly safe anchorage we arranged for several nearby boats to check on ours for a few days.
We caught an early morning bus which was, as we have found all long haul Mexican buses, extremely comfortable with reclining seats with a lot of leg room, movies, snacks and bathrooms on board. Mexico also has a great system of toll highways so the five hour trip up into the mountains was painless.
Patzcauro is 7400 feet above sea level so the temperatures in the day are hot but you need a light sweater in the evenings, a nice relief from the heat on the coast.
The history of this region dates back to the Tarasco people who built pyramids dating back to 450AD. They repelled the Aztecs but were friendly to the Spaniards when they arrived. Conquistador, Nuno Bertrande Guzman was sent by Spain in 1529. He was a very cruel ruler and after a period of carnage Spain decided to send Vasco de Quiroga a judge and cleric from Mexico City to repair the damage. He established a society in which education and agriculture self sufficiency was emphasized and each village developed their unique craft specialty. These traditions continue today and he is revered with plazas and towns named after him. The next turbulent time was during the independence movement in the early 1800’s when another heroine Gertrudis Bocanegra was shot by firing squad in 1818 after both her husband and son had been killed in the fighting. She is also remembered with a plaza named after her.
The architecture and buildings in the town date back to the 1500’s and it is very picturesque town of 30,000 people with cobblestone streets and beautiful buildings with tiled roofs, it is hard to remember you are in Mexico not in Europe. The treed central plaza from which the rest of the town radiates is the hub of activity. It is surrounded by former mansions which have been converted to hotels and restaurants, most of which supply outdoor seating. We had most of our meals outside on the square as life went by. Tarasco soup which is a tomato and cream based soup with beans and crispy tortillas was a delicious specialty. American style desserts including cheesecake and black forest cake were available with cappuccinos so it was quite a treat.
We stayed in the prettiest hotel imaginable. The central courtyard was blue and orange stucco with plants everywhere and huge wooden beams, breathtaking.
The people appear to be affluent and well educated, we talked to a local man who currently lives in Houston but was having his children educated there to avoid the drugs and violence in the USA schools. The friendly people are justifiably proud of their community which has a deeply rooted colourful culture.
As we ate our breakfast on the square on our first day it started to fill with people. Hundreds of kindergarten age children all dressed in costumes, most girls were butterflies or some beautiful winged creatures and the boys various animals—there is no gender confusion here!!! They had a parade complete with marching bands around the town and it appeared it was the first day of spring. There is always a reason to have a celebration in Mexico, it seems every weekend there is a festival.
It was also Friday which meant market day and all of the surrounding villagers bring in their wares. One of the most unique was the native Indian people who have herbal remedies for all that ail you. They had cures for cholesterol, asthma, back pain and blood pressure to name a few; these appeared to be roots and plants from which you would make tea.
We continued to explore and found the former convent which had been converted into working craft studios where you could watch people make their crafts as well as purchase their products. Lacquer ware, brightly coloured woven fabric, painted wooden masks and corn husk dolls were amongst the local crafts.
The basilica was lovely with a domed ceiling and had a revered figure of the Virgin; this particular one is believed to heal. Pilgrims come from all over Mexico for a miraculous cure.
The library had a huge and beautiful mural depicting the history of the region from the original Tarasco Indians to the present day.
In the square in the weekends an energetic dance troupe performed the dance of “The Old Men” regularly. The origin of this is not clear but adds colour to the already colourful town.
In the evening we happened upon a dance performance put on by two local dance troupes, one was traditional Mexican dancing and the other Mexican style country western. The caliber of the concert was amazing and it appeared that they were raising money to send them to Chihuahua for Easter weekend for the National Championships. They should do well.
We hired a taxi for one day to take us to the surrounding local villages.
We started at the village of Quiroga which specializes in wood products. These ranged from trinkets for $1 to beautifully hand crafted wooden furniture.
We then went to the archaeological site at Tzintzuntzan where huge pyramid structures dating back to 450AD are being excavated. In 1978 an intact tomb full of ceramic offerings was found and the explorations continue.
Santa Clara del Cobre another town we visited was based around a copper mine and every craft imaginable made from copper was available. Jewelry, platters and vases and even the bandstand in the town square were all made of copper.
There are towns which specialize in huge stone carving, ceramics, one of straw where corn husk dolls are made and one which makes guitars. The guitars are beautifully crafted and range in price from $50 to about $500 for one inlaid with beautiful woods.
We finished our tour at the small lovely Zirauin Lake which is of the tears of a Tarascan princess who lost her loved one and her spirit lives on in the lake.
We would have loved to have had more time in this area as it is a craft lover’s paradise but the season is running down and we need to move on.
We continue our voyage and are readying to cross the Tehuantapec to go to El Salvador but are thankful that we had this window to this lovely region.
It is a place to consider as a vacation spot for anyone traveling to Mexico.
Zihuatenejo to Huatulco
We arrived in Zihuatenejo to meet up with Jack and Judy before they left to go south.
Zwhat as it is commonly known by cruisers is a picturesque town set on a bay with a long sandy beach. It is a “cruisers major stopover” and each February cruisers have a sailfest where they raise money for the disadvantaged children in some of the poorer Indian communities. Subsequently many boats had been there for months and it was strange to arrive and know fewer boats that we had known before. Many of the boats we had been traveling with had gone north before this and only a few continue south.
Nathanial, a local fellow has seen an opportunity and spends his day on the beach helping everyone pull their dingy up on the shore and watches them all day. Cruisers tip him and he makes a good living during the season.
We had a few good days with Jack and Judy and went into the square on Sunday night where there was yet another festival—I am not sure what this one celebrated but who needs an excuse? Ate dinner at a waterfront restaurant—literally, we had a table on the sand which definitely adds to the ambience.
After they left we took a trip to Patzcauro—I have done a separate blog entry for this as it was very special.
We arrived back to await the arrival of Kristen and 4 1/2 month old baby Adelyn. It was lovely to see them again and get some rewarding smiles—the last time I had seen Adelyn she was 2 weeks old. We all learned to adjust our schedules around her and would go into town to shop in between feeds and sleep. We sailed out to Isla Grande for a couple of days with them, a 2 hour trip to a small island where there are only daytime palapas and everyone leaves by 6pm. There is a lovely beach and we were able to swim and snorkel. Adelyn does not appear to have her mother’s early love for swimming and preferred sitting upright in a bucket of water to cool off. She has a cute smile and bright eyes so was able to win the hearts of all of us. She was a little young to appreciate the pokes and prods of all of the Mexican ladies who wanted to see her.
Kristen loved being back in Mexico and we enjoyed roaming the market and streets. We did find the best hamburgers ever-- has avocado and all other imaginable fillings.
All in all it was a great visit and we were sad to see them go.
We then headed to Puerto Angel, down in the Huatulco area where we will await a weather window to cross the Tehuantepec, a notorious passage which you time to avoid 60 knot winds which can be common. It will definitely be one time we will be happy not to have wind!!
Another mostly motoring passage!!! We get about 5 or 6 hours each afternoon of wind with land and sea breezes then it drops. This is a 350 mile passage and takes 3 days.
Ken caught another benito and also a turtle!!! We did manage to get him off—he had hooked his flipper. There are huge numbers of turtles around here. We have had numerous large pods of dolphins who love to play at the bow of the boat. They leap and cavort for quite a while before heading off wherever they were going in the first place. Some leap right out of the air—tried photographing them but you never know where they are going to come up.
Our first stop was a tiny white sandy bay called Jicarel which we stayed a couple of nights and swam and snorkeled off the boat. It was sheltered from the swells and we were anchored all alone—a rare occurrence in Mexican waters.
We then headed off to Huatulco where we tied up in a marina and did all of the necessary regrouping activities to ready ourselves for the passage across the Tuentapec to El Salvador. A lot of boats that we had been with previously are here, Kayak with Betsy and Richard who we had gone to Colima with Seascape from Victoria, a power boat we had been with off and on. They and a contingent of others are all getting ready—documentation to clear out of Mexico, fuel etc. etc. to leave.
Those who have never cruised before can have no idea of the work involved in having a boat and crew actually able to voyage—everyone assumes we are sitting drinking pina coladas under the palm trees but I can assure you that that is not done nearly as frequently as one would like. It is amazing how long the smallest task takes to do and how many tasks there seem to be—just getting some charts photocopied took a day involving several taxi rides. Boat repairs seem to materialize as another is resolved.
It has all of a sudden got really hot—a combination of being a long way south—we are 15 degrees north of the equator—and also it is now spring!!!! Means that the smallest task is now compounded and we are in a constant sweat.
This town is a very tourist based town and amenities abound but it lacks the character of “real Mexico”
We will leave in a few days and will be sorry to leave Mexico, it is a great place to cruise, friendly people with a rich and colourful culture who smile readily and are willing to help in any way. It is a very easy place to travel, very safe and most North American things are available here. On the other hand we are looking forward to our new adventures in lands more exotic.
Hope spring has sprung for you all wherever you are and will next write from El Salvador.
Zwhat as it is commonly known by cruisers is a picturesque town set on a bay with a long sandy beach. It is a “cruisers major stopover” and each February cruisers have a sailfest where they raise money for the disadvantaged children in some of the poorer Indian communities. Subsequently many boats had been there for months and it was strange to arrive and know fewer boats that we had known before. Many of the boats we had been traveling with had gone north before this and only a few continue south.
Nathanial, a local fellow has seen an opportunity and spends his day on the beach helping everyone pull their dingy up on the shore and watches them all day. Cruisers tip him and he makes a good living during the season.
We had a few good days with Jack and Judy and went into the square on Sunday night where there was yet another festival—I am not sure what this one celebrated but who needs an excuse? Ate dinner at a waterfront restaurant—literally, we had a table on the sand which definitely adds to the ambience.
After they left we took a trip to Patzcauro—I have done a separate blog entry for this as it was very special.
We arrived back to await the arrival of Kristen and 4 1/2 month old baby Adelyn. It was lovely to see them again and get some rewarding smiles—the last time I had seen Adelyn she was 2 weeks old. We all learned to adjust our schedules around her and would go into town to shop in between feeds and sleep. We sailed out to Isla Grande for a couple of days with them, a 2 hour trip to a small island where there are only daytime palapas and everyone leaves by 6pm. There is a lovely beach and we were able to swim and snorkel. Adelyn does not appear to have her mother’s early love for swimming and preferred sitting upright in a bucket of water to cool off. She has a cute smile and bright eyes so was able to win the hearts of all of us. She was a little young to appreciate the pokes and prods of all of the Mexican ladies who wanted to see her.
Kristen loved being back in Mexico and we enjoyed roaming the market and streets. We did find the best hamburgers ever-- has avocado and all other imaginable fillings.
All in all it was a great visit and we were sad to see them go.
We then headed to Puerto Angel, down in the Huatulco area where we will await a weather window to cross the Tehuantepec, a notorious passage which you time to avoid 60 knot winds which can be common. It will definitely be one time we will be happy not to have wind!!
Another mostly motoring passage!!! We get about 5 or 6 hours each afternoon of wind with land and sea breezes then it drops. This is a 350 mile passage and takes 3 days.
Ken caught another benito and also a turtle!!! We did manage to get him off—he had hooked his flipper. There are huge numbers of turtles around here. We have had numerous large pods of dolphins who love to play at the bow of the boat. They leap and cavort for quite a while before heading off wherever they were going in the first place. Some leap right out of the air—tried photographing them but you never know where they are going to come up.
Our first stop was a tiny white sandy bay called Jicarel which we stayed a couple of nights and swam and snorkeled off the boat. It was sheltered from the swells and we were anchored all alone—a rare occurrence in Mexican waters.
We then headed off to Huatulco where we tied up in a marina and did all of the necessary regrouping activities to ready ourselves for the passage across the Tuentapec to El Salvador. A lot of boats that we had been with previously are here, Kayak with Betsy and Richard who we had gone to Colima with Seascape from Victoria, a power boat we had been with off and on. They and a contingent of others are all getting ready—documentation to clear out of Mexico, fuel etc. etc. to leave.
Those who have never cruised before can have no idea of the work involved in having a boat and crew actually able to voyage—everyone assumes we are sitting drinking pina coladas under the palm trees but I can assure you that that is not done nearly as frequently as one would like. It is amazing how long the smallest task takes to do and how many tasks there seem to be—just getting some charts photocopied took a day involving several taxi rides. Boat repairs seem to materialize as another is resolved.
It has all of a sudden got really hot—a combination of being a long way south—we are 15 degrees north of the equator—and also it is now spring!!!! Means that the smallest task is now compounded and we are in a constant sweat.
This town is a very tourist based town and amenities abound but it lacks the character of “real Mexico”
We will leave in a few days and will be sorry to leave Mexico, it is a great place to cruise, friendly people with a rich and colourful culture who smile readily and are willing to help in any way. It is a very easy place to travel, very safe and most North American things are available here. On the other hand we are looking forward to our new adventures in lands more exotic.
Hope spring has sprung for you all wherever you are and will next write from El Salvador.
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