Aeeshah

 

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After leaving Mazatlan we set sail for Isla Isobel. The weather was predicted to be reasonable for several days and we both really wanted to visit.

Isla Isobel

is located approximately 15 miles off the coast of Mexico and was just a small detour for where we were eventually headed. The over night passage was another calm, easy run.

However we did keep seeing large buoys or groups of buoys that were anchored with what appeared to be massive nets attached underneath. We considered these quite a threat to night time travel. However, we never had a problem. 

 There are 2 anchorages at Isla Isobel, the south and east anchorages we anchored in the east anchorage as it offered the best protection from the wind and swell. We were between a small island and the main island, there was one other boat there at the time. However that changed and we ended up with 4 other boats.

The island looked very parched, browned, from where we were but we could also see hundreds of birds. The birds were on the shores, in the trees, flying above and in the water. They are what most folks come to see, and the reason is simple:

The birds found at Isabel

Isla Isabel is one of the main nesting islands for seabirds in the Pacific. Notably, nine seabird species are known to breed in large numbers on Isla Isobel.

There are, over 11,000 Blue-footed Boobies, Brown Boobies, large colonies of the magnificent Frigate birds, (Man of war Birds); Yellow-Rumped Tropicbirds, Gray Pelicans, Terns, and Brown Noddy are some of the seabird species that call Isla Isabel home.

Marine life is also rich, with over 24 shark and ray species, three species of sea turtles, the California Sea Lion, Humpback Whale and Killer Whale – orcas.

We had visited primarily to see the birds as it was the tail end of nesting season.

Looking down into the water we could see that it was actually quite clear. I thought I would try a snorkel around….. After getting all my gear out and ready for the 1st time in months, I was quite disappointed as it was still too murky – nutrient rich, to make snorkeling worthwhile. The water however was lovely and refreshing for a swim and we both enjoyed a refreshing swim. 

Next came out our paddle boards. This time we were able to sit and kneel on them. We paddled around the island that was nearby. John actually managed to stand and paddle. However he found it made him dizzy….

Background of Isla Isobel:

Isla Isabel National Park is a Mexican national park and protected area. It was one Jacques Cousteau’s favorite places. Cousteau himself made the recommendation to the Mexican government to designate this island as a National Park. He spent a great deal of time there and made several specials for TV about Isla Isobel.

1st venture ashore

The next morning we set off to go in the dinghy around where we were anchored and to head to the south anchorage where there was a good beach to land.

1st we cruised the shoreline across from where we were anchored was a sandy beach. On the beach were many birds, mainly Boobies, terns and gulls. We went past slowly, not one was bothered by us.

Further along we could see a camp in the brush, we later learned it was occupied by university students sent there to do important bird studies and counts.

Further along were cliffs that again were covered by birds, all types, pelicans, boobies and others. Out at the small Islas we were both amazed by the incredible rock formations.

These islas are very tall, but have crazy formations that look to be just balanced or hanging there.

Birds again were everywhere, nesting, roosting and soaring above.

I even saw what looked like a Bermuda Long Tail, – a Tropic Bird, but was the Yellow-Rumped Tropicbird.

Next was a venture into the south anchorage.

The island is said to be uninhabited by humans. But, there is a seabird reproductive research program run by UNAM and researchers/tourists can visit to camp, fish and bird watch. Plus, there has always been a fishermen’s camp at the south anchorage. So the term uninhabited is loosely used.

We followed the coastline around and then into the south anchorage. The fishing camp lined the beach, a few boats were moored, a few fishermen were busy with their boats.

After landing the dinghy we walked along to the end of the beach, read the notice board and then took the pathway behind the fishing huts. The pathway headed uphill.

 

Passing the pond, behind the fishing huts. We had to be careful where we trod as the brown iguanas were so unafraid they just sat staring along the dusty pathway.

Isobel is a volcanic island that was formed about 3.5 million years ago. It is about 2 km long and about 3/4 km at its widest point. In the center of the island is a crater that is now a lagoon – Laguna Fragatas. We headed towards the lagoon. 

The magnificent Frigate birds

Isla Isabel is known for its large colonies of magnificent Frigate birds aka man-of-war birds. Along the way there were Frigate birds still nesting in the trees and flying above. The babies that were still there were so fluffy and cute. 

The main nesting and breeding season for birds on Isla Isabel is February to April, it was now the beginning of May, it was the end of the breeding season for the frigate birds many had already hatched, grown and flown the nests.

What we got to see were the few that were left. During the main breeding season apparently thousands of frigate birds build nests in the short, scrubby garlic-pear trees. 

I read that both male and female Frigate birds incubate the egg, which takes 50-60 days to hatch. The male shares responsibility for feeding the nestling for about 4 weeks.

The female Frigatebird then continues to nurture the baby on her own while the male goes off to molt before returning in the hopes of breeding again with a different mate.

A baby bird fledges the nest around 6 months of age, but it is often still being fed by the mother until it is one year old.

Laguna Fragatas

Reaching the top of the hill we saw the crater below with its green hyper saline waters.

It was surprisingly attractive with the bright green waters. Down the hillside passing many more birds to the edge of the crater we went. Next we followed a pathway partway around the crater and up to the top again.

I must say it was incredibly hot, with no breeze or shade and the dry, dry landscape. I was quite happy to head back to the fishermen’s beach.

Back along the shoreline from the south beach we again marveled at the rock formations, the differing colors of the rocks,

the amount of birds roosting and the seas crashing ashore, all timeless.

The following day

we ventured in the dinghy ashore to the nearby beach. We landed the dinghy right next to the boobies and gulls on the beach. They totally ignored us.

Along the beach to where we saw the campsite there were birds roosting, walking, just chilling all around us.

Nearing the campsite we started chatting with one of the students. They were camped out there for the duration of the season, counting, checking, tagging the various birds for the studies that were being conducted.They would work in 2 week shifts, replacing/rotations each other. The fishermen bring supplies and transport them. They all seemed very happy, solar panels for power and even a starlink for communication.

We headed off in the direction of the cliffs, but having to be careful where we trod as there were nesting birds in the pathway.

Blue-footed Boobies were in the thickets, on the rocky ridges closer to shore, along the sandy tree line, sitting and watching us.

A few began to argue, some charged somewhat angrily towards us.  Apparently, the name Booby comes from the Spanish word “bobo” meaning fool or dunce and alluding to the birds’ clumsiness on land.

The males use their blue feet during breeding rituals to impress prospective females.  The more blue the feet, the better a male’s prospects are.  Noticing the bands on the bird’s leg was evidence of the work carried out at the research station by visiting group students.

We looked at the pathway that headed up to where we had been the day before, it looked so very dry and hot, which it is….

Back at the beach amongst the birds I enjoyed looking for shells and bits of coral.

I was surprised by the crabs we saw, they were either bright red or dark black, neither had I seen before.

There were several birds that looked sickly and we guessed that when they were unable to fly they relied on whatever drifted in with the tide.

We both loved our time at Isla Isobel and intend to return. The anchorage had become increasingly rolly, so it was time to head back to the mainland. San Blas was the destination.

Another smooth sail, this time a fast downwind slide to San Blas. We anchored close to where we had before. We stayed the night and then we were off to Chachala.

John had his rod over just because, and he caught a nice Jack.

Arriving at Chachala it was necessary to drop the stern anchor too. The seas were up and the swell was large, rolling ashore and crashing on the beach.

We intended to stay a day there, but I was not happy, it felt very risky under the circumstances so the following morning we were off to Punta Minta.

Punta Minta was much calmer, but there is no shore access due to the large hotels. We left and stopped in the La Cruz anchorage for a few days.

 

“The earth has music for those that will listen” – George Santayana

“Look deep into nature and then you will understand everything better.” Albert Einstein

All good things are wild and free.

PHOTO ALBUM- – >>. https://photos.app.goo.gl/m9qFqvuqpdpAUqms5

 

Leaving, out we go ….

Just a couple of days after having Aeeshah’s bottom job completed we headed out of the marina zone of Mazatlan. Our destination were the Islas Pajaros.

There we had a practice on our new paddle boards. We were both quite happy with the new boards and enjoyed a hour of paddling around Aeeshah. Of course the crowds arrived and so we decided to head to a new anchorage.

Below is the same sunset from differing angles, just amazing skies!

Into main harbour anchorage

Along the way we passed several islands, the one with the lighthouse looked very interesting with its viewing platform at the top by the lighthouse. It turned out that it once was an island but now, due to a Malecom, the southern most hill within the city — it sits 523 feet above high tide.

The anchorage itself was quite ordinary, several other cruising boats were anchored plus a number of local boats. We anchored at the back of the field.

We read that ashore there was a convenient dock at Club Nautico.

John went to ready the dingy for us to get ashore, but the dinghy engine was not cooperative. 

Dinghy engine wows

The dinghy engine would not start, so John knowing it was the carburetor took it off and set to work. Yep he got it going, we went ashore and then had to paddle back due to the engine dying again. This happened every day for several days, until John finally resolved the problem. By then we had ordered 2 new carburetors plus had decided one more engine problem and we leave……  But thank goodness John managed to patch it up.

Mazatlan market, Centro and cathedral

Our first venture ashore we headed into the very rustic Club Nautico dock, tied up went ashore and met the security fellow and all of his cats and dogs. He cares for 6 dogs and over 30 cats, such a good soul.

Right outside the gate we got a taxi and headed into Centro. The majority of taxis are open with shade canopies atop, many are restored Volkswagen cars.

They really are so comfortable to ride in. In the Centro we started our explorations. 

Miguel Hidalgo Municipal Market

1st stop was the market, the Miguel Hidalgo Municipal Market We both enjoy markets there are so many sights to see and the atmosphere is always fun. Of course this is where to buy your fruit and vegetables.

This central market was first started in 1954 on donated land, for the locals to be able to sell produce. It is a lively market offering a variety of fruits, vegetables, seafood and meats, plus some prepared foods, and of course the regular tourist items.

Centro Parque:

We walked around the Centro’s lovely shady, park. Again enjoying the atmosphere of this city.

Basilica Cathedral of Mazatlan

From there we headed to the Basilica Cathedral of Mazatlan.

This cathedral has very impressive architecture, in a Baroque-Revival style of Sinaloa, Mexico. Its history says that work on the temple began in 1856 by order of then Bishop. A later, parish priest Miguel Lacarra took over the work and it was completed 1899. The temple-like basilica was consecrated 12 December 1941.

The inside is stunning! I guess for me it was all the colour tones complemented by the mix of stonework apertures. There was a lady singing a lovely Spanish song, folks worshiping and the whole atmosphere was peaceful.

We set off next towards the waterfront where there was: 

The Malecon (that we had read about):

Mazatlan boasts a vibrant and extensive seafront, featuring the world’s longest oceanfront boardwalk, the Malecon. This is a 13-mile stretch along the sea front offering stunning ocean views plus public access to various beaches.

The Malecon proved to be wonderful! The views across the stretch and beaches, the colours and the wonderful sea breeze made this a stunning walk. 

Mazatlan boasts about its beaches for a good reason, they are wonderfully white unlike many we had seen elsewhere.

There were surfers enjoying the surf, folks sunning themselves, kids playing on a lovely beach and these beaches continue for many, many miles. We walked a short stretch of the Malecon and came upon:

Liverpool Street 

was a surprise for us. This alley is a replica of England’s Liverpool Street, which honors one of the best musical bands of all time The Beatles. The statues of the Beatles are a monument to the members of this group, along with the Yellow Submarine, the British phone booth and the Caravan Club.

From there we headed along a short stretch of the Malecon to a very nice restaurant where we were able to sit outside and enjoy our lunch plus the surroundings. 

Another day set out from Club Nautico on a walk along a stretch of the Malecon. We both loved the views, they were stunning. 

We saw where the zip-line riders land after leaving the distant lighthouse, quite a ride!

Plus all along the Malecon are viewing platforms, wonderful historic statues and colourful murals.

One sight that was somewhat fascinating was Cueva del Diablo, the Devil’s Cave.

There are many legends about this cave, ranging from that it was used by pirates to keep their treasures; to the story that says the devil was released inside when work was done at the foot of the hill, to make the boardwalk /Malecon longer, and the workers claimed that the devil was heard inside.

However, the only truth that has been documented is that it served as a dynamite deposit when the Olas Altas jetty was built, and it was the smell of sulfur that came out of that tunnel that led to the baptism of La Cueva Del Diablo. 

We continued our wander into the Centro and enjoyed a yummy lunch.

Walk along the pier

Another day, we took a short walk along the pier opposite our anchorage. We had daily watched ships entering the harbour, through the breakwater into our anchorage.

And we had seen from Aeeshah how tight it looked. The pier wasn’t very scenic, but as we were strolling along we were able to watch a car ship enter and could see up close just how tight the entrance can be.

El Faro Lighthouse 

Next came the big climb to the top of the El Faro Lighthouse 

We read it is about a 40 minute climb, (John took 40mins, I took 45mins), fairly steep, hike from the bottom of the hill to the top of El Faro. 

The first half has a wide crushed gravel trail. There are stops with look outs at each of the bends in the trail.

The views are stunning!! I also saw several “wild” cats along the way. They each had water dishes and food trays so obviously someone supports the kitties.

Also spied a few lizards, one being on a very prickly cactus. 

The top half of the climb has stairs, about 350 of them.

The stairs are numbered, by 100s so you have an idea about how close you are to the top!

The views continued to be amazing, but it was also quite hot. We became quite familiar with some of the other older climbers, giving each other encouragement and enjoying any shade we could find along the way. 

Finally the top was in sight!! Phew! That was some climb!

At the top we took in the views from all around the lighthouse. There is a great view of the city and anchorage where Aeeshah awaited our return. 

Next we took our turn on the glass platform.

Glass platforms are quite thrilling as they give the sense of being suspended above an enormous drop. Enjoying the breeze on the platform and the beautiful views our 20 minutes passed very quickly.

We had thought of taking the zip-line down, but at $75 each it did not seem worth it. Mind you it really looked to be a thrilling ride, but we have done many zips before.

.Down we walked, it was easier, but harder on my knee. However the views were a great distraction.

El Faro Lighthouse is well worth the hike to the top!

In the anchorage,

at different times during the day and evening we would have tour boats passing.

Not just regular tour boats but they all had big bands aboard, with big band music. To say it was loud is an understatement.

Sometime if a ship was entering the tour boats would have to wait in the anchorage, sometimes right next to Aeeshah.

Time to go,

Came quickly, as we had really enjoyed Mazatlan. Yes, we would agree it is the “Pearl”, it is a lovely city.

We finished off with a final visit to the market and Centro. It was time to head off to our summer hang out spot…..

 “On an ancient wall of China where a brooding Buddha blinks,

 deeply graven is the message, it is later than you think.  

The clock of life is wound but once and no man has the power to tell just where the hands will stop at late or early hour.

Now is all the time you own the past a golden link.  

Go cruising now my brothers

it is later than you think.”

-Author unknown 

 

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To Mazatlan

We headed off to Mazatlan where we hoped to get Aeeshah hauled and the bottom done. Our first stop was the nearby:

Punta De Minta,

where we simply spent the night and left early the next morning for a very long day passage. Again along the way we spied whales and dolphins, plus the usual fishermen with birds circling above.

It is getting late in the season for whales, but still we saw a small pod. The day passage started at around 8:00am. We had in mind to stop at one place….. along the coast, but when we saw the number of huge tourist boats anchored off the island it was a joint decision to push on to Chachala.

Chachala

 

Chachala anchorage was at the end of a bay near the town docks for the fishermen.

Soon after we anchored another sail boat arrived anchoring up for the night too.

There was quite a bit of partying ashore and other than a few banana boats the bay was quiet for the night. The scenery looked quite exotic and we were tempted to go ashore,

but then decided to head out and push for our next stop:

San Blas.

Another uneventful passage, just a few hours of very nice sailing, whales passed by, not seeing any other boats or even fishermen. The scenery ashore changed from a mountainous back ground to that of flat land. We knew San Blas was located in a shallow, sandy, mangrove lined Mazatlan Bay. When we arrived we were both impressed by the size of this bay. It is incredibly large, quite shallow and remarkably calm.

San Blas for a few days

Off ashore the next morning we headed. We had read on one of the Whatsapp chats about one of the shoreside vendors, Baro Sanchez, at Playa Hermosa, who was very helpful in that he would help to get dinghy’s ashore and then watch them.

Sure enough as we headed in we could shore we could see a fellow from one of the cantinas wading into the shallow water to help us. We found that while the bay does not look challenging to get ashore it can be, as the shallows and therefore the surf continues for a long way. Anyway with the help of Barro we were ashore and able to leave the dinghy at the top of the surf line near his restaurant. The tide was headed out so we had plenty of time. 

Barro also took us into the nearby town of San Blas where he showed us where the town square was and the taxis for our return ride. 

We wandered around and picked up some fruit,

had a look down different streets and then,

had a very nice lunch at a roadside cafe. I would say San Blas is a very quiet laid back, dusty, town.

Back at the beach Barro helped us to launch the dinghy and back to Aeeshah we went. 

A San Cristobal river trip

The next day we headed off to do the river trip with crocodiles and bird spotting, that was suggested for when in this area. Again Barro helped us with the dinghy, then gave us a ride to the nearby Matanchen village. At the tour site we waited for a short time and then climbed into a pretty blue launcha/panga. We had a family of 4 with us, they were going to a swim area where there were springs. 

Following the San Cristobal river up stream was lovely, thick mangroves lined the sides and overhung above creating shade.

Saw various birds terrapins and one large croc relaxing on the river banks.

The mangroves changed to trees and wet lands, but still the scenery was beautiful.

Our first stop was to drop off the family of 4 who went to the springs to swim.

We continued up another branch of the river again passing lovely riverside scenery until we came to a dock where we got out.

Here we were told we could wander around and look at other crocs. To be honest we were not impressed.

This area was very poorly maintained and they had not only crocs but other animals locked in small cages.

I guess we stayed all of 10 minutes and then surprised our guide by saying we were finished.

Back down river we went, but not out, no, we went to the springs.

There we were able to get out and walk around. Again in wasn’t that impressive.

Basically, just a clean part of the river where you could access the river and it was safely netted off. The water coloring was quite pretty, but I wouldn’t swim there, too spoilt by clear blue water.

We chatted to the family, wandered around, sat in the shade……

The family had only just had something to eat and still needed to swim, so our guide relented and took us back down river.

That was a fast fun river ride and again through lovely scenery.

Back at the start we set off to walk back to where the dinghy awaited us.

1st we walked through the village where they specialized in selling sweets, baked goods and sea salt.

We bought some banana bread which was excellent.

From the village we reached the shoreline where we followed the dirt lane behind all the beach vendors.

Nearly every place we passed invited us in, “no, gracias” we replied. I must say that lane was quite hot and dusty so I was very happy when we reach …….

There we stopped to have a lemonada and almuerza.

We sat under the structure built out of wood and palm fronds, wonderfully shaded with a refreshing breeze coming off the water and beach.

I wandered the beach, took some photos, watched the children playing in the surf. John surfed his phone….

Our lunch was delicious!

Again Barro helped us to get the dinghy into the surf, however this time things didn’t go quite so well. The surf was bigger so we got slammed, wet, and frustrated. John had to push us out deeper as the surf breaks way out, then the blasted engine would not start!

After many many futile tries to start the engine, John finally agreed to paddle. We had just under a mile to paddle, one of us on each side. It was a real slog! Finally reaching Aeeshah, John realizes, he never brought up the dinghy wheels so no wonder the paddling was somewhat hellish with all the drag of the wheels in the water.

Long quiet passage

There was a passage of about 150 miles to Mazatlan which went very well. We had several hours of sailing and the rest was a motor-sail. All was peaceful, we didn’t see any ships and only saw a few fishermen. We passed several small Islas populated by bird life, hundreds of birds, Blue Footed Boobies.

Mazatlan Islands Ecological Reserve, Islas Venados

We anchored off the Mazatlan Islands Ecological Reserve, Islas Venados. These islands are opposite part of the city of Mazatlan.

All was quiet and peaceful, that is until the afternoon. Come the afternoon the party boats started arriving, the beach filled up with pangas dropping folks off, jet skis starting zooming all over with drivers that drive with their phones up too. It was chaotic. The music wasn’t all bad, but very loud…. Never mind, they left just after night fall.

The next day which was again a weekday, we went ashore in the morning with not a soul in sight. We walked the beach, I enjoyed shelling, John poking around.

We went to follow the trail that led uphill and supposedly to the other side where the seals are, when John blew out his flip-flop. No way can you walk without shoes.

The terrain is very rocky with thorny plants everywhere.

We went back to Aeeshah and intend to return. Just a little later the crowds started to arrive.

Mazatlan marina

We headed into Mazatlan marina for few days. We had planned on having Aeeshah hauled in the neighboring yard to Mazatlan marina. This marina is another huge one, however not as scenic as the previous one of La Cruz.

In fact it’s a very built up area, many high-rises, busy roads and not really appealing. We spent a few days arranging our haul out, plus accommodation. Finding an Airbnb right across the street!

All was timed for right after Easter weekend. We strolled around the area and found there really wasn’t anywhere to go. 

Move to an Airbnb, 

Monday we moved into a very nice Airbnb right across from the marina which is next door to the boatyard. They couldn’t have been any closer, so it was perfect for our purpose. 

Chico was told he was on “holiday” and I think he believed it. He explored every cranny of the Airbnb, hid in every cupboard, tested every chair.

He even tested the security by trying to pull the skirting board off the area by the door.

After a day he chose to relax on the porch and survey the neighborhood, or chill out on the comfortable furniture.

Aeeshah hauled:

Aeeshah came up on the next day, Tuesday. We had the help of a wonderful fellow Antonio. He was an amazing worker! He helped us haul out and just as we settled in the stands he was at work scraping.

We left our marina and around the corner was the haul out yard of Active Marina.

Poor John had to reverse into a very tight dock space. No, we don’t have bow thrusters, all he had was his skill with Aeeshah. We made it.

Believe it or not but Antonio was scraping before we were even on the stands. And by the end of the day he had all the massive amount of growth off. (In the Pacific the growth is incredible, far far worse than in the Atlantic).

By Wednesday he was sanding, doing a very thorough job.

Thursday by 9:00am the 1st coat was applied, by Thursday afternoon the second coat was applied.

Friday morning the patches under the stands were painted.

Aeeshah was back in the water dockside in the marina in time for us to go to a late lunch. The guy was incredible!! Highly recommend Mazatlan for boat work.

Back at dockside we wasted no time stocking up at the very large stores. So that 3 days later we were ready to leave.

In life the things that go wrong are often the very things that lead to other things going right.  Arianna Huffington

A self that goes on changing is a self that goes on living. – Virginia Woolf

 

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La Cruz

Our passage to La Cruz went well. It was an overnight passage to get around Cabo Corrientes a notoriously windy Punta most folks travel at night when the winds lay down. We also expected the passage to take nearly 20 hours, but, we had a very favorable current traveling with us and all conditions were excellent. We therefore arrived and anchored at 3:30am. 

When awakening we found we were anchored at the edge of the anchorage in another humongous bay. There were mountains in the distance and along the shoreline was the usual endless beach. We were right out side of La Cruz marina.

The Marina La Cruz Huanacaxtle in Riviera Nayarit,

Off ashore we went to explore. La Cruz marina offers a dinghy landing for a small daily fee. It also allows trash drop off, so is very convenient.

The marina itself is very large and was very full as it was height of the season for the Pacific fleet to assemble before departure.

There are every type of boat, mega yachts, commercial tour boats, private boats etc. The marina can accommodate up to 340 vessels including boats up to 400 feet long. Yep, a very large marina.

Off to the town we strolled

The town is delightful. One exits the marina and there you are at the town square.

There are several small eateries of which we tried them all and all were wonderful.

For about $15 we could have a good lunch plus a lemonada each. We would normally sit outside and enjoy the goings on around us. 

The town has the basic tiendas, a few laundry, ATMs and hardware store. Many of the buildings are painted in brilliant artwork which I just love. 

Into the marina

After about a week at the anchorage we went into the marina. We had various boat chore plus a good cleaning to do. Then things started to go wrong

Several worrisome weeks followed 

1. When we first arrived at La Cruz both John and I had some sort of virus, cough, feeling badly for a few days, but we just took Ibuprofen and soldiered through. 

2. Then, I went to use my computer and there was no wifi, bluetooth etc. Absolutely no connection, so off to the city – Puerto Vallarta to the Mac Store. One hour in there,  to be told they needed added info before they would help. Feeling exasperated from wasting ages in the Mac store, back to La Cruz and Aeeshah, another hour in a taxi.

Next day, in we go again, this time after ages of being consulted I left my computer. I was told I would hear back soon….well, 6 days later with no word back we went. Another hour wasting away in the Mac Store to be told it was not fixable. And no, can’t buy a new one in Mexico as they only sell Spanish ones.

That was when we decided to do a visa run to the US and get me a new Mac. BUT meanwhile, no photo editing, limited online time with just my phone or John’s iPad….I was one very sad lady.

3. Next day, Chico was having troubles urinating, he was crying and in distress. Off to the vet’s we rushed. The closest vet said he didn’t have an ultra sound and Chico needed an immediate ultra sound. He sent us to a vet near Puerto Vallarta, an hour away. 

At the vets Chico was really not happy! Unfortunately, he did not like the lady vet at all and she was scared of him. He did get an ultra sound and sure enough his bladder and urethra had debris/small stones collecting. 

Poor guy had to stay there. He was in the vets, hooked up to tubes and a drain for nearly a week. When I was told to go get him, I had to go in the back and get him out of his cage. Plus I had to remove the IV, cause the vet was still scared of him.We got back to the boat and he really was not well. 

He was on a special diet and 2 lots of medication, not his idea of fun. Anyway the food made him vomit. 

Off to yet another vet that we had heard about. This vet Dr Thomas was very sympathetic, had no problem with Chico and gave us alternative special food. Plus Dr Thomas arranged for a specialist to come the next day. 

Back the next day Dr. Viridiana was absolutely amazing, the best vet we have ever seen. The lady took all sorts of readings, examined every part of Chico, showed us what to do, gave us more pain killer and antibiotics for him.

She was wonderful. We made an appointment to see there the following week, plus she was willing to see him whenever necessary. We were mightily relieved. Finally he started to show signs of improvement. 

Now, he is 100% better. He will always be on a special diet, but should be fine.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Finally we could make plans to fly to San Diego. We had a very nice fellow watch Chico for us and flew out for 3 days.

San Diego for 3 days

We arranged for Chico to have a cat sitter. His name was Kevin, and he did a wonderful job caring for Chico. 

See below our marina from above, yep, we flew right over La Cru Marina.

Basically we flew on a Sunday direct to San Diego. Stayed for 3 days of which we were busy 1st, buying my computer. The Mac store had a look at my old computer agreed that it was dying. However here it only took the guy, who they called a Genius Tech. About 10 minutes to tell. I arranged with him to copy over every bit of info from the old to the new. He couldn’t guarantee anything, but when I returned the next day everything was completed. 

We visited the huge West Marine where we spent quite a while and John got all he needed. 

And then we flew back to La Cruz.

Finishing up chores

John pulled the dinghy onto our dock space and with the help of Adrian they patched the various leaks. I repaired the cover, the dinghy was cleaned and then put back together. It was good few days work.

Meanwhile I repaired and patched the dinghy’s cover, and did all the other cleaning that goes with having a boat.

Walks

Each day we walked the town picking up what we needed, plus enjoying the sights in town too.

Plus we walked the long promenade which took us passed the fish market.

The fish market was huge! Inside there were half a dozen vendors selling fish and shellfish of every description.

All displayed in ice, such a great selection. We of course bought fresh fish, the mai mai plus they had Chilean salmon too.

Outside the fish market were the fishing boats. It was quite a fleet of boats too.

Everyday fishermen were returning with their catches and their fan club of birds. We spent time watching them all and the excitement created.

Further along the promenade was an area where nets were repaired and a peninsular with a shrine. Im guessing it was there to bless the sea farers. 

From the promenade I could access the beach.

The beach was quite long and had quite a collection washed up from the bay.

I really enjoyed the beach combing, not that I took any back to the boat, but it was interesting to see what was washed ashore.

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the opposite direction to the marina was the seawall which had docks branching off to the inside.

On Sundays we discovered there was a very large market. There must be at least a hundred to 150 vendors, plus musicians play at the amphitheater.  

Dusty, dusty dusty

DUSTY, is the proper description for La Cruz. As there were several unpaved streets, open areas with construction plus cobbled streets there was and is always dust. Quite an incredible amount of dust everywhere. The cars showed the accumulation of dust……

Sunday markets

The first time we discovered the market we took a few hours to walk the length of it as there is such a diversity of crafts and arts.

We both found mostly everything offered interesting.

For me the crafts were ones I had never seen before. Picture made from tree bark, colourful pictures made from colourful reeds intricately forming a scene.

John was amazed by the metal work and the leather work.

There’s an amphitheater where for a few hours there’s live entertainment!

Then at the end there are venders selling all types of foods, just so much. 

Outside the marina gates there are also market vendors selling more goods. The jewelry was brilliantly crafted using the Mexican silver and semi precious stones. We ended up every Sunday visiting the market. 

We had ended up in La Cruz Marina for one entire month. It was time to move on. John wanted to get Aeeshah’s bottom seen to, La Cruz was not the place. So it was on on ……

“A person susceptible to ‘wanderlust’ is not so much addicted to movement as committed to transformation.”  – Pico Iyer

“We travel, some of us forever, to seek other states, other lives, other souls.” – Anais Nin

 

PHOTO ALBUM:  https://photos.app.goo.gl/g98Lpa5NyTpz8QHWA

Bahia Chamela, and Perula town

Arriving after a comfortable passage of 6 hours we found yet another massive bay which was again lined by a beach many miles long. 

We anchored at the north western end where the small town of Perula is found. Here too is a river, Ameca River. The bonus here is that we could dinghy up river to one of the  panga docks and step ashore, what a treat!

On our first visit to the town it was a bit dull and overcast.

We went along the river and easily found the area to secure our dinghy. The panga operators assured us it was safe. Wow, what luxury. 

We walked towards the pier where we had seen many folks fishing.

The long panga dock area was empty of visitors, just a few drivers sitting and chatting.

The walkway and pier area are very well maintained and must have cost the town a fortune. We guessed that there must be a large number of visitors to make the venture worthwhile.

Looking out from the pier we could see that most of the beach venders were shut. The beach was massive but with few visitors.

Heading into what we figured was town we found several dusty lanes and again few people about. There didn’t seem to be much happening in Perula.

The real Perula

Back at Aeeshah we did some research and found that we needed to walk along the main road from the panga dock for about a mile and a half to reach the town center. So we never were in the town!

The following morning we set off and sure enough there was a bit more to the town of Perula.

At the main square there are several little tiendas that sell most of everything one needs.

Plus one tienda has a cash machine! That was a real bonus for us as we wanted to get some cash. 

There were also a few nice cafe style restaurants. We enjoyed a brunch at a breakfast cafe and headed back to Aeeshah.

The following day the wind swung around and just like that was blowing up to 25 knots plus straight it was blowing into the anchorage making it untenable.

We quickly up anchored and headed to the islands at the end of the bay. 

Islas Cocinas, Isla Pajarera, Island  El Mamut and others

The islands are part of the Santuario Islas de la Bahía de Chamela, a protected bird, wildlife and nature sanctuary.

Tucked up between the Islas we were quite sheltered from the winds and waves. The islands were simply beautiful!

We have never seen so much bird life. There were sea birds of every type, size, shape and form. They were nesting on the islands, even on the cactus,

flying above, chattering everywhere, fishing, floating on the waves and soaring above. It was simply amazing!

The following day we took the dinghy and toured around the islands.

The landscape is magnificent! The cactus that was growing looked to be massive in size and were being used as roosting areas by the birds, mainly the Frigate birds. 

There were many caves, rock formations and arches along the shoreline. The rocks were of various colours, from pinky to purple, orange toned and green hues.

The cliffs were steep and very rugged with all the types of colourful rocks. 

And the surf was surging against the rocks forming waterfalls, blow holes were bursting sending spray many feet into the air. There are also several lovely looking beaches where the panga drivers bring visitors to spend a few hours. 

The evening sunset was lovely and with the sounds of the birds returning to their roosts all was mellow.

We were only there for the day, but I would love to go back anytime.

Perula and Bahia Chamela again

Back in the Perula anchorage we waited for the weather to be cooperative for us to head towards La Cruz. Each day we would head into the little town, Perla, to pick up supplies and have a walk. 

The weekend brought many visitors to the town and so the pier was busy with fishermen, the beach vendors were out full force and the panga operators were heading out to the Santuario Islas, with a boat load of tourists. 

It so happened that there was a very low tide on the same weekend. We were careful to return to the boat before dead low. Even then it was touch and go getting out of the river.

We ploughed over muck and sand but made it. Later we could see pangas getting stuck and having to unload passengers at the beach in the surf. Others were revving their engines trying to force their way up river. 

We had a delightful walk along the beach all the way to the center of Perula.

Enjoying the happy children playing in the surf and the venders selling their wares.

Even fresh oysters were for sale on the beach. The pelicans and other birds were chasing the huge schools of Jacks.

The waves would roll in and the birds would rise just above the crashing sea. So wild, but not, very peaceful, all contented and balanced.

Another very lovely area along Mexico’s Pacific Gold coast

You have no control over how your story begins or ends. But now, you should know that all things have an ending. Every spark returns to darkness. Every sound returns to silence. Every flower returns to sleep with the earth. The journey of the sun and moon is predictable. But yours, is your ultimate art. – Suzy Kassem

 

 

PHOTO ALBUM —>> https://photos.app.goo.gl/4bbDzaR9cHvPD4YGA

Tenaticita area/Playa El Venadito 

Beach walks, birds, fish schooling

The Tenaticita anchorage is wonderful for a number of reasons. The beach is perfect for walking and quite often at low tide there are shells to be found. We walked the beach everyday that we could while there. From one end to the other is 1 mile, John ran back while I walked. 

When the wind and surf make landing in the dinghy, on the main beach difficult we would go to the other side of the river to Good Dog beach and land there.

From there it’s a matter of wading across the river, to the beach on the other side. I often would get wet to my waist.

 The birds were abundant, just flocks and flocks everywhere. Many days as the fish schooled along the shoreline the flocks of sea birds follow them. There were the massive pelicans, the elegant egrets,

cormorants that swim like submarines partway under the water, and many, many other seabirds. The Laughing gulls were the noisy ones while the gull type birds with the long red beaks were the elegant ones. 

Again here the locals will throw a line into the schooling fish and often catch a huge Jack.

The low tides that we had when we were at Tenaticita one time were quite incredible. Of course this made my beach walks extra special.

Along the shore

Off in the dinghy we went to cruise the shoreline of the nearside of the bay. The terrain is extremely rugged with very, dry, brush and cactus.

The type of loose, rocky, cliffs one would not attempt to climb. The pelicans watch all that happens from their craggy perches. The swells crash ashore with intimidating force.

We went all the way out of the bay and around the outside admiring the rugged scenery of the Tenaticita area.

We visited the small cantina, La Vena la palapa situated just behind the beach and had a wonderful lunch.

Sitting in the shade of the coconut palm trees, enjoying the beach scenes before us in the gentle midday breeze, life is great.

Barra Navidad twice over

After about a week to ten days in Tenaticita we would up anchor and head back to Barra Navidad and the lagoon.

There we would get our laundry done, enjoys excellent inexpensive seafood lunches, stock up with supplies and all other necessary chores. While Barra Navidad was wonderful for most goods there wasn’t a bank for cash. For a bank we would get a taxi to nearby Melaque. 

Melaque outings

On one of our Melaque outings we walked to the end of town to the river. From the bridge we saw another large croc sunning itself half hidden by the overhanging brush near the shore.

Nearby of course were some lovely wading birds too. At the other side of the bridge was a trailer park with some very fancy RVs.

From there we could walk along a broad walk that followed the shoreline. At the end was a view point and a distant cross erected under the cliffs.

Again the scenery was beautiful.

The market in Barra Navidad

The market in Barra Navidad is on Thursdays and so we also managed our Barra Navidad trips so we could visit the market. The primary reason was for all the wonderful fresh fruits and vegetables.

Walking around the other stalls is always fun too.

The crafts, textiles, jewellery, etc are a feast for your eyes. The last time we visited we ended up purchasing some lovely silver and turquoise jewellery for our daughters. 

Out to see the wreck

Having noticed the ship wrecked on the shoreline when we first approached Barra Navidad we were awaiting a calms day to visit and have a closer look. John determined that the winds and seas were down so off we set in our dinghy.

Now, it sounds easy, but sitting in the dinghy with Pacific swells around one can be quite intimidating especially when those swell are crashing on the shoreline. So after getting all the way out and around to the wreck we didn’t dare get too close. However we got close enough to see how badly damaged the ship been when wrecked.

Another occasion when back in Barra Navidad we went ashore where the golf course had a dock and had a walk to Mary’s for lunch.

The small pueblo where Mary’s is located is just that small, with 1 tienda. While at Mary’s a regular small fishing boat came in with his guests and the catch.

They had caught a massive marlin weighing just over 300lbs. Unfortunately, they don’t seem to practice catch and release here, maybe as the men wanted photos.

Tenatacita again

We stopped in Tenatcita for what we felt would be our last visit before heading along the Mexican coast to our next destination.

On the way there we saw several whales. There seem to be whales everywhere this time of the year.

For the few days we were there beach walks in the morning were again a daily occurrence, except for one day.

On this day we decided to walk a trail behind the beach, hoping to find a path around the pond. However this was not possible, but we did have a closer look at the landscape.

Being very dry and barron looking it was surprising the number of flowering trees there were along the way, also the size of the cactus growing amongst the trees was impressive.

That evening we had a whale swimming in the anchorage, in fact one of the other boats counted 3, but we just saw the one whale.

Compared to a boat the whales are massive! The whales were rapidly hunting the fish, maybe the big Jacks which school around the bay everyday and the Jacks were after the smaller fish and the birds were all after the fish too. 

And then in the morning we set off for our next destination:

I’ll walk where my own nature would be leading: It vexes me to choose another guide. – Emiliy Bronte

This journey has always been about reaching your own other shore, no matter what it is. – Diana Nyad

 

PHOTO LINK —>>  https://photos.app.goo.gl/ayVFMwtx3LK7D6Rr7

Arrival at Barra Navidad

Again we spotted whales, many whales, slapping the water with their tails, and appearing to frolic in the seas. The scenery too was beautifully rugged and wild.

Towards the end of our sail to Barra Navidad we passed an unusual, huge, white, rocky island. It looked to be made of chalk, but on closer examination we could see dozens of sea birds flying around the top. The white deposits must be guano built up over the many years from the birds have been inhabiting the Isla.  

Further along we saw a ship wrecked on the cliffs. John looked it up and found that it was Los Llanitos,’ the 38,000-tonne freighter that was driven aground in Barra de Navidad, by Hurricane Patricia in 2015. Apparently, the ship was unable to handle the winds of more than 200 kilometers per hour, 125mph, and waves of up to 10m, (30ft) high.

Now it is just a rusty shell, and has split in two. Apparently, almost half of the ship’s stern is buried and the bridge, which had a height of 30 meters, has collapsed. It was a sad sight indeed, but we thought one worth exploring, maybe…..

Our destination was just off of the Bahia Navidad, an anchorage opposite the town of Melaque, in a semi sheltered area. It was near evening when we anchored and the night was comfortable, we even enjoyed the music from the shoreline restaurants and pallapas. 

Into the lagoon

Early the next morning we headed into the Barra Navidad Lagoon. This is where all the cruising boats congregate as it’s sheltered. To get in we had to go to the other end of the bay and follow the navigation markers which extend as far as the marina. Then we were on our own, just relying on our Navionics charts and info from others. It was a squeeze indeed, at one stage we did touch the muddy bottom, but were able to reverse off. The canal is one that is constantly shifting due to tidal currents. However once into the lagoon proper the depths increase so we were able to comfortably anchor. At low tide we were just under 2ft off the bottom.

The lagoon is quite large and of course very calm and sheltered. It was the 1st sheltered, calm anchorage we had had for many months. There were about 30 odd boats there, plus they have a morning net on channel 22VHF, and a French baker that comes around each morning selling goodies. (We had previously been disappointed as we had hoped to get into the marina, but actually the lagoon anchorage turned out to be much nicer than being dockside.)

There’s a water taxi service, just call on VHF 23 and shortly a water taxi arrives to take you wherever for 60 pesos each, that’s $3:00 each for the trip in and back to the boat. 

Exploring the canals and walking the town

Off in the dinghy we went to explore the area. The waterfront along the inside was comprised mostly of restaurants and water taxi services with a few hotels. Further along we found there were canals that were hauntingly similar to those in Florida, therefore our guess was there were many expat folks from the US.

Ashore we found a delightful town, very colourful streets, lots of eateries, many touristy gift stores and a wonderful waterfront.

Walking the length of the waterfront we watched the folks surfing.

Yes, the surf is large and long. The beach is extensive stretching from Barra Navidad town all the way to Melaque town at the end of the bay. We found several laundries and grocery stores – tiendas….just about everything we needed. 

Each day we tended to get the water taxi into town, have a walk, and lunch at a different restaurant, (usually costing less than $20 for us both).

Next, stroll around and buy what ever supplies we needed and water taxi back to Aeeshah. 

The Secret Beach

We decided to try to get to what was locally called “The Secret Beach”.

On our 1st attempt we went to the marina/hotel and asked to leave the dinghy there while we went for a walk. Well, they wanted us to pay 800pesos each!! That’s $40, and no way we’re we going for that… We did take advantage of our time there to have a quick look around. It did look to be a very nice marina, but really a bit too rich for us.

For our second attempt, we found a dock at the side of the lagoon, upon asking a golf cart driver who happened to be there, I was told, “sure, no problem, just don’t walk on the fairways.”

The following day we left the dinghy at the dock, and headed off, using google maps, towards the Secret Beach. It was quite a warm boring walk along the roadway across the golf course. I was surprised to actually see golfers out playing.

At the oceanside we found a massive beach stretching for miles and off to the side a staircase leading up the cliff face. 

Following the stairway we climbed up the cliff face and rounded a corner and there was the Secret Beach.

Yes, it was quite lovely. Of course we explored the whole beach, I found a few shells, John found a cave. Then it was time to head back.

Back around the other side was sat in the shade of a few old palapas and we were very thankful that we had brought water and a snack with us.

Birds sunsets and sunrises

Back at the dock I was thrilled to see a certain bird. We had, for quite a while, since being in Chiapas, been hearing a very noisy, call of a flock of birds each evening and early morning. But, had never been able to spy them. However, I finally had the chance to spy them feasting in the trees at above the dock.

It was the Chachalaca.

I also saw a beautiful vibrant blue bird, I believe it was the Yucatan Jay. 

There were birds of all types flying and fishing in the lagoon. Plus others like egrets just hanging out along the side

Amazing sunsets and sunrises seem to happen daily. The one thing we have noticed, you need clouds for the best, most dramatic sunsets and sunrises.

Tenacaticta

Out of the lagoon we headed across the bay around the point and along to Tenacaticta.

This bay has quite a reputation in these waters for being a great place to spend time. I must say we were very impressed.

First of all there are no palapas or hotels lining the shoreline. There are just cruising boats and folks similar to us, but mainly from Canada and the USA.

There is one area where a cantina/beach bar can be found under the palm trees. There is a river that flows into the bay too. 

The beach was near us and we took the dinghy over and for once it wasn’t too scary to land it. John was very happy to be able to walk the beach and get back to his short runs too.

On our 1st outing we explored one side of the river, along the beach and rocks. On following days we would walk the other direction towards a distant hotel. 

Off to Tequila factory

During our 2nd evening a fellow on a paddle board approached us. His name was Blair and he wanted to arrange for a group to go up the river in dinghies to a Tequila Factory. Of course we jumped at the idea, arrangements were hastily made and we were set to meet the others at the river mouth at 10:00am. Meanwhile we had another fellow stop by in a kayak, he had 2 guests that wanted to go too, please could they tag along in our dinghy? So now we were 4.

In the morning we picked up the couple, from Canada, Sebastian and Nancy and headed to the river mouth.

The beginning part of the river proved the trickiest. The current was rushing out and there were a few bars meaning we did get a little bit stuck but soon got away from the bottom.

We followed the river up stream winding through the mangroves which were absolutely stunning in the morning light.

The mangroves closed in so that we were passing through a mangrove tunnel, I believe it is 2, plus miles that we passed through the mangroves until we came to a sandy river bank where we parked and left the dinghy.

Awaiting us was a truck and Poncho our driver and host. Arriving at the Tequila factory we found a rustic, charming, set up.

After looking around and ordering our lunches we sat in a semi circle for our lesson on Tequila making. Poncho explained using google translate plus the aid of a TV screen the different stages of Tequila making that takes place in the region we were in: Jabsico. 

1st off the authentic Tequila is made by the indigenous. This all started during prohibition way back in the 1700s. And the same methods are used today. Real tequila is not made using the huge metal vats in factories where cane sugar is added, but is processed by the indigenous. 

The beverage called tequila is really a variety of mezcal made wholly or mostly from the Blue Agave plant. This plant is native to the Tequila area so this version of Mescal was named after the area.

Before the arrival of the Spanish, indigenous people in Mexico did not make tequila as we know it today, but instead produced a fermented beverage called “pulque” – a wine, from the sap of the agave plant; it was only after the Spanish introduced distillation techniques that they began to create a distilled agave spirit, which eventually evolved into tequila, marking the start of tequila production as we understand it today.

The ancestral process of the tequila making using the smoking method:

“Artisanal and ancestral mezcal is cooked in an earthen or stone-lined underground pit. A bonfire is built at the base of the pit, and after the fire dies down, stones are piled on the red-hot embers. These stones are themselves covered with wet agave fiber. The pit is filled with maguey, which is also piled several feet above ground level. The mound is covered with straw mats or tarps, and then buried in earth. The heat radiating from the stones cooks the maguey over the course of several days.” 

We were each given a shot of smoked tequila plus a slice of orange with powdered chili on it. I sipped the tequila then had a taste of orange and found the flavor to be “not bad” (but I normally do not like dark liquors) the other folks raved about the wonderful flavor….so did John. 

Our next sample was of tequila made using modern methods. This shot was again with a slice of orange, I found it much harsher. 

Next followed two other shots, one with passion fruit added and one with pina, they were quite delicious, but by that time my head was quite fuzzy. 

Over all for me I still wouldn’t choose to drink Tequila, but it was fun to learn about it and sample the genuine liquor. 

Lunch followed, which was delicious, a local speciality: a fillet of fish stuffed with shrimp, celery, etc, wrapped in bacon cooked and presented in an almond cream sauce. It was wonderful!

After lunch we enjoyed an ice cream, I had a scoop of Lime and a scoop of Chocolate, both excellent. 

Off we all headed back 1st to the river bank and then down river to the bay. Another beautiful journey.

Into the town of La Manzanillo and Crocs

We needed supplies and so decided to order a taxi from the palapa on the beach to take us to the pueblo La Manzanillo. We had heard it was market day, plus I had read about a crocodile area where one could see crocs. 

The taxi drive was through the very dry bushland along narrow lanes until we met up with Highway 200. Once in the town which was at the furthest end of the bay from our anchorage, we headed towards the Crocodile area. 

The crocodile sanctuary is rather inconspicuous, tucked away at the end of the town. There is little sign warning visitors not to bring their dogs any closer. Crocs, have been eyeing dogs since they first  encountered each other and are ever so happy to enjoy one for lunch. There is even a great legend about, How the Crocodile lost its tongue.

There was 25-peso entrance fee and found ourselves on a narrow boardwalk suspended along the side the estuary waters. The boardwalk brought us within a few meters of crocodiles of all sizes. 

All of these creatures are Crocodylus acutus, American Crocodile in English and Cocodrilo Amarillo in Spanish. They seem to be fresh-water river crocodiles with a great tolerance for salt water and live to reach an age of 80 years. However we read that one inhabitant of El Cocodrilario is 100 years old. They are said to be less aggressive than other kinds of crocodiles, but I wouldn’t test that..…

We were both amazed by the amount of crocs, they were everywhere and all shapes and sizes. Many basking in the sun, slowly blinking, hardly breathing, but watching. One would slowly heave himself out of the waters, move forward, stop, others would slowly move away, then rest. One amazing croc had half a jaw, makes you wonder how that happened.

Along further we found the museum. There we read about crocs, saw their skulls, eggs and enjoyed the display.

There was a sign  informing us that the estuary of La Manzanilla was declared an official Ramsar Wetland in 2008. Apparently, local folks had been fighting for years to protect their mangroves from “developers” who had been systematically uprooting the local mangroves and reclaiming the swamp land,

 This continual reduction of the space supporting not only crocodiles, but a wide variety of birds, fish, mollusks, crustaceans and reptiles, and animals like possums, pumas, raccoons and badgers that live around the lagoon area. 

A quote from locals:  “Millionaires were buying up the land and destroying the natural habitats of these birds and animals and the more we looked, the more construction projects of this sort we discovered. We came to the conclusion that this estuary of ours may end up being the last refuge for all kinds of creatures that no longer have any place to go. So we are determined that our Cocodrilario must remain one place that will never be ‘developed.’ That’s why the only form of tourism we allow here is boat rides up the estuary.”

After the museum we continued around the broad walk, surprising ourselves by spotting many more crocs hidden under the water, in the brush or on the muddy banks, watching us pass by.

From the museum we ventured back into La Manzanillo where we found a delightful beach side restaurant for lunch.

Here we were well entertained by watching local young men join the birds to catch the schooling fish that were just off shore. No kidding these young men would race down the beach where they saw the hundreds of birds diving for the schooling fish.

They then sling a hand-line into the commotion and quite often pull out a large jack. Of course there were visitors/tourists running after the locals trying to launch their rods into the commotion, but not once did I see them pull in a fish.

After lunch we went to the local market wander about admiring all the wonderful crafts for sale. The ceramics are absolutely beautiful!!

The jewelry, the textiles are crafted with such skill. We bought lots of fresh fruit and veg from a produce stand,

picked up a few other items and then headed back to Aeeshah for another beautiful sunset evening.

With the new day comes new strength and new thoughts. – Eleanor Roosevelt

I may not be able to live in perfect serenity. But I can ask the question: What will I, what will you, make of the gift of this hour, this day? How will we write the next lines of our lives? – Deborah Landau

 

PHOTO LINK:  https://photos.app.goo.gl/2r3Q9k9xHTZS6yHD8

Zihuatanejo, or Zwhat for short,

is a resort city on Mexico’s Pacific Gold Coast, northwest of Acapulco. It is famous for its beaches. For example the sweeping Playa La Ropa, which is the city”s shorefront and is backed by palm trees.

There is a walkway that runs the entire length of the beach. There where the fishermen keep their pangas you can buy fresh fish right from the fishermen. 

Galleries, craft markets and seafood restaurants line the city’s winding lanes. It is a delightful, colourful, fun city.

Offshore, the sea teems with marine life such as dolphins and sea turtles.

Christmas Day

Here, in Zwhat, John and I had a very quiet Christmas Day. The highlight was a lunch out at a Mexican restaurant, eating authentic Mexican foods. The restaurant was wonderfully authentic and the food delicious. 

Everywhere we wandered there were lovely Christmas decorations. The beaches were jam packed with holiday makers and music played through the evenings. 

Markets

Other days we walked all around the craft market and tourist market area of Zwhat. The crafts are wonderful. The ceramics, rugs, textiles and silver jewelry were created with great care and skill. 

Another day we explored the Central Market.

It is always very interesting to see the central markets where all the local foods, fruits, flowers, meats and household items are sold.

New Years Eve

I had read that the fireworks displays at midnight were to be some of the finest along the Pacific coast of Mexico. We were not disappointed. At midnight the shoreline exploded with wonderful, colourful fireworks.

Being right in the middle of the harbour we had an unobstructed view of all. The display lasted for a good while and we could hear the parties continuing till dawn.

The Parthenon

Sits on the near top of a hill overlooking the bay of Zwhat. I, again read that while it had been derelict for many years, people still loved to poke around the property. However, it had, in recent years been renovated and was now officially open to the public.

What is or was the Parthenon? Why is it “special?”

 Arturo, “El Negro” Durazo Moreno, the infamous Chief of Police in Mexico City, from 1976 to 1982 built the Parthenon as a monument to his own, “success.” 

While his official job earned him less than $1,000 a month, Durazo made an absolute fortune off the cocaine drug trade and his notorious racketeering and extortion tactics.

The Parthenon is one of his palaces, a gaudy replica of the Greek Parthenon. It sits atop the highest mountain in the hills of Zihuatanejo, overlooking the Pacific Ocean. 

The story is that he held lavish parties regularly at this property until his downfall and imprisonment. 

So, off we set on New Years Day to walk to the Parthenon. 

And it was quite a walk, some parts were very steep, in the heat of the near midday we were looking forward to a refreshing drink of lemonade at the top.

The walk was through a part of the town where we hadn’t explored and so was interesting. There were many lovely murals on the buildings, and some very posh looking hotel properties too. 

Upon finally reaching the top we found out the Pathenon didn’t open for another hour. So we sat on the curb with everyone else and waited. When the gates opened they separated all the old folks, like us, and we were allowed in first and for free!

The property is now well groomed, well kept and beautiful. It now serves as a form of art studio for local artists and art sales. We enjoyed a walk all around, but were quite disappointed that the cafe wasn’t open till later.

We finished touring, looking at the wonderful artwork on display and headed back downhill. At the beach where we found a wonderful restaurant for a late lunch. 

My meal was amazing, shrimp cooked in coconut with a spicy pineapple sauce.

Passage to Manzanillo

Our 1st stop was just around the headland, the Isla Ixtapa. Which when we 1st entered looked like a nice stop. However the bay and anchorage quickly filled up with every form of water craft from mega yacht, jet skis, tubers etc. Everyone anchoring right next to one another. It was so packed we couldn’t even leave. Plus, it then started to roll. This was not an anchorage to be repeated.

The next day, early we left on our passage, which ended up being just under 48 hours long. We left Isla Ixtapa and as soon as we were out of the bay we spotted a whale, which we believe was a humpback.

The passage was another mixed bag. While the winds were never strong enough to really sail we had the hobby – horsing effect due to current against wind, plain uncomfortable.

We had several spectacular sunsets and sunrises, the shoreline when it was in view was rugged and wild. 

We arrived at the entrance to Manzanillo at around 12:30am.  This “bay” is vast, it took us a few hours to navigate to the recommended anchorage 8.5 miles into the “bay” having to avoid several very large ships that were anchored. Once at our anchorage, at about 2:00am, down went the anchor and off to bed we crashed.  

Manzanillo

– which means little apple in English.

Awaking in the morning and looking out at the shoreline was a surprise…. All the buildings were white and of a Moorish or Mediterranean architecture, quite stunning really. 

This was of course the famous Las Hadas Marina. It is listed as a 5 star resort and marina. We knew we were allowed to use their dock for a small fee so after breakfast we went in to have a walk around.

The property is really extensive with a golf course, separate villas, etc. We enjoyed stretching our legs. Our next mission was to restock, this took a taxi ride into the town. 

Bahia Santiago

The next stop for us was a neighboring bay, Bahia Santiago. We anchored at one end off of Playa La Boquita. This bay again was huge and once again, nearly from one end to the other there were palapas with beach umbrellas set up in front, for their customers. Mind boggling to think that many folks would be at a beach at one time. Or maybe there are just some very optimistic Mexican venders.

Our hope was to be able to get ashore to have a walk, but the swell coming into the bay was just a bit too much for a beach landing. Instead, we went off in the dinghy to have a look at the statue of the virgin on the cliff and to find the Devils cave.

These attractions known as the La Cueva del Diablo, (Devil’s Cave) and the Virgen de los Pescadores, (the fisherman’s Virgin), were found along the shoreline just outside of the bay. 

The landscape was again incredibly rugged, with steer cliffs, jagged rocks, cactus, and such.

This time however the landscape had a reddish, rosy colour, which was lovely in the morning light.

There were seabirds everywhere, pelicans, Boobies, Frigate birds, gulls and more. We easily found the statue of the Virgin Mary sitting high up on the cliff. 

The Devil’s Cave was further on along the coast.

It is a massive cave with a blowhole which is reputed to blow water up to 7 feet into the air. It was quite dramatic to watch the swell pound into the cave and the salty air being blow high up into the cave.

Off to Barra la Navidad

Our next destination was Barra la Navidad. We set off, and were barely out of the bay when we spotted our next whale in the distance. It was surfacing, diving and blowing salt spray high into the air. 

The shoreline was again very dramatic, rugged and wild. I was happily staring off watching the shoreline when right next to Aeeshah a whale surfaced, and then another, and another surfaced ….. There were two adults and a calf. They swiftly swam off away from us, the adults slapped their tails.

I tried to capture a photo of them, but the best I got was their tails as they disappeared into the distance.

Our destination Barra Navidad has proven to be totally amazing. All about that next time……

Dwell on the beauty of life. Watch the stars and see yourself running with them. – Marcus Aurelius

The flower is aware of the fact that it contains everything within it, the whole cosmos, and it does not try to become something else. – Thich Nhat Hanh

 

 

 

PHOTO ALBUM—->> https://photos.app.goo.gl/jZJcAp7RpkhXAQms5

 

Passage through Tehuantepec

It was time to leave Chiapas. The Tehuantepec winds were going to lay down for a spell, enough time for us to travel through the area.

What are the Tehuantepec winds?

The challenge to our passage this time was the Tehuantepec, Tehuantepecer, or Tehuano wind, which is a violent wind. This wind occurs due to the mountain-gap of the Chivela Pass. The cold, winter, northerly winds blowing from the North American continent, are squeezed through the pass, accelerate in speed and blast out across the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. This effect is most common between October and February.

Along with us were several other sailing vessels: Key Lime Pie with Pawel and Bob onboard. They had actually only arrived the previous day from El Salvador where we had met them. They were supposed to leave El Salvador with us but had been struck by lightening and so major repairs had delayed their departure. Just after arriving at Chiapas, Pawel asked when we were off, I told him that  several of us were leaving the next day and so they quickly made arrangements to leave too.

Another boat Doris and his wIfe with their 2 cats and dog left with us, but had to sail back after transmission failure.

The huge schooner Neptun and crew left too but, had to return to refuel after a major fuel leak, however, yes, they were able to continue the journey.

The sailboat Intrepid with Tim, Rooster and friend onboard had a slow but successful passage. And Gobo 2 with Christian, Irene and baby went straight through too, just behind us.

Our passage started off calm, lovely just a light breeze so we were motor sailing. The seas had a gentle swell so for much of the day it was easy going.

I was just enjoying looking at the shoreline, spying massive turtles, dolphin and seabirds.

However, by the evening things started to liven up. We entered the 1st Tehuantepec area and the winds picked up, the swell increased the seas were confused with a chop on top of swell.

I, again felt lousy, nauseous and went below to lay down at around 9:30. For much of the night it was terribly rough. Just awful, the wind, swell and currents were all at odds with each other and so there were angry sea conditions.

John kept in touch with Pawel and Christian on the radio trading sea and wind conditions. It was just a matter of getting through, motor sailing as fast as was possible. Our highest winds were 30knots, which isn’t too high, but there was a nasty current against us that wind that caused very confused sea conditions, plus the chop on top. It was like being in a huge washing machine down below where I was, but finally it was all over and we did get through.

The total passage was 2 days long and it ended with lovely calm conditions as we entered the Bahia Maguay.

Maguey Bay: Bahía Maguay & Bahia Organo

Maguey Bay, is an easily accessible bay with a popular beach of the same name Bahía Maguey. A handful of busy seafood palapas line the beach, and visitors can sip cold beers on deck chairs, or splash around in the bay’s calm, clear waters.

After one wonderful, peaceful, calm night in Bahía Maguay we moved to the next bay – Bahia Organo. The weather forecast said Tehuantepec winds were due to fire up quite severely and Organo, while just next door was going to be more sheltered.

Bahia Organo is totally National Parkland. The beach is wonderful, normally with only a few visiting folks swimming and a boat or two. It is definitely the more isolated of the two bays.

The day after our arrival we went ashore by dinghy to Bahia Maguay  to meet up with Pawel and Bob for lunch. It was a lovely relaxed lunch just sitting back watching the folks on the beach.

The food was great, I think everyone had a shrimp dish of some type. We walked the beach and returned to Aeeshah for a swim.

We swam every day. Yes, the sea was a bit cool at 78degrees, but it was also very refreshing too.

We walked the beaches and were intrigued by the different foliage in this region. It’s quite arid, with brush and cactus.

Off we went in the dinghy along the shorelines of the bays. The rock formations were amazing, totally different from other regions we have been in recently. It was so very nice to get back into the old cruisers routine of self sufficient living.

One morning we got a ride in Enrico’s truck from  Bahia Maguay to nearest town La Crucecita. I sat up front with the driver, Enrico, and John in the back with our diesel  tanks.

The area we passed through was hilly, dry brush land. The town was obviously thriving on the tourist industry. There were many big hotels, tourist busses, coaches and tourists wandering about.

Our destination was the Super Chedraui Grocery store where once again we got some basic supplies. We felt overwhelmed by the size and selection, where to start, trying not to get distracted. Next stop was the gas station where we filled the diesel jugs. A short but fun trip out.

Neptun arrived in the bay where we were, it was good to see everyone again even though we never got to chat.

Pawel and Bob on Key Lime Pie, left the day before we did.

We went ashore to explore and followed the pathway that led from the beach. John wanted to see what was at the end.

Well, it was a very normal pathway and it led to a road…..

Chachacual bay: Playa India & Playa Chachacua

The following day we headed to the Playa India area. We had been told about the lovely bay which is all National Parkland. Our passage there was only an hour, again the shoreline was beautiful beaches and rugged cliffs.

We had been warned that Playa India could be extremely busy during parts of the day with tourists. When we arrived there were already several pangas and tour boats setting up on the beach so we anchored in the neighboring bay Playa Chachacual, the larger of the two.

Inaccessible by land, Chachacual bay has two beaches: the easterly Playa La India is one of the Huatulco’s area most beautiful stretches of sandy beach. And apparently one of the area best places for snorkeling. The much larger Playa Chachacual reputable has strong sea currents. (Which I can attest to)

Both beaches are within the national park hopefully they remain undeveloped.

We made a very wise decision to anchor off of Playa Chachacual as during the day there were many pangas, several very large tour boats, all coming in and out from the beach areas where they had set up chairs, umbrellas and such.

We took the dinghy and did a tour of both bays and both were absolutely lovely. We dropped the dinghy’s anchor off of Playa Chachacual and went ashore. We walked the beach, first along the top of the dunes where we saw masses of turtle nests. Some nests were new and we could see the turtle tracks leading up and then down the dunes.

This was a very long beach, at the other end the tour boats had set up camps for their passengers. There were mini bars and food stands plus chair and umbrellas for all to enjoy. We strolled past and then back up the beach to the dinghy.

Passage to Acapulco

After our previous not so comfortable passages we were treated to a perfectly comfortable 48 hour passage. The weather was perfect and we were even able to sail for most of the night.

Arriving in Acapulco we were 1st amazed by the size of the city,

it stretches for miles. It is set in a large bay backed by high-rises and the Sierra Madre del Sur mountains.

2ndly we were surprised by the surrounding Sierra Madre del Sur mountains,

and 3rdly, by the shocking hurricane damage, for example one can see straight through the high rise buildings.

ACAPULCO

“Sitting on one of the largest bays in Mexico, is the country’s original vacation destination. In the 1950s and 60s Hollywood’s elites came to Acapulco to play. The likes of Cary Grant, Elizabeth Taylor, Rita Hayworth are just a few who chose Acapulco for their vacation. We would have loved to see it back then. Unfortunately, Acapulco has lost favour with international travelers, but it is still the preferred vacation getaway for residents of Mexico.”

A walk around the area.

Our exploits ashore were just around the immediate area, and along the waterfront where the fishermen keep their boats. We saw some pretty amazing catches, the wahoo were an unbelievable size.

We could see how the towns folk were working hard to repair all the damage from the hurricane.

We wandered into a plaza where all sorts was happening, booths selling knick knacks, refreshments, an ice rink being set up and more.

There was a very ornate church that was conducting a service.

We bought our groceries from a nearby tienda and found a place for lunch. Once again it wasn’t Mexican fare, but was yummy.

The La Quebrada cliff divers

We decided to walk through the city and over the hilltop to visit the Acapulco divers for the 1:00pm performance. They dive from a La Quebrada cliff, these professional divers plunge 40m into a small ocean cove every day and night.

Leaving early we first found a small roadside cafe for lunch. It was set up in front of a home and while it did serve tacos, that wasn’t  until 5:00pm, so we settled for shrimp. The lunch was great, $20 for both of us plus my lemonada and John’s cevasa.

The area where the divers perform is a narrow inlet, cliffs on all side with the swell surging in.

We entered at the top and walked down to the bottom level so as we were opposite the diving cliff. I never imagined that the divers would come down to the area where we awaited them, but they did and they climbed over the wall right next to me.

Heading right down the cliff space they then, one at a time, dove into the surging sea below. A couple of them took a few minutes to pick up the debris floating in the gully.

After which one by one the scrambled right up the cliff face opposite, and this is a sheer cliff face! They made it look effortless, no problem at all.

At the top they each had dive positions, but before they took a dive they kissed the statue of the Holy Mother for god’s blessings.

One at a time they started to dive from different vantage points.

A swan dive, then a back flip followed by two diving at once.

It was incredible! Absolutely spectacular! Like unbelievable to see them gracefully spring off the cliff above and glide down into the surf below.

The last fellow took the highest post and swooped down the face of the cliff like a bird, just amazing.

If you ever get the chance to see them go!

The history behind the Acapulco diver:

In 1934, Two fishermen began the tradition by challenging each other to jump from the cliffs. The divers performing in shows today are descendants from those original divers. In fact, only those related to the original divers are allowed in the prestigious group. Divers begin training as young as 5 years and continue for as long as they are able. Knowledge of the cliffs, currents and diving techniques are passed down from generation to generation. Ranging in age from 15 to 70 years old there are at least 75 divers that perform in the daily shows and this includes both men and women. They dive from cliffs ledges of between 98ft and 135 ft.

Overnight to Zihuatanejo

We left Acapulco and basically glided along during most of the passage. There were flocks of sea birds feeding on schools of fish, John was positive there was a whale shark below the surface too.

Yes, again we had a smooth, peaceful passage being able to sail on the breeze from the land at night. A short passage and an easy arrival into the bay at Zihuatanejo.

Christmas Season in Zihuatanejo

Zihuatanejo is another resort city on Mexico’s Pacific Coast, northwest of Acapulco. It’s known for its beaches, like the sweeping Playa La Ropa, which is backed by palm trees.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Galleries, crafts and seafood restaurants line the city’s winding,

colourful, lanes. We enjoyed going ashore and strolling the many walkways and streets, many of which are just for pedestrians.

The arts and crafts were a wonderfull array of just every type. The hand woven rugs, ceramics and silver jewelry are amazing. Definitely a thriving tourist town Zihuatanejo or Zwhat as its affectionately referred to is a wonderful destination.

Most days we ate ashore as it was so inexpensive, easy with a huge selection of places to dine.

The price of anything is the amount of life you exchange for it” Henry David Thoreau

Why not live each day as if it were the first – all raw astonishment. – Linda Pastan

 

 

PHOTO LINK —>>  https://photos.app.goo.gl/2GwL63q425M5AWud8

Chiapas, Mexico

Puerto Chiapas is the southernmost port on Mexico’s Pacific coast, the closest port to the Guatemalan border, was our entry port into Mexico. It is relatively new port, built in 1975, and is the primary hub from which the region’s agricultural goods.

We chugged down the channel leading to the Chiapas marina. Along the way we saw the massive commercial fishing boats along the port’s dock.

Chiapas marina

Soon after arriving we were visited by differing departments of the government. We had the Port Captain,

the Navy, the Agricultural department and customs.

By the time they had all visited and finished it was later in the afternoon. I still hadn’t eaten lunch, nor had we set up the boat. The Agricultural guy was the worse.

He was stuck on Chico, fixated on the documentation. He took photos of every page of Chico’s passport and then wanted to know why there wasn’t evidence of flea and worm medication for every month! In the end I just shrugged my shoulders. He then took a black bag and filled it with frozen chicken, mince beef, plus fruit like tangerines and limes, all from our fridge and freezer. 

The next day we spent literally hours in the marina office. More hours going to the officials in the nearby town, Puerto Madero, admittedly we were with a couple from Denmark who were checking in off of a schooner Neptun that had 11 volunteers from all over the world aboard. 

Finally the following day, day 3 we finished off by being taken to the Port Captain’s office where we spent several hours awaiting whatever paper they needed to finalize. Mexico has a terrific amount of BS buracrocy. Finally we were free.

We had filled in the time while awaiting the Mexican authorities by taking a few walks around the marina. There was the typical boatyard, boring to me, interesting for John. 

There was a small peninsular that leads down the side of the entrance chanel. From there we could see the locals fishing on the mud flats across the channel and the distant dock of Puerto Madero.

 While walking along this path I did spy several pairs of beautiful blue birds. I later found out they were Black Throated Magpie Jays. These were of interest to me, but of little interest to John.

We also enjoyed a wonderful lunch at the marina restaurant Baos. The food was excellent. 

Tapachula

Tapachula, the closest city to the marina is the second-largest city in the state of Chiapas. It is a brilliant place to stock up with absolutely everything and anything needed.

On our forth day, being free on of buerocrats we got a taxi into the city. The previous night there had been a terrific amount of rain. John caught 5ins in our rain gauge.

Anyway, our taxi had caught rain too, our back seat and backsides were quite wet. We drove through deep puddles on our way in. You had to laugh it was just so funny like riding in a car down river. 

The grocery store was in a massive mall and it was incredibly big. Neither of us had ever see a grocery store as big before and with such low prices. Consequently we were 2 hours in that 1 store just navigating our way around and selecting our purchases. 

We were very pleased at what we could find. This might be as Tapachula and its suburbs are very multicultural, having benefitted over the last 150 years by Japanese, Chinese, and German immigration.

While at the marina we used the same driver several times. His taxi might leak, but he was a really good sport driving us where ever, waiting for us and with reasonable rates.

Chico’ friends

Chico, well what a cat he is…. He saw all the young folk off of the sailing vessel Neptun…..especially all the young ladies AND every day morning and night he would charge off of Aeeshah and flop at their feet. He wanted a belly rub and to be adored by the lovely humans AND the young ladies obliged. One laid down on the dock with him as she feltl he was nearly as big as was….

Then off he goes and makes friends with Irene and the baby, plus the cats and dog off of another cruiser’s boat. In the end everyone, cats included were adoring him daily. He was one happy cat. 

Playa Linda

We were looking for a place to walk as there isn’t much area around our marina. And Playa Linda, we were told, is located a few miles from the marina.

The road leading to Playa Linda is straight, narrow from over growth and in the over growth there are mounds of trash. We walked, but with traffic skimming past, stinky trash and steaming heat we flagged down a ride.

The ride was in a type of tuk-tuk, really similar, but a bike towing a trolley to sit in. We’ve now found that they are auto rigshaws, Tuk-tuks otherwise known as bicitaxis, ciclotaxis, golfitaxis or tricitaxis and they are great fun to ride.

Arriving at Playa Linda we walked across the sands towards the ocean and found a steeply sloping beach with rough seas.

Unfortunately there was quite a bit of trash along with the drift wood, just the way of things now. Enjoying the beach for a short stretch we returned to the road, again the heat was terrific.

After buying a lovely cool drink in a tienda we returned to the marina on the front of a bicitaxi. 

 

 

 

 

 

Cruisers Thanks Giving

Several of the cruisers at the marina sent out an invitation to one and all for a Thanksgiving get together at the pool and barbecue area.

Everyone came and brought food. Two turkeys were barbecued to pefrection, the side dishes were all wonderful and dessert excellent. We all enjoyed each other’s company for the afternoon and evening.

A day out site seeing

Paul and Coleen, a couple we had previously met in Nicaragua, invited us to go on an outing with a local guide Miguel. Of course we jumped at the opportunity! 

Miguel picked us up at 8:00 am, he had instructed us not to eat any breakfast as we were going to be fed well. 

Off we drove, along the way Miguel told us about the area we were in, that there was enough arable flat land for cattle, and to grow massive crops of mangoes, corn, sugar cane and so many banana plantations that Chiquita has two of its own huge branded cranes in the port for the weekly freighter load that leaves for the US and Canada.

Also that there is enough water that the dams in Chiapas provide 55% of all of Mexico’s hydroelectric power. 

Further along, passing the unusual looking church/temple with the copper dome in Tapuchula, he stopped for me to take a pic and told us it was run by a religious group similar to the Mormon faith.

Stopping alongside a second church we were told this was the María Candelaria church, built in 1808, still an important church for the area. 

We turned out of the city and were soon at what looked like a farm, which was the site of:

Izapa 

The archaeological site of Izapa, which dates back to 1500 BC. Thus making it as old as the oldest confirmed Olmec sites. 

The theory is that when the Olmec people arrived here, indigenous people already lived in the area, instead of fighting them the Olmec people intermarried and traded knowledge with them, giving rise to what we know as the Mayan culture.

We walked around the differing areas of the site while Miguel explained all about the different stone relics. It was very enlightening hearing about the early indigenous folks.

Izapa was really the template for the great Mayan cities that followed. The understanding is that it was here that the very stratified Maya class structure was perfected, the language created, the shape of buildings and cities designed. 

We learned that the “stepped” pyramids were used to reinforce the class structure; when gatherings were held, the highest classes stood or sat on the highest levels, and each level closer to, the ground held a lower class, with slaves relegated to the ground at the very base.

The remains of a stelae shows a prone worshipper, facing in the direction of the nearby volcano, which was revered as a god. You can see the soles of the feet and the statue’s backside.

On other stones stories are carved depicting again the beliefs of the time. 

There was even proof of aqueducts being used and large stones with wells to hold the water.

Miguel showed us the fruit of one tree that was used as the dye for red. 

Further along the road we came to examples of the Mayan numerals from 1 – 20 and a statue celebrating their solar beliefs. 

By this time 11:30ish, I think we all were starving. And so were ever so grateful to move along and arrive at:

Chocolate experience

This was a regular Cassa in what is called Chocolate town. A town that is world famous for its chocolate production.

Inside the cassa was a very colourful front reception area where we met some of the family. One of the ladies was making chocolate blocks. 

Next we passed through the kitchen area where our host was making our meal. We watched her make the torllias on the hot flour covered grill.

Across from her the tamales were being put together for our meal.

Passing along we came to the lovely garden area where we were to have our brunch. 

Once, seated at the table we were served hot chocolate, tamales were wonderful, delicious.  Stuffed with cheese, chicken, an olive, an egg, a prune inside a type of cornbread that were wrapped in a special leaf.

The side dishes were mole, which is a black bean purée, chili salsa, fresh cheese, and cooked plantains. The cheese and plantains were actually to be eaten together and were a delicious blend. The tamales too were excellent! (John and I had been a bit septicel after I once opened a tamale in Guatemala and found a chicken’s foot.) 

Tamales actually originate in Mexico:

“Tamales are part of Mexico’s national identity along with tacos. They’ve been part of Mexican culture since pre-Hispanic times; however, they not only have a cultural significance but a religious one too. In pre-Hispanic times, Mesoamerican cultures used tamales as offerings to gods or to their dead loved ones”

“To traditional Christian believers, each tamale can be considered a metaphor or symbol for the Holy Virgin. After all, every real Mexican tamale must have an olive in it. On one level, that olive represents the Christ child waiting to be born — as he is every year at Christmas”

After our fun and enjoyable meal we were treated to the chocolate making process that many generations of the familiy’s women had followed. The lady showing us the process had twice been to Europe due to her excellent chocolate making!

We were shown the coca trees, flowers and fruit, presented with the coca fruit to eat. Which is excellent tasting.

Next the rest of the fruit was made into a wonderful drink for us. And then we were shown the steps for chocolate making:

1st steps

Roast coca beans, remove the husks.

Next steps

Grind the inside to a paste, roll the paste into disks, and lastly add any other ingredients eg: sugar, cimmonen, etc

It was a wonderful lunch and presentation. 

Lunch/visit to Puerto Madero

Off to Puerto Madero we went with a few friends to have a look at the town and enjoy lunch. The restaurant was right off the sea front and very rustic.

The food was wonderful and the company was fun. After lunch we had a quick look around the small town.

It reminded both of us of Guatemala, not surprising as Guatemala is just 14 miles away.

And then it was time to move on, the Tehuantepec winds were laying down, subsiding for a day and we could cross the Isthmus of Tehuantepec.

“It’s in our chasing that dream that we become the people we only dream of.”

— Sanya Richards-Ross