SAILING CAMELOT

We decided, along with Hugh and Annie, to ride the two miles to Barra De Navidad for a thorough, all-day long excursion. By 10 in the morning we’re happily zooming in our dinghy, safe in the knowledge that at destination we’ll find a dinghy dock (no landings, hurrah!). The entrance to the Barra lagoon is gorgeous, there’s a meandering street lined with palm trees that goes to the Grand Hotel, a luxurious, imposing building overlooking the bay.

Secluded Luxurious Hotel

The very exclusive and expensive Grand Hotel

It is rumored that a room here costs $500 a night. I love my boat, which affords us the same views at a much lesser price… But I’m still drooling over their many pools… Anyway, after a customary tour and subsequent approval of the anchorage (we’ll return here on our way back!) we reach our destination and tie up our dinghies right in front of a lesser but cute hotel called Sands. We have a tasty and filling breakfast here, before starting a long walk which will reveal the beauty of Barra.

Bars and Restaurants along the Lagoon

We had breakfast here!

It is a very tourist-y place. The streets are lined with tiny shops selling souvenirs, colorful tablecloths, rugs, clothing, hats, shells, etc. It’s a feast for the eyes! Even I, notoriously averse to shopping, find pleasure stopping in the shops and talking to the owners. Nobody here is pushy; I’m free to look, browse, touch and marvel, and even without buying anything I always get a smile and a greeting. There’s a myriad of restaurants, many perched on the beach with incredible views of the bay. There’s also the Laundry shop, the Bakery, the Barber. As luck will have it, today is also Crafts Market Day. Lots of vendors here are selling paintings, jewelry, wood carvings, textiles, ceramic artifacts and more. I’m sweating like a turkey on Thanksgiving, my face is shiny with perspiration but I don’t even flinch, I’m so busy taking it all in happily! 

Main Street coasting the Beach

Merman & Mermaid watching over the Town

 About six hours go by in a blink, I don’t know how. It’s time to get some refreshments, so we make our way back to the Sands Hotel where we meet more cruisers we know. With a cold drink in hand we exchange information, news and suggestions, parting with the promise to keep in touch. Impossible not to, as we pretty much travel in the same direction and always end up bumping into each other! As we retrieve our dinghies for the trip back to the boats, the tide is low, the wind has picked up and the waves are choppy, so we have to pay extra attention to where we navigate. We anticipate a slow and wet trip… Sadly, not even 10 minutes from departure, Hugh & Annie’s outboard engine quits working and doesn’t want to be resuscitated. We quickly grab their line and tie it to our dinghy, we’ll be towing them home. This is why it’s good to buddy-boat! It is a slow trip, alright! And a thoroughly soaking experience, too! We all get slapped by waves, the effect is a shower-like experience. Thankfully, the water is warm and the air is not yet chilly. Every time we get blasted, we laugh like kids. I can’t see anything, hair plastered against my face and sunglasses sprayed by salt water. I hope Tom can find the way back… It’s a long ride, about 20 minutes of the same wet thing, but we make it back safe and sound, none the worse for wear. I find out that sea water is really slimy and I’m slippery like a buttered eel, whatever I touch slips away, my feet don’t grip. As soon as we’re back to the boat I dive into the shower hollering “now I know why fish are so slippery!”. We’re pretty tired but happy for all we experienced, tonight is a movie, cookies and milk night. I know sleep will come easy! Which is good, since tomorrow we’re leaving early for the next port of call, Las Hadas in Bahia Manzanillo. One noteworthy particular: from Barra de Navidad on and proceeding south, the coast is now appropriately called Costalegre –Happy Coast. I believe it was the Costa Dorada – Golden Coast we sailed so far.

Let the Costalegre begin!

Wed 19 – Bahia De Navidad

We’re up and running again by mid-morning, destination Bahia De Navidad. It’s just a little 15 miles hop, a two hours trip. I’m mentally waving goodbye to La Manzanilla vowing to return here, too. Soon, however, my attention is diverted to the three young humpback whales happily playing and splashing about, mindlessly breaching smack in the middle of the Bay entrance. They are about a quarter mile away from us. Tom is unfazed, slowing Camelot down for good measure while I wonder if my eyes can get any bigger, swallowing up my face… I’m not worried, I’m getting used to their frequent and ubiquitous presence, but they’re just fascinating, beautiful and intimidating animals and I am awestruck every time I see them.  Taking pictures is out of the question. I need a better camera and a zoom lens for this, another thing on my wish list…

We get to Bahia De Navidad a little earlier than anticipated thanks to a favorable current that pushed us, increasing our speed a full knot per hour to Tom’s utter delight. What’s with his speed fixation, anyway?

There are two towns, both with protected anchorages, at the opposite ends of the bay: Melaque to the north side, Barra De Navidad a mere two miles to the south end. We go for Melaque, as we know we’ll only stop for two days. The other anchorage is closer to Barra, the biggest and more attractive town, but it also requires a little finesse with tides and currents to enter, since it’s located in a shallow lagoon surrounded by sandbars… We’ll visit by dinghy later on, simple and effective way to zoom around without worrying too much about shallow waters.

As soon as we set up camp (figuratively speaking), we get to the nearest palapa beach bar for a well-deserved beer for the Captain and a Coke for me.  

Palapa Bar - Restaurant

A word on our means of transportation once in the anchorage: like all cruisers, we travel on our dinghy, a small inflatable boat with a hard fiberglass bottom, about 11 feet long, powered by a 15 hp outboard engine. It’s our car, for lack of a better comparison. It even has 2 wheels! The wheels are deployed for beach-landings. Landing your dinghy on a beach is no small feat. It requires careful watching and timing of the waves hitting the shore to ensure a smooth landing and to avoid getting soaked or tossed in the water, which is extremely embarrassing (not to mention uncomfortable), especially in front of crowded places…

Dinghies parked on the beach

Once the wheels gently touch the bottom, we jump out, raise the front and pull the dinghy further up the beach, where it stays parked while we relax. We have witnessed unsuccessful landings by other boaters a few times. It’s not pretty, so we do our best, but it’s only a matter of time before we, too, will possibly become the source of entertainment. This is why we never laugh at others’ misadventures and are always ready to lend a hand to approaching fellow cruisers. The successful landing alone is cause for celebration with a cold beer…

People-watching is a favorite pastime of ours, and there’s a lot to watch. Beach vendors laden with their goods stop by quite often and we engage them in conversation in our broken Spanish.

Senor Arturo sold me a beautiful Tortilla Basket

Must be hot walking with all those hammocks!

The palapa bar/restaurant owners or servers are always up for a chat and are clearly pleased when we formally introduce ourselves and ask for their names. There’s almost always people sitting at neighboring tables, and before I know it usually Tom is already striking up a conversation. So far we noticed a remarkable majority of Canadian tourists. There’s always an RV camp near the beach, usually exclusively occupied by Canadians escaping the clutch of winter at home. And who am I to blame them!

After a somewhat rolly night in Paraiso we weigh anchor once again. The colors are even more vibrant in the morning light and I really don’t want to leave. But leave we do, and within a few minutes I’m busy scanning the Ocean. I’m soon rewarded as some unidentified fish jumps multiple times out of the water, spinning like a torpedo. It’s about a foot long and very narrow, with a pointy head that looks almost like a beak. Where’s a fishing guide when you need one? After that we see a group of two or three whales not too far from us, doing what they do best, huge puffs of vaporized water shooting 6 or 7 feet up in the air, huge humps appearing out of the water and the grand finale: The Tail waving in the air before gracefully disappearing in the water.

I borrowed this picture from Annie of Serendipity

Sea Turtles start making an appearance, too. Every now and then we see their dark, shiny humps that look like rocks floating at sea. Occasionally they raise their head, peeking at us, who knows what they think of us?

Sea Turtle lazying off in the Ocean

I’m enjoying myself too much for words, the sun warm on my skin, the sea breeze smelling so good, our beloved Camelot purring quietly as she takes us to our new destination: Bahia Tenacatita. There has been some controversy surrounding this place: last year a rich and politically well-connected guy, with the help of the Federales (national police), forced the many small business owners off the beach, claiming he purchased the whole bay. So, there’s no more palapa restaurants and souvenir vendors on “his” stretch of property, no more jungle guided tours up the little estuary. With no prospects of finding tourist attractions and a little intimidated by the presence of the watchful and well-armed Federales, we decide to aim straight for the anchorage at La Manzanilla, a couple miles further South within the Bahia Tenacatita.

Approaching La Manzanilla - Bahia Tenacatita

While entering the Bay I notice clusters of jellyfish in the water, by the hundreds. I sure don’t want to go swimming here! Then I remember that the Sea Turtles’ food of choice is, you guessed, jellyfish. No wonder there are so many Turtles around here! I like what I see while we settle in La Manzanilla. It’s a small, colorful vacation community, and it has all we came here for: beautiful golden beach, small restaurants, vacation rentals and Bed & Breakfasts. Very picturesque!

The Gingerbread House - German Bed and Beakfast

La Manzanilla Beach - Little Apple of the Sea

In no time we’re all ready to go visit the town, Annie and Hugh are with us, eager as we are to explore the Little Apple of the Sea. The first thing we see coming up from the beach and walking towards the edge of town is a chain link fence surrounding a lagoon. It’s a protected sanctuary, home to a number of giant crocodiles.

This should be clear in any language...

Can you spot the Croc?

Annie chooses that moment to comment on the absence of small dogs around town… I keep my hands well off the fence, thoroughly spooked.

Trying to hide, are we?

After the customary photo session with these incredibly large reptiles we walk into the town proper. It’s so quaint, there are little grocery shops, hardware stores, restaurants, even an Internet Café’ with many computers available for 20 Pesos per hour.

Downtown La Manzanilla

La Manzanilla Hills Houses

The houses nestled up on the hills are spectacular in their simplicity, painted in vivid colors. I soon develop a neck ache, walking with my nose up in the air. We go back to the beach for an early dinner, I want to sample the specialty this town is famous for: El Rollo De Mar, the Roll of the Sea. It’s a fish filet filled with small shrimps and octopus, rolled up and smothered in almond sauce. Heavenly!!! It’s a great way of ending the day; with a fat belly and in high spirit we all return to our respective floating bases to enjoy yet another incredibly beautiful sunset.

Full Moon at Sunset

Spectacular Sunset

The sun is not even completely down, and the full moon is already rising behind the hills. Who needs any form of entertainment, when Mother Nature day after day so generously provides the best show on Earth?

We raise anchor at 10:00 and start our short trip to our next destination, Paraiso. Hugh & Annie from Serendipity join us and we slowly head out of Bahia Chamela. Needless to say, it’s another gorgeous day –although I never take it for granted!-. Not a lick of wind so we lazily motor, eyes on the big, blue wet thing that surrounds us. I never get tired of staring at the ocean, there’s always something going on. I spot my first Sea Turtle! I spent a good couple of minutes guessing what this floating, shiny black hump could be before realizing what it was. A new experience!

That tiny thing is actually a Sea Turtle

A few whales are visible in the far distance, far enough for me to feel safe and actually, for once, enjoy the show. Seeing all this marine life makes me want to read and learn all about it, I know so little! The sea is indeed a living organism and I’m developing some sort of feeling of belonging, learning to recognize signs, and an ever-expanding respect and appreciation for what surrounds me. I can -and do!- spend hours with my eyes scanning the water, always seeing something new. Not even two hours later we arrive in this magical, postcard-perfect spot. Paraiso! I’m thinking “I don’t need to die to go to Paradise, after all. Here I am!”. Silly, I know, but that’s what crosses my mind at this moment… Paraiso is a tiny bay with room for maybe 4 or 5 boats. We’re lucky, there’s only one other boat anchored there. We quickly pick our spot and claim temporary residency, Serendipity follows within minutes. Now there’s three of us!

Tom doing his job, testing the waters

 The beautiful, golden beach is totally deserted. There’s a very nice looking hotel just above the beach, complete with infinity pool, barbeque plaza, bungalows enjoying privacy behind palm trees. But… it’s completely quiet! The hotel, we guess, is closed. Good for us, less commotion in this sacred place! What a waste, though. Such a wonderful facility and nobody there to enjoy it…

We had the place all to ourselves

We drop the dinghy in the water and pick up our friends for a leisurely excursion around this bay and the neighboring one. What a shockingly beautiful place! There’s this small bay adjacent to Paraiso, I have no idea what it’s called. They too have a beach, white pristine sand, another small hotel can be seen, a couple of tourist-toting pangas on the hook.

Spectacular Rock Formations

Amazing View of Paraiso

 We want to be in Zihuatanejo (about 200 miles further South) by the end of January, in time for the annual SailFest that starts on February 1st and lasts for a week. Tom comes up with a tentative “schedule” (oh, that sounds like blasphemy!). We agree that we need to keep moving, stopping only briefly at some of other beautiful places along the way in order to make our deadline (another blasphemous word!). I agree only because Tom PROMISED we’ll take our sweet time on our way back up later on. We’ll have time to visit more thoroughly whatever places we miss and spend however many days we want in the places we like most. Sounds reasonable, and yet I feel deprived… It’s a good thing that Annie & Hugh come over for some company, we spend a couple of fun hours together debating itineraries, sharing “how did you guys meet” funny stories and generally having a good time. We’re all going to leave in the morning, this time to get to Bahia Tenacatita, just a mere 26 miles down the coast. The prospect of a new place to see pacifies me a little, but I really want to come back here and STAY for a while.

 Oh, the wonders a good night’s sleep works on your body! Bright eyed and bushy tailed we greet the day –another gorgeous one!-. Mega-coffee in hand we look around the anchorage to see who’s here, since yesterday we were too hazy-brained to notice. There’s a sprinkle of boats here, a couple of them we know and many others we don’t (but soon will!). As we’re pointing to each other various pretty spots on the beach, a loud splashy noise erupts all around us. We look in the clear water and see literally hundreds of good-sized fish swimming barely below the surface, occasionally jumping, swerving en-masse, just happy to be alive I guess… Or trying to escape a bigger predator? They are soon joined by another huge group of smaller silvery blue fish that decides to hang out under Camelot’s wide, welcoming belly. This racket goes on for a good hour, it’s a very entertaining show. And yet, we are unable to determine which kind of fish they are! I need a book on fish species, soon…. 

Are they going to jump on my boat???

The Feeding Frenzy going on around Camelot

 Later in the afternoon we decide to brave the surf and go to the beach to explore, socialize and get some tasty bite to eat. By sheer luck, or maybe because of Tom’s superior dinghy-landing skills, we manage to get on the beach reasonably dry. 

Dinghy Parking on the Beach

 We find a group of cruisers already sitting in what’s possibly the best spot for beach-watching, so we just grab chairs and join them. I’m terrible with names and my memory is rapidly vanishing, but there were Judy & Mike from Lunautica, Annie & Hugh from Serendipity, Lou & Klaus from White Shell and another couple whose name I’m sure I’ll remember later on… 

Roughin' it on the Beach

 Anyway, over beers and fish tacos we catch up, share our plans, and generally relax. After a while, Tom and I decide to go explore the town behind the beach. It’s called Perula, and there isn’t much to explore, really: the main street, a few tiny stores with smiling people inside, and a plaza. There’s almost no one around, it is Sunday after all and whoever is around would be on the beach, I think. So back to the beach we go, strolling lazily and taking in the view, the colors, the happy kids running around, the gossiping elderly ladies laying completely dressed in the shallow water, the mounds of fishing nets laying in wait.

Local Ladies enjoying the day

Panga ready for action

Fishing Nets

Need an Inflatable Toy?

It’s a long, pleasant afternoon but we decide to get back on Camelot and watch the sunset from the comfort of our cockpit. We already decided to move further South tomorrow morning, some exploring bug bit us and left us itching for more…

I can’t believe 2 weeks have passed since we arrived in La Cruz! We’re getting ready to leave today and it seems only natural to go for one last breakfast at Ana Banana’s, to say goodbye to our friends. Once there, we’re presented with a gift by Leon – talented and versatile musician, artist and overall exceedingly nice guy. Leon drew a cartoon picture of all the characters we met during our stay -dogs included- and we are thrilled, appreciative and really touched by his thought. Needless to say, we’re hunting for an appropriate frame and picking the best spot to hang it on Camelot. 

Leon's Drawing

 It sure was hard to leave this slice of Paradise and all the friends we made here. But we’ll be back around Mid-March, on our way up to the Sea Of Cortez. So don’t get too comfortable, Leon & Gang! We’ll miss you all, but the food and entertainment at Ana Banana’s will lure us back before you know it. There’s still so much to do and see, here!

Leon to the right, jamming with Bernie Revere of Brotherly Love

Tom, Leon in center, and me

We left at 18:00, enjoying a spectacular sunset along the way. I always prefer to leave at sunset, my eyes have time to gradually adjust to the darkness and it feels somewhat easier this way.  We anticipate a smooth and uneventful passage to our next destination, Bahia Chamela, about 120 miles south. We should be there by 10:30 tomorrow morning. We quickly adjust to the routine of being at sea, after a quick dinner we “loosely” start our watches. We sit companionably chit-chatting as darkness falls, until one of us starts feeling tired. We both actually wanted to be on watch while rounding Cabo Corrientes, famous for its capricious currents and pesky winds. But we’re lucky, there’s very little wind and the current is not slapping us around too much, just slowing us down a little. After conquering the Cape we raise our sails, there’s barely enough wind to get Camelot going, why not take advantage? Tom goes down for a nap around midnight, so I sit all by my lonesome self staring at the sea, clutching my essential chocolate bars for comfort. They quickly disappear, though… It is, thankfully, a very quiet passage, nothing to report, nothing to write home about (and yet, here I am!). There’s absolutely no one else on the sea tonight, not even far away, where is everybody? At least I have the stars to keep me company. The wind dies, I decide to douse the sail but as soon as I touch the winches Tom pops back upstairs to help me. We take care of that and start the engine, Tom goes back down to try to sleep. It gets really, really damp as the night goes by, but it’s not cold. I’m wearing my PJ pants! Cozy… But it’s a little boring tonight, to be honest. At about 5 in the morning Tom’s sleepy face reappears, it’s my turn for a snooze. And so we carry on, I get back up at 8 am, reporting for duty. We share a quick breakfast, the usual humongous quantities of coffee and –oh, joy!- some really tasty banana bread baked by our friend Linda from the sailboat Bright Angel. Thank you, Linda! Whatever you put in that bread, it made me giggly and happy. Or maybe it was the prospect of arriving in a new place, who knows.

The Beach at Chamela

 Soon enough we arrive in Bahia Chamela, another cute spot on the Coast. And wouldn’t you know it, after I say something about the lack of whale encounters during this passage, two adult whales start splashing about not too far from our boat, right in front of the bay we’re trying to enter! By now I’m a little less terrified of these huge mammals, so we just decrease speed and wait for them to go frolic a little further down. As expected, by 10:30 we find the perfect spot and throw the anchor. Man, we’re both tired! And still neither one of us is able to take a nap during the whole day, I guess we’ll just feel woozy until it’s finally time to go to sleep. Sleep, what bliss!

We’re still here in the La Cruz Marina, happily shacked up and surrounded by friends –new and old-. I can see how this place could swallow me up. Matter of fact, if we were at the end of our cruising dream, this is the place I’d seriously consider to become my new home. Life here is simple and unhurried, the people are super friendly, there’s always something to do, to see, to learn. There are classes on anything: Spanish, cooking, beading, even belly dancing! We feel very much at home, here. There’s music entertainment every night in one place or the other, artists abound –musicians, painters, sculptors, writers, photographers-. I guess the beauty and sense of freedom in this place inspires the creativity… Surprisingly there’s a myriad of restaurants in this small village, ranging from the very economic Taco On The Street style, a family’s backyard with tables, to the fanciest Mediterranean, Italian, German and Mexican ones. Even an English Pub, for chrissakes! Needless to say, we’ve been indulging. It’s hard not to! The days go by real fast, with tons of people to meet and visit, some excursions, lots of lounging and a fair amount of entertaining.

This morning the church bells rang announcing the Sunday Mass, and after that the Sunday Market in the Plaza! It’s a sort of Farmer’s Market, there are bread, cheese, vegetables stands, lots of local artists selling their jewelry, hand-woven baskets, rugs and textiles, paintings, clothing. A colorful feast for the eyes!

Sunday Market!

We decide to mosey up to Ana Banana’s for breakfast, thinking it wiser to visit the market with a full belly. It’s like going home, we are warmly welcomed by Barry and Ana and the local gang having coffee and bantering. A word about the “local gang”: These are mostly middle-aged, mischievous guys. Mostly expats from Canada and the USA, they are professional pranksters stuck in their teenage years although the ages range from 60 to 80… They’re lots of fun to be around and all have colorful nicknames. There’s Texas John, Crazy Mike, Hawk, Wrong-Way Mike, Washboard Leon. While we wait, Crazy Mike comes to our table and tells me “Lori, I know you love motorcycles, so I brought my Harley for you to take a ride on”. 

Crazy Mike and his "Harley"

Oh, boy. Great, I think, I’d love to take a little ride on a bike, it’s been far too long. I look at Tom, I know he’ll object, but he’s all smiles and encouraging words. Hmmm, I smell a rat… Next thing I know, Crazy Mike brings over the “Harley”… It’s a quad, the smallest one I’ve ever seen, looks like a toy. I’m laughing so hard I can barely stand, but manage to sit on this tiny yellow toy. Crazy Mike insists that I go for a ride, so after a 2 seconds tuition session on how to use the blasted thing, off I ride up and down the uneven and dusty streets of La Cruz. I didn’t go that far, actually. Believe it or not, there’s something deeply wrong with a motorcycle that has 4 wheels… It felt much less stable than my beloved 2-wheeled BMW!

THIS is NOT a BMW

After such a short but intense adventure, I dig into my French Toast breakfast with a renewed appreciation for life.

After promising Barry and the gang to return for dinner (there’s a very talented musician playing tonight), we leave Ana Banana’s to go visit the Sunday Market. Of course we meet a bunch of friends there, too. We spent quite a bit of time chatting and looking at the goods. We even found an item we were actually looking for. We wanted a very small, hand-woven basket that will serve as a lamp shade for our small cockpit light and we got the perfect one!  

Boat Decor

Basket Light at night!

Satisfied with our purchase we head back to the boat for some siesta time. Better be rested to fully appreciate another show tonight. By the way, dinner tonight is ribs, coleslaw and baked potato. I’m IN!

If I get any more spoiled here, I’m never going to leave…

Well, everyone noticed The Melon sitting in our cockpit, so we quickly pass around the rumor that there will be a “Kill The Blasted Melon Party” on Camelot later on today. We didn’t specify at what time, though… Slowly but surely people start showing up at three o’clock, bringing various snacks and treats, beers and mysterious liquid concoctions, until there are 20 adults in the cockpit, 2 children downstairs plus two happy dogs roaming around. I guess the conversation (s) must have really been interesting, because not one of us remembered to mention the melon AT ALL. Some of the guys were actually moving the melon around to make room to sit. The dogs were playing with it and trying to hump it. I mean, the damn thing was very much THERE, yet no one thought of cutting it up!!! Including me… I guess we need to try again!

In any case, around 8 at night everyone got off the boat and we all went to a very popular place, Philo’s Bar, to continue the party and get something to eat. Philo’s is famous for music and dancing, but the food is excellent too.  There was a good band playing and when the band took a break, out came the Belly Dancer! Now, that was unexpected… But so much enjoyed by everyone!

We had a blast, as usual. I even got whisked off my feet by our friend Hugh and guided in a two-step dance that left me breathless, sweaty and exhilarated. And seriously thinking about dance lessons… Hugh and Annie from the sailboat Serendipity are two awesome dancers, they do line dancing, two and three-step dancing, every kind of dancing! They’re always the first ones to jump on the dance floor and open the dances and offer a great show. So, to be tossed around by Hugh is considered a treat in my opinion. Finally we left Philo’s and headed home, it was about 11 o’clock, we’re making progress staying up later and later at night!

P.S. The watermelon is still here on the boat…

We’ve been meaning to stay here only for a week, BUT… We have a valid excuse for still being here. We’ve been waiting for a package to arrive for over a month, spare parts for our generator. Never, ever will we do this again. It would have been much more practical and economical to just fly to San Diego and pick up the blasted thing … Anyway, money fixes everything, so after forking out what seems to us “extortion money”, it looks like the stuff is on its way and we should receive it middle of next week. After that we’ll be free to leave. Today Tom and I went to Paradise Village -close to Puerto Vallarta- to talk to Vilma, the lady who is dealing with the infamous Mexican Customs and fighting to get our stuff delivered. To soften the blow of having to pay the ransom, we played tourists for a while and grabbed the bus from Paradise to Puerto Vallarta.

Puerto Vallarta

It was fun enough, but we were happy to come back to the quiet of La Cruz. We were exhausted from 6 hours of walking in the sun, dodging the time-share vendors (they’re everywhere!) and surviving the bumpiest bus ride we ever had. 

Crazy Bus ride

From the bus stop it’s about a half mile to the Marina. So we muster the last of our energy to walk home and Tom is whining a bit about how tired he is, when we hear his name being called from inside one of the restaurants along the way. Yes, the waiters are on first-name basis with Tom. Don’t ask… Here comes Vicente, the head waiter from Frascati Italian Restaurant, hollering “Toooom, mi amiiiigo! Como estas?! Do you like watermelon?” Huh??? What’s he talking about? Seeing our dumb expression, Vicente drags us to his beat-up car, opens the door and produces this massive watermelon. “I kept this for you, it’s from my brother’s farm” he says with a big, proud smile on his face. And promptly plops this 20 pounder in Tom’s arms. Oh, the look on Tom’s face! Gratitude and concern… After profusely thanking Vicente, Tom lugs the toddler-sized melon on his shoulder and shuffles down the street, me in tow laughing my head off… What are we going to do with this huge thing? Share it with our friends and neighbors very soon, of course!

Melon Head - Tom lugging The Melon

Later, after a rejuvenating shower and some rest, we meet with friends Susan and Keith at the local German Restaurant Black Forest. I know, what is a German restaurant doing in La Cruz??? Anyway, Tom was craving German food from his days in The Army when he was stationed in Germany for 3 years. He got his fill of Schnitzel, Strudel and so much more! So did I, for that matter… Surprisingly excellent food, but the surprises didn’t end there. We were treated to live music by the German Gypsies Latcho and Andrea playing excellent flamenco music and classic guitar melodies, singing in Spanish like they were born here. Music so full of passion, even the Mexican lady celebrating her 97th birthday at the table next to ours got up and danced with an 89 year old suitor. Her 50-something granddaughter soon followed twirling her magnificent red dress, and soon half of the family was dancing various flamenco styles on the 5 feet square dance floor. The show was on… The love for music, the passion for rhythm these people have, it’s just amazing.

Friday December 31^st

Up, up, bright and shiny! We’re now all of a sudden very eager to take on this short 8 mile stretch, can’t wait to be in La Cruz.  Early in the morning we take off from Punta Mita and this time a huge pod of good-sized manta rays escorts us out of the Bay, the tip of their fins poking out of the water. A whale calf is leading the way, I’m sure his Mama is close by. Oh, Lord, here we go again… But after a pretty close tail-wave they disappear towards the Islands and for the rest of the short trip there are no more sightings.

I can see the anchorage of Banderas Bay! Lots of sailboats anchored there, there’s plenty of room for everybody, but we’ve already decided to spend a good few days in the Marina of La Cruz. It’s actually called Marina Riviera Nayarit. It is a luxurious, quite new spot and with every amenity and service one can think of or wish for.

The shore at La Cruz, just entering the Marina

Entering Marina Riviera Nayarit, La Cruz de Huanacaxtle

We were here last in February 2009, at the time we spent a week in a house overlooking the anchorage and walked all over the place, meeting cruisers, admiring their boats and dreaming of when our time would come. We’re here now, even after repeatedly pinching myself I can’t quite believe it. The place has changed a bit, much more developed, streets have been paved –most of them anyway-, new buildings have sprung up. 

Main Road from the Marina into La Cruz

This Plaza wasn't here two years ago!

This small town is definitely growing! There are quite a lot of boats in the Marina, a lot more than when we were here last. The only negative difference is the water in the Marina… I remember it being crystal clear, and have pictures of fish swimming in it to prove it, but now the water is a little more murky… Still far from dirty, but also far from the intense azure I remember.  Nevertheless, I love this place and we’re both thrilled to be back here, this time on our beloved boat. It is somehow confirmation of our dream coming true!

Our home for the next 10 days - Dock 4 Marina Riviera Nayarit

As we settle in our slip, friends in droves come to see us, greet and welcome us. It is our 7^th wedding anniversary today, and within minutes this detail becomes of public domain. Even more friends arrive, and we get hugged within an inch of our life! It is still incredible to me to have formed such close bonds with a considerable number of people in such a relatively short time. I never had this many friends when I lived on land… It’s a small, close knit community. We share the worries and we share the joys. There’s an amazing support system within this community. I enjoy it a lot.

Better rest and rejuvenate, as there’s a nice dinner and entertainment planned for the night. But Tom has other plans, as usual. There’s an item on his Bucket List, and it can’t wait a minute longer… So he drags me into the village and makes a bee line for Ana Banana’s. We were there almost two years ago, I can’t believe he knows the way! Ana Banana’s is a simple, very fun place with a lot of character where basic but excellent meals are served, there’s music entertainment most every night. This is a landmark not to be missed!

The Legendary Ana Banana's

It is run by Barry, nicest guy in the world and former Tourism Director for the Yukon Territories. Barry left Canada over 15 years ago and came to Mexico with the intention of staying for 6 months, presumably to thaw his frozen bones. But he met and married Ana, a very pretty local girl, and never left. The rest is history. We like this romantic story. But more importantly, there’s a wall here where visiting cruisers can become children again and indulge in the ultimate forbidden act: write their name, boat name and year of their visit on the Cruiser’s Wall. Although nowadays it’s more like the whole building had become a giant drawing board…

Ana Banana's Faithful Fans

Scribblings everywhere! Yay! Tom is trying to find the perfect spot.

It has been Tom’s goal and ambition for over 22 months to come back here as a cruiser and write our boat’s name on The Wall. It’s now done, our names are on Ana Banana’s wall. One item checked off the Bucket List. It’s a good feeling.

It's a small corner, but it's OURS! Tom pointing at it.

Prime Real Estate!

Now, how about my beauty sleep? I’ve got a New Year’s Eve coming up… And intend to stay awake until midnight!