March 1, 2009 We pull up the anchor around 10 am and head out for Manzanillo. The wind is coming from the west at 6-8 knots and is going to require us to sail close hauled to exit the bay. We have to get around a rocky point that extends out about a mile before turning southeast. As we make our way westward, the wind doesn€™t want to cooperate with us and it is soon apparent that we are not going to be able to round the rocky point at our current course. So we go for bit and then tack away, heading north to gain some room for a second attempt. After half an hour we tack back to our previous heading and it looks like this time we will make it around. Then we spot some breaking water even farther out beyond the end of the point. Nothing is on the chart to indicate a reef, but breaking water is a definite indication of one. So instead of tacking once again, we fire up the motor, roll in the headsail (which will allow us to point higher up into the wind), and motor with the main up the last mile till we clear the point. After clearing the
point, it is a downwind run and we put out the spinnaker pole to
windward and lead the headsail line through the end. We sail the
afternoon under this setup all the way to Santiago Bay. There are
some large vertical cliffs that are quite dramatic just before the
entrance to the bay. As we round the corner and enter the bay we
discover that our chart plotter actually shows us in the correct
location. Seems that we have entered a chart (all charts get
overlaid in the chart plotter and you can zoom in and out for detail)
that has accurate coordinates. We test this out by passing
between the headland and a rock island that lies ½ mile
offshore. As we make our way between, the chart shows us exactly
in the proper location. We wonder if the next chart will be
accurate as well. The Manzanillo area has two anchorages and we have decided to stop at the outer one in Santiago Bay. There is a long 4 mile beach here with various pallapas and hotels lining it. The preferred area is at the west end and there are 8 boats already in the anchorage when we arrive. We set the hook, deploy the flopper stopper, put the sails covers on and tidy up the lines before settling into the cockpit to relax. It only takes us about a half an hour before were done.
March 2-4, 2009 We need to do some major reprovisioning while we are here. Also, I need to find a fishing supply store to get some better (higher test) line. We keep losing fish (and lures) because our line keeps breaking. We have 40 lb line right now and it isn't doing the job. So I am looking for some 100 lb line to replace the 40 lb line. I really don't know what I am going to do if I catch a hundred pound fish, but one thing I know for sure is that I'm going to at least get my lure back before I let him go. We have heard that there is a fishing store nearby, so it is just a matter of hunting it down. We head over to where others are landing their dingy and make an easy beach landing in the small surf. We wonder around the beachside pallapas and make our way through them to where the street is, or should be. Because when we get to back, there is no street per se. What we find is just a dirt road. So we head east, into a subdivision and work our way towards the road. We walk and walk and finally pass a gated entrance and find the road that leads into Manzanillo. We stop at a roadside taqueria to eat some lunch. We have been working on our Spanish and ask for the check (la cuenta por favor) and a young girl in perfect English says "61 pesos". That makes us laugh. I'm just beginning to be able to understand the higher numbers when they are spoken, so I'm preparing myself to hear the amount and she just puts it out there in English. BTW, current exchange rate makes $61 pesos = $4.06 American dollars.
We see buses passing in both directions and we inquire if the buses go to the pallapas at the west end of the beach. We are surprised to find out that they don't. This is the nearest bus stop, or we could get off at a location that's halfway down the beach. That is not going to make it easy to shop for groceries if we have to walk a mile down the beach to get from the bus stop to the dingy. We head back to Savannah and along the way stop by another boat to verify the bus situation. We find out from "The Cats Meow" that we have gotten the correct info on the bus situation. Our only other options are to land the dingy in some pretty big surf close to the bus stop, or get a taxi back from the store and they would drive us through the subdivision and drop us off at the pallapas. The following day we decide to just get the items that don't weigh very much for our first trip to the market. We land the dingy and walk down the beach to the bus stop. We catch the bus (4 pesos p.p.) and head into town. We pass through the town of Santiago before coming to the supermercardos just inside Manzanillo. Here we can choose between a Mega, a Soriana and a Wal-Mart, all within a block of each other. Each has their own advantages and we will shop accordingly for our items. We finish shopping and head back. Even with just the lighter items on Jodie's list, we still have to stop halfway down the beach and take a rest. We decide that tomorrow we will land the dingy at the bus stop and brave the big surf getting back out. The next day, we do just that, landing on the beach behind a breaking wave. We are going to try and time our departure with the slack tide, hoping that the waves will behave when we go back out. Into town and back again with more supplies. We put the groceries into a large garbage bag and hope for the best as we push the dingy into the water. Things are calmer than when we arrived earlier, but there are still 2-4 foot breaking waves to get out through. We do everything reasonably well and when we commit to punching through the breakers, our dingy launches up a wave just before it breaks down upon us. The view ahead is completely blocked by the front of the dingy rising up and up (oh no, oh no, oh no), and then it drops rapidly and slaps down on the far side of the wave (whew baby). Lots of fun since we didn't lose it, and we are laughing hysterically on the way back to Savannah. Plus, we gave a good show to the people on the beach.
March 5, 2009 Our friends on Rio Nimpkish entered the anchorage yesterday and today we went over and had a nice visit with them. We hadn't seen them since they left Banderas Bay weeks before us. We asked them how far south they had gone, expecting to hear about Zihuatanejo and in between. They tell us they just came from the second anchorage in the bay, Las Hadas, and this was as far south as they had come. They had been here for the last three weeks, at the Las Hadas anchorage. They came over to the Santiago side because of a red tide condition that had developed at Las Hadas. Also, they had planned on beginning their journey back north soon, so they might as well leave from Santiago Bay. They said we must go over to the Las Hadas anchorage. There, the Las Hadas "fantasy" resort allows cruisers to use the hotel pool and dingy dock. Also, from the hotel, you can catch a bus. Ah, a solution to our reprovisioning problem. We make some dinner plans for later on that evening and go back to Savannah. There is a wreck located in the western portion of the anchorage and portions of the old ship are still rising out of the water at low tide. We don our snorkel gear and tie up to a rusty post that was once part of the ship. We take a swim and discover the skeleton of the ship still intact. Life is very abundant in the water and it makes for poor photo taking, most of the shots ending up pretty hazy. But it is our first wreck dive and it was fun swimming through the ship. Of course we kept a sharp lookout for ghosts in the bowels of the shipwreck.
That evening we head into shore to go to a nice restaurant with Tom and Shirley from Rio Nimpkish and several other cruisers from the anchorage. We have a great time and we are all surprised by the entertainment. There was one musician singing and playing a keyboard throughout the evening. But then our waiter grabs a microphone and begins singing and interacting with the dining guests. Lots of fun and the food was fabulous.
March 6, 2009
We decide to head over to Las Hadas to take advantage of the dingy dock and closer proximity to the bus stop. This side of the peninsula looks dramatically different from the Santiago side. It almost has a Mediterranean feel, with buildings placed into the steep hillsides. There is still a red tide effect going on here, but it was beginning to bloom on the Santiago side this morning as well. The only way the tide affects us (other than not wanting to go in the water) is that it inhibits our ability to make water. But our tanks are reasonably full and we are not planning on staying to long before heading further south. We land at the dingy dock shortly after dropping the hook and begin to wander around the hotel trying to find where the bus will pick us up. Of course we walk around in circles before finally finding the main entrance and walking out to the bus stop. Before long, a bus comes by and we take a roller coaster bus ride down to the markets. I mentioned that the buildings are built into the hillside. Well the cobblestone streets twist and we descend down into town, the bus practically shaking apart over the stone street. Jodie says she actually enjoys it, "Like a roller coaster ride."
We then have the best lunch ever. While walking around the first time in Manzanillo, I noticed a 2 for 1 taco sign hanging in front of a restaurant. You get to choose from three different kinds of tacos, and the cost is 7 pesos per order. So we get a total of 6 tacos and a soda for 31 pesos ($2.07). Unbelievable prices and really good tacos make this the number one restaurant in Manzanillo.
This time at the grocery stores we are getting the "heavies". Meat and canned goods. Soda, wine and cat litter. The heavies. Loaded up, we catch the bus back to Las Hadas and in ten minutes we are back and loading the groceries in the dingy. Much better than a one mile walk down the beach or a potential dunking in the surf.
March 8, 2009 Today we plan to see "Los Vigilantes" or in English, "The Watchmen". It was 6 months ago when we saw our last movie in a cinema, "Ironman". Seems that when we are going out to the movies, we are drifting towards the comic book adaptations. I'm quite sure it has something to do with me. I was (still am) quite a comic book geek when growing up but I am not familiar with "The Watchmen". No matter. I know I will love it and Jodie will sit through it for me. The movie will be in English with Spanish sub-titles. I am finishing up the curtains for the boat before we leave. And we will grab the last of our provisions (produce and baked goods) on the way back.
March 9, 2009 Spoiler Alert! "The Watchmen" was full of ironies and was an excellent adaptation of the original comic series. That being said, it was ok. Maybe if I owned the original comics I would have been more excited. Or disappointed. Either way, it was quite a story. Here is a world that has only one real superhero, and he really doesn't care about the people living there, even the one he "loves". Then you have another hero, who is just a regular guy in a mask, and he is full of virtues and for standing up for truth and will stop at nothing to see justice served. At the end of the movie, he gets wasted by the "superhero". The director who made "The Watchmen" also made "300". Watch (or re-watch) "300", it's a better movie. Today I noticed that there was a large screw lying on the deck of the boat. It seems that the screws holding the metal track the main boom is connected to have corroded, and the bottom screw holding the track has pulled out of the mast, leaving a hole with no threads behind. The next screw up the mast is also stripped, but the rest of the screws (three of them) are still in fine shape. So, with Jodie's help, I removed the boom from the gooseneck fitting (a swivel attachment) and then raised the gooseneck on the track, placing a metal stopper that will prevent the slide from going down to the level where the threads have been compromised. This will raise the entire boom six inches and hopefully avoid further strain on the weakened section of the track. This should work until we find a large tapping bit and screws to repair the threads in the mast. It took 29 years for the first pair of screws to wear out, so we have a bit of time for this one.
March 10, 2009 We decided before leaving tomorrow that we should try to get to the central "old" part of Manzanillo. We had been into central Santiago to get the fishing supplies earlier in our visit, but had not made the trip into central Manzanillo. The day was a little hazy, which is always a good thing when walking around in the tropical regions. It allows you to walk in a straight line instead of from shadow to shadow to hide from the sun. We traveled along the Malecon area (the seaside boardwalk), and made our way past the huge metal fish sculpture before heading into the historic downtown area. It was siesta time when we were walking around and many of the shops were closed. We actually enjoyed our time there more for it; traffic was light and the downtown area was peaceful.
We passed an open breezeway located between some buildings and found some locals playing dominoes. Just another day in the life in Manzanillo.
Tomorrow we will be departing early for the 45 mile run to the next anchorage, Punta Cabeza Negro. There has been an early morning breeze coming off the shore that we will try to catch. Hopefully it will push us out to sea enough so that when the wind clocks back around, we will be able to sail on a beam reach towards Punta Cabeza Negro. That's the plan anyway. We will see how it works out.
March 11-15, 2009 Three
bad anchorages. That is what we find as we head south to
Z-town. The first, Punta Cabeza Negro, inundated us with
no"“see-um's before we even had the anchor set. My feet and legs
were covered with the little buggers while dropping the hook. And
this was in broad daylight. They must have seen us coming and
formed a frontal assault from the beach. We quickly finished up
outside and dove down below, shutting the hatches behind us. This
was the first of three anchorages on our way south that had little
protection from the predominate swell, which was running higher than
normal at about 10-11 feet. We spent one very uncomfortable night
here and headed out at first light the next morning. The next anchorage was Bahia de Maruata. We arrive in the bay around 4 and settle down for the evening, hoping to catch-up on our sleep. The bay is very picturesque, with lovely beaches and straw-roofed huts. With the large swells running, there are several surfers and I was looking forward to getting a little surfing in the next day. However, after another sleepless night we decide to head out the following morning to our next destination.
Our third anchorage was a really beautiful spot called Ensenada de Pichilinguillo. Once again, exposed to the large swell we set the hook and settled in for a restless night. The swell had a strange effect here, building dramatically as it neared the shore. The surf crashed and pounded all night long, never quieting down as is the norm after sunset.
Next on our list was Caleta de Campos, also known as Bufadero Bluff. Bufadero Bluff is marked by a lighthouse and has a rock lying at its base with a blow hole through which the water spouts.When we arrived, the large surf was sweeping into the little bay and crashing down on the beach. The anchorage was fairly small and narrow, and with the large surf we didn't even try to enter the bay. No thank you. We decided to continue on rather than haveanother restless night in an exposed anchorage and a breaking beach at our back. The amount of sleep we would get would end up being the same under passage as in the anchorage anyway. Plus, as an added benefit, we would arrive in Z-town a full two days earlier than by stopping here. By doing an overnight trip we would bypass an additional two anchorages to arrive directly in Z-town. We continue to sail on down south; well really we are going nearly due east, to get to Zihuatanejo. The wind is coming from the west-southwest and we are sailing along at 5 knots. We are in no real hurry. Any faster and we would arrive too early; before sunrise. As it turns out, the wind eases off at 8 pm during my watch and we slow way down. But then it picks back up again during Jodie's watch at 10 pm. During my watch, at around 2 am, some dolphins decided to join us. Now, I couldn't actually see the dolphins, as there was no moonlight. The thing that made this noteworthy was that there was a fair amount of phosphorescence present in the water. What made them visible was the green glow shimmering along their bodies, forming a sparkling outline as they swam by, with glowing trails being left behind them as they would pass and return, over and over. I tried to take a video of the effect, but all I got was a black screen. It was ocean magic at work. I woke Jodie up so she wouldn't miss it (she sleeps in the cockpit). She looks over the side and says, "Neat", and then lies back down to sleep. I really can't blame her. It was right in the middle of her off-watch period. I went forward to the bow and enjoyed the show for the next half-hour. We end up sailing most of the night (we had to motor for about an hour as the wind clocked around across the bow) and arrived just outside the bay at 6 am. Things were a bit confusing as we tried to determine which of the many small peninsulas jutting out we needed to round to enter Zihuatanejo Bay. It was still twilight, and you can never trust the chart enough to drive in blindly. But soon we see a number of fishing boats entering the open water and we head into the bay they are departing from to find the town of Zihuatanejo tucked inside. We set the anchor and settle down for a rest. We both feel pretty good after the overnighter and spend the rest of the day cleaning up Savannah and relaxing.
March 16, 2009 We venture into town for the first time discovering a laid back beach town. There is a small malecon strip that has the usual beachside restaurants and fishing charters. The next street in has some small hotels, many restaurants, bars and gift shops.
There is also a large Mercado style building housing many souvenir vendors. Further into town is the Centro area, shoe stores, banks and clothing shops for the locals. It is there we find the meat and vegetable market, the true Mercado.
In one area there are half a dozen eateries all selling the same dishes. Walking through, you will be assailed by each vendor loudly naming the menu items. All of them. And at basically the same time. One starts and each begin to recite their menu items. It is quite a humerous scene. So we pick one near the middle at random at sit down. I get a random chicken plate and Jodie picks the chile relleno plate. There is a large platter of chiles and Jodie picks a red chile from the selection, something she nas never had before, a red vs green chile. This (plus unlimited tortillas) is what you get for 30 pesos (2 dollars) in Z-town. This is their comida corrida or "meal on the run" special.
March 17, 2009 Yesterday we got a call from Jim on Ocean Dance, a 55 foot Choy Lee motor yacht. Seems a local hull cleaner pulled a no-show and Jim would like to know if I'm available. Sure thing, so this morning I hoped into the dingy with my gear. As I leave I tell Jodie it will probably take 90 minutes, 2 hours tops. Boy, was I wrong. Took almost 4 ½ hours. Those motor yachts are big and they have a lot of stuff under them. Stabilizers and swim platforms. Bow thruster and tons of thru-hulls. Not to mention the 10 foot long prop shaft and humungous propeller blade. And there are two sets of those. By the end I was beat. My right arm (my scraping arm) was a hunk of dead meat and I had strawberry rub marks under my arms and on my shoulders from my wetsuit chafing my skin. Lastly, both of my ankles were missing a nice chunk of skin at the back where the fin rubbed up and down on them. I don't think I have ever been in the water for that long a period in my life. After 3 hours, Jodie called Ocean Dance on the radio to see if I was ok, me being long overdue to return. Jim said he could still hear me scrubbing down there. After the job was finished, Jim was very generous with a nice tip along with the standard fee. Now that I know how big a job those motor yachts are, I"˜m going to have to raise my fee for big powerboats. Jim turns out to be a really great guy and over the next week hosts many gatherings and dinners aboard Ocean Dance for us and the other cruisers here in Zihuatanejo.
This is a little crab Jodie pulled out of my right ear after cleaning Ocean Dance.
After resting during the afternoon, we go ashore to meet up with some other cruisers for Saint Patrick's Day. The local "cruisers" restaurant is having a corned beef and cabbage dinner and has invited us cruisers to dine there. We arrive at 7 pm for our dinner reservation and by 8 we still have no drink service. You can see where this is going. It seems that the owner did a bit too much advertising and not enough planning. When Jim goes to see what's up in the kitchen, he finds the cook trying to "fill a hundred plates with forty servings". The final straw was when only half our drinks showed up (at about 8:30) because they had run out of ice. We depart, leaving the few drinks we received untouched on the table. We end up at a pizza joint 1 block away. Everything goes well (thank goodness, we were starving!) and we enjoy the rest of the evening with our newly made friends. The pizza was good and tasted all the better because it has been months since we have had one. Months since we had eaten pizza. Isn't that a scary thought?
March 18, 2009 Today we ventured out for a few items at the super Mercado, Commercial Mexicana or ComMex and also known as the Mega. We packed our carrying bags and walked to town, just over a mile. Walking is the best way to discover and explore. We needed to eat lunch, so before we entered the market we took off into an adjacent neighborhood. There were children playing in the streets (no cars around, not in this neighborhood) and small storefronts, most closed for siesta. We wander around, smiling and waving as the children stop to watch us as we walk by. Then they run out excited and try to talk to us, all smiles. Not many gringos enter the neighborhood and we became an event to the children wherever we went. Back on Savannah, we get ready to go over to Ocean Dance for Roy and Wynona's 50th wedding anniversary party. That's right, 50 years ago Roy and Wynona from Saucy Lady (you can see what keeps them going) eloped and have been together ever since. Over on Ocean Dance we are joined by Gary and Teri from Ishi, T.J. and Julie from Itchen, Steve and Denise from Brenden, Kim and Linda from Endeavor, and of course Roy and Wynona. Also on board, visiting Jim from Kansas is his friend Monty and Monty's father Lou. Lou is in his eighties and was a kick in the pants the entire time he was here. Political Correctness will prevent me from elaborating further on Lou's colorful stories. At sundown Roy and Wynona recommit their vows for another 50 years upon the bow of Ocean Dance. Only in the cruising community can you meet someone on Tuesday and get invited to their wedding on Wednesday. We feel fortunate to be among those involved in this very special, once in a lifetime event. Best wishes to Roy and Wynona! They are a true inspiration for us all.
Aboard Ocean Dance.
March 19-21, 2009 We spend the next few days exploring z-town, completing miscellaneous boat projects, hunting down the free book exchange locations in town, etc. We decide to stay for an upcoming event happing here called "Guitar Fest". This is a charity event held each year in Zihuatanejo, this being the 6th year. Artist from around the world come to perform and they play at different venues around town. Opening night is a concert with all the performers and will take place on the 22nd. On Saturday, we run into Jim and his guests while trying to find a place to eat lunch downtown. They had just sat down at a small restaurant to eat as well and they invited us to join them. They had just returned from fishing and Lou had caught a 175 lb sailfish that morning! This is no big fish story here as they had the pictures to prove it. Later on that evening, we head back over to Ocean Dance for dinner where Julie from Itchen has made Shepard's Pie. It will be our last opportunity to get together with our new friends before we all depart Z-town. Jim is the only member heading south and we plan to meet back up with him in an anchorage and city named Huatulco. We have (again) a great time with everyone there and head home late that night. As we arrive back at the boat, I raise the motor out of the water like I always do in preparation of raising the dingy back onto Savannah. Tonight however, we hear a bunch of parts fall into the bottom of the dingy when I raise the motor. Turns out that the bolt that connects the motor to the motor mount has seized and when I raised the motor, I sheared the bolt into several pieces. The parts hitting the dingy floor were the washers that used to live on the bolt between the mounting bracket and the motor. Too late tonight to do anything about it, and the motor is resting on the rear transom of the dingy reasonably well, so we haul up the dingy and put her on the deck.
The following day I start coming down with a cold that began with a sore throat and quickly became the flu accompanied by a fever. I top out at 101.4 degrees at 8 pm that night and sleep till 10 the next morning. So much for going to the Guitar Festival. I'm
feeling a bit better the next day, so I go out to assess the outboard
motor. I have to remove four bolt segments from the motor, two of
which are in the drive shaft portion of the motor. I was hoping
to bring it to a machine shop and have them press out the bolt.
However, with the bolt segments located in the drive shaft assembly, I
can't really bring the entire motor down to the machine shop.
It's just too bulky and I don't think they could fit it on a
press. Plus, how the heck am I going to carry a 60 pound motor
around town?
March 25-27, 2009 We
depart today for Acapulco, 120 miles to the southeast. It is
almost a due east heading to get there and our compass bearing is 100
degrees magnetic. We are sailing right out of the bay, a
northwest wind pushing us along at 6 knots. We are just cruising
along with the mainsail out and the headsail rolled out halfway and
sheeted tight. The head sail sheeted tight helps prevent the boat
from rolling back and forth as the swell flows past. It is a
configuration that we have experimented with from time to time and
seems to work reasonable well under the current conditions. Nothing really happens along this trip. No fish are caught, the wind doesn't shift directions, we don't see any whales or giant mantas or wayward freighters trying to run us down. Just the occasional turtle slowing swimming along, sometimes with a seagull hitchhiker. It is for the best as I am still a bit under the weather and now Jodie is starting to come down with it. Some joke that sailing is 90% boredom, 9% exhilaration and 1% sheer terror. Well this journey falls squarely into the boredom category. The
only thing that I happened to notice during my midnight watch was that
Polaris was getting pretty low in the sky. The North Star is only
about 10 degrees above the horizon. As I lay back in the cockpit,
looking south I notice 4 stars that form a cross. I check our
books and sure enough, it is the fabled Southern Cross. This
brings the Crosby, Stills and Nash song of the same name to mind. Where we do end up is too close to a moored vessel behind us. We discuss our options, which is basically limited to anchoring in deep water. Then an older man comes up in a dingy and offers to show us an open mooring ball that we can connect to if we want. Communication is mostly hand signals and comprehending every third or forth word. We are not sure if he wants to rent us a mooring ball or not, but neither of us is feeling well and we are dead tired, so we decide to grab it and figure it out later. He speeds off and does a doughnut around an empty mooring ball, points at it, gives us a thumbs up, and then heads off to his own boat located not far away. We surmise that he sees this mooring ball open all the time and is just offering it to be helpful. So we head over and attach ourselves to the mooring ball, a first for us. Of course the wind decides to really pickup at this point and starts blowing 15-20 knots. Jodie does a fantastic job steering the boat as we hover over the ball and I thread a line though a ring located on the top of the ball. It only took three tries for us to get it connected, us being blown off the ball from the high winds before I could thread the line through the first two attempts. We stow the sails and go below and crash, sleeping the rest of the day to awaken at 6 that evening. A quick snack and back to bed, waking at 8 a.m. the next morning (well Jodie woke at 10). Jodie seems to be fully recovered and I am still on the mend.
March 28, 2009 We head into town today in the mid-morning. We walk up to where the cliff divers perform, but decide to come back at a different time to watch the night show. We turn around and take the short walk back down to the shore line where can catch the bus that will take us to Wal-Mart.
This is our last Wal-Mart in Mexico and we are going to stock up on things like clumping cat litter and Campbell's soups (Wal-Mart's in Mexico are Super Wal-Marts, which means they are also full grocery stores). The bus ride lets us see quite a bit of Acapulco, first taking us through the Centro area (downtown) and then along the hotel strip and beach. Loaded up with groceries we head back to the boat. Just before we arrive at the bus stop, we pass by the local Plaza. We can see that they are setting up a large stage and projection screens, so we decide to come back this evening.
It seems that the girls on stage come from underprivileged families who could not afford to have their own sweet 15 coming out party for them. So the mayor of Acapulco has hosted these 20 girls and is giving them and the town a party to remember. Must be a re-election year. Still the girls get their party, the town gets a party, and the mayor gets to be a hero. We walk through the rest of the large plaza to see the sights. Vendors selling devices (convert your blender into a juicer), jewelry (real silver) and toys, clowns and jugglers, and food, food, food. These people love to eat. Here is one for you: corn on the cob, covered in butter and parmesan cheese and drizzled with hot sauce. Everyone we pass is eating this concoction. So I get one. When in Rome, right? Well I can report to you that it taste exactly like corn, covered in butter and parmesan cheese and hot sauce. I don't think this one is going to migrate across the border and appear at a county fair near you. Still it is quite popular down here.
March 29, 2009 We got on the wrong bus this morning. We wanted to head into the Centro portion of town to get over to Home Depot to replace my Dremel that has bit the dust. But instead we got on the #101 bus, meaning to get on the #102 bus. It was my mistake. I thought I saw the #101 bus in the Centro area while we were there yesterday. Nope. But it actually worked out for the better. We drove past the beach and saw that there was a sand castle competition going on and got off there. We also knew that Home Depot was located on the other side of the city park, which we could now walk through. So I did a good thing by messing up. Jodie takes it all in stride.
When we get back to the little beach where we landed the dingy, we find it crowded with families and couples enjoying the day. Some were enjoying our nice cushy dingy to sit on as well. I can't blame them. I might do the same. One very nice senor took the initiative to clear a path to the water for us. Everyone was more or less intrigued by us, excepting the one older lady who seemed quite miffed that she had to stand up for ten seconds as we passed her by on the way to the water. Kids cleared out of the way in the water as we push the dingy into the bay. No severed limbs this time around. Later in the afternoon, a guy comes over to say that we are on his mooring ball. I try to explain that a senor said we could use it and that we would be leaving soon. He doesn't speak English and says he will get someone who does and come back. A short time later we hear some talking outside the boat and go out to investigate the noise. He had returned with a couple guys, but now they are having problems with their boat. The engine won't start and they are drifting away into the bay. They ask for a tow back to the pier with our digny. I quickly jump in to tow them back. After getting them back to the pier, the english speaking guy, Manny, tells me that the mooring we are on belongs to them and they rent it out. He wants to know who said we could use it and if they charged us any money. I point out the boat that belongs to the senor who showed us the ball and told Manny that he did not charge us anything. That he just pointed it out and said it was empty all the time and it would be simple to attach to it. Manny seems relived that someone wasn't trying to claim ownership to his mooring ball. Then he said that he could see that we were honest and good poeple by the way I jumped right in to tow them back without hesitation. Manny says that we can stay on the mooring as long we like, no charge. Once again the generosity and good will that the Mexican people have is shown by thier actions.
We plan to rest tomorrow before our 2 night, 240 mile passage to Huatulco, a series of 9 bays all located in a ten mile stretch of land.
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