Wednesday, December 3, 2008

La Riviera de Mehico

Greetings from Mazatlan!

We got in yesterday after a 33-hour crossing of the Sea of Cortez. It was pretty uneventful, and we motored almost the entire way, having waited out some big weather at a nice anchorage in Los Frailes Bay, on the Baja side.

Actually, 'waiting it out' was a minor but gratifying achievement...in the absence of any cell signal or Internet access, we hoisted the antenna for our "YachtBoy" single sideband radio receiver halfway up the mast, and were successfully able to receive a morning weather forecast from a guy in southern California. Based on this, we made the decision to stay put, and as such, we dodged the 30 knot winds (and accompanying massive waves) that would have made the crossing a nightmare.

While waiting out the wind, we spent some time back at Cabo Pulmo, a marine reserve that I wrote about previously. We hiked inland, then back along a magnificent untouched beach, about 7 miles total. For most of the time, were were the ONLY persons there. It is truly a special place, but I do worry about the rumors of development popping up. But hey-- if you can't beat 'em, then join 'em, right? Anyone want to go in on a beachfront parcel with me? (I tried to talk Naomi into this, but being the practical one in our marriage, she was lukewarm to the idea).

Prior to that, we had a fantastic Thanksgiving with our new friends Roger and Tobe on their boat
La Palapa. These kids did it up right...they butterflied a turkey and cooked it on the grill, and we had garlic mashers, stuffing, pecan and pumpkin pie, etc....the entire works. Keep in mind, this all occurred at a tiny anchorage on a remote island a few hours north of La Paz. Very cool. With Roger and Tobe (and their friend Shawna), we also explored an island called "Los Islotes" which is a rookery for seals, vultures, and other aquatic animals. We dinghied into some caves.

Now, here in Mazatlan, we anchored in an area just off the "Centro" or old part of town (in other words, away from the tourist area). We had a bit of reverse culture shock with the noise, traffic, hustle and bustle after so much time in quiet island anchorages, but it was starting to get cold in the sea of cortez, so this leg of our trip represents a new chapter as we cruise south, down the "Mexican Riviera".

Next up, we are going to head south, en route to PV, stopping at a little village on the coast called Cachala, and possibly another town called San Blas. I am particularly interested to check out San Blas...when I was 18, just after high school, I took a motorcycle trip down the coast of Mexico to Acapulco. I wandered into San Blas and ended up liking it so much, I rented a casa there for a week...it was a highlight of the trip. I've curious to se how it's changed over the years.

Until then...asta luego!


4 comments:

Dee Dee said...

Ill tell my real estate husband about the beachfront property . . .

Diana Benedikt said...

I'm in for Cabo Pulmo - warm beach weather is always something i can buy into!

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