The Critters Are Back!

Finally! The weather has calmed down and warmed up (Welcome home, Mexico!) and all the wildlife is returning.

Puerto Escondido has a couple of resident whale sharks and we had the privilege of seeing them up close and personal on several occasions. Our very first day there when we were returning from the showers the people on the boat next to us were standing out on their bow and pointing at the water between their boat and ours. We brought the dinghy to a halt and there was a whale shark coming right toward us! We didn't have a camera with us but from then on we carried one every time we went ashore. The problem we encountered was that the animals are at eye level when you are in an inflatable so trying to get a good photo was a real challenge. I got lots of splashes and a few fins and snouts but that was about it. The day before Hank & Patty arrived, Chris & I took the dinghy out of the anchorage and to the bay next door and there were two whale sharks. I managed to get some halfway decent shots and a great video of them.

Whale sharks are the biggest sharks in the world. They can grow to 50-60 feet but these were only about 15-20 feet so it appears they are juveniles. They are very gentle and there are quite a few places where you can hire a panga to take you out to see them and swim with them. Whale sharks are filter feeders. They sort of skim along the surface of the water with their mouths (which are a pretty substantial size) open taking in the crustaceans and tiny fish that they eat. They are pretty amazing and we were thrilled to get the chance to see some up close and personal.

Since we stayed in Puerto Escondido for over two weeks we must have looked like a pretty stable environment. After about the first week we started hearing this funny, high pitched bird call that was very close by. Both Chris & I thought it was some little bird but no matter how hard we listened and looked we couldn't locate one on the boat. Finally, one morning while I was brushing my teeth I heard it again and it sounded like it was directly above me. I looked up through the open hatch and, surprise! There was an Osprey sitting on to of the mast!! Last year we had a number of Frigate Birds (who broke the wind instrument quite thoroughly) and Boobies who seemed to enjoy the high perch but this bird was a first. Not only did he remind us of home (the Columbia River has many Osprey pairs who nest on posts erected along the edges just for them), but he was an exceptionally thoughtful guest. He never once dropped any "gifts" on the deck or sails.

Once Patty & Hank arrived it was time to start moving north. As I write this, we are anchored at Isla Coronado, which is about 18 miles north of Puerto Escondido. We had a beautiful trip up between the islands with wonderful weather. About halfway here we saw a disturbance in the water and, hoping that it might be fish (that we could catch) we diverted to go check it out. It wasn't fish. It was a huge pod of dolphins that were feeding on fish! I managed to get one halfway decent picture of them but that was it. Still, it was pretty thrilling to see them. When we arrived here, there were four dolphins that kind of hung around the boat for a short while before moving on. We were busy getting the anchor down so we didn't get any pictures but it looked like a couple moms with babies.

We are leaving shortly for Caleta San Juanico. This is a beautiful anchorage that I wanted badly to see last year but the weather was from the wrong direction. Looks like it will be good this time. Hopefully we will see more wildlife on the way. It has been a slim year for seeing animals. The weather was so cold and stormy all winter that they apparently went north where the water was warmer!

Just thinkin'...again

We are currently attached to a mooring buoy in Escondido (just south of Loreto) and I am enjoying the opportunity to just take a deep breath. So much has happened this season. We have had a lot of guests, which we love, but that has also meant that our "alone time" has been limited at times. It is such fun to have visitors from the cold country up north and watch as they learn that cruising means slowing down and enjoying the small things. Just being able to sit in the sun with a good book is a luxury that so many people don't have in the hustle and bustle of the "real" world. Last night we got together with our friends on "Nautilus" and, as we sat in the quiet and beauty of a moonless night and shared experiences over a couple glasses of red, I was reminded again of how fortunate we are to have this life. We talked about how uncomfortable the passages are when the wind is blowing like stink and right on the nose. We talked about the embarrassment of messing up when we dock or un-dock the boat. We talked about the sleep we lose when the wind comes up in an anchorage and we spend the night in a rolling boat worrying that the anchor will drag. But, then, the conversation turned to how truly lucky we are to be a part of the 1% who had a dream and are able to live it. The beauty of the places we visit is stunning. The wildlife that is a part of our daily lives is only available to the average person via television or movies. The ability to pack up our "homes" in an hour or two and move to a new place is freedom extraordinaire. The people we meet and form instant, intense relationships with is unique beyond words. If only we could transfer this closeness and sense of community to the neighborhoods back home so many problems would be solved. Here, if you have engine problems or electrical issues or any number of difficulties, there always seems to be someone around who is eager to lend a helping hand. Here, we leave the key in the ignition and if the boat drags anchor while you are gone, someone will get on it and re-anchor it for you. It isn't about making money...it is more about a sense of family and community. It is about building friendships and maybe a little Karma as well. Here, we all realize that we are on our own but we are also part of a great family that is continually growing and changing. We love to party but we also know that anything can happen tomorrow. Well, enough philosophizin'. I need to get started on today's chores! Chris went to town with Dan so I am free to do some cleaning up for our next guests' arrival, practice a little Spanish and then settle in with my latest book. Hopefully the resident whale shark will come by and I can try again to get a good picture of it.

Birthday Road Trip

Last year for my birthday, Chris’ gift to me was a trip to the South Pacific. In keeping with this established tradition, he decided that this year a road trip would be in order. It was a very good idea. We’ve been on the boat continuously since last November and, while I love the lifestyle, sometimes it is just plain nice to get away and do something else. Seeing a different landscape, spending a night in a hotel where the shower isn’t either in a closet-sized space or a long walk up the dock and CNN…in English…is on the TV 24/7, and having two days worth of meals you didn’t have to cook or clean up after is a pretty nice birthday present.

So…Tuesday morning our rental car arrived and we were off. On the way out of town we stopped at the Home Depot to pick up a few things for the boat. The “to do” list and the list of all the things that can make life more comfortable aboard is never far from our minds and having a car gave us the freedom to purchase extras that riding buses never does.

Back on the road, we drove into the desert and south to Todos Santos. I was really excited to see this little town as it is supposed to be a very cute, artsy place and home to the “Hotel California”. We arrived around noon and decided to begin with lunch at the Tequila Sunrise restaurant. The food was wonderful and I decided one of their signature drinks was definitely in order. It was very good and had a substantial amount of liquor so packed quite a punch. While we were enjoying a great meal, the owner brought everyone to attention and, along with an interesting story of his participation in numerous international drink competitions, he gave us all the recipe for a “perfect” Margarita. Chris & I have committed the correct ingredients and their amounts to memory and will try the drinks out on Patty & Hank when they arrive. Patty is, of course, our very own Margarita connoisseur. Last year she not only perfected the “boat” recipe but educated a number of bartenders on the correct ingredients to make a good Margarita (NO sweet and sour mix if you please).

Following lunch we began to wander around town checking out some of the beautiful buildings and artwork in town. The Hotel California was a bit disappointing but there were lots of other buildings that sported murals and extravagant artwork that more than made up for the somewhat mundane exterior of the H.C. I guess that finding out that the Eagles song wasn’t really a depiction of this establishment may have taken a bit of the shine off the building for me but, quite honestly, when you got up close and personal it looked a little tattered around the edges.

I was delighted to see some beautiful upscale trinkets and artwork for sale but, alas, Todos Santos has not escaped the tradition of salespersons that are aggressive and insistent. This is the one thing that truly distresses me when I want to “shop” in Mexico. For me, a lot of the shopping experience is about just being able to mosey around looking at things and when there is someone constantly harassing me to buy, buy, buy all I want to do is get away from them. One of the things that had piqued my interest and I wanted very much to purchase was a beautiful pitcher and drinking glass set that was blown glass and hand painted. There were quite a number of patterns to choose from but I couldn’t even concentrate enough to decide which I liked the best because the salesman was hovering and talking constantly. Granted, it was clear that he was trying to practice his English, but it was still very distracting. Instead of buying, I ended up walking out of the shop just to get away.

After seeing most of Todos Santos, and deciding to forego a night’s stay at the town’s centerpiece hotel, we continued driving south until we reached Cabo San Lucas. We checked into the hotel Patty, Hank & Allan stayed in last year. It is clean and comfortable and, best of all, not in the middle of the main glut of bars, strip clubs and noisy night clubs that make Cabo what it is. The next major project was to go get dinner. Sigh… We really wanted to sit by the water while we ate so we drove to the marina district and, wouldn’t you know, the Italian restaurant we wanted to go to was all the way on the other side. That meant we had to walk past all the other eating establishments to get there…each of which had at least one person out front to accost us with menus and attempts to coerce us into eating at their place of business. This is one of the things I really dislike about Cabo. When we had finally fought our way to the restaurant we wanted to patronize we were sorely disappointed. First of all, the wine was $10/glass (or $40 for a bottle of Merlot that normally sells for $10). Chris ordered the bottle but then explained to the waiter how disappointing it was that they were overcharging so badly for their wine. He wasn’t belligerent or angry about it, but the waiter took offense and was surly throughout the entire (mediocre) meal. We rarely punish wait staff with shorted tips here as they are usually the best part of eating out with their great attitudes but this guy was deserving of the 10% tip he received.

On the way back to the car we picked up a $7 bottle of Merlot at the market and spent a quiet evening watching TV and reading in our room. Ahhhh….

Wednesday morning, after a stop at Costco (whoo hoo!!), we were off again to continue the loop around the peninsula and back to La Paz. The scenery is stunningly different on the two sides of the Baja and especially so given the fact that it is only about 50-60 miles across. The Pacific side is all desert right down to the water but on the Sea side we drove through the Sierra La Laguna Mountains and were surprised to see many large areas with trees and vegetation…a clear indication that there is a lot of water from some source in this area. The water, also, was substantially different. The Pacific Ocean is a fairly consistent cobalt blue color right up to the beach whereas the Sea of Cortez sports a seemingly limitless variety of blues, greens and turquoises. Both are breathtaking.

Soon enough we were back in La Paz and it was time to unload all the groceries and goodies we had purchased and spend the next couple hours finding places to store things. We had invited our new friends, Skip & Cathy of “Traveler” over for wine at 6 and while we were gone Marni & Pete with “2 Pieces of Eight” had arrived so we were quickly back to our regular routine of socializing and entertaining.

It was most definitely a great way to celebrate a birthday.