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.

Cooking on a Boat

OK. Just so you know. Cooking on a boat is more complicated than in the kitchen of a land based house. First of all…and most obvious…a house doesn’t move under you while you are attempting to prepare food (think chopping vegetables or boiling water). Second, due to the lack of storage space available, cooking implements…especially specialized pieces of equipment…must be minimized or eliminated. Especially if they need to be plugged into an electrical outlet. Most cruisers believe that “Everything must have at least three uses.” When it comes to galley equipment, it also needs to be as compact as possible. Last summer, while on another boat, I discovered a wonderful colander that collapses flat and can be stuffed behind the nested pots and pans. I couldn’t wait to add this gem to the inventory on "Faith". One thing that has always given me apoplexy is plastic ware. This includes dishes and glasses (I really hate drinking wine out of plastic) as well as storage items. Tupperware was the boon (and bane) of the housewife of the 60’s and 70’s but, as we all know, it takes up a lot of space and the lids are always disappearing (probably to the same place that one sock goes when it leaves the washing machine). Further, the lids do not hold their seal as long as one would like when they end up sideways and upside down in a marine refrigerator. I must say the new snap-tite storage containers are a major improvement but they still aren’t very good at stacking. So…when it comes to stocking the average boat “kitchen” with needed items it may mean sacrificing some long loved shapes and sizes and improvising at best. Instead of two cookie sheets you may have one (and it will be much smaller because a boat oven is much smaller). Our one mixing bowl was a stainless dog bowl in its previous life. It is big enough to mix up a good sized salad or batch of cookies but fits neatly on the bottom of the nested cooking pots. And…it won’t break or rust. All things considered, I have managed to provide pretty edible fare when we are in port or in a calm anchorage but when the wind comes up or we have a swell running things begin to unravel. When the boat is rocking or rolling most meals scale down to throwing something on the grill and adding a salad or some pasta. Passages are an entirely different animal. I try to make a big pot of Goulash or some other one-dish meal before we leave that can be easily heated up but sometimes even that is a struggle if we have a side swell. That said, I have been trying some new things this season. Last week, while at anchor in Isla San Francisco, we were invited to a potluck dinner on another boat. In addition to the dish I had signed up for I thought it would be fun to make some brownies. I got out the mix (all mixes have been removed from original boxes and stored in Ziploc bags with the cooking instructions) and put it into the bowl with the rest of the ingredients but was puzzled as the instructions were to mix it with an electric mixer. Hmmm. That’s funny. I don’t remember this from the last time. OK. Located the mixer but could find the blades nowhere. Probably decided I wouldn’t need the mixer and left just the blades in the storage unit (or put them in some cubbyhole where they will be discovered when we go through the boat in June). Shoot! OK. I’ll just beat it by hand like in the “olden days”. Hmmm. This looks awfully runny for brownies. Re-read the directions. Shoot! This is a chocolate cake! OK…get the right sized pan out and put it in to bake. The boat was rolling around a bit due to the wind and swell so the cake turned out a bit lopsided. Solution: Even it out with frosting and throw some chopped nuts on top! No one knew the difference and it was a big hit. Right now we are at a dock and I’ve been craving an apple pie for a long time so when I saw Washington Granny Smith apples at the CCC that sealed the deal. Yesterday I got out Grandma’s Perfect Pie Crust recipe and got started. Unfortunately, something had spilled on the recipe card so I couldn’t exactly read the amount of salt needed. Turns out I tripled the required amount. Shoot! I was going to let it go but then thought that if I was going to go to all the trouble of making a pie I might as well make it right. So…out it went and I started over again. Next problem: I couldn’t find a rolling pin anywhere! Shoot! I must have left it in the trailer. Now what? I finally decided a plastic drinking glass would work. It wasn’t perfect but did the job. Everything else went as it should and an hour later a lovely apple pie was cooling on the countertop. Now…if only we had some ice cream……

Being A Girl

I know, I know! It has been a loooong time since my last blog post. Somehow our lifestyle seems to have become not much different from the way people who live on dirt spend their days. Of course, if we decide we don't like the neighborhood or the weather is getting too cold or we'd like a better view or need some seclusion or, conversely, shopping opportunities, all we have to do is raise the anchor (or untie the dock lines) and leave. We have the option of moving and taking the whole house with us! No boxes to pack. No trips to Goodwill. No realtors to hire. So, even with all the travel options, life has settled down into a somewhat humdrum situation at the moment. That means I am scratching the inside of my head for ideas on what to write about that might possibly be of interest to "my readers"! So here's something a little different (I hope)...some of the challenges of "being a girl" when cruising.
Make up: Doesn't work! First of all, your world is usually moving so applying makeup is a bit like painting modern art. I have gone from being a girl who didn't leave the house without mascara and eye liner to "Well...if it is a really special occasion I'd better put on some lipstick."
Haircuts: Hah!! Since we have a very mobile lifestyle and are never in the same place from one haircut to the next it is not possible to develop a "relationship" with a hairdresser. Therefore, one can never be sure what the hair will look like after a cut. Add to that the language barrier and you may be able to begin to see the problem. I have finally learned how to say (in Spanish), "Cut it the same only shorter" but, somehow, the hairdressers never seem to get the "er" in shorter! It has become enough of a problem that I wait until my hair is hanging halfway over my ears before I can get up the nerve to try one more time to find someone who might be able to understand what I want.
Hair color: Well...now this is a subject for the ages! A lot of the cruiser women have totally given up and let their hair go "natural" (meaning gray) but that is the one concession I have been particularly stubborn about making. I t-r-y to be somewhere with restrooms about once a month so I can get the Lady Clairol out and brighten things up a bit but it doesn't always work. My last "touch up" was in La Cruz and mi esposo was making comments like, "you should see the 'interesting' combination of colors in your hair" when looking at the back of my head. Harumph!!
Manicure/pedicure: Dream on.
Dressing up: One of my favorite things about being a single woman of means - back when I lived on land - was the fun of getting all dressed up in slinky, shimmery dresses, spiky CFM heels and dangling, sparkly jewelry for an evening out on the town. The best I can do now is a sundress that says "Mazatlan" on the front and flip flops with a little bling on the straps. I still have some great dresses and a couple pair of sexy shoes but they are currently residing in a Tupperware bin in the storage unit back in Washington.
Shopping: As we all know, shopping is the first right of all women. Unfortunately, living in a space that is roughly the size of a walk in closet means "real" shopping is out of the question. I have learned to turn "provisioning" into an art form and I still maintain a library of about 100 books on board but trinkets, knick knacks and what nots are definitely out. Any cutesy things to decorate the table with must be carefully packed away somewhere whenever we decide to go somewhere new.
Still, even with the "sacrifices", life is good. Sunsets and sunrises on the ocean (or the Sea)...long white sand beaches...swaying palm trees...turquoise water...being the only boat in the anchorage...a full moon on a calm night passage..."plans" that can be changed at the last minute if something more interesting comes up...good friends...good wine...a good husband.
When I receive one of those chain emails telling me to pass it along and make a wish it dies in my in box. I can think of nothing to wish for that I do not already have.

FM3!

Friday was an exciting day for Chris & me. We applied for our FM3’s! What, you may ask, is an FM3? Well, it is rather like having Resident Alien status only in Mexico.

When tourists come to Mexico they are normally issued a visa which is valid for either one month or six months…depending on how long you expect to be in the country. Last year, our first season of cruising, we checked in when we arrived in Cabo San Lucas (the first entry port we came to) and were issued a 6 month visa. We were not planning to return to the States until after the visas expired so we solved the problem by flying to Phoenix for two days, doing some shopping and returning to have a new visa issued. It was a nice excuse to visit with my sister and get a few lusted after items that are not available south of the border. Still, it was expensive and inconvenient as we were only a few weeks short of leaving the country for the summer.

This year we have been puzzling over how we might get our FM3 cards so we don’t have to go through the hassle of a trip to the States and back or pay someone a fairly large amount of money to “renew” our visas. Since our current plans involve spending our winters here (at least until we get the bug to go explore somewhere different) it seemed logical to get FM3’s so we can come and go at will. The one real stumbling block has been that you must have a residential address and we move our residence around all the time!

Soooo….when I read last month’s “Philo’s Notes” (newsletter) and discovered that Maria (who used to be the concierge at the marina here) was now providing her services out of his establishment…and…that one of the things she does is help people get their FM3, we jumped on it! The marina was quite cooperative in giving us a letter verifying that we are residing here since we have a slip. Turns out we were quite happy to have Maria’s help for the application process. It involves lots of documents and procedures that have to be negotiated in Spanish.

Thursday we went up to hire Maria to help us with the FM3 applications and the first thing she did was give us a list of “homework”. We had to gather together copies of our U.S. passports, letters of residence (for both of us) from the marina and copies of the last 3 months’ bank statements for both of us (seems Mexico wants to make sure you have some sort of income before they say you can stay). Maria completed the application forms for us (it is all in Spanish). Friday morning we were there at 9am sharp with all requested docs and she drove us to Bucerias where the closest Immigration office is. We had to go across the street to have our photos taken (like passport photos except “no glasses, no jewelry, no bangs…front and side view please”) first and then we were ready. The woman at the desk in the Immigration office was very cute and pleasant. She went through all our documents and then presented us with a form that needed to be taken to the bank where we would pay our fees, they would stamp it as paid and then we would return it to her. Turns out we just waited in the shade of the Immigration office while Maria went to the bank and returned. The only down side to this was there was a bulldozer working across the street that was in serious need of a 5 gallon bucket of WD-40 so we were almost deafened from the squealing while we waited!

Now we wait again. Maria was told it would take two weeks but she is going to begin calling them every day after a week has passed as they tend to have them done earlier. Once they are ready we go back to Bucerias where they will take our fingerprints and issue the FM3’s. Then, we will officially be Resident Aliens of Mexico for 10 years. If, after that time, we decide we want to go farther, we can apply for FM2 status which is valid for up to 5 years. The next step would be Citizenship.

I don’t know what the future holds for us. Whether we will eventually purchase a home here and decide to become citizens (neither of us would give up our American citizenship) or whether we might just keep cruising or move somewhere else. I don’t think it is likely we would go back to living in the States full time as we can’t afford it. As another cruiser friend of ours put it so succinctly, “It costs us three times as much to live in the States as it does to live here.” That is one of the sad things about our beloved country. People who work hard their whole lives often live like paupers or must move elsewhere to enjoy their retirement years.

Many things come to mind as we go through the process to become a part of the Mexican community on a more permanent basis. Perhaps what stands out the most is that we are treated so much more humanely than the Hispanic population is back home. The Mexican citizenry is friendly and welcoming and genuinely happy to know you and have you in their country. They are eager to help you and to be your friend. We are not discriminated against because we are white or American. Even though the Mexican population (legal or not) suffers from regular poor treatment when they are in the States they still respect and often admire us. For me, at least, it is humbling to be in a place where following the Golden Rule is not a platitude but a way of life.

Spanish Lessons

Rosetta Stone & I have a love/hate kind of relationship. This year I had two goals I wanted to accomplish during our winter in Mexico. One was to sail more (we’re about even so far) and the other was to learn more Spanish. Toward that end I purchased the Rosetta Stone program for learning Spanish. I have been trying to spend at least a couple hours a week with “Rosie” and have been about half successful.

“Rosie” is a bit of a devious bitch from time to time. She starts out with nice, easy words and phrases with lots of pretty pictures and all you have to do is match what the speaker says with the correct picture. As you progress through each lesson, you are asked to repeat what the speaker says. If you mispronounce a word you get a buzzer and have to try it again. The speaker only pronounces it once and you have as many chances as you need to get it right. Sometimes the tiniest inflection can be your undoing. I’ve had instances where I can’t even say “la” right! And what a taskmaster! Rosie will NOT let you skip it and move on. You just keep trying over and over and over until you get it right enough to get the bell! Then comes the REALLY difficult part! Rosie will present you with a dialog where you have to try to figure out what you need to say in response to someone else’s comment. Well…holy guacamole! I cannot even begin to tell you how far off I’ve been with this little exercise!

Fortunately, Rosetta is not my only source of learning. Mi esposo es un buen interprete…and thank goodness for that. When I go shopping and find something I want, I know enough to ask “cuanto cuesta?” but if the price is over “diez” (10) I am in way over my head!

I must say that I find it pretty easy to read Spanish much of the time. Many of the words we use in day-to-day language in the States. Things like taco, burrito, manana, adios, etc have become as common as English words like water or house. The difficulty comes when other, less known, words are added. For example, one day we were on a bus to Puerto Vallarta and we passed a roadside stand advertising in large letters that they had: Tacos de Cebeza. OK. I know what a taco is but when I asked Chris what a “Cebeza” is…well…he explained that it is goat head parts like brain, tongue, etc. Ewww!!!

Loose translation: "Crocodile Zone. They eat dogs."

Here are some of the Spanish things I have learned just from taking buses and taxis around and reading signs:

If you had a headache, you might want to go to the farmacia for some aspirin.

If you are in immediate need of a hammer to pound a plug into a spewing thru hull then the ferreteria is the place for you.

Suppose you have had too many cervezas and desperately need to find a ladies room. Your best bet would be to find a bano. Of course, there are banos for caballeros and hombres which would be the wrong one! Yours would be the one for mujares or senioritas or…maybe…it just has a picture of a girl-type person on the door!

If you need a place to stay, depending on how long you want to be in the area, you might want to find a sign that says “se renta” (for rent)or “se venda”(for sale). Hotel is hotel in English or in Spanish.

“No Tire su Basura” means DON’T throw your garbage here while “Basura” is definitely where you DO put your garbage!

"Danger. Crocodile Zone.

No Swimming. No Dogs.

No Fishing. No throwing garbage."

Mexico is very accommodating when it comes to their signs. They seem to understand that Americans are not very good at adapting to foreign languages so much of the time the signs are written in Spanish and English both. This not only helps to bring business into the establishment but is a sort of subtle sub-conscious-y way of trying to teach the average tourist a thing or two. I must admit, however, I STILL do not know what a “Donkey to Iron” is.

One of the great things about the Mexican people is that they are very gracious and forgiving when you slaughter their language. They will do their best to understand what you are trying to say to them and I have never had anyone make fun of my mispronunciations. The hard part is when you are trying to learn Spanish and the person you are “conversing” with is trying to learn English. All sorts of interesting things take place.

It is comforting to know that the universal techniques of talking louder and slower, especially when combined with sign language and exaggerated facial expressions are still alive and well albeit totally ineffective.