San Blas Cocodilos hunting.

Sat. 4/2/2016.  A day of walking and croc hunting.  You know I've tried for weeks to find crocs in the mangroves behind Paradise Village in my kayak with no success, and we tried when Darren and his family were cruising with us down in Tenacatita by taking our dinghy and kayaks through the jungle estuary with no success.  So this time we were determined  And took the Rio Tovara panga tour through miles of mangrove to the Cocodillos reserve and up to a fresh water spring for a cool refreshing swim and late lunch.  It certainly was more than ever expected.   We had a great naturalist (panga driver) who was fun and every knowledgeable.  

This sign was on a stake and wire fence just below the swimming hole at the spring.

Elegant Egrets

Boat billed Heron 

Also saw a orange crested night heron, blue heron and black tailed hawk.  After the panga tour we walked up to the Old Church, which the poem The Bells of San Blas was written about by Longellow.  http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/180984

Further up the hill was an old fort and museum overlooking the town.

Looking down on the town.

While looking for a shrimp dinner we got a picture of the entrance to the harbor with much less surf than yesterday.

I might add we got to experience the infamous bitting jejenes around sunset.  "No see ums "

Trip north cruising with Janet and Henry

3/30/2016 Weds. We sailed to La Cruz to get fuel. Then we took our old slip in the Marina La Cruz for the night so we could have Tacos on the Street and go to Gecko Rojo for an evening of live music.  Nice to be back in that delightful little cruisers haven.

3/31/2016 .  Around 9:30 Thurs am we left for Chacala about 30 miles north of Punta Mita.  A beautiful little bay lined with palm trees, and palapas.   A large panga dock but no room for our dinghy and too much surf to land on the beach.  We had wanted to look around the town but the swells we were in were big enough that we thought we'd just all stay on board and enjoy the beach  live music and panga fun along the beach.  Still Easter Week down here so lots of beach camping and festivities. 

 Pangas giving kids banana rides then spinning and dumping them all in the surf with cheers and laughter every time.  The kids that came by all noted our home port San Pedro written on our stern.  We were 3 swells from the beach break but just in line with the pangas and really hardly any other place to anchor.   What a rolly night, plus around 4:00am it started to pour and of course we had all the hatches open and all the cushions were outside so everyone was up scurrying around closing things up.  I was drenched by the time I got the cushions undone and down below but it was a little relief from the constant rolling with the surf coming in.   

Chart plotter tracks for our rolly night.

Friday April 1, 2016

Approximately 20 miles to San Blas.  Motor sailed starting in light winds as predicted but ended with 22 apparent on a beat. We passed by the most beautiful long bays with awesome beaches and all had southwest swells and breaking waves.   There is a spectacular rock that for miles off I thought was a boat with a white spinnaker , then Al thought maybe it was a barkentine. As we got closer and were desperately trying to find Piedres Blanca  we both cracked up when we realized we had been looking at it for over an hour.   We should have taken a picture of it but we still hadn't found the second rock and weren't too sure about the entrance.   We entered the harbor with swells breaking across the entrance.   OMG not fun but Al did a great job surfing Chez Nous in safely.  So the cruising guide talks about the harbor being dredged in 2013 well if so it obviously needs it again.  There were a couple places we read 2 ft under our keel just getting to the marked channel by the fuel dock then turning around in the marina we actually churred up a bit of mud making the tight three way turn to get into the only slip they had that was big enough for us.  It was windy till after sunset so it's nice to be in a slip not rolling.  We took a stroll though town and got some info on a Croc tour...

Pictures from San Blas.

Coming down the channel after the surfing entrance when no one had their mind on taking pictures.

All current boat projects completed

Al was actually surprised the list was done.   We celebrated by going to the pool and relaxing before breaking open a few beers before dinner.  

The down wind poles now have new male and female connectors to the mast track.   These are not going to break but the poles might bend.

Twenty one more deck plugs drilled out epoxied and replaced  .  That's a regular occurring job, and west system repair of the teak shower rate.  I'm sure I'm foregetting  a few things but I've been doing laundry and we've been reprovisioning. 

Friday night was a supper tasty Cajun shrimp dinner at the yacht club

 followed on Easter with a grand pot luck with ham chicken, many salads and about 6 deserts.  It was a nice way to spend the evening when you can't be with the kids,  grand and great grand kids.

Check out the April edition of Sea Magazine with a picture a Chez Nous on a feature page regarding Baja Naval.  

Janet and Henry arrive today to take off tomorrow for a couple weeks.  We were all disappointed when we got the word yesterday that Tom and Laura will not be able to join us as planned.  Hoping for good weather to go north to see the blue footed boobies but it's not looking great. There is expected to be a cold front coming down the sea on Thurs night.

Return from the States

Just returned from 2 weeks back in San Pedro checking on the house, our new landscape, turning in Taxes, a few appointments, dinner with friends and a little LAYC business.  Oh yes, and

a play day with the great grand kids.

It's nice to be back in Puerto Vallarta and the warm breezes.  Of course we have a list of boat projects to accomplish before Janet and Henry arrive next Tues. along with reprovisioning the boat.   

First priority project is already done.  Al made starboard steps to replace are white plastic utility step stool that we used on the dock to then keep onto the boat and replaces the little fender I used to tie on...much safer boarding now.

So is the second project.....shades I made at home got snapped on the inside of our large front windows.   Now much cooler in the galley.

Third one completed also.... New batteries installed for the bow thruster. 

Next on the list is putting fasteners on the aft shade screen so we can hang are new shade curtain to block more sun.   

Al will also be installing the new end fittings to both downwind poles.   The new ones are a better design so maybe these ones won't break and fall on his head again.

Several boats have left for the South Pacific and others are leaving for the Sea of Cortez.   D-dock where we are had a dock party last night which was a great way to get to know more of our neighbors and to say good by to some.

Now it's time to help with the downwind poles and hang out behind our new shade,

Bus trip to Guadalajara

Our delightful ETN bus arrived at the main bus terminal in central Guadalajara around 3:00 Sunday afternoon.  It was an enjoyable ride over the mountains and down into the valley with the city spread out in a haze before us.  It is so different than what I imagined.   First of all I thought it would be a lot cooler cause I thought it was in the mountains, which is not the case and I thought there would be pretty tree lined streets also not the case.  

Al and I usually try to take local transportation instead of jumping into cabs to save money and to get closer contact with the local culture.  So we asked for the  bus number to get us to the historical center of town.  An hour later, sweaty with head aches, cramped into a tiny seat with our backpacks we arrived close to are intended destination. The bus was truly a local that zigzagged back and forth though narrow dirty streets lined with tiny row houses and store fronts only about 20 ft. wide.  I wish I had gotten a picture but the driver was driving fast and stopping and starting so abuptly that all I could do was hold on.

We get to the first hotel that I had looked up before hand and thought it would be fun to stay at because of the name" Santigago De Compostela" and our destination for our past Caminos.

Accept that it was so old and dirty plus had a homeless person lying in the doorway and a few other questionable characters in the lobby we decided to walk up to the Hotel Morales which had been recommended in the cruising book.  It was the nicest hotel I've been in in years.  In 1888 with the beginning of the railroad wealthy families started opening their homes up to guests and building Inns, this hotel was "House Verea" remodeled in 1930.  It was the home to bullfighting enthusiasts when there was a ring next door until 1974 when it was demolished with the deterioration of down town Guadalajara. It was again remodeled in 2004 and now is the best in the district.  A grand $50 per night.  What a bargain.

Sunday evening the Plazas are packed with people but none of the historic buildings are open and all we see are McDonalds, Subway, Dominos, and Chicken places.  Not even sidewalk cafes to get a beer.  So finally we walk back to the Hotel and right across the street is a open taco place with great tacos for  about $.80 ea.

Some shots around the Hotel:

Very dingy and poor neighborhoods.  The roads are good but seems like black dust from cars and the dry weather make everything drab.  I did see people sweeping the alley in the morning.  

Monday morning we decided to take a cab 15 mins out of the historic area to Tlaquepaque which is known for having showrooms for Mexican arts and crafts from Jalisco.  That really made are trip worth the effort.  Such a nice place, relaxed with several pedestrian only streets, and interesting shop owners.    Two artists stood out.  Sergio Bustemante as he did the sculpture on the Malecon here in PV that Noah posed on.

  

The other one was Roda Padilla, he is the one who does people with "substantial " bottoms and people and pigs on bikes carrying the sun and the moon.  Love his work.  Oh yes crooked couches out of broken pottery.  

Lunch and great margaritas in the shade.

Back to Historic Central to realize that non of the buildings are open because it was Monday.  At least we got to see the architecture and inside the Cathedral.  Really wanted to see the murals in the Institutio Cultural Cabanas and inside the Teatro Degollado but not this time.

Some more pics from bus ride home today.  

Agave fields

Switch backs to get home.  Glad to be back on Chez Nous.