Pura Vida!

Costa Rica has been a dream!
Our favorite area of Costa so far has been the Gulfo de Papagayo. This area is a cruisers paradise and nightmare depending on the time of year. We got lucky and were able to stay and explore the area since the Papgayo Season, when the winds blow incredibly hard, had just ended! We explored the Murcielegos islands and of course the Oh so famous, Ollie’s Point and Witches rock! We spent five days anchored in a private cove surfing Ollie‘s Point all by ourselves. Every morning we would get up and get a surf session in before the pangas arrived with their boats full of surfers. The water was warm, the waves were fun and best of all we were all alone with our boat just a few yards away. Making our way up into the gulf of Nicoya we had amazing sailing, went on jungle hikes, saw Howler Monkey’s and snorkeled. The rainy season has just begun so we get squalls that come through almost every after noon with the most amazing thunder clouds that wash everything off and cool us down. It is amazingly beautiful here! The hills are green and lush, the ocean is the most beautiful color blue and the colors of the sky are unbelievable. Maybe it is because we are going home so soon but everything seems to look, smell and feel better than ever. We could not have asked for a better past few weeks.
This week though, has been though has been somewhat more of a never ending marathon. Having had little to no strict schedule for the last seven months has made it difficult to face the reality that the trip was slowly coming to an end. Time was running out and we had only a few days to get to Puntarenas and haul Gaviota out of the water. Pulling into Puntarenas and leaving the pristine untouched islands and coast that we had been exploring behind was really difficult. Puntarenas is aesthetically not to impressive. It is dirty, polluted, crowded, incredibly hot and has this lingering smell that never seems to fade.
We spent the first two days after we arrived cleaning out every cabinet with bleach, taking down sails, cleaning the bilge, lines and engine, packing our clothes to go home and deciding what food we could save and giving the rest to Chici the local panga driver. We could barely move to swat the no-see-ums off us by the end of the days. With almost everything done it was time to haul Gaviota out of the water and tuck her in for the next six months. As we sat and watched Gaviota get slowly hauled out of the water we realized our heads are just as blurred with emotion, fear and wonder as the day we left Santa Barbara. The feelings come from somewhere different this time because we are no longer as scared that we cant handle the sea and the weather and we no longer have doubts about the trip. Now the fear is of what it will be like to go home and the emotions come from reminiscing over all our experiences.
Sailing through these countries has been so humbling and has shown us how important it is to appreciate and be grateful for everything you have. The majority of the people we have encountered in Central America live on so much less than the average American. Less water, food, education and opportunities, but they never stop smiling and they always welcome you with curious faces and open hands. The images of children in El Salvador hauling water from a local well in old anti-freeze bottles, or the homes in the small villages of Nicaragua that consist of a dirt floor and palm frond roofs will never be erased from our memories. They have left us with such a great appreciation for how others live and for what we have been blessed with. Of all the lessons learned from this trip from sailing tactics and weather predictions to patience and tolerance the one lesson that I know we will never forget or question is how important it is to be conscious of our footprint, impact on the world. Living on a sailboat has been a great way of forcing us to waste nothing and not to consume more than we need. At first not having access to fresh water, food or electricity was a burden and annoying but the further into the trip we got and the more we saw how people lived in these countries we realized what a luxury it was to have these items at all. It has been so refreshing to see how content and happy people are with what they have and it had definitely rubbed off on us!
For the next six months we won’t have days of panga’s driving by singing and waving, or constant adventures filled with surfing new waves, meeting new people and exploring new places. We wont fall asleep to the crashing waves and Howler monkeys conversing in the jungles. We will go back to our “normal” lifestyle for a while and slowly fall back into the routine we knew all so well. It will give us time to reflect on the memories of Mexico and Central America that have changed our lives and opened our eyes to what is out there. We will always remember surviving our first gale, catching our first big Yellowtail, surfing remote waves and hanging out with the other cruisers. But the most colorful memories will be of the local people we met and their way of life!
PURA VIDA!

Nicaragua Travels!

Nicaragua!!!!!

Every building, street, smile, handshake and home of Nicaragua seems to hold a story like a secret just dying to be told. We have visited many countries each having its own unique history, culture and identity but we have never experienced a country quite like Nicaragua. Not even a language barrier could stop us from understanding the pain and suffering that once plagued this country. Less than 20 years ago Nicaragua had been amidst a civil war. The memories pain and aftermath of the war are still present in many areas but in the peoples smiles and cities you can feel nothing but strength, vibrance and new hope.

We spent a little under a week exploring the inland areas of Granada, Isla Ometepe on Lake Nicaragua and Leon. Each place left us more impressed than the next. We visited the oldest Cathedral in Central America, War Museums, hiked to a crater lake at the top of a volcano, and ate at local restaurants on colonial streets. We loved ,loved, loved Nicaragua!!! The people, colors, food, noises, markets are enough to make your head spin and your eyes sting. Their is such an explosion of life buzzing in and out of every little crack that you have to stop yourself every few moments, close your eyes and remember where you are.

Hiking to the top of a volcano and Brandon’s barber shop extravaganza are memories we always reflect on. But of all our experience in Nicaragua the one memory we constantly find ourselves reflecting on and the one I think we will cherish the most is the simple journey of our bus ride back to the marina. I say simple but a bus ride in Central America is something you have to experience first hand to truly understand!

We had one more two hour bus ride back to the marina before we could officially call our inland trip of Nicaragua a success. We scrambled out of the grocery store after delaying the whole line because they didn’t take credit cards and we didn’t have any Cordoba’s. A reoccurring problem with us! We bought as many groceries as we could carry considering it had been weeks since our last grocery store and it would probably be just as long until our next one. Fifteen minutes early for the bus we were positive we would find plenty of room for our groceries, huge backpacks and of course us. Wrong! The bus was not only crowded already but practically full. I must explain that these buses are no air conditioned Grey hound. They are old yellow school buses from the U.S. We pushed our way past the fat cranky bus driver and began our attempt to load about fifteen grocery bag and our huge backpacks in the rack above peoples heads. I thought that every one would think we were crazy but as it turned out it looked like common procedure. Brandon ended up sitting in the very front row and still had thirteen plus people standing in front of him. I was a few rows back with boxes of milk and six packs on my lap sitting next to another lady and her child. We sat parked, drenched in sweat and packed into this bus for nearly forty minutes before the fat cranky bus driver decided he had shoved enough papas fritas into his mouth to start the engine. There were a minimum of three people to a seat and every square inch of standing room on the bust was occupied. The bus like all chicken buses stopped about every other block to see if they could squeeze just one more person on. These stops also allow for women and children to try and maneuver their way through the cramped aisles to sell food and drinks. Complete Chaos! It was way past being hot, sweaty and annoyed so Brandon and I decide to take it all in, sit back and do the only thing we could laugh!

We found the patience the people on the bus had amazing. At home when you are sitting next to someone if you even tap their elbow you get the invasion of privacy glare and these people were practically dirty dancing they were so close to each other and no one blinked an eye. The lady next to me spoke no English and I tried to convey to her that I spoke very little Spanish but that didn’t seem to matter to her. For the next three hours she talked to me non stop and I tried my hardest to decipher some of it but in all reality I was pretty lost. The universal language of a smile and head nod seemed to be all she needed to continue on though. We hadn’t eaten anything before we got on and were starving but that posed to be no problem. By the time we had gotten to the marina I think every food item available in Nicaragua had been managed to find its way down the crowded aisle of the bus. We bought some pastries from a little girl about half way through and decided to stay away from some of the scarier items like ice cream that never seemed to melt!

The best part of the bus trip was once we had gotten far enough out of the city and were in the rural villages. That is where we got to really experience first hand how these people get their food to survive. Suddenly hauling our fifteen grocery bags of food back to the marina seemed like less of a chore and more of a luxury. The bus would unload huge bags of rice and beans that were stacked on the top of the bus to villages. The man in charge of loading and off-loading everything had the most charismatic smile. He seemed to be best friends with every family and every passenger . He made jokes, flirted and had lengthy conversations with all the women who waited on the side of the road to make sure they were getting what they ordered. We speculated that the bags of rice, grain and beans these ladies were collecting were shared with entire villages. Their were also ladies carrying bags of live squawking chickens that they had bought in town. It was fascinating to watch how the people of these rural villages carried through their typical Monday marketing. For the first time in Nicaragua we felt as if we fit in with the locals and were not just American tourists. We may be traveling different paths in life but in those three hours we were all crammed on the same bus with the same mission. Getting our food home in one piece!!!!

The Forgotten Middle

The Forgotten Middle
Culture, history breathtaking scenery and most of all the smiling faces have made Nicaragua our most colorful experience so far. We have seen and experienced so much in this wonderful country in the small amount of time we have been here. Before we tell you our stories about Nicaragua we want to share about a place we consider our little gem. This place turned out to be what we have been looking to see, experience, touch and feel ever since the day we pulled Gaviota away from the dock in Santa Barbara.
On the map it is called the Bay of Fonseca but it is more commonly referred to by sailors as the Forgotten Middle. It is a bay that touches its lapping waters upon the shores of El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua. The island Conchunguita sits in the Forgotten Middle and is owned by El Salvador but very much has its own identity.
As we slowly motored around the lush volcanic island we felt as if we could have been arriving in Alaska or Hawaii. The hill sides that have been mainly brown down the coast of Mexico had finally turned to lush and green as we watched them jet straight out of the ocean to form a volcanic peak. As we first rounded the island it looked as if no one inhabited it and we predicted we may be alone out here. Our prediction was quickly corrected as we turned the corner to find a city no larger than one city neighborhood block. We immediately noticed that the town was composed of nice small homes. Not the typical mud and palm frond huts of the area. They were sturdy and durable, made of concrete.
Unable to unglue our eyes and thoughts from the possibilities and stories that belonged to this tiny unvisited island, we fumbled the anchor into the mud bottom below and silenced the repetitive rumble of the engine. As we sat and listened to the workings of the town I think we may have felt similar to what a newborn baby might feel when they first enter the world. Frightened but safe, over stimulated but curious. Their were so many noises emanating from the shore compared to the repetitive workings of our diesel. There was one sound that distinctly stood out among the roosters, cows, pangas and as were to find out later even the slaughtering of a families swine. It was the singing and clapping of children! Muffled behind the towns everyday symphony of sounds were the voices of children rising up into the lush hills and out over the sea to our ears. They sang beautiful songs in unison for at least an hour as we sat and smiled feeling as if we had arrived in paradise. In all the anchorages we have dropped our hook at this is by far the most special welcome we have ever had!
The next few days at Conchunguita many children in dug out canoes came out to our boat to greet us. They were so happy and interested in us. We gave them the last of all our chocolate, baby clothes and school supplies. The first two boys that rowed out to our boat got the luckiest when it comes to gifts! Brandon gave one boy a skateboard deck ,generously donated to the trip by Alex White, and gave the other boy one of his last Brandon Yates hats. It was so special to see how excited they were to get real gifts and not baby clothes or a chocolate bar. Later we towed another dugout canoe of about five boys into the beach behind our skiff and they couldn’t stop laughing. When we got to the beach they all jumped out and along with two little girls helped us carry our skiff up to dry land. They showed us around town and then in our broken Spanish and their broken English we communicated that we wanted to go on a hike. There was one boy of the four that led the way. We walked on a random dirt road along the circumference of the volcanic island for a few hours. We stopped to share our water, look at snakes and try our hardest to have a conversation with the boys. We had given them all pads of paper that had the alphabet and some English words inside the front cover and during the hike all of them were practicing saying letters and words in English. It was the best feeling to see how grateful and appreciative these kids were just for a pad of paper. When we got back from the hike we said our goodbyes and thank you’s and went back to our boat. We were visited a few hours later by the little boy who took us on the hike and his family. They just wanted to say hi again. We invited the little boy on our boat and showed him our maps and electronics, gave them a few more gifts and said our goodbyes. That night we sat in the cockpit and looked at the lights of the little town and tried to store all of our memories so we would never forget this place.
What ever the true reason may be for nicknaming the Bay of Fonseca the Forgotten Middle we are confident this is one place never to be forgotten by us. Gaviota has for the first time since our departure reached the destination we have envisioned to find since the beginning of this dream. Gaviota was blessed to visit this tiny island that keeps its home safely tucked away in the waters of the Forgotten Middle. We will always be indebted to Conchunguita for showing us the beauty and simplicity of isolation that still exists out here!

El Salvador!

El Salvador!
The bugs are eating us alive and there is not a minute of the day that goes by that we are not drenched it sweat but that has not deterred us from exploring the culture and beauty of El Salvador. We arrived in El Salvador at Barillas Marina about two weeks ago, after six days at sea. Our crossing of the Tehuantepec went as smoothly as Enrique, the manager of Marina Chauahe in Hualtuco promised it would. A few hours before we untied from the dock and headed out to perfect sailing he told us the weather theory that the locals live by when preparing to cross the Tehuantepec. His story was told much more eloquently than I am about to translate. It is believed by the local fisherman that when the sea gets mad and the waves get big and start crashing on the rocks of the beaches it is the sea‘s way of asking the sky for water. If the sky then responds and rains the sea will once again be content and the two will be at peace, making for a nice crossing across the Tehuantepec. As luck would have it that is exactly the phenomenon that occurred the day before we left. The waves increased and Hualtuco got its first rain shower of the rainy season making it perfect time for us to head across. So we left on our planned departure date after saying our goodbyes to Attu. We left with four other boats following a few hours behind. We had perfect sailing as soon as we left that lasted all through our first night. The next five days we were not so lucky. WE ended up motoring pretty much non stop for the rest of the journey except for the occasional squall that would pass by and bring us 10-15 knots in the afternoons. We were a little disappointed that we did not get more wind but their were no complaints since we got across the Tehuantepec safely. We found the sail to be almost easier than the one or two day trips because our body was able to get into a routine allowing us to actually get used to the three hours on three hours off in the middle of the night. The days were incredibly calm with no wind and sweltering heat. This was accented by squalls and fierce lightning and thunder storms at night. Every night we ended up playing a game of chase with mother nature as we used our radar to dodge the squalls that brought huge lightning bolts all the way down to the ocean. One night they were a safe distance off and we were in no danger so we sat for hours and watched these amazing bolts of lightning light the entire sky pink and purple.
On our last night out we were showering on the foredeck when we were greeted by about one thousand Spinner Dolphins. We had not encountered this breed of Dolphins before but they were the most hipper fun creatures I have ever seen. For about half an hour they were jumping all the way out of the water and twisting three hundred and sixty degrees before belly flopping back into the water.. They were so talkative squeaking under our boat as they glided along with us. It was so amazing to see these creatures happy and free. Between the lightning and the sea life Mother Nature provided us to with some amazing shows to entertain us on our crossing!
We just barely made it into Barillas Marina, El Salvador on our sixth day. The marina is located across a sand bar and up a river about ten miles so they send a panga out to guide you in. We got the last panga ride in at four o ‘clock and by seven o’ clock after being tossed back and forth over the sand bar we were tied up to our mooring. Being a Sunday night we figured we would check into immigration and the marina in the morning. To our surprise the panga came out with the owner of the marina, Herbierto, and the Policia to inspect our boat. We were then guided into shore where we checked into the marina and then to immigration. Needless to say they were not as lackadaisical as Mexico, where they could really care less when you checked in. It was late and we were hot, exhausted and not to enthusiastic about going in to wait for immigration to go through our paper work. Our moods quickly changed from hot and grumpy to intrigued and touched when Herbierto starting explaining in detail the history of El Salvador and the meaning of their countries flag. It was absolutely beautiful how he described each of the symbols on their flag and described how proud they are to now be part of CAFTA( Central America Free Trade Agreement). He continued to tell us how happy they are that the war is over and how hard the country is working to get out of the poverty it has fallen into. They are very fond of America and are thankful for the help they have supplied El Salvador with. We were glad to hear that they were fond of Americans but a little skeptical as to why! Checking in ended up being a great experience that reminded us to keep perspective of where we are and how lucky we are to be doing this trip no matter how hot or tired we may be.
We spent one day swimming in the pool and drinking mango smoothies at the marina before deciding we were long over due for some inland travels. So we hopped on the van that goes from the marina into the nearest town and started our trip of inland El Salvador. The first day we spent traveling from one bus to another trying to get to La Libertad, a famous surf spot. The first bus took us from Usulután to the capital, San Salvador. From their we took a taxi to another bus terminal where we were scammed into taking another taxi to another bus stop. We finally made it on our last bus to La Libertad. The buses which they have nick named “chicken buses” are old school buses which they back to the brim with as many people as they can. It is so hot and claustrophobic! Being our first time experiencing the “chicken buses” we were not as annoyed as we were interested. Every stop we had ladies getting on and selling everything from water to candy to pupusas, the local meal. Practically anything you want to eat was cycled through the bus at some time during the two hour excursion.
We finally arrived at La Libertad, found a hotel and went out to wash off the daily grime in the surf. It was really nice to surf without having the worry of our boat at anchor in the back of our head. The surf was pretty small but it felt amazing to get in after the dirty buses and city. That night we shard stories over dinner with a guy we met when we were checking in. Patrick turned out to be from the San Luis Obispo area and is friends with a lot of our friends back at home. He was really nice and had lived in Puntarenas, Costa Rica for a while so gave us some good tips on where to surf and stay when we get their. We also hung out with the owner of the restaurant, Oscar that night and learned a few more bits and pieces about the history and current state of El Salvador. He told us that there are six million people living in the country and two million El Salvadorians living in the United States. The two million people living in the states currently account for 70% of the countries income. That is one of the main reason that they have recently switched their currency from the colon to the U.S. dollar. He also explained to us how El Salvador is repaying its debt to the U.S. for the billions of dollars that they poured into the country ( in the form of armed weapons)during the war by sending El Salvadorian troops to Iraq for free. It seemed like another corrupt situation initiated by the United States but we decided not to get into it or we would probably never stop. It was so nice to meet another local El Salvadorian who spoke English so we could get some more insight into the history and current issues of the country .

We were planning to bus back to San Salvador the next day to rent a car so we could go explore but we got lucky and Oscar rented us his range rover and we no longer had to enter into the dirty crazy city of San Salvador. Or so we thought! We left early in the morning and drove the coast before heading into the mountains to stay in a little town by the main Coffee plantations of El Salvador. It was a little scary driving through the small random towns. The majority of the towns are very poor and we seemed to find ourselves continuously getting lost and driving through open market places where we could go no faster than a snail. Driving through we would get stuck behind women and children with push carts full of fruits and vegetables that they were selling. The markets were really amazing and colorful but at times we felt a little nervous to be two white kids in a range rover driving through the center of them. We ended up making it to the town we were looking for with no problems and found a place to stay where we had our own cottage with a view of the mountains. We were walking around the town after we checked in and ran into a Crazy Woman. She was from El Salvador but had spent a lot of time in the states in the sixties so she spoke English. She went on to tell us about her LSD trips and asked us how the rock and roll scene was in San Francisco. She also tried to convince us that the Mexican government owed her half a million dollars and she was waiting in El Salvador until they paid her. Needless to say she was totally Looney!. She kept following us around until we finally got rid of her after not giving her any money. Besides meeting her the town was really quaint and we had fun meeting the local kids playing soccer in the streets. We drank a lot of great coffee for free and enjoyed being away form the ocean and in the mountains. The next day we went on a hike through little local villages back in the mountains and then drove for ever after getting lost in San Salvador before making it to the highest mountain range in El Salvador, El Pital. This tiny village not effected by tourism tucked back in the mountains was such a relief to find after getting lost in the harsh outskirts of San Salvador. Their were local girls selling baskets at our hotel that we met as soon as we arrived. Their was a girl with them who was from New York and has been working with the Peace core and living in El Salvador for the last three years. Once again we had someone who spoke English to give us some information about the area and describe the art work of the local girls. They made beautiful woven bowls out of pine needles. It was one of the first times they had gone out of their community to sell the bowls and they were so excited when we bought two of them. They are absolutely beautiful and it is so great to bring a little piece of the area and history home with us. Than afternoon we went on a breathtaking hike that resembled a mix between India and Switzerland and stayed in another little cottage with amazing views and amazing people. The mountain villages were incredibly poor but beautiful and full culture. We also got to experience the process that the women go through to make their local dish Pupusa. There is one or two mills in this town where all the women go to take turns milling their corn mill with water. They then carry these huge bowls of cornmeal on their heads back to their homes where they make Pupusas and tortillas. The tortillas are much different here then they were in Mexico. They are smaller and not made with lard. We think they are much better! The hardest part for us was watching the children filling up water from wells on the side of the street into old anti-freeze containers. Not only is the water probably incredibly polluted but then they put it in toxic containers!

After three nights out we realized that financially this was getting to be a little more than expected so we decided to head back to La Libertad drop off the car and stay for one more day of surf. We surfed and had one more great night of beers and Pupusa’s with Patrick and a few other Americans. Our inland travels ended up helping with our Spanish immensely. After just a few days we were able to carry on conversations in Spanish with the local surfers. Sailing we are mainly only surrounded by gringos so you never get any practice speaking Spanish. In Mexico we could get by with our broken Spanish but in El Salvador very few people spoke English so we were really pushed to formulate coherent sentences and it was amazing how quickly we picked up the language when we had to. Patrick spoke fluent Spanish so he was able to help us out and throw us a word or sometimes a sentence when we got stuck.
The next day we hopped on the dreaded “chicken bus” back to Usulután where we got a Taxi back to Barillas. It was really nice to get back to the Marina. We hadn’t realized how secure the marina was until we tried to get enter in a taxi. We went through multiple security guards and realized that Barillas is enclosed by an electric fence and is patrolled twenty four hours a day by security guards. After calling Herbierto and realizing we were from Gaviota we were granted access. After seeing how poor the country was and how many civilians carry guns throughout the streets it was very reassuring to know that our boat and home was waiting for us behind these protected gates. We really enjoyed our inland travels of El Salvador. Reflecting on the people we met and the towns we saw we realize how sad the country still feels. It is a really harsh place to live still but the people are so nice and the countryside is so beautiful!

Fiesta!

We are officially setting sail from Mexico manana. It is finally time to leave after a week of relaxing and enjoying Hualtuco. We have almost forgotten that we were waiting for a weather window for the dreaded Tehuantepec with all the fun we have had. We have had a great time surfing, meeting other cruisers and taking advantage of being tied up to a dock. We postponed our departure one day due to engine problems on our friends boat, Attu. We really wanted to continue buddy boating with them but it looks like they will be a few days behind us as they stay and wait for a new starter motor for their engine. We are sad to say good bye tomorrow but are confident they will be just a few days behind us. We have already sent pictures and updated you all mostly on our Hualtuco experiences but the other day we had such an amazing experience I feel obligated to share it.
A few days ago we took the bus back to our new favorite surf spot for our last day of surf before heading out. This time we made sure to bring baby clothes, school supplies and some paper plates and plastic cups that were donated to us from the Royal Pelagic. We were about three fourths of our way through the three mile hike to the beach when we saw a bunch of families blowing up balloons and decorating for a fiesta! We offered them our paper plates and cups for the party and were graciously repaid by an invitation to the fiesta at two o' clock. We told them we would go surf and meet them in the afternoon. A few minutes later as Brandon was paying to enter the private property that leads to the beach I saw a little girl run across the street and called for her to come over. She was only about three and so precious. I showed her my bag of clothes and handed her a pair of pink pants with a big heart on them. She held them looking at me very confused and just kept repeating "Que", "Que"?? Eventually she realized that I was giving them to her and she giggled and ran off with them. It felt so good to make her day. We continued down to the beach and had another great surf session.
On our way back through town I gave a family the rest of the baby clothes and we came across the beginning of the fiesta we were invited to earlier in the day. We quickly learned that it was a birthday party for a three year old little girl when we saw her all dressed up in her princess outfit. Their were long decorated tables and tons of balloons. The whole town seemed to be invited to her birthday. We followed the family as they headed up the hill to the church. Before we knew it we were sitting in a beautiful church awaiting the baptism of the little girl. To say the least we felt a little out of place in our grungy surf clothes carrying boards as we were surrounded by almost the whole town who were all dressed up. It was such a special experience and they were so gracious to invite us in that we decided to stay anyways. It was so magical listening to the ceremony. The whole church was decorated and everyone participated in the prayers and songs. Sitting in the open air church on the top of a hill with a view of the country and town, listening to the ceremony brought tears to our eyes. As we were walking out of the church Brandon grabbed my arm and told me to look next to him. Their she was the little girl I had met earlier and given the pink pants to. She was all dressed up for the party in her new pink pants. It was so cute!!! She had them on backwards with the big heart in the front. She looked so proud. As we made eye contact she gave me a little smile, blushed and quickly looked away. Moments like those make this whole trip worth while.
We stayed through the ceremony but considering our attire and the fact that we had not had anything to eat or drink all day we decided to head home. We hitched a ride in the back of a truck back to the marina. It was such a great experience and hard to leave all these new people that we just began to make friends with. That is what we have learned most about traveling in the last few months. Life moves like waves do. Both good and bad times intersecting your path for only a short moment and sometimes following you for great distances. Likewise for the people we have met, some you only talk to for a split second, some end up being life long friends. Whatever the circumstances you are always left to wonder where they're going and from where they came, your happy when they arrive and sad when they leave. Either way we will continue on our journey...in search of waves.

Hasta Luego Mexico!!!!!!!!

Hasta Luego Mexico!

After four colorful exciting months we are preparing to leave Mexican waters and head for central America. We have been heading down the coast, hurricane season closing in ever since we left Zihuatanejo. We had an amazing few days in Zihuatanejo with my parents. We were anchored right off their incredible hotel and spent four relaxing days catching up pool side. The first day they arrived we met them at the airport and convinced them that taking a taxi was way to much money and a bus ride would be more fun. So off we headed with a bus full of people for their hotel. We had seen their hotel from the beach and had even tried to walk through off the beach the day before they arrived but got denied. I guess it may have had something to do with the fact that we were carrying two back packs and a huge bag of dirty laundry. But this time as we entered the lobby were treated with the up most respect. It is so great to travel with parents!!!! They quickly checked in and within minutes we were sitting on the beach sipping of margaritas. Being Easter Sunday we decided to go into town that night and see if we could catch some of the last activities of Semana Santa. The night before Brandon and I went in and walked the crowded streets ate at local vendors and listened to live music in the square. That night their were all the same vendors and it was great to walk the streets with my parents before stopping in a local restaurant, Coconuts, for dinner. The next few days consisted of hanging out by the pool, exploring town, drinking cocktails after cocktails, eating delicious food and just enjoying each others company. The day before they left we decided to take them sailing on our boat. We went into town early in the morning and shopped at the local market for Poblano chilies, pineapple, shrimp, and the most amazing steak “Arrachara” to barbecue that night. Their was quite a swell running in the water so it was quite a scene getting my parent to our boat and even more of a scene dropping them off later that night after a few too many drinks. It was all in good fun though. We had a beautiful sail and anchored up at a beach in the bay to surf and swim before heading back to the anchorage to barbecue. Just as I had paddled out into the line up to meet Brandon I looked back to see the Mexican Navy pulling up beside our boat talking to my parents. Brandon and I quickly paddled back and went through the paper work fiasco. They were really polite and did the usual inspection that we had been through twice before. My parents got the authentic Mexican welcome! That night our friends Mark and Linda on Attu joined us and we had a huge barbecue feast.
The last night my parents treated us to an amazing barbecue buffet on the beach. Just before we were sitting down to dinner we were invited to help let baby turtles go into the ocean. It was the most amazing experience to hold these tiny little creatures. Sailing, there is not a day that goes by that we don’t see these jaw dropping prehistoric creatures swim by us.. We even end up standing on the bowsprit yelling at them to get out of the way so we don’t run them over . We never do hit them but it gets close some times. They are the most fascinating creatures and to hold brand new ones and watch them make their march out to the sea was so touching. They are now protected animals after many years of commercial exploitation and there are many organizations like this one that raise the turtles from eggs and then let them go back to the sea. The man in charge of the non profit organization told us that only thirty five percent of the baby turtles we let go that night will actually survive. The rest will be eaten by predators. To watch the instinct of the tiny little turtles which are blind all head directly for the ocean was unbelievable. They all got tossed and fought their way out into the surf and after many attempts they all made it out to their new home. Good luck out their little guys! We will be looking for you!!
It was so fun to have my parents visit and to relax for a few days and just enjoy each others company . I think we might of relaxed a little to much because after they left we both felt a little down as we looked around our boat and faced the reality that we were leaving the next morning for Acapulco.
The sail to Acapulco was a smooth 20-25 knots straight down wind and turned out to be just what we needed to get back in the swing of things. We arrived early in the morning and anchored up. Acapulco was one of out least favorite stops. IT is a city that has gone from four hundred thousand to four million in the last four years and the impact is definitely apparent. It is huge, polluted and touristy. We found it a very good place to get some work done though. The next few days we did a lot of boat errands that we had been putting off. The most exciting errand was trying to find a new pulley for our alternator. We bussed into town early in the morning and ended up spending the entire day wandering random streets and talking to all sorts of mechanics , machinists, electricians and Car salesmen. It was a long hot day but it ended successfully and it was really interesting to talk to the locals about their expertise. We found a pulley that was the right size had a machinist make some adjustments to it for us and got one step closer in our attempt to interact with the locals. The next few days we finished up other boring boat projects like changing the oil and fixing our skiff before taking off. It is amazing how the simplest things like changing the oil or grocery shopping can take an entire day.
We headed off after three days for Puerto Escondido! Waves were back on the mind and we were eager to see Puerto a place Brandon has been drooling over for years. We arrived at Puerto Escondido at sunset and spent over an hour anchoring. We were told that the anchorage was tricky but had no idea how tricky. We finally figured it out and dropped our hook in about ninety feet of water. Yikes! And we were practically right on the beach. The anchorage is a submarine trench that goes down to one hundred feet with rocks on either side. Our friends Attu spent hours trying to anchor also and not being surfers decided it was not worth it and pulled up anchor around midnight and left. We were determined though and it actually ended being fine although we were always on high alert. Brandon surfed the next day and had a great time. The waves had ten foot faces breaking right on the beach so I quickly decided to that this was not a Jamie wave and watched instead. The town is really neat and we had a great time walking around. Brandon bought a classic T-Shirt that you will all have to wait to see until we come home!!! The next day the surf wasn’t working because of the sand and the swell was building making the anchorage pretty intense so we pulled up and headed south for Hualtuco. Another beautiful night sail with a sky full of stars and warm wind got us their early in the morning. When we arrived at the entrance of Hualtuco marina we saw the Royal Pelagic, the newest and most advanced surf exploration and charter boat. We circled it trying to get a good look and were quickly greeted by the owner and captain. They asked us how the waves in Puerto were and then invited us to come aboard for a cup of coffee. Excited we quickly pulled into the marina tied up and hopped on one of their skiffs for a grand tour. To our surprise Aubrey a girl that we surf with back at home was working aboard. It is so great to run into people from home after being gone out at sea for so long. She made us coffee, showed us the boat, and gave us some inside info on the good waves nearby. We were so ready for surf. We spent the rest of the day cleaning up the boat checking in and hanging out at the pool that is free for guests staying in the marina. That night Attu welcomed us with red wine and homemade pizza! Such a treat!
The last few days as you could guess have consisted of twelve hour surf days. Barra de la Cruz “the rip curl wave” is about a twenty minute bus drive away from the marina and we have done the trek day after day. The wave is so much fun. It is a perfect wave for both of us and we surf until we cant move or at least until we were so sunned out that we had no choice but to leave. The town is also a magical place and we spent afternoons eating mangos and talking to the other surfers. Today we took today off to get our alternator pulley switched and figure out our future plans. Another swell is supposedly hitting in the next few days so it will be interesting to see how long we stay here. We have to be extra careful when we leave here because the next passage is through the Gulf of Tehuantepec. It is notorious for the Tehuantepecers which are 60 knot plus winds that blow throughout the year. Because of the Theuantepecer this is rarely a easy passage and if caught in one can be truly dangerous. We are lucky that Enrique the manager of the marina is very helpful and keeps a updated weather forecast. He has also informed us that this is the best time of year to make the passage because the Theuantepecers have mostly stopped and the hurricanes have not yet started. So we will catch a few more waves, wait for a good weather window and then it will be Hasta luego Mexico and Hola El Salvador! IT will be a long passage but so rewarding to be in Central America.