Leaving Cabo – Take 2

Cabo is a great place to visit and it had been a safe haven for us when we needed it however, there is only so much of Cabo a person can take, and we had well exceeded the recommended daily allowance. One of the reasons why we set sail in the first place was to get away, to experience new cultures, see new places, live more simply, and enjoy the beauty and peace that mother nature has to offer. These features are in short supply in Cabo which I now refer to as “Party Central”. The throbbing music 12-15 hours per day with every venue thumping to a different beat and a different sound was wearing as thin as the airplanes in San Diego. The panga drivers were becoming less tolerant of us and our position near the entrance of the marina. Initially they had been careful with their wake around us but towards the end it felt like they were sending us a clear message that we either needed to leave or at least move away from the entrance and further down the beach. Some were coming by so close that we could’ve reached out and touched them as they buzzed by. When they came that close it would throw up a big wake causing our boat to rock badly from side to side. Their day usually started around 0900 and ended at dusk. The music on the beach usually started around noon or so and ended well after midnight. The days were long and loud. In the city, the first two blocks up from the marina were all geared towards tourists. There were hawkers on every corner and street vendors pushing their souvenirs approaching the gringos every few feet coming from every angle. If you didn’t like what they were showing you then many offered drugs and if that didn’t get your attention then there were the children pushing trinkets. When we wandered past the first couple blocks, the next blocks seemed to be filled with poverty. I have some great memories of Cabo, but it really wasn’t what I was looking for. I needed something a little more village like and a little less Vegas.
Our original plan had been to go to La Paz and spend our first season in Mexico using La Paz as our base to explore the Sea of Cortez and then explore the mainland next year. The memories of our first attempt to make La Paz were still fresh in our mind and now understanding how the air and water move out of the Sea of Cortez during the winter months, we were not anxious to try that again especially not knowing if our engine was going to take a heavy load. We decided to head across to the mainland for La Cruz, located in the large Banderas Bay. That would give us a little downwind sail, the currents would be in our favor and if the engine could not carry the load, we could anchor under sail in La Cruz. The only drawback was it was a much longer trip. This would be over 300 miles. We checked the weather models daily. The winds looked light and variable with even the possibility of nothing…. uuuggghhh. Our entire experience in Mexico has been too much wind or not enough. We opted to go with not enough. The trip was uneventful, so uneventful that we motored 40 hours of it. Most of the time there was not even the slightest breath of wind. There were no dolphins, no whales and seemingly no fish. Dave trailed a hand line the entire trip and not even a nibble. We did see our first sea turtle which was truly exciting. Such gentle creatures plodding along out in that huge expanse of water. The chances of two solitary travelers crossing paths out in the Pacific Ocean seemed pretty small. When it happened, we slowed down, turned around and communed a bit with the turtle. He even paused for a photo op for us before we went our separate ways. The other event that broke the monotony happened when we picked up a couple hitchhikers in the form of sea birds. They dogged us for hours. It was hot and this one bird kept circling our boat completing touch and goes before it finally landed up on the bowsprit. Dave didn’t notice at first but when 2 more settled in he took notice. I pleaded with him to let them stay. They were on the bowsprit, not on the sails or the mast. They weren’t in the way or hurting anything, they weren’t noisy. They weren’t even afraid, you could go right up to them and almost touch them and they would just look at you. They just hung out and groomed for hours. There wasn’t anything special about them, they were medium sized grey birds that seemed grateful for a rest. I assumed they must have been juveniles because periodically a larger bird with more formal plumage would fly by and there would appear to be a little conversation between those resting and the adult. When the sun went down the 3 on the bowsprit tucked their beaks under their wing and they slept all night until dawn. After the sun came up they woke up and resumed their grooming. The adult made increasingly frequent flybys and the conversation between the ones on the boat and those in the air seemed to take on a more urgent tone. I then realized we had teenagers aboard because the harder the adults worked at getting them to leave the boat the more sass and attitude those on the boat gave the adults. I recognized this interaction only too well. Finally, Dave decided it was time to give the adults the upper hand and he went forward and encouraged the teenagers off the boat much to the relief of the adults. The teenage birds though had taken a liking to the free ride and spent the next 4 hours following our boat and trying to land. In the end Dave and I had to take turns up on the bow of the boat to shoo them off. I had enjoyed their company during my shifts however, Dave did not enjoy scrubbing all the bird poo off the front of the boat. I am no longer allowed to invite hitchhikers along for the sail if they are seabirds. Small land based birds blown off course are tolerated if I clean up any mess they leave behind. Speaking of hitchhikers, just about the time we finally got rid of our feathered hitchhikers, the islands that lay off Banderas Bay came in to view. The Tres Marias islands are a prison colony and travelers are advised to give the islands at least 20 miles distance and not to pick up anyone from the water, yikes, that is harsh.
Banderas Bay is quite large. It is 16 miles wide and 26 miles deep. It is hemmed in on three sides by mountains. It appeared lush and green which was so welcome after the weeks of skirting along the desert. People rave about the desert, so far, I am not a fan. I spent many years of my youth growing up in drought conditions in the Little Missouri Badlands, hot and dry is not my favorite climate. I was very happy to see trees and lots of green. There were even coconut palms and banana trees and Dave and I enjoyed our very first coconut. This area is known for a specific kind of tree that grows there called the Huanancaxtle pronounced wah-nah-KAHSHT-lay. They are huge beautiful trees that provide shade and shelter to those on the ground as well as the iguanas and birds who live in their canopies. As we came into the bay, we headed towards the northeast corner. We were looking for the anchorage near La Cruz. There was no missing this anchorage. There must have been 40 boats anchored out. Our friends on the Tabula Rasa had arrived the day before and had space next to them for us. We found our friends and set the anchor. It was so nice to be back among friends and in a community of cruisers. It was nice to be away from the thumping music and hoards of panga drivers. Gene and Kathy took us into La Cruz to show us around. La Cruz is what I had been waiting for. Cobblestone streets with not a vendor in sight. Dogs ran free, chickens scooted here and there, little one room shops mingled with homes most of which were one room as well. Many of the buildings have cinderblock walls but the roofs are grass or palm fronds. Glimpses into homes reveal most are a single room filled mostly with beds. Most had a small kitchen area with a sink and countertop along one wall and then stacked in a corner was a table and plastic lawn chairs and then the rest of the space was filled with beds. In the evenings, the chairs and table come out into the street as does the stove which is usually a metal drum cut in half lengthwise with a grill over it. An evening stroll is a feast for the olfactory senses as each family cooks the evening meal and serves it there on the street. It smells wonderful. After dinner the whole family which is usually 3 or more generations go for a walk and everyone visits with each other and all the rest of the families in the neighborhood. It is such a social, peaceful end to the day. I find it ironic and quite sad that so many people from other countries sacrifice everything to chase the American Dream while Americans spend their whole lives floundering through the emptiness of that dream searching for the sense of peace and belonging that these people leave behind.
La Cruz was great, it was everything I had been looking for but it was about to get better. Gene and Kathy had a little surprise for us. They have friends who own a villa on the south side of the bay and we were invited to join them for lunch and to spend the day. I could not have imagined how this day would unfold. It started with a bus ride to Puerta Vallarta which was an adventure in itself. The buses are decorated by each driver and there is fuzzy dice hanging in every bus that we rode on and faux fur, and Madonnas and medallions and an array of other decorations. I am not sure how some of the buses are still in service. One of the buses that we rode on you could see the road through the floor and every time the driver went around a corner, the doors flew open. Most no longer have bumpers and the one that did had a huge tree limb stuck in it. There is no real bus schedule that we can find. The gist of their routes is written in marker on the window, most are legible, many are smeared. Most of the drivers understand some English and will nod their head yes or no if you give them a destination. The main stops have a person who seems to understand the chaos and kind of herds people onto the bus they need and they seem to speak several languages and usually have a great sense of humor. Over on the Baja most locals have a bit of English but over on the mainland English is much less spoken or understood. We knew that we had 1-2 bus changes to make but once we got off the first bus we had no way to figure out what bus to get on to make the next leg so in the end we took a taxi to our destination. Our taxi driver had a little English and was kind enough to explain how to take the buses back to La Cruz. The drive wound us through Old Town, the Romantic District and then out of town to the south side of the Bay where he dropped us off. As we walked down the driveway to the entrance my sense of wonder turned into a sense of awe. This was a villa in the truest sense, the likes of which I had only seen on TV. It was absolutely stunning with a view overlooking the bay that was jaw dropping. The entire front of the villa was glass and most of it could be opened completely to allow the sun and sea breezes in. Parts of the house were built around trees so as you walked down a hallway, there would be a tree and plants and no roof just sunshine and a gentle breeze. The main living area opened onto the deck that was complete with an infinity pool, a hot tub, a bar, and lounge chairs everywhere. To top it all off there was a chef, a bartender and staff to meet your every need. Kathy’s friend Julie and her husband Karl greeted us warmly and made us feel welcome right away. We were then introduced to Julie’s parents who own the villa. In this world where there is so much division, these people opened their home to us, perfect strangers, and treated us like family. My favorite part of the day was lunch. We were all seated around this huge table whose center was a lazy susan. The staff set the table and the food was placed in the center on the lazy susan. The drinks were made to order for each person and the meal was the catch of the day. There were two types of ceviche as well as fish tacos, chips and guacamole and dessert was fresh coconut. Jerry the patriarch of the family and owner carefully spun the center and paid close attention to what each person liked and as the meal progressed he would make sure the lazy susan stopped in front of you with the items that you most liked. If you were distracted or visiting, he would hold the table and move it back and forth in front of you until you noticed before he would rotate the table to the next person with the things they liked. He continued this until he was certain that each person at the table had their fill of what they most liked. It may sound like a trivial side bar to the reader but in my mind, it was a remarkable action. Here was a man who is abundantly blessed who had not only opened his home to strangers but took keen interest in each of our preferences. He interacted with and took interest in each person present and he did it in such a way that we felt like part of the family. It was such a magical day. I have nothing to offer in return other than a grateful heart, so Julie and family thank you for such a beautiful day and these wonderful memories that I will always treasure. At one point I was moved to tears because there was just nothing in my experience that I could relate to and things like this don’t usually happen to me. It was overwhelming.
Our next big adventure a few days later was to go with Gene and Kathy in their dinghy six miles across the bay to Paradise Village. I am not sure which is more challenging, Mexican buses or dinghy rides across open water. Needless to say, both should come with warning labels and ladies should be encouraged to wear sports bras as the extra support is a definite plus. It is hard to believe that in just six miles you can go from a small village to a world of resorts and gringos. The marina there at Paradise Village offers cruisers access to their resort amenities and pools and so we were checking into their services, prices and amenities. They are also considered a hurricane hole. During our explorations and wanderings, I had managed to set my phone down. I didn’t realize it until we got back to the boat. My heart sunk. I had not set up the lock system on it so it was an open phone. Dave and I immediately dinghied from our boat into La Cruz and caught a bus and then a taxi back to Paradise Village. The chances of me getting my phone back were slim to none but I had to try since it is my link to the girls, family and friends. It took us nearly 2 hours to get back and start retracing my steps. It had not been turned into lost and found. Some of the places were already closed. It was just looking more and more bleak. I was sick to my stomach because it would be several months before I could afford a new phone. We stopped at the last shop, the one where no one spoke English and the shop keeper scooted around behind the counter and dug around under some items and presented me with my phone. I was so overwhelmed. My phone was worth more than he makes in probably a week and it was unlocked and yet he had tucked it away and kept it safe. I continue to marvel at the world we live in. It is full of kind and generous people. At every place we have stopped we have experienced some form of kindness or generosity. While I understand that technology has connected us all, I also feel like it is tearing us apart and spreading hate. I do not miss the media, and I am on my phone much less. I have issued this challenge before and I will continue to do so because I believe it is so important. Shut the TV off, put your phone away and have a real conversation with the people around you, complete with eye contact. Real conversation with real people is a powerful thing, don’t lose this skill.