January 15, 2010 - Marina Riviera Nayarit, La Cruz de Huanacaxtle

Our first day at the marina was short. It took Earl about an hour to do the paperwork with the marina and the port captain. Shortly after he returned we had soup for dinner, showered, and went to bed. In somewhat better shape the next day, we looked around. The marina is only a couple of years old, and not at all full. They have done a beautiful job of landscaping and the docks are very nice. On the downside, the water is not potable, (we’ve been spoiled at Costabaja in La Paz) and there is quite a surge in the basin. The town is quite charming. Very undeveloped, certainly in comparison to Puerta Vallarta 20 miles away. We walked up the street a couple of blocks and caught a bus into Puerta Vallarta to visit Zaragoza Marine Store in search of a replacement hose valve for the ice maker. There was a bus pulling away as we arrived, but another pulled in within a minute. It cost us 32 pesos (about $2.50) and was quite jolly. A pretty woman and child boarded at the next stop and she and the driver chatted for the rest of the trip. Later a man got on with a guitar and serenaded us. I wanted to pay him to stop. The stops seem to be haphazard. At one point there was an intersection that was flooded. A couple got on just before the intersection and off immediately after- they apparently did not want to wade and that seemed reasonable to the driver. No charge. We had told the driver where we were going when we boarded. Fortunately Earl spotted the store as we were going by because the driver was busy chatting. He apologized for missing the stop and let us off.

Earl loved the marine store. Apparently he had never seen such a selection of marine hardware. Even better, there was an English speaking salesman. He and Earl conferred at great length and eventually decided to order the part since nothing on hand would work. Meanwhile I was wandering around. When I caught up with Earl he was in the fishing gear section of the store. Danger - of the kid in candy store variety. He had a few packages of hooks, which looked fairly innocent, but he was conferring with another English speaking salesman and a non English speaking older gentleman in front of a display of large lures, none of which cost less than $40. I limited him to one. He then wandered off with the English speaking salesman. I had enough Spanish to comment to the older gentleman that there were some very expensive toys in the store. While looking at the snorkel gear, we were told that the older gentleman was the owner. We rushed back to tell him that Earl had never seen such an impressive marine store including Fisheries Supply in Seattle. I told him that Earl had been a commercial fisherman in Alaska so he knew a good deal about marine supply stores. Mr. Zaragoza, the owner, was absolutely delighted. He called over a young man who was introduced as his son and we chatted. The young man spoke a little English but was hesitant. Nevertheless, we visited. Mr. Zaragoza wants very much to go to Alaska and fish salmon. He sent his son off to find his brother, who turned out to be the salesman Earl had been working with to find the valve. Again, more hand shaking, and much more talking about fishing for salmon in Alaska. After exchanging cards, and lots more hand shaking, we paid and left the store feeling very mellow.

The bus ride back was delightful. It was an old bus, which I suspect belongs to the bus driver. Every time he asked something extra of it, like changing gears, he would pat the engine. There was loud happy music playing and doodads hanging from the window and everyone seemed pretty cheerful. Earl and I agreed that it would be hard to be unhappy in this environment.

Another day, I took the bus into Puerto Vallarta with a fellow cruiser who had spent some time in the area. Our mission was to look at a pottery factory. It was fun and we had a lovely lunch in a beautiful restaurant on the shore of a little stream that runs through the town. I found out the Puerto Vallarta and the southern part of Banderas Bay is on a different time zone than La Cruz. Since the towns seem to blend into one another, it is pretty confusing, at least that is my excuse for coming home late. We did not come back empty handed. (Yes, I know, the boat does have a limit on its capacity)

One of the landmarks here is a place called Philos. Philo is aging musician from the US with a lovely young Mexican wife. He has a bar-restaurant which caters to cruisers. There is a book exchange shelf and a large TV and you are welcome to come and stay as long as you wish. In the evening, Philo and friends play music and the placed is jammed. The music seemed to be of the country and western genre and the little dance floor was crowded. Average age was probably 65. We had fun eating pizza and watching our contemporaries dancing.

We explored the little town. The streets are cobble and sidewalks, if they exist, are about 18 inches wide. Every other door seems to be a little shop, selling a few odds and ends and veggies. Every street has a least three resident dogs, usually very small and very friendly. The children in the elementary school wear red bottoms, and red and white tops. They are adorable. The laundry did a large bag of laundry for us for the big sum of 78 pesos, $6, and managed to get all the spots out of our shirts. We found our way to a lovely gallery-restaurant featuring work by the local Huichol Indians. We fell in love with the artwork. It is made of yarn (or beads) pressed into wax. The artists for the large yarn paintings are usually shamans and the work reflects the visions they have while under the influence of peyote. (Looking at a wall of them, I have a pretty good feel for what peyote would do to me). They are wild and I love them. We now have two which we will have to figure out how to get home and where to hang.

Every morning Daisy gets a walk which she loves since there are lots of other dogs to talk to. It is very hot here, even though it is winter, so the cruiser folk all walk or jog early in the day. We have run into a number of people here that we have met elsewhere. It is really a floating, migrant community and everyone knows other people by the names of their boats and dogs.

The world is very small. Cricket linked me up to my cousin Lalie Clayman on facebook. The next day, Lalie, having read my note about being in the Puerto Vallarta area, sent me a note telling me that her husband John, who is from Seaton Yachts in Rhode Island, was doing a survey on a Nordhavn 55 in La Cruz. We saw the boat being lifted out of the water and ran over, about two blocks, and introduced ourselves. John and the owners came over and visited with us and I finally got to meet Lalie’s husband. It was wonderful to be able to renew family ties so far from home.

We ran into and visited with a family from California who are on a 40 foot sailboat (a valiant) with two delightful children aged 7 and 9. The parents are both attorneys who quit their jobs. Obviously this will be a time that the kids will never forget. They made me think of the Eltons and the Daltons who will find their blog -Bajahoppers.blogspot.com - interesting.

We woke this am to a big rainstorm. It had rained over night and has continued on and off all day. We needed to take the bus into Puerto Vallarta to pick up the valve and I think we swam from the bus stop to the store. Earl saw a water spout out on the bay. When it storms here, it really storms. Earl got right to the job when we got back to the boat. When he took apart the original valve and hose, he found the hose had been cut on the bias – installation problem! Anyway, after some challenges related to working in small spaces, the job is done and we think – knock on wood- that we have solved the problem.

I took Daisy for a celebratory walk which she loved, except she fell in the water getting back on the boat. As I mentioned, there is quite a surge here and the lines move up and down. She hit one and landed in the drink. Poor pup! To add insult to injury, I decided I might as well wash her. She is beautiful and clean – and resting on the sofa pillow.

Tomorrow we will leave and start to explore the waters here. So far, we have spent our time exploring on shore which has been fun, but we are ready for cruising, fishing and snorkeling.