Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo-Acapulco and back again.

We enjoyed our final days in Zihuatanejo with friends, and touring around the traditional little town.  The mercado is quite large, filled with veggies, meats, and every sort of do-dad imaginable.  It was finally time to get out of town if we wanted to be on time to our next country of El Salvador.  We left early due to a high tide which enabled us to get out of the marina Ixtapa without hitting bottom as it's quite shallow.  As we sailed down towards our next stop of Acapulco, we saw spinner dolphins for the first time.  They are smaller than others and leap high out of the water, spinning 4-6 complete spirals before entering the water again.  So amazing.

The dive site of the famous Acapulco divers.

   This is where our trip took a turn... or actually a U-turn.  While we were sitting together during the afternoon watch, an interesting discussion began.  Our main goal of this trip was to get down through the Panama canal and spend the hurricane season in Bocas del Toro, Panama.  After having spent four months in Mexico in various ports and anchorages, the scenery along the coast seemed quite similar.  Truly, there are many lovely beaches, clear water coves, iguanas, boobies, frigates, and such.  However... we have seen our fill of these things for the time being, and the downside of continuing onward was becoming apparent.  If we continued and passed through the Gulf of Tehuantepec, it pretty much is a point of no-return as the winds are extreme and the waiting periods for safe travel are few.  It also meant that we would be spending the next 2-4 years living on the boat.  We have been living on the boat for almost three years, and are a bit over it.  We both miss our hikes, bikes, friends, house, tub, kitchen, and yard.  This is not to say we don't want to continue to travel, but perhaps using other means will allow us to see more parts of the countries we visit.  So, that was our epiphany.  We decided to head back north after Acapulco and see the Sea of Cortez one more time before heading to California and changing our lives again.

The divers receiving recognition from the crowd.

   Arriving at Acapulco before sun-up, we motored slowly in towards the marina.  After seeing the chaotic marina area, we did a U turn and went to a small anchorage near the entrance called Puerto Marques.  It was a lush area filled with modern hi-end homes and extremely poor palapa restaurants.  The feeling we got was one of huge opulence and dirt poor residents who were trying to rebuild their little shops after a recent rain storm created rivers that undermined them and washed them away.   The sounds of the tropical birds in the mornings were quite a treat, and the water was clear enough in which to swim.  Three days here was enough, then we ventured into the Marina Acapulco so we could check in with the port captain.  The marina was quite well maintained, new docks and lots of large yachts.  This was all nice, except there are no showers, pool, or amenities.  We did eventually find the beautiful granite swimming pool on the top deck, uninhabited by anyone.  Even though we were told it was off limits for boaters, we jumped in for a brief swim.

The divers preparing to leap.

 

Lisa with her new friends.

That night we hiked to the cliff diver area and watched in amazement as the young men climbed the steep cliff, then waited for the waves to surge and calm before diving with grace down into the swirling darkness.  Amazing.  Well worth the trip down.

   We had seen enough of Acapulco, it is a spectacle at night, glimmering with lights from all directions as it sits in a bowl-like area in the hills.  We did hear however that the cartel problems were just over the hills, which was not far enough for us to feel comfortable.   And, apparently most others, as we were the only gringos we saw downtown, and the hotels are at 20% occupancy.  We did not see any unsafe activity, but people were not overly friendly and the feeling was one of sadness and desperation rather than the happy, welcoming feelings elsewhere.

One of many trawlers that crossed our bow.

   It was time to leave, so off we sailed to Zihuatanejo and the Zfest that was just beginning.  Our friends Paul and Carol on Unleashed were shocked to see us back in the anchorage, and we had some explaining to do.  They had hoped to follow us down to El Salvador and the rally that was about to begin there.  After discussing the whys and wherefore's of our decision, we left them to ponder their own fate.  The next morning as we passed by in our dinghy Carol yelled that we had created a monster, Paul was rethinking their travels. The reality of what sailing a boat down here means sort of sinks in after awhile, and unless one is really affluent, it's tough to do inland travel as well as by water.  More on that later, as after discussing their plans, Paul and Carol did a nice long trip inland all the way to Guatemala, and did so fairly inexpensively.

Paul and Carol wondering why we are back??

   Our stops became fairly quick, with one of note being a small anchorage called Ensenada Carrizal, near Manzanillo.  It was reportedly a drug smuggler drop off, with cars showing up and flashing lights at night.  We dropped anchor and were the only boat there for three nights.  The water is clear, the bottom was filled with coral along the sides of the bay, and the views were spectacular with a variety of tropical plants, cactus and rocks carved by the ocean swells.

Snorkeling at Carrizal, this appears to be a spotted Puffer.  They are everywhere down here.

Our travels now took us to Barra de Navidad, a short 3-4 hour motor up the coast.  There to greet us were all sorts of friends that had taken their time coming down the coast.  Barra has a huge hotel with an awesome swimming pool, so it is a fan favorite of many cruisers.  The town of Barra is small and gives the opposite feeling, quaint, locals selling everything imaginable, and great tacos on the street.  We met up with Russ and Jonelle off of Snapdragon with whom we sailed last year in the Banderas Bay Regatta.  They had a friend visiting, Judy, who was a welcome lively addition to the group.

I think this is a King Angelfish, also at Carrizal.

 During this time the weather has been unusually rainy, windy and cool.  The pool was not an option many days as it was just too cold!  One day and night we had a spectacular lightning storm, which was quite unsettling, but fortunately no boats were struck.  Several did run aground though as the water depth is shallow here.

L-R, Vic, Leif, Susan, Wolf, Judy.  Out for a rainy day sail on Banderas Bay looking for and finding whales.

   During this time we had a couple of issues with the inverter/battery charger so we decided to head back to Puerto Vallarta to have it checked out.  It's an overnight trip up there from Barra, and I was looking forward to fewer mosquitoes and biting insects.  I did leave that part out, but it was a major game changer for me as I HATE bites, and in many of the places we stayed the bugs won.

Bucerias hat salesman, with a truck somewhere underneath all that.

   We arrived in Banderas Bay in the early morning hours, motored around for awhile so the sun would be almost up, and then took a slip at Marina Riviera Nayarit or La Cruz as we call it.  It's in the town of La Cruz de Huanacaxtle, known and named after the Huanacaxtle tree that is found here.  Ahh, back in civilization.  Our inverter was dead, so a new one was purchased and installed, this of course took much leg work and stress.  Then we left for a week to Costa Mesa to do taxes and get renewed visas for Mexico.  To put it mildly, we had a grand time at home, biking, hiking, walking, eating out, seeing friends every night and generally enjoying the cooler weather.

This is our world, and most of Mexico of course.  These buses take people everywhere in the greatest style, with music blaring, and swerving to and fro.  10 pesos por favor?  

 We know we have made the right decision for us, and now on to other choices and ideas for travel.  I will continue to relate our travels as these are my notes of our trip.

The view from Frascatti's Italian Restaurant in La Cruz.  Sundowner time.

   One thing I forgot to mention was racing on Joyride with Jen, Jim, Doug and Josette.  We had a blast racing, and partying with them for the Banderas Bay Race week festivities on their J109.  I am leaving a lot out, but pictures will suffice.