Happy Holidays-December 26, 2008

While we have been missing family and friends during this holiday season, we have had a holiday rich in new experiences. We began the week by attending a Christmas Program by the Salvation Army Children's Home. The program consisted of about 40 children singing Christmas songs and dancing their local folklore. This is the time of year that the Salvation Army makes all their money for the year. The Salvation Army is not supported by the government. Of note these children are from poor families. Many of these children do not have birth certificates, and if they do not have birth certificates they can not go to school. The Salvation Army helps them to get birth certificates, medical care and other needed services.

Christmas Eve we spent on the dock. We had a party with all our friends on the dock. We all made appetizers to share. We had a variety of great foods along with home made egg nog and Christmas songs blaring from the boats.

Christmas Day was a quite day for us. We spent the day cooking a turkey and playing games. We participated in the Cruisers Pot Luck Dinner. We had about 40 people in attendance. Again we had wonderful food from all. We have some new games to recommend to any of you who like games. One is Mexican Train and the other is Sequence. Both of them are fun with a group of people.

Wally is continuing to recover. He goes to physical therapy everyday. I know he's getting better as he wants to work on the boat all the time.

Angel has become the dock mascot and guard dog. Many of the cruisers visit her on a daily basis. She's receives dog treats from everyone. She keeps us busy and entertained.

El Quelite - December 18, 2008

Today we took a "Vacation from our Vacation". We were feeling water bound and wanted to explore inland. So with our friends, John and Debbie, we hired a taxi for the day to explore some local colonial and historical spots in Sinaloa.

Our first stop on our tour was Vinata Los Osuna. We had a tour on how blue agave (Tequilla) is distilled. The distillery was in operation. We saw the plants from start to finish. One would not want to be there if they were allergic to bees as they were everywhere. The grounds were beautiful with flowers.

Our next stop was Hacienda Las Moras, a restored authentic Tequila Plantation about 150 years old. Currently it is a secluded resort. The decor was in true Mexican flavor. Again, the grounds were beautiful and peaceful. Many peacocks roamed freely through the grounds. Definitely would be a nice place to stay.

Our last stop was El Quelite, a colonial town, with cobbled streets, and colorful tile roofed homes.
It is about 20 miles north of Mazatlan across the Tropic of Cancer. It was a very quaint town. Most of the little stores were in the porches of homes. We ate at a local resturant with homemade tortillas and the local meats. We also visited the local church, cemetary, Cock Fighting Ranch and local bakery. One definietly felt like "Old Mexico".

The countryside was rolling hills, with some agriculture areas of corn, and some papaya tree groves. It was similar to driving up to Ojai, CA.

Wednesday night we had the opportunity to join Friends of Mazatlan, a local charity organization which supports 5 local schools in the area. We toured the city Christmas lights on a trolly. We went through the old historical town and also El Cid which has acreas of beautiful HUGE homes. The lights and decorations were everywhere on the homes. A beautiful display. We had Chrsitmas songs going as we toured. It made us feel a little like Christmas.

Mazatlan-December 15, 2008

Wally continues to improve daily from his surgery. The MD removed the final stitches today. Wally is scheduled to start physical therapy next week. His endurance level is improving and his walking distance is increasing. The great news is no pain! The picture with Wally is with both of his physicians. The MD said we could leave Mazatlan in January. Our departure date will be January 10.

We continue to be busy everyday. We wonder where the day has gone as we watch the sun set. While we haven't been able to leave the marina area since Wally's surgery we continue to be very active socially. For those of you who are not cruisers, we have come to find out that cruisers are a very close group and are always helping each other out. One of the ways that we all stay connected and in communication is we always have our VHF radio on. Monday through Saturday we listen to the Net on channel 22 at 8:00a.m. (I think that is a little early!) The first item asked for is there any emergency traffic, secondly we all check in with our name on the radio. The next items for discussion is any new arrivals(cruisers)to the Mazatlan or any departures leaving Mazatlan, weather, the tides, special announcements (this includes all the social activities that may be going on), assistance needed, treasures of the bilge (any items that many be for sale) and then any other information needed. It usually ends about 8:20 a.m. If cruisers need another cruiser during the day we call each other via the VHF. Every cruising area has their own Nets for information.

Winter has arrived in Mazatlan. The temperature is in the low 80's during the day and cooling down to the high 60's in the evening. We continue to wear shorts and T-shirts.

Mazatlan-December 7, 2008

We continue to have new adventures. Our latest adventure is experiencing the health care in Mexico. As most of you know Wally has had 2 back surgeries in the past 2 years. Unfortunately they did not fix the problem. By the time we arrived in Mazatlan Wally was experiencing increased pain. So we decided to see if something outside the country could help Wally's pain. We made an appointment with a neurosurgeon and within 1 week we had all kinds of tests and were scheduled for surgery. Wally had surgery on December 3 with excellent results. He came home today and he has none of the previous pain he was experiencing. The doctors are all wonderful here. The cost of medical care is so much less than we experience in the states. The neurosurgeon will be coming to the boat everyday to check Wally's incision site and the progress he is making. Can you imagine that happening in the states! Our cruising plans will be delayed by 4-6 weeks, however, this is not a bad place to have to stay!

I have continued to enjoy the cultural activities of the area. This month is the Mazatlan Cultural Festival. The shows are at the Angela Peralta Theater, which is a beautiful renovated theater. I have attended "Viva Mexico", Sinaloa Folklore Ballet which was about the three events of social impact on Mexico's history: the fall of the great Tenochtitian, the independence from Spain and the Mexican revolution. The dancing was great and the costumes were so colorful. I also saw the Nutcracker which was done by the Municipal School of Ballet. The stage setting was magical, the children were adorable. The admission to these events is about 150-200 pesos (equivalent to $11.53-$15.38American). One can see many shows as compared to the cultural activies in the states. The programs are in Spanish. Hopefully one day I will understand more of the language.

We have learned how to go to the movies. They have some American movies here. Sometimes they are dubbed in Spanish and sometimes they are subtitled in Spanish. The admission to the movies is 25pesos/person. So for under $8.00(American) 2 people can go to the movies with popcorn and drinks.

I have wanted to experience a jungle cruise so before Wally went into the hospital he took me through all the canals in the harbor. We were amazed to see all the beautiful homes on the waterways. In addition we saw many iguanas on our ride. I think he thinks he won't have to do a real jungle cruise.

Dock side cruising continues to be very busy. I have exercise class or yoga three times a week, line dancing 3 times a week, music jams on Wednesday, Sunday brunch, kayaking 2 times per week, and dinners out with friends at least 2 times per week. With all of this and more people continue to work on their boats. Many cruisers coming in to Mazatlan and many heading south.

The city and the marina are decorating for the holidays. It is all similar to the states. The stores are decorated, homes are decorated and the boats are being decorated for the holidays. There will not be a white Christmas here, current temperature in the 80's We all still wear shorts and tank tops.

Happy Thanksgiving-November 27, 2008

Happy Thanksgiving to all our family and friends!!

We participated in the local cruisers American Thanksgiving festivities. We had a catered traditional dinner. The food was delicious. Dinner was followed with music and dancing.
The party was held out in the cruisers patio overlooking the marina. The temperature was in the 80's. We had another beautiful sunset during dinner. Life is good.

Mazatlan-November 25, 2008

We continue to enjoy the city of Mazatlan and the activities it has to offer. We recently attended a professional baseball game. Playing was Venados de Mazatlan vs Algodoneros de Guasave. What an event! Far different than watching baseball in the states. There is total particaption by those in the stand with singing and clapping. There are mascots on the field with continual antics. After each inning souveniers are thrown into the stands. The food stands are quite good and beer flows freely at each section in the stands. Final score was 3-2. We have continued to watch the baseball games on TV in Spanish. Venados de Mazatlan continues to win.

We have mastered the bus sytem. One can get anywhere in the city one way for a cost of 5-8 pesos. We have found and shopped at Wal-Mart, Sam's Club, Home Depot, drug stores and local grocery stores. So far we have been able to find all the items we wanted. The difference is all the stores are obviously in Spanish, so often we look at pictures to determine the right item.

We continue to enjoy meeting new friends everyday. We are the newbee's to cruising here at the marina. Most of the other cruisers have been cruising from 3-10 years. They are from both Canada and the United States. In preparation for cruising we read many books on the subject. However, we have learned far more from the cruisers. Everyday we get new tips. Most of the cruisers return to Mazatlan in November after escaping the summer heat and humidity of Mazatlan. Some leave their boats up in the Sea of Cortez and cruise up there, others go home for the summer and some return to work for 5-6 moinths until cruising season begins again. Most are preparing their boats to head south after Thanksgiving.

The local people are very friendly. The University of Michigan's World Values Surveys compiles data on the happiest countries in the world for the past 20 years. Mexico was listed as Number 2. Canada is listed as number 10 and the United States is number 15. We have found the pace and stress far less here than at home.

Last Saturday we went with a group of friends to share the city. We first went to Hotel Freeman to the top floor where we had a 360 degree view of the city. We watched the sunset. From there we went to a favorite local restaurant. We have no idea the name of it. Some of the best food is on the local streets where a vendor will set up table and chairs and serve food. We had the best "baked potatoes". It was stuffed with butter, sour cream and covered with carne asada. At the table there was salsa, guacamore, radishes and cucumbers. The cost of each dinner was 30 pesos.

Today we were visted by family and friends who were in port while cruising on a cruise ship. We enjoyed swimming at the local beach and having lunch together.

We would love to hear from anyone who reads our blog. We miss our friends at Ventura West and would love to have an update. Either post a comment or email us at AndanzasAdventure@gmail.com.

Mazatlan-November 19, 2008

We are enjoying Mazatlan life. We have been here a week and have adapted well to our new cruising life. We have met many new friends along with old friends Michael and Renee Ditton and John and Debbie Die from Ventura. Marina Mazatlan has a very active social schedule for cruisers.

We have been relaxing quite a bit especially due to heat. It is 90 degress today inside and outside of the boat. We have been exploring the local sights by foot, public bus and pulmonia. Mazatlan has two areas the Goldren Zone and Old Town. We have spent our time in Old Town visiting the cathedral, local markets, plazas, local art studios, and the beautiful malecon(boardwalk) that surrounds Old Town. The Golden Zone is predominately for tourist which we have avoided. The malecon, which is about 12 miles long, has many historical viewpoints and statutes along the route. We have walked many portions of it in the morning for exercise.

We have enjoyed all the local ethnic food. It is very inexpensive to eat here. Local transportation is very inexpensive and one can get anywhere in town. The cost is 50 cents to 80 cents one way.

Today we hiked to the top of the highest working lighthouse in the world, El Faro. We were able to see 360 degrees and had to climb over 360 steps. It was a beautiful view of all of Mazatlan and overlooked the main harbor where the cruise ships come in and where the Pacifico factory is.

Daivd and Alli took an exciting side trip adventure to San Blas which I will let Alli describe.

ALLI:
David and I came up with the grand plan of an overnight adventure to Mexicaltitan, about 200km away in the next bordering state, Nayarit, south of Sinaloa. So we take a local bus from our Marina down to the Golden Zone to the Central bus station, where we need two tickets to Ixcuintlan, where we could transfer to another bus to our destination. However, no buses from Mazatlan will take us to either place but will get us close, a place called Penas. So, 5 minutes later we are on our way! So, we start looking at the map and realize we are actually going to the state of Jalisco, south of Puerto Vallarta! Una problema!! After the bus driver assured us that was a different Penas, we later found out a lot of places were called Penas! So, after reading the guide book further, we decide to go to San Blas, only a little further south, instead. San Blas, had a rich history, with a beautiful beach, old cathedral, and gold/silver Contaduria, and a Jungle River excursion, and we did it all!!! On the La Tovara River trip took us down all the canals of the mangrove/marsh lands that started just outside of town and spanned out to the mountains where the terrain turned to Jungle. We saw crocodiles, turtles, birds and fish.
So after such a successful excursion that we extended it to 2 nights, we were ready to come home Monday. Sunday night we went to the ATM to get pesos for the bus ride home, but it was out of cash. So, we tried again Monday morning, and still no cash... so we went to another ATM and still no cash! We did not have enough to get to Mazatlan! Hmmm... came to find out it was a Mexican holiday and the banks were closed, and the police officers we talked to with giant AK47's just laughed. Thankfully a lady at the nicest hotel in town gave us a cash advance and we ended up back in Mazatlan with 4 pesos to spare! The End.

Now back to Linda. While it appears that we are vacationing we do have boat chores everyday and Angel duty. David drew the short straw today and had to go up the mast to re-engineer the lazy jacks. We had to undo the dingy as we are having chaps made to protect it from the beating sun. We have had to repair the preventor, clean water filters, repair the running lights (which went out crossing the Sea of Cortez at night), repaired the reefing lines, and continually clean dog hair out of the boat.

Last night we celebrated for no reason and had Two for One Pizza Night delivered by Domino's Pizza complete with salsa picante.

David and Alli leave tonight which we are quite sad about. We have all thoroughly enjoyed our adventures together.

Mazatlan-November 13, 2008

Mazatlan, Lat 23 16 214, Long 106 27 307, 200 miles east of Cabo. We have now traveled 1200 miles from Ventura.
Mazatlan is known as the Pacific Pearl. Also means valley of the deer. Population 500,000.

We left Cabo on Tuesday morning heading for Los Frailes with two other boats, Eager Dreamer and SueBee. The coast line was very pretty. The land is quite green due to the recent hurricane through Baja. We were heading straight into 20 knot winds and big seas, getting banged around.

After about 4 hours of this and only 12 miles from Los Frailes we made a right hand turn and headed to Mazatlan as the weather was not expected to imporve and the anchorage was not going to be good with the wind conditions.

What a ride to Mazatlan!!. We sailed all the way. We had winds 17-25 knots with seas of 8-10 feet. Our fastest speed was 11.4 knots. We all have bruises to show for the ride. Upon arriving outside of the harbor our 2 buddy boats went aground at the harbor entrance. They gave us a heads up on what to expect. We also went aground at the harbor entrance and was lifted up off by a wave. The tide was very low and the swells were big. The harbor entrance is very small. We would not want to come in here at night.

We are currently at Marina Mazatlan. When we arrived we took 12 loads of laundry up to have done. The marina is full of cruisers. We had dinner at the marina restaurant last night. Music was playing, and we were dancing under the stars with a full moon. It was a sureal experience after the previous night of being on the water. Current water temperature is 79 degrees and air temperature is mid 80's.

We plan to stay here a few weeks to rest and sight see. David and Alli continue to be with us until Novembefr 19. They have the next week planned for all the local sight seeing.

The underwater photos were taken at Lover's Beach at Cabo. We enjoyed snorkling in such warm water.

Angel update. She survived 10 days of never being off the boat. Occasionally she was scared when the seas were rough. She has enjoyed dingy and panga rides. She is currently very happy to be dock side as we all are also.