03- Bc Cografya Arşivi: Mexico

Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

I recently visited Baja California Sur — a state on the Baja California Peninsula in northwest Mexico. We stayed in Cabo San Lucas and also spent time in San José del Cabo, Cerritos Beach and Todos Santos.

The flight was an easy 2 hours and 20 minutes from Los Angeles International Airport. They are planning major renovations and expansion of Los Cabos International Airport which is badly needed because the airport has a tough time processing travelers when the planes from the United States and Canada all arrive around the same time. It can take an hour to get through customs and get your baggage after landing. The flights are going to increase as well with service starting between London and Cabo and South Korea and Cabo so European and Asian tourists in addition to the many Americans and Canadians.

The roads are very impressive in and around Cabo. My driver told me that the toll road from the airport was built for the 2012 G20 Los Cabos Summit of world leaders.

Our tour guide told us that Cabo only has a 2 percent unemployment rate. Tourism is the main industry and puts almost all of the locals to work. You can tell. The streets are clean with hardly any trash and there are very few homeless people.

We stayed at the Grand Fiesta Americana resort hotel and there were multiple layers of security. Cabo is very isolated compared to mainland Mexico so doesn't experience crime from the drug cartels. We did see the Mexican military patrolling for drug cartels on land and in water.

Our tour guide took us to a glass blowing factory, on a glass bottom boat out in the waters around Cabo and for lunch to San José del Cabo which is the colonial town and the quieter side of Cabo. The party town with the spring breakers is Cabo San Lucas.

On Friday night we celebrated Shabbat at the Cabo Jewish Center - Chabad Cabo.

On Saturday we took a trip north to Cerritos Beach which is the best kept secret in Cabo and maybe the best beach in North America. It is rapidly developing with new housing. There is a hotel and villas there and massages on the beach.

Then we headed to Todos Santos — a town on the Pacific coast of Mexico’s Baja California Peninsula, backed by the Sierra de la Laguna mountain range. That is where the Hotel California is which has no affiliation at all with the Eagles song of the same name but has an interesting history in its own right. Todos Santos is the quintessential Mexican town with all the warm and friendly Mexican hospitality you expect.

The last full day in Cabo we went whale watching. We caught the humpbacks near the end of breeding season before their migration north to feed on krill. We also used a hydrophone to hear mating sounds. The alpha male whale with the best song gets the girl to mate with and pass his genes on to the next generation of humpback whales.

The next day I flew back to LAX and made sure to get a window seat to see the amazing Baja California below.

I would definitely recommend visiting Cabo and other parts of the Mexican peninsula.

Viva Cabo!

More pictures:

Video:

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River under the Sea

A massive underwater river flowing along the bottom of the Black Sea has been found by scientists - a discovery that could help explain how life manages to survive in the deep oceans away from the nutrient-rich waters found close to land.

It is estimated that if on land, the undersea river would be the world's sixth largest in terms of the volume of water flowing through it. Researchers working in the Black Sea have found currents of water 350 times greater than the River Thames flowing along the sea bed, carving out channels much like a river on the land, the Telegraph reports.

The undersea river, which is up to 115 feet deep in places, even has rapids and waterfalls much like its terrestrial equivalents. The scientists, based at the University of Leeds, used a robotic submarine to study a deep channel that had been found on the sea bed, and found a river of highly salty water flowing along the deep channel at the bottom of the Black Sea, creating river banks and flood plains much like a river on land.

Dan Parsons, from the university's School of Earth and Environment, said, "It flows down the sea shelf and out into the abyssal plain much like a river on land. The abyssal plains of our oceans are like deserts of marine world, but these channels can deliver nutrients and ingredients needed for life out over these deserts.

"This means they could be vitally important, like arteries providing life to the deep ocean. The key difference we found from terrestrial rivers was that as the flow goes round the bend, the water spirals in the opposite way to rivers on land," Parsons said. The undersea river, which is yet to be named, stems from salty water spilling through the Bosphorus Strait from the Mediterranean into the Black Sea, where the water has a lower salt content.

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Enjoying The Sights In Playda Del Carmen

Playa Del Carmen is a great beach-side town on the East coast of Mexico, it is a popular vacation destination for those people who love to play in the sun and the sand. If you are planning to travel to Playa Del Carmen, you will need to fly into the Cancun airport, and then get transportation a little ways down the coast to Playa. Here are a few tips for the area:

The beaches there are beautiful, the white sand and warm weather make it perfect for any type of beach activity. Sunbathing, beach volleyball, frisbee, and just hanging out are all very popular. There are sections of the beach that are a little more quiet so that you can relax, or if you are looking for a good party you can easily find a bar with fun music and great drinks.

Another great activity to enjoy at the beach is snorkeling. There are many great fish to see in the water, and it is easy to find a small equipment rental shack and rent the gear for the day.

Another aspect of Playa Del Carmen that visitors love is the fact that they have excellent shopping. There are all kinds of shops available, everything from high-end clothing stores to smaller trinket shops. You can buy discounted jewelry, hammocks, t-shirts and just about every type of souvenir that you can imagine!

One of the best features of staying in Playa Del Carmen is the food, you can't beat authentic Mexican food! There are many small restaurants and cafes where you can find the real deal-- tacos, nachos, burritos, etc. And the food is very cheap, so you don't need to worry about breaking your budget on one meal. You can often find a delicious meal for just a few dollars.

Overall, Playa Del Carmen is an ideal vacation location, you will find all sorts of activities to please every type of traveler!

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Four Nicest Attractions at Guadalajara

Tagged as the second largest city in Mexico, Guadalajara is a distinct place of solace and comfort due to several tertiary activities that are focused on tourism growth. As you tour the city, tourist attractions are everywhere. To mention a few attractions of the many are:

The Cathedral

The Cathedral of the Assumption of Our Lady is the first minor basilica built in 1541 and has already undergone major constructions for many times. However, the Cathedral remains strong and until now, it still is the wonderful structure in the city. Inside this basilica lay the two of the notable pieces in history like the largest organ in Mexico and the mural of the Assumption Blessed Virgin Mary.

Degollado Theatre

Looking forward to watch theatrical plays? The elegant hall of Degollado is the place you’ll want to be. With its European Opera Houses, chandeliers, frescoes and red velvet seats in all four levels of balconies, watching Mariachi Galas can be a rewarding experience can’t be forgotten.

Rotonda de los Hombres Ilustres

Built by Former President Sebastian Lerdo de Tejada in 1872 to remember those people who gave honor to their Nation, the Rotonda is definitely a circular room you must explore with great enthusiasm. When you are in this place, you’ll be surrounded with respected people who contributed pride and honor to Mexico’s history. Naming a few people are David Alfaro Siqueiros, the painter; Eligio Ancona, the historian philosopher; Mariano Azuela, the writer and Calixto Bravo, the Coronel.

Instituto Cultural Cabanas

This orphanage has become the neo-classical landmark in Guadalaraja since Jose Clemente Ordozo began to adorn it with beautiful murals and exhibitions. The Plaza Tapatia is a stunning water mirror inside the institute that surely makes you react in disbelief as you stand on the edge portion of it. For those artistic minds, Orozco’s masterpiece, Man on Fire, is absolutely the piece of art to see.

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Exploring Attractions in Mexico City

Touring Mexico City is fun! Food is no problem due to various restaurants and cafes all around the corner. The Café Popular permits you to have a full meal priced at twenty five pesos only. At La Casa del Pavo, this small but unique restaurant gives you delicious entrees with charcoal-roasted turkey drumsticks at affordable prices ranging from 20-40 pesos.

Landmarks

Apart from food, Mexico City is also the land of fantastic landmarks, parks and museums. The Plaza de la Constitucion, being one of the largest squares in the world is a centerpoint of historic buildings you want to go and if you are a pious Catholic, you should see the Basilica de Guadalupe. The Basilica is referred to as the holiest place in America and the home of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Other noticeable landmarks in Mexico City are Torre Mayor, Coyoacan, Ciudaddela Crafts Market, Latinoamericana Tower and the city’s main campus, Ciuded Universitaria.

Parks

There are three national parks in the city namely the Chapultepec Park and Zoo, Xochimilco and Plaza Garibaldi-Mariachi. In Chapultepec, there are educational museums around niching in technology, history, arts and anthropology. The Xochimilco has big waterways and flower gardens to offer and since 1987, the park is included in the UNESCO world heritage. The Plaza Garibaldi-Mariachi centers on bars and restaurants, especially to the supporters Mariachi Bands.

Museums

Did you know Mexico City is the nest of largest number of museums in the world? If sculptures, jewel and handicraft interest you, go to National Museum of Anthropology. Modern and colonial of Colombian architecture, the museum is called Plaza de las Tres Culturas. Rufino Tamayo’s paintings, explore his museum situated in Chapultepec Park and Zoo. Historic arts and sculptures of Mayan and Aztec--- go to Anahuacali Museum.

Food, culture and fun; Mexico City offers you with something at affordable budget.

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Unforgettable Tourist Attractions in Cancun

Referred to as the Mexican Carribean with an approximate population of sixty thousand is the coastal city of Cancun and has only begun its tourism trade in 1970. Viewing from an aerial view, Cancun is definitely a lovely city of wonder and pristine beauty. There’s no problem to where to stay for beachfront hotels are all around this seven-shaped city.

Most visited attractions in Cancun are Xel_Ha and XCaret. These places blew you away with their natural reserves of marine life. Here, one can hike the mysterious marks in eco-jungles, get wet and swim the depths of their sparkling beaches and just be completely spellbound by the stretching coastlines around.

The Hotel Zone of Cancun in a fourteen mile long island definitely grabs your attention in a puff. These hotels are widely-known for its wide and inexpensive rooms to stay in. In fact, most of these hotels offer time-share condominiums and for those non-timeshare hotels, they all offer various range of accommodations including unlimited breakfast, lunch, snacks, dinne, Jacuzzi, spa, sports, clubbing and lounging; all these pure-fun activities are all here. There’s also forty percent discount to tour the Maya Ruins in Yucatan Peninsula.

The best fine dining and steak houses are in Cancun. Leonardo Cuisine, Frida Cuisine and Miyako Cuisine serve Italian dinner, Mexican food and Oriental dishes, respectively. Life is truly at its great circle when you eat delicious delicacies and attend live entertainments at night life bars after a thrilling adventure at the Maya Ruins.

As your final destination in Cancun, staying at Kabah is a perfect destination. The Kabah Parque is an oasis eco-park for the whole family. Kids and kids at heart can surely enjoy the playground, the wildlife zoo, the clean and a must-explore trail road, the green and great picnic area and the historic collections in their museum. Everyone is welcome in this park and entrance is absolutely for free!

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Pure Adventure and Fun in Acapulco

Situated in the Western Coast of Mexico is the beautiful city of Acapulco. Like the Philippines, the climate here is tropical all year round. There are also winter seasons but most of the time, it’s dry. That’s why; this is definitely the hot spot for vacation escapades for several rich people in Europe and in America.

Brief History

Flashing back the history a little, Acapulco was only a small harbor for fishing. Acapulco started to become the center of attraction when Miguel Aleman Valdes, the president of Mexico in 1946-1952, transformed his creative visions and ideas into reality. In 1968, Acapulco was the host of yachting in Summer Olympics and from that moment onwards, it became the “Mecca Jet Set” of all the avid travelers around

the world.

Exploring the Best

La Quebrada is truly an iconic place for awesome adventure, where one experiences the jump of a lifetime. Just imagine if you are standing in the middle of this majestic cliff and dive into the deep waves of Pacific Ocean. But beware, diving must be only done at the perfect timing due to the unpredictable dangers you can face below the water. For those people who are scared to jump, there is a restaurant in one side of the cliffs and see how those large pelicans hunt for fish.

Other exciting attractions to chill in Acapulco are Acamar Beach Resort, Radisson Resort Hotel, Qualton Club, Romano Palace Hotel 7 Suites and Hotel Casa Inn. Three of the five mentioned are five star hotels that surely give you the glow and pleasures not found at the comforts of your home.

Shopping is also a grand activity in Acapulco. Among the various malls in the city, the most well-known is probably the La Gran Plaza. This mall is known for its affordable prices in all leather products. In fact, this two-level Plaza with 135 stores including Mexican Cuisines and Restaurants is easily tracked just by riding a taxi. If you are looking for great gifts and souvenirs like snacks, meat and cheeses, handicrafts, jewelry and textiles at low prices, try shopping at their municipal market, the Mercado Central.

Other department chains in the city are Avenida Costera Miguel Aleman, Artisan Mall across Plaza Bahia, Zocalo and Acapulco Cultural Center.

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Island Visit - Espiritu Santo

Two anchorages on Espirito Santo

On Wednesday (Feb 11th) we departed for a four to five day jaunt out to Espiritu Santo with Dave and Anna aboard as our first official sailing crew! We have never been so spoiled. Dave and Anna provisioned for and cooked all of our meals ... and they were all outstanding! They run a charter out of Kootenay Lake, British Columbia (in the summers obviously) and love to sail ... so not only were they great cooks, but also great crew! I could easily get used to having extra crew ... four extra hands sure makes EVERYTHING easier! And now for a quick commercial break ... their company is Red Sky at Night Sailing Adventures (www.sailthekootenays.com, info@sailthekootenays.com, 1-877-RED-SKYS). From the three nights we spent with them I can only say that anyone who charters with them is going to be extremely spoiled and come away quite relaxed!

Bahia San Gabriel

Dave took this awesome shot from the top of the mast .. with a film camera (that's my bald head)
http://www.daveheathphotography.com/

Now, we come to a bit of a problem in this journal entry ... although I started writing this Feb 28th with the intention of hopefully posting it prior to leaving La Paz or as soon as we got to Puerto Vallarta, it is now March 21st, and, as you can tell, I have yet to finish ... the "problem" is that we are in rapid prep mode for the puddle jump (South Pacific crossing). Our intent is to leave the marina (Paradise Village in Nuevo Vallarta) on Tuesday morning, the 22nd. We will anchor out at Punta de Mita (in Banderas Bay) and wait for a weather window to begin the crossing (so far we are hearing that a good window might come Wednesday or Thursday). Anyway, my point is that I don't have time to tell you about our adventures at the beautiful island of Espiritu Santo, or how we finally ran into Sea Pilgrim again, or the interesting sights of La Carnival (Maudi Gras). It looks like I'll have to finish telling you about our other small world experiences another time. I also won't be able to get in the next journal entry about our trip from La Paz to Banderas Bay, our stay in Paradise Village (Nuevo Vallarta), or the great time we had when Greg and Lisa (from Ventura) visited. And finally, you'll just have to wait to hear about all the other fun puddle jumpers we met and our hard week of work in order to prepare for the jump!

But I figure I've got 3,000 miles to work on all that -- so stay tuned! In the meantime we hope to be updating the website's "Current Location" (on the home page) with our Longitude and Latitude about once a week (during the crossing)... if you're interested you'll have to check back on your own -- there won't be any web update email that goes out. We have no idea what the internet situation will be once we get to the Marquesas, but we promise to get back online as soon as possible. Thanks for traveling with us through Mexico ... see you in the South Pacific!

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Roadtrip to La Ventana & Kiteboarding

The plan fell together perfectly (as if we had planned it this way).. KT had to return to the states to pick up our visa’s for French Polynesia (a story in it’s self) and John Zilles was planning on going to La Ventana to do a little kite boarding. For a while it looked like we were going to miss him, a storm held us in Santa Maria a little longer than expected and we weren’t sure if there would be a good weather window to beat up around the corner to La Paz (it’s at the bottom of the Sea of Cortez and is famous for some nasty steep waves that build if there is a consistent North wind blowing). John’s trip got delayed and KT’s plan were set.. turns out they would be crossing paths both in and out of Mexico..

We had the perfect situation; a great place (Baja Joe’s) in La Ventana and a place in LaPaz, our choice of lodging would depend mostly in the forecasted wind. John arrived and we spent the first day hanging around in LaPaz. I have always felt that John Zilles and I have the same energy level (full of energy but spastic and unfocused), so it was interesting to see the effects of the real world slowly ebb out of John throughout the week as he blended into the Baja lifestyle. Once we got to La Ventana, he was go go go (in a good way) and I was more in a mindset of let it sink in, watch everyone, and focus myself at the task (of learning to kite board) ahead with my new found cruisers pace. The first couple of trips back and forth felt like we were racing in the baja 1000 (an off-road race). There were huge potholes all over, cows in the roads, and the Los Angeles road rage reactions were still fresh in John’s mind as he raced down the road (quite a shock from the 5-6 miles an hour I had become accustomed to). I’m sure he wasn’t trying to break the land speed record for a two seater 20 horsepower car filled to the gills with kite boarding junk, but it felt like it, he just wanted to get somewhere. At the end of his week here, it was nice to see him slowly driving down the road (I think the cows could have passed us), absorbing the scenery, smells and sounds around us, it had become about the journey .. NOT the destination. We had a great week, filled by sharing adventures and new friends.

La Ventana is a meca for kite boarding and windsurfing. There are tons of people whose main focus in life revolve around the wind. Some in the $3 a night campground (in tents or luxury busses with kite/sail sheds), some staying for free in camper vans in the arroyo or on the beach. Life styles were everything from executives to beach bums with ages ranging from 17 to 70. We were staying down the beach at Baja Joe’s ( www.bajajoes.com ). This is a FANTASTIC place, it’s rare that I feel so comfortable in a new place so soon. The people are extremely friendly, outgoing, and laid back. . Joe and his wife Angie have been in Baja for about 10 years, living a cruisers life style on land. Joe should be the poster boy for a laid back, down to earth guy.. he loves to sit around and “hold court” (answering questions and just plain old shooting the shit with the gang in the “sauna”), he kites with a relaxed style people try to emulate (with his hat on), helps everyone, and makes you feel welcome in his home. If you want to experience the speed and camaraderie of cruising with the comforts of stable roof over your head, this is the place. It has a community kitchen and common area, where people would sometimes get together, cook and hang out. The rooms are simple, but if you are there to hang out in the rooms, you’ve picked the wrong place. It has a very similar feel to an adventures lodge that I’d like to start someday, it attracts similar personalities who all seem to be able to get together and become quick friends. It feels like friendships made there will also last, I joked with KT that we had to be careful who we invited to visit us… because for sure they would!! So for all of you who got an invitation, know that we actually thought about it and really want you to come!! I loved it so much I took KT back there after she got back too ..

I have been wanting to Kite Board for at least a couple of years.. I’m not exactly sure what attracted me to the sport but I was hooked.. in fact my buddy Jayzo called me one day and exclaimed.. “Have I got the sport for you..” “Kite Boarding?” I asked.. He just laughed. Now maybe I am a little bit more cautious than the average person, but I like my limbs where they are and the fact that I can control them in a somewhat graceful manner (except while dancing). Kite Boarding can be a VERY dangerous sport, my doctor buddy Flipper has lots of stories of injuries and most people have a few “kitemares” of their own to share over beers. These kites are like winged parachutes, with an inflatable edge to help hold the shape and allow you to re-launch the kite if it ever (or always, depending on skill level) lands in the water. You control the kite by moving a bar attached to ~30 m control lines, which you attach to a seat harness around your waist. The kite has various amounts of power depending on its position in the “power zone” (relative to the wind), but it has the ability to launch you 30 feet in the air and 100 feet down wind.. some pretty powerful stuff.

I signed up for a kite boarding magazine to learn about the techniques and gear (since it’s relatively new things are changing rapidly). The good thing is most people involved in the promotion of the sport are extremely safety conscious. Everyone suggests lessons, most people won’t let you fly their kites without a basic training class, and everyone helps each other launch and land the kites. I spent most of the first two years watching people do it and trying to relate what I had read to what I was seeing on the beach. Yep sure enough one of the first days I saw a guy drop his kite and drag him down the beach like a rag doll. It’s kind of like the joke you know when a redneck is going to get into trouble when he/she says “Watch this”.. a kite boarder talks about his/her troubles by saying “I thought I could get the kite back under control”. I realized that the key to safety (and fun) would be kite control.

I flew a friends trainer kite until I felt like I had full control and I got a chance to try a body drag (where you drag your body through the water with no board) in Zihautinejo and a couple of beach drags (where you drag yourself across the sand) in Ventura. Unfortunately I never took the time to take lessons, gee maybe I was busy getting the boat ready.. but I knew I would have plenty of time on my hands (around the water and wind) so I thought I should get myself a kite. I thought I would get lessons once we returned to San Diego for our trip, but there was no winds.. GREAT.. I owned a kite and board but still didn’t feel comfortable, especially in remote places with scant medical care in a situation where both of our full body functions are necessary to control the boat!! I felt like a disaster waiting to happen. Needless to say I was ready to jump at the chance to get educated in La Ventana.

I signed up for some private lessons the next day with BJ of BJ’s Adventures ( www.bjsadventures.com ). I had heard that he was VERY safety orientated and a good instructor (some of the other instructors were out of commission with injuries.. yeah kite boarding related). I told him about my sailing plan and that I really needed to get the control and safety issues down as well as some self launching/landing techniques in case no one was around. He was great (I would HIGHLY recommend him), I told him everything I had done already and he quickly checked me out starting at the beginning. Trainer kite.. two line kite body drag.. four line kite body drag .. he provides radios so he talks you through the different things he wants you to do while you are out on the water. He picks you up down the beach on the ATV, tells you what you did right and wrong and brings you back up the beach to do it again. Phase 1 kite control completed!! A couple of days later, after the wind picked up again, I got to try the board. It was very natural to go to my left … I actually got up almost right away (“a natural” the instructor said ... maybe vying for a tip) . I felt like I got the basics down enough and just needed more time to master it (maybe 5 years will do it).

We had docked the boat at Marina Palmira while KT was gone so that I could leave it unattended. For some reason we got stuck on the power boat dock with no other sailboats. We would walk the other docks to get some contact with other “stick” boats, but KT gave me one instruction prior to leaving.. “If we are going to be stuck on this dock, you might as well schmooze them.. maybe we can get to know them and have dinner on board”.. I know she was just kidding but John and I met the crew of a 126 foot yacht called the “Big Easy” that was right next to us .. blocking the afternoon sun . They were great, we hung out with them for a crazy disco night and they actually came out to La Ventana so Adam could try kite boarding (with KT). At first KT didn’t believe me but I told her if she gives me an order … I do it!! Trueblood’s father was from Ventura, so John took some pictures of her holding signs up for her father, who he would visit on his return. We also learned that one of the hardest part of meeting new people is the goodbyes, but it’s a double edged sword.. you have to have shared some great moments together in order for the goodbyes to be difficult. As we said goodbye to an old friend and our new friends from Levantine and Big Easy.. it was on to the next sailing adventure with some new friends Dave and Anna.

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Passage Journal: Cabo San Lucas to La Paz

It wasn't until we began planning this trip that I took any interest at all in geography. When more and more people began talking to us about different routes and their favorite locations it became apparent that I had quite a bit of learning to do. And in the process of reviewing globes and maps I found myself wondering "How will we ever do this in five years ... there are just too many miles to cover -- too many places to see!" While the last two months have only reinforced that thought, they have also shown me that in many many ways our expansive world is really "A small world after all". Along those lines I've always believed that there might be just a bit of truth in the "Eight degrees of Separation", but now I am fully convinced! Perhaps you'll become convinced too ...

We left behind the circus of Cabo early Monday morning (Jan 19th). We were finally headed up into the Sea of Cortez. Other than the no wind factor, the day was beautiful. We gave Pedro Jr. (the electrical auto pilot) a break ... I took the wheel while Chris enjoyed a [very large] book. With the rocking motion of the boat, the sun beaming down on me, and the relaxed atmosphere, you can easily understand how it is that I began drifting off (to sleep). And you can just as easily imagine my surprise when I happened to lazily open my eyes and see two fisherman in a small ponga-like boat less than 15 yards off our starboard side! "Oh Shit!" I said, sheepishly smiling at Chris as he jumped up ... "What do you mean you didn't see them there???". Luckily the two fisherman didn't look too disturbed, I'm sure they had to wonder why we choose to motor by so close when we had the whole damn ocean, and I hope we didn't ruin any big catches for them ... but if they knew how close they came to cleaning the bottom of our boat they'd probably not care too much about the fish! While I can easily joke about it now, I learned my lesson and no longer sleep while driving.

We had planned on stopping in Punta Los Frailes, but as the day wore on, the wind and swell picked up ... and of course they were both coming directly into our bow. With the engine at full throttle we were barely making headway. We went for the sails, but of course that meant tacking in order to try and hit Frailes. It soon became clear that we weren't going to make Frailes before nightfall. Rather then enter the anchorage in the dark we decided to continue up to Ensenada de los Muertos (the Bay of the Dead). We arrived in Muertos around 7 a.m. on the 20th. There wasn't much to the bay, some nice condo-like houses (owned by rich white people) and a "yacht club" (which seemed extremely out of place). We've heard from a number of sources that there is some great diving and snorkeling in this area (although we didn't stay long enough to actually verify this -- plus the water temperature was still too cold for me to motivate).

We did a little bit of land exploration and decided to treat ourselves to a meal out and a cold beer (at the yacht club). During our lunch a couple of guys were nearby watching a whale just outside the harbor. Chris started up a conversation with them ... it turns out that Dave, a Canadian who is traveling through Baja in his land yacht "Nooki" along with his girlfriend Anna and dog Wood, was motor-biking at Punta Colnett Christmas Eve.

Punta Colnett: Our first international anchorage w/ Billabong's anchoring spot and Dave's Location

He recognized our boat and remembered Sea Pilgrim and Koinonia. Dave had even taken some photographs of Billabong in the setting sun while anchored at Punta Colnett and had attempted to signal us with a flash light from shore! Currently they had motor-biked from La Ventana (where they were wind surfing) to Muertos for the day. Before returning to Billabong, we gave them one of our cards and told them we would be in La Paz in the next day or so, for at least one to two weeks. What were the odds that we would run into them at Muertos?

We returned to Billabong planning to nap, have an early dinner and then head out towards La Paz. As we were preparing to lift the dinghy engine, we were interrupted by "beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep beeeeeeeeeeep...". It was a new alarm noise for me, so I just stared blankly on as Chris began lifting our floor boards (turns out it was the bilge pump alarm). We were just a bit disturbed to find a good seven inches of salt water (Chris did the taste test) floating around. "Where could this be coming from?" Chris mumbles as he kneels over the water. "Um, I didn't close the foot pump or galley through-hole" I mention timidly. In that superman speed that I'm now becoming more accustomed to, Chris was under the galley sink closing both. Sure enough it was the foot pump. Apparently the pump was broken, and now siphoning water INTO the boat! We spent the next few hours pumping out all the water, mopping up the bilges, and sorting through wet ziplocks (thankfully we tightly closed everything in the bilges). After we had the mess somewhat cleaned up (rather than the naps we so desperately wanted), we decided to stay the night and leave for La Paz the next morning.

The trip to La Paz was (thankfully) uneventful. Rather than enter La Paz at night we were going to anchor just outside at Puerto Ballandra. However, while the chart we had showed we should've been in 18 feet of water, we were still showing 60 feet. We kept inching closer and closer to shore, but were no where near 18 feet and it felt as though we were practically inches from some of the rocks. "Screw this" ... we went for La Paz.

I was entertained by dozens of jumping, flipping rays. They were black on top and white on bottom, and came sky rocketing out of the ocean, high into the air, and then ... black-white-black-white-black-white they flipped back down into the ocean with a loud splash. They always seemed to jump in pairs, the second ray launching just as the first ray touched water. I imagined a little competition going on down below; Ray1 "check this out", Ray2 "oh yeah, watch this ... I got at least two more inches than you" ... and so on. Or perhaps they were determined to fly ... "Come on Ray1 you can do just give a huge jump and flap away" .... "almost, here let me try ....". Friends of ours who had cruised Mexico last season told us about these rays in Frailes, describing them as "popcorn" (because so many of them were jumping/landing that it sounded like popcorn popping). Since then I have looked forward to Frailes, and therefore was a bit bummed when we missed it. Seeing them on the way to La Paz made my day!

The entrance channel into La Paz is long and quite shallow. We made our way easily enough, although the depths (hitting less than 12 feet at times) were be a bit disturbing at times. At the end of the channel, you can cross over to anchor in the "Mogote" or you can anchor in the "Virtual Marina". We decided to anchor in the Mogote. We reviewed the charts to find the "entrance" (a sandbar separates the Mogote from the channel, and can only be crossed over to at one particular spot). Chris was at the helm and reading off the depths ... "18 feet ... 15 feet ... 12 feet ... oh shit". At that moment we hit 6.5 feet and hit bottom. To say "hit" might be a bit of an exaggeration, it was really more like a nudge (we were going at an extremely slow pace). Chris quickly backed the boat up before we got stuck. We looked at the chart again (according to the chart we had been perfectly centered on the opening) ... knowing that the hurricanes that hit last season most likely made our charts obsolete, we were also basing our decision on the types of boats anchored in the Mogote ... i.e. we decided that the opening was most likely not near the catamarans. We radioed the fleet asking for advice. We were told to 'line-up' the municipal peer (on the mainland) and the fisherman's cross (on the Mogote). The sun had already set, so we could not spot the fisherman's cross. We guessed and tried across again -- with the same results (touching bottom). It was a bit more difficult to back out of this one, it seemed when we backed up, Billabong swung just enough to back us up onto a different sandbar ... but with good maneuvering by Captain Chris we made it free again. "Why can't we just anchor on this side" I asked. At the time we weren't sure what the difference was, and Chris agreed that he'd rather anchor then try across again. We could always move in the morning (when hopefully we could see the fisherman's cross).

It was two days later when we learned we had anchored in the "Virtual Marina" (aka Marina Santa Cruz"). The rumor has it that they have been trying to build the marina for a number of years, but every year one hurricane or another comes and wipes out their work. In the meantime they charge you to anchor there! Now that's entrepreneurial! But at 30 pesos (three US dollars) a day, and access to trash, a dinghy dock, and showers we figured it was a good deal and stayed. It also made for a drier dinghy ride to shore (less distance).

We spent most of the next day walking around La Paz checking in. This was our first port with a Port Captain, and therefore the first time we actually had to go through the entire process. It starts with a visit to Immigration, next move on down the road to pay your port entry fee to API, then walk to the near edge of town ... nowhere near any port ... to the Port Captain's office. Think you're done? Nope. The port captain's fees must be paid ... but due to past years corruptions (at least that's the rumor I heard), you can't just pay the port captain directly. Instead they give you the "bill", which you then take to the bank (which is way back in town, and nowhere near the P.C.'s office). After paying at the bank, you have to take the receipt (which shows you paid) back to the P.C.'s office in order to finish the process. All in all we figure it takes about three to four hours to do a full check-in or check-out (to check-out you have to repeat the whole process).

The 23rd was Chris's 37th birthday! We celebrated with a trip into town and fish tacos at Chris's favorite taco stand (one that he had visited 10 years ago when down with a friend on the friend's boat). Chris took me to the "Market", where I sighted my first skinned cow's & pig's heads! Back on the boat I made him carrot cake with cream cheese frosting and we devoured cake while he opened his presents (and yes, I sang happy birthday for him ... although so out of tune he probably would've preferred I'd skipped that part!).

A day later we pulled out the kayaks and paddled over to the Mogote. We decided to land our kayaks and do some exploration on foot, which due to a 'swamp' inlet required some wading through the water, where I was stung by something (our best guess is a jelly fish), after which my knee sported fat red welts. Our attempted shortcut across the little island-like sandbar found us traipsing through a very dense mangrove forest (mainly because we were to lazy and hot to turn back and re-trace our steps). The next few days were pretty mellow, we spent most of our time walking about town or relaxing on the boat. I made plans to return home in order to pick up our French Visas, and as it turned out, a friend of ours was coming down to Mexico and would be in the area the same week I'd be back in the states.

Prior to my departure we moved Billabong to Marina Palmira ... we didn't want Chris to be "single handing" in case bad weather hit, and this way he would be free to visit La Ventana with John (our friend who was coming down). Nothing in cruising can come easy, and apparently this includes docking. We confirmed with the marina three times which slip we were to take and that it was a starboard tie (we had even visited the Marina a few days prior to look at the available slips and get a feel for the place). After the last two month's events I'm not sure why we were both so shocked to see a boat already docked in "our" slip. Luckily the slip next to it was open (however it was a port tie), so as I frantically ran around moving fenders and dock lines, Chris tried to adjust our course for the other slip. I'm sure we didn't look too graceful, and we had to call out to some guys walking down the dock for help, but we managed to park without ramming into anything and so I suppose you could say we were successful! (The next time we entered the marina a few weeks later we prepared both the starboard and port side with dock lines and fenders ... just in case!!!)

In order to use mileage to fly home, I had to book my flight from Cabo San Jose, which meant a three hour bus ride from La Paz to Cabo. After riding on the "about town" buses, and our few attempts to get time schedules for the inter-city buses (where we struggled with our little Spanish, pictures, and lots of hand motions) I was more than worried about my ability to make it to Cabo. Would I get on the right bus? What if we got the times/locations wrong and I ended up in Timbuktu? Would I be able to get from the bus station to the airport? Would there be farm animals aboard (ok, this may seem like an odd one, but I'd heard stories ... later realizing the stories I heard were a good 10-20 years old!)? I tried to convince Chris to take the bus with me, and then ride back with John (his plane was landing in Cabo an hour before my plane left). But Chris assured me I would be fine. And of course I was. There were two buses loading at the same time, but I managed to get on the right one. And when the bus stopped in Cabo San Lucas, my Spanish failed me when I attempted to ask if this same bus continued on to Cabo San Jose ... the passenger kept saying no, and just as I was about to get off (very confused), an American (who spoke Spanish) helped me out. All I can figure is that the passenger thought I was asking if we were in San Jose, not if we were going to San Jose. And the bus itself ... nicer than any Greyhound I've ever been on ... all that worrying for naught!

My week home was spent running around town, and back and forth to Los Angeles (for the French Visas). Chris spent his time hanging out with John in La Paz and La Ventana ... mostly learning to kite board (you can read about his week 'alone' here). I was a bit jealous (of Chris) because I felt that I was in a constant rush trying to get a list full of errands done, while Chris was hanging out ... and for the first time not worrying about or working on Billabong. When it's just the two of us (Chris and I) and we are anchored out (versus tied up in a Marina), Chris is constantly watching Billabong, watching the weather, checking the tides and currents, and so on. But during this week, with Billabong safely tied to the dock, he was able to relax and just hang out ... I wanted to be there for that!!! I wanted to walk around town with him, without stopping to look out at Billabong or commenting on wind shifts. On the other hand I was extremely happy that for once Chris was focused on other things (like kite boarding) and not "working on the boat"! It was a week Chris truly deserved. I realize that Chris was also missing out too, after all I was the one getting to see family and friends. Seven days isn't much time though. I left Ventura still aching to see so many people and a bit depressed that I didn't fit in a trip to Arizona to see the twins.

For my return to La Paz, I had new worries ... mainly customs (and physical strength). I was bringing back about 100lbs of boat stuff. How would I carry it all? Would I get through customs? As we were landing and I was filling out the customs form, one of the questions asked about fruit. I happened to have eight oranges from my Grandpa (you might wonder why I would bring oranges back, but unless you've tasted these you just wouldn't understand). For obvious reasons I did not want to get stopped by customs and have to go through all my bags and possibly pay taxes on the gear I was bringing in, so I check "no", no I was not brining in any fruit. My plan was to simple throw away (sorry Grandpa) the oranges while waiting for my baggage. My plan faltered when I realized there was no good place to do this inside. Uh oh. Now I started worrying that if I got the "red" light (meaning I had to be 'searched') and they found the oranges, then they would definitely go through everything that much closer. I explained to one of the custom official helper guys that I had checked no, then realized I was carrying a few oranges. He said just to check yes as well and explain it when I was passing through. Oh great, now I had both "yes" and "no" filled in ... could I be any more of a target? I picked up my luggage and drudgingly headed towards the customs area ... images of spending the next few hours explaining the 100lbs pounds of gear in my bag and trying to avoid import taxes lingered. A very unsmiling female reached out for my form as I started to say, "I ...", ignoring me she said "Press the button". I pressed and got the green light (for those who haven't been to Mexico, after gathering your luggage you go to a red light - green light stop sign, press a button ... if you get green you are free, if you get a read light then you are 'searched'). She didn't even look at my form, not even one glance, she started to ask "What were you say.....", but I just picked up my bags and went for the door ... oranges and all! I decided I definitely stress too much!

When I finally made it back to Billabong (entailing another three hour bus ride to La Paz and a taxi to the marina) I was welcomed by Dave and Anna (and of course Chris)! They had hooked up with Chris at La Paz, and later in La Ventana and were back in La Paz for the day. After hearing tales of La Ventana and Baja Joe's (www.bajajoes.com) it was decided that Chris must take me there! We hitched a ride with Dave and Anna the next morning. I'll let you read Chris's description of La Ventana and Baja Joe's (available here), and just add that it was great ... the place, the people, and the wind! Like Chris I also took lessons from B.J. (www.bjsadventures.com) and only wish we had stayed longer so I could get in more practice. Unlike Chris I cannot get up (on the board) for longer than five seconds ... which means I was digesting quite a bit of salt water! My more competitive side insists that I inform you that I did not spend as many days in La Ventana as Chris and did not have the prior kite training either (no way can I let Chris be getting up on the board sooner than me!!! Ha Ha). Chris also bought me a couple of early Valentine's Day presents ... a smaller kite (which he flew but I have yet too ... wonder who that kite was really for!!!) and a harness. After my lessons I learned that he was relieved that I can't really get up yet, otherwise we would need another board too!!! He also bought me a necklace that one of the kite boarding pros, Chris Gilbert, makes "on the side"! Oh, and it just happens that one of Chris Gilbert's sponsors is Billabong (the surf company)!!! Small world huh?

We hitched a ride back to La Paz three days later with Claire, another guest of Baja Joe's that was returning home. Maybe you aren't yet impressed with my small world coincidences yet, so here's another ... Claire works for an oil company (up in Alaska) ... it just happens to be the same oil company that one of Chris's friends (Eve) from Ventura works at -- and of course they (Claire and Eve) are friends! Claire took some pictures of us and Billabong to email to Eve.

Chris had a bit of a shock the next morning, when he was randomly bitten by a dog (right in the behind ... or buttocks as Forrest Gump would say)! Of course our first concern was rabies. We spent the morning tracking down the dog's owner ... turns out the he wasn't officially owned by the Coast Marine (a local store at the Marina), but they did take care of any stray dogs who wondered into the Marina / Boat Yard. They said that they take them to the Vet, get them fixed, and get them all their shots. So Chris was safe! They were concerned that he just bit Chris like that and said they'd keep an eye on him ... I learned that he had just come back from the Vet the day prior, from being fixed ... and well, if I was him I might be a bit irritably too!

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