Well we did it! Holy smokes! I still can't believe they were advertising for this tour at a cruisers swap meet in the Rio Dulce, Guatemala. Did they really think these Gente del mar people could actually survive a trip to semuc Champey ! The trip is not for the faint of heart. It starts with the bus trip there. Our shuttle bus was 2 hours late... They bought us a beer while we waited. So no problemo.
The road to Linquin was crazy! At one point we had to get out of the shuttle bus and walk because the road was flooded. We walked about 100 yards in knee deep water. The road there is mostly dirt/rock/ruts. When the driver came upon another washed out section he just floored it and we were almost swept away into a fence. I was in the front seat so it was very exciting. With all our delays we arrived in Linquin after dark and was met by yet another driver this time in a truck with only one open seat inside the cab. Doug got the short straw and had to climb in the back and ride for 45 min up/down a rocky, rutted road while trying to sit on a 2x6. We arrived at the hostel and they turned on the generator just so we could get to our room. We stayed at El Portal right at the park entrance.
Our room was nice enough and we were certainly tired enough that I did not notice the termites eating our headboard until the second night! Nice place, they had good food and nice wine in a bottle for sale. No ice!
We had a hearty breakfast of pancakes and yoghurt with fruit then headed out on the first part of the tour. This was billed as a 40 min hike. What they did not mention is that it was literally straight up! It took me an hour to get to the "mirador" and I was drenched! The view was very pretty indeed, but ug!
Next we hiked straight down, I had to go down some of the stairs like a ladder it was that steep and slippery.
One of the points in the brochure says "12:30 - Viewing the largest waterfall where the river leaves the tunnel". What they don't say it first you walk across the river on the limestone bridge then descend down the waterfall on a rope ladder and enter the cave that has ragging water coming from all directions! I was so scared I could hardly move. The guide says come here Linda and look at this... I did not move, I was still trying to figure out how I was going to get back up the rope ladder without falling to my death. I managed but I was terrified.
As we walked back down to the park entrance a snake crossed our path. It went right over the guides foot. I got a good picture of it. Yes it was poisonous.
After lunch we ventured up to the k' an-ba caves. Again the brochure says visit the cave, no details.
Enter at your own risk, do not enter without a guide. The brochure shows people walking wearing swim suits and holding a candle. What the don't tell you is that this is full on spelunking in your swim suit while holding a candle in one hand and trying to swim with the other. We ventured 1.6 km back into the abyss. At least half of the cave time was spent swimming. The water was also ragging in several areas. It was way more then I bargained for. There was also a cave waterfall we had to either climb a rope or take a ladder up and over. The ladder was of course on the opposite side from the rope. It was so dangerous it makes me shake just thinking about it. When the guide offered to help me cross under the waterfall I guess I imagined more of a bear hug approach of helping me, instead he grabbed my boobs and held on as we swung through the water fall. Well it did take my mind off of how petrified I was. I just took on a little water as I gasped. At the top I did not even consider jumping into the deep pool from a great height. The guide jumped into the pool, disappeared for a long time and then I noticed he was standing behind the group who were gazing into the deep pool all wondering what the fuck we were going to do now. Yes, it was funny but that was the second time he had pulled our chain, so to speak. The first time he took all our candles and disappear ahead of us to light the way to the waterfall. he was gone just a little bit too long. Doug took the water slide near the exit and I took the ladder. I was pretty happy to see day light sense my candle was down to 1/4 inch.
We opted out on the tubing down the ragging river. Instead we went back and put on dry clothes and watched the rest of the group fly by on their tubes. It started to rain as they got to the end of the tube ride and they had to walk back up the road to the hostel carrying their tubes in a downpour. It was fun and terrifying and extremely dangerous. Doug and I are too old for these extreme adventures. There is NO safety backup anywhere. It was one guide to 8 people. No life jackets, no climbing ropes or harnesses.
Monday, May 27, 2013
Monday, April 8, 2013
You have come a long way baby!
Where to start.... it has been over a year since I lasted posted to the blog. I have oodles of reasons why, but why start there. Where in the hell are we now?
Fantasy Island!
Roatan, Honduras (The Bay Islands)
We arrived here on March 31, 2013! Easter Sunday.
Hard to believe we have been here for over 10 days now. We came into the west end of the island due to the weather that was forecast- really high winds. The island acts as a wind break to the anchorage and there is no fetch there. I had phoned ahead to make contact with a friend we had ,Wayne & Ely on board SVZeppelin, in the anchorage because it was apparent it was going to be dark when we reached our way point. Without fail he answered his phone and said keep on heading to the way point and he would meet us there, in the dark, in his small dive boat. It was with great relief when I saw his running lights, even though they looked very small and dim. He took us between the reef and over to the mooring field. He had a mooring all set up for us. After over 52 hours of hand steering (Broken Auto Pilot) from Isla Provindencia Columbia we thanked Wayne and went to bed!
The next morning we started off with Wayne and Elly in their SUV and accomplished everything on our list in a matter of hours. Normally it takes days because we don't know where things are and have to rely on taxi or buses. By 3:00 in the afternoon we were actually ready for company! It was pretty amazing.
That night I was feeling a bit bedraggled so I went to be early, about 8:00 pm. Doug wasn't far behind. At 11:00 we heard a really loud BAM, not a good noise. It was a noise that actually got Doug out of bed first. Our mooring line had snapped in the wind, Chaffed. We had put our line through the mooring line eye, then attached to the boat. It just could not take the boat motion. We found ourselves up against the reef, a noise not good to hear. I heard Doug start the engine so I grabbed our glasses, and started turning on instruments and nav lights. Doug seemed to have a much better idea of where we were in the mooring field so he stayed at the helm and I went forward and dropped the anchor. It held on the first try, nice! I looked around and realized we were both butt naked running around the boat, what just happened? Having just a little bit of adrenaline I sat in the cockpit for another half hour on anchor watch. I finally went back to bed only to hear the sound of voices and a anchor being let down. So I was up in the cockpit again seeing what was going on. Apparently another boat had also come loose from their mooring. And yes, they were also butt naked running around top side. In the morning we picked up another mooring using only the mooring line attached to the boat, which is what we really wanted to do the first time.
The next day, Wayne drove us to the airport to pick up Dave and Julia which was really nice of him. It was great to see Dave and Julia !
They brought us lots of boat parts and most importantly spare parts and tools to fix the auto pilot. The new parts were metal instead of plastic, this was a good sign. Dave and Doug installed the new parts and they work like a charm. We stayed in the West end for several days as the weather was blustery. It was an opportunity to explore the west end. By Thursday the weather was forecast to lye down so we headed out to a place called Cayos Cochinos or hog island. Here we finally got in the water to snorkel, it was beautiful. Very clear, not too murky. There was a westerly swell that was not forecast and bothersome. We went over to the Turtle Cay Resort and had a rum drink and checked out a very green spotted eel that lives under a stone wall.
We had dinner on the boat and enjoyed the breeze in the cockpit. I was awakened at 3:00 am by the sound of a plastic bag fluttering around the cockpit. It wasn't just a little breeze any longer. I had towels and swimming suits laying on the lines so I got up to check on things. Our dingy was still in the water attached only by its small painter line. I decided it was more work then I was awake to do on my own so I rousted el captain. We doused the wind scoop, brought anything in that wasn't attached and hoisted the dinghy. I stayed up and watched as a lighting storm passed. There were 3 other sailboats moored in the harbor but no one had proper mast lights glowing. I could only see the boats when the lightning flashed. Very eery. I was wondering if I was the only one awake.
The next morning I awoke to find Julia awake, well sort of, in the salon. We had a good laugh at the state of things including our hair. Morning are always fun. It's a time to rehash the events of the prior day or evening. She rises very early in the morning and when I looked at my watch 615am I knew she should be up. The weather had not calmed, in fact it had gotten worse and we were now squarely on a lee shore in bad weather. We managed to boil some water for tea and went up to the cockpit. Dave poked his head up only to be told if he wanted coffee he was on his own. Dave managed in a galley he hasn't seen in years to ascend the companion way with a steaming hot cup of coffee. He had barely placed his second foot on the soul of the cockpit when we heard the familiar BAM of our mooring line snap. Luckily the four of us have lots of experience being on boats together both in good and bad situations. This was bad. The dinghy was still hanging off the halyard full of all our snorkel gear. The wind was howling and we were very close to shore. All we could do at first was small circles until we came up with a plan of action. Doug popped up and wanted to lower the dinghy into the galloping sea, but first we needed to get our gear out. Dave at the helm, Doug precariously hanging in the dinghy and Julia and I tossing everything we could grab on board below decks. We lowered Doug then had to find the towing harness to attach it to the stern. Doug was truly riding the bull that morning. We had Wayne and Elly on the radio asking what in the world? They were wondering if they could help. We had decided already we were just going to tow the dinghy and leave, not try to reconnect to a mooring. I was able to hold the boat straight into the wind, off the rocks while Dave attached the towing line and Doug scampered aboard. Another act in the Simms family circus! Julia descended the companionway to tame the gorilla who had tossed the entire contents below decks. Nothing was in its place, yes contents may shift was an understatement. As soon as both Doug and Dave were at the helm and making course decisions on how to exit over the reef I ducked down below and found solace gripping my pillow.
Our course was decided, Fantasy Island. It's been a working harbor for hundreds of years yet there are mere floats marking the entrance and reef. Mind boggling. The sail over was rough but everything was fine so all was well. We called to the harbor master and he responded and gave us a location for a side tie. Not just a straight forward side tie. Between his boat and a 63 foot Cheoy Lee motor-sailor. So it was once again all hands on deck with fenders and lines. We managed to thread the needle, within inches, and glide up to the dock. Whew!
We were met by Jerry, a long time cruiser himself. He was the dock master here at fantasy island. We were checked in and given the grand tour of the resort. Being at the dock meant we had all the privileges of being at the resort. There was lots of places to snorkel. Wrecks, planes, walls to dive. Lobsters to look at in the anchorage a reef just outside. Monkeys, iguanas, no see ums. This place has it all. For the next two days we snorkeled and ventured all around in the dinghy. We even saw the Roatan yacht club being fully renovated. We also got invited over to a private island, which as long as the cruise ships are not in is really quite amazing. Seems they also invite everyone from the cruise ship over as well when they are in port. Every one needs to make a living.
Dave and Julia left on Sunday and we spent all day on Monday exploring the island by car on dirt roads. I wished they could have stayed and explored with us.
The island is beautiful and the diving and snorkeling really amazing, the best I have ever seen.
Looks like we might be here until middle of May waiting on our new inverter to arrive via slow boat from Florida.
After that we are off to the Rio Dulce in Guatemala to put the boat up on the hard for the season.
Roatan, Honduras (The Bay Islands)
We arrived here on March 31, 2013! Easter Sunday.
Hard to believe we have been here for over 10 days now. We came into the west end of the island due to the weather that was forecast- really high winds. The island acts as a wind break to the anchorage and there is no fetch there. I had phoned ahead to make contact with a friend we had ,Wayne & Ely on board SVZeppelin, in the anchorage because it was apparent it was going to be dark when we reached our way point. Without fail he answered his phone and said keep on heading to the way point and he would meet us there, in the dark, in his small dive boat. It was with great relief when I saw his running lights, even though they looked very small and dim. He took us between the reef and over to the mooring field. He had a mooring all set up for us. After over 52 hours of hand steering (Broken Auto Pilot) from Isla Provindencia Columbia we thanked Wayne and went to bed!
The next morning we started off with Wayne and Elly in their SUV and accomplished everything on our list in a matter of hours. Normally it takes days because we don't know where things are and have to rely on taxi or buses. By 3:00 in the afternoon we were actually ready for company! It was pretty amazing.
That night I was feeling a bit bedraggled so I went to be early, about 8:00 pm. Doug wasn't far behind. At 11:00 we heard a really loud BAM, not a good noise. It was a noise that actually got Doug out of bed first. Our mooring line had snapped in the wind, Chaffed. We had put our line through the mooring line eye, then attached to the boat. It just could not take the boat motion. We found ourselves up against the reef, a noise not good to hear. I heard Doug start the engine so I grabbed our glasses, and started turning on instruments and nav lights. Doug seemed to have a much better idea of where we were in the mooring field so he stayed at the helm and I went forward and dropped the anchor. It held on the first try, nice! I looked around and realized we were both butt naked running around the boat, what just happened? Having just a little bit of adrenaline I sat in the cockpit for another half hour on anchor watch. I finally went back to bed only to hear the sound of voices and a anchor being let down. So I was up in the cockpit again seeing what was going on. Apparently another boat had also come loose from their mooring. And yes, they were also butt naked running around top side. In the morning we picked up another mooring using only the mooring line attached to the boat, which is what we really wanted to do the first time.
The next day, Wayne drove us to the airport to pick up Dave and Julia which was really nice of him. It was great to see Dave and Julia !
We had dinner on the boat and enjoyed the breeze in the cockpit. I was awakened at 3:00 am by the sound of a plastic bag fluttering around the cockpit. It wasn't just a little breeze any longer. I had towels and swimming suits laying on the lines so I got up to check on things. Our dingy was still in the water attached only by its small painter line. I decided it was more work then I was awake to do on my own so I rousted el captain. We doused the wind scoop, brought anything in that wasn't attached and hoisted the dinghy. I stayed up and watched as a lighting storm passed. There were 3 other sailboats moored in the harbor but no one had proper mast lights glowing. I could only see the boats when the lightning flashed. Very eery. I was wondering if I was the only one awake.
The next morning I awoke to find Julia awake, well sort of, in the salon. We had a good laugh at the state of things including our hair. Morning are always fun. It's a time to rehash the events of the prior day or evening. She rises very early in the morning and when I looked at my watch 615am I knew she should be up. The weather had not calmed, in fact it had gotten worse and we were now squarely on a lee shore in bad weather. We managed to boil some water for tea and went up to the cockpit. Dave poked his head up only to be told if he wanted coffee he was on his own. Dave managed in a galley he hasn't seen in years to ascend the companion way with a steaming hot cup of coffee. He had barely placed his second foot on the soul of the cockpit when we heard the familiar BAM of our mooring line snap. Luckily the four of us have lots of experience being on boats together both in good and bad situations. This was bad. The dinghy was still hanging off the halyard full of all our snorkel gear. The wind was howling and we were very close to shore. All we could do at first was small circles until we came up with a plan of action. Doug popped up and wanted to lower the dinghy into the galloping sea, but first we needed to get our gear out. Dave at the helm, Doug precariously hanging in the dinghy and Julia and I tossing everything we could grab on board below decks. We lowered Doug then had to find the towing harness to attach it to the stern. Doug was truly riding the bull that morning. We had Wayne and Elly on the radio asking what in the world? They were wondering if they could help. We had decided already we were just going to tow the dinghy and leave, not try to reconnect to a mooring. I was able to hold the boat straight into the wind, off the rocks while Dave attached the towing line and Doug scampered aboard. Another act in the Simms family circus! Julia descended the companionway to tame the gorilla who had tossed the entire contents below decks. Nothing was in its place, yes contents may shift was an understatement. As soon as both Doug and Dave were at the helm and making course decisions on how to exit over the reef I ducked down below and found solace gripping my pillow.
Our course was decided, Fantasy Island. It's been a working harbor for hundreds of years yet there are mere floats marking the entrance and reef. Mind boggling. The sail over was rough but everything was fine so all was well. We called to the harbor master and he responded and gave us a location for a side tie. Not just a straight forward side tie. Between his boat and a 63 foot Cheoy Lee motor-sailor. So it was once again all hands on deck with fenders and lines. We managed to thread the needle, within inches, and glide up to the dock. Whew!
We were met by Jerry, a long time cruiser himself. He was the dock master here at fantasy island. We were checked in and given the grand tour of the resort. Being at the dock meant we had all the privileges of being at the resort. There was lots of places to snorkel. Wrecks, planes, walls to dive. Lobsters to look at in the anchorage a reef just outside. Monkeys, iguanas, no see ums. This place has it all. For the next two days we snorkeled and ventured all around in the dinghy. We even saw the Roatan yacht club being fully renovated. We also got invited over to a private island, which as long as the cruise ships are not in is really quite amazing. Seems they also invite everyone from the cruise ship over as well when they are in port. Every one needs to make a living.
Dave and Julia left on Sunday and we spent all day on Monday exploring the island by car on dirt roads. I wished they could have stayed and explored with us.
The island is beautiful and the diving and snorkeling really amazing, the best I have ever seen.
Looks like we might be here until middle of May waiting on our new inverter to arrive via slow boat from Florida.
After that we are off to the Rio Dulce in Guatemala to put the boat up on the hard for the season.
Monday, April 9, 2012
New Spot Shared Page:
http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=0GPCVyZiOYTm7idUHxIXxBhKZhnqW5jCq
http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=0GPCVyZiOYTm7idUHxIXxBhKZhnqW5jCq
Friday, December 23, 2011
Holiday traditions of Mexico
December 12th is Dia de Guadalupe which is one of the most important celebrations of Mexico and Catholics around the world.
This time last year we were in La Cruz and the celebration started on Saturday the 11th and was celebrated with lots of festivities including activities around the town square across from the church, street parties and loud music until about 4 in the morning, along with what we call flash bang fireworks, sort of like a cannon, which are lit off from the afternoon until well into the wee hours of the morning. Here in Zihoutenejo they are selling fireworks on the street. They shoot them off randomly during the night they are pretty to watch and haven't kept us awake or frighten the dog. It is relatively quite in the bay here during this celebration or maybe we are just getting used to the music. There was actually an opera singer we could hear the other night. It was a nice change of pace.
So what was the celebration all about? My friend Carol from SvStrayCat found an article about the Virgin of Guadalupe I thought I would share.
“The Virgin of Guadalupe is the most famous and celebrated of all saints and she is also known as the “Virgen Morena” and is the patron saint of Mexico. Supposedly she was first encountered by an Aztec Indian, San Juan Diego, on the hill of Tepeyac now known as modern day Mexico City, in 1531, shortly after the conquest by the Spanish Conquistadors. As the story goes he was on his way to a monastery and when passing the hill of Tepeyac he heard signing as the sky turned brilliant colors and at the end of the signing he heard a call from a woman. As he knelt before her she identified herself as the “consummate virgin Saint Mary, mother of the true deity, God, the giver of Life, the creator of all, the ever present lord of heaven and earth”. Then she then asked for a temple to be built on the site so that she could attend to the “weeping, sorrows and prayers” of all the people of the land. While he tried to rely this sighting to the Bishop he had no proof and was afraid to offend the deity so he returned to the hill and once again he saw her and she told him to pick some Castilian Roses and return to the Bishop with the roses that were very uncommon to the area at that time. With this “miracle” the Bishop then believed Juan Diego’s story and shortly thereafter there was a Basilica built on that site in honor of The Virgin Guadalupe. Dia de Guadalupe is more important for many Mexicans than Easter or Christmas and is celebrated with parades, pilgrimages and fiestas throughout much of Mexico and most of Latin America. In 1737 she was recognized as the patron Saint of Mexico City and eventually by 1946 to include all of the Americas. This day is to celebrate the love we give to the Virign de Guadalupe and is known to many as the day of Love (Amor).”
December 12th marks the beginning of the Christmas Posadas (festivals) and holidays all over Mexico and Latin America Carol asked the family that runs a favorite week-end “tacos in the street” eatery. She told her that after December 15th it gets harder and harder to conduct business or get services done as executives and employees travel to see their families in other parts of Mexico or the world (like the US). The holiday festivities or Posadas will continue until the last day of Christmas which in Mexico is January 6th which is Epiphany or Three Kings Day (Dia de los Reyes). This is where the 12 days of Christmas originates and many Mexican families still give one small gift every day from Christmas until the 6th. She said Posadas are sometimes just a family or a neighborhood and start with a candlelight procession and are often are all night celebrations like the one on the 11th.
The tacos in the street lady remembers as a young girl her family painting a dried Century plant silver for their Christmas tree. Now she says her family has what we gringos would call a traditional artificial fir tree. Of course poinsettias are plentiful here and are found everywhere. Santa Claus is not a traditional figure here in Mexico but he is becoming more popular and some families open all their gifts on Christmas Eve after a big family dinner. But rather it is more traditional here for children to write their wish list to the Three Wise Men and wait until January 6th to see if their wishes are granted. Instead of leaving milk and cookies for Santa, they leave their shoes outside filled with hay for the camels.
But wait there is more. This will kind of remind you of Mardi Gras and King Cake and who gets the baby. On January 6th families eat a sweetbread ring shaped cake with small bits of fruit and candy inside and a small plastic baby that represents the baby Jesus. The person who receives the baby in their slice is responsible for giving a party and making tamales for the Fiesta de la Candelaria (Candles) on February 2nd, the last party of the Christmas season.
And we didn’t talk about what happens for New Years?!!
All the details above where as I mentioned from my friend Carol and I wanted to log them in and the blog seemed the perfect spot. I love learning about peoples traditions and Carol somehow is really good at searching them out.
I received a DHL package today here in Zihoutenejo. It was my new credit card. I am thankful for the wonderful network of people that made it possible for me to dingy to shore and pick up a package at the little grass shack at the end of the pier, how amazing is that?
We haven't really figured out what we are doing for Christmas eve or Christmas day yet, just going with the flow. There are now 8 boats in and around the bay. The restaurants in town have posted some dinner specials which look good.
This time last year we were in La Cruz and the celebration started on Saturday the 11th and was celebrated with lots of festivities including activities around the town square across from the church, street parties and loud music until about 4 in the morning, along with what we call flash bang fireworks, sort of like a cannon, which are lit off from the afternoon until well into the wee hours of the morning. Here in Zihoutenejo they are selling fireworks on the street. They shoot them off randomly during the night they are pretty to watch and haven't kept us awake or frighten the dog. It is relatively quite in the bay here during this celebration or maybe we are just getting used to the music. There was actually an opera singer we could hear the other night. It was a nice change of pace.
So what was the celebration all about? My friend Carol from SvStrayCat found an article about the Virgin of Guadalupe I thought I would share.
“The Virgin of Guadalupe is the most famous and celebrated of all saints and she is also known as the “Virgen Morena” and is the patron saint of Mexico. Supposedly she was first encountered by an Aztec Indian, San Juan Diego, on the hill of Tepeyac now known as modern day Mexico City, in 1531, shortly after the conquest by the Spanish Conquistadors. As the story goes he was on his way to a monastery and when passing the hill of Tepeyac he heard signing as the sky turned brilliant colors and at the end of the signing he heard a call from a woman. As he knelt before her she identified herself as the “consummate virgin Saint Mary, mother of the true deity, God, the giver of Life, the creator of all, the ever present lord of heaven and earth”. Then she then asked for a temple to be built on the site so that she could attend to the “weeping, sorrows and prayers” of all the people of the land. While he tried to rely this sighting to the Bishop he had no proof and was afraid to offend the deity so he returned to the hill and once again he saw her and she told him to pick some Castilian Roses and return to the Bishop with the roses that were very uncommon to the area at that time. With this “miracle” the Bishop then believed Juan Diego’s story and shortly thereafter there was a Basilica built on that site in honor of The Virgin Guadalupe. Dia de Guadalupe is more important for many Mexicans than Easter or Christmas and is celebrated with parades, pilgrimages and fiestas throughout much of Mexico and most of Latin America. In 1737 she was recognized as the patron Saint of Mexico City and eventually by 1946 to include all of the Americas. This day is to celebrate the love we give to the Virign de Guadalupe and is known to many as the day of Love (Amor).”
December 12th marks the beginning of the Christmas Posadas (festivals) and holidays all over Mexico and Latin America Carol asked the family that runs a favorite week-end “tacos in the street” eatery. She told her that after December 15th it gets harder and harder to conduct business or get services done as executives and employees travel to see their families in other parts of Mexico or the world (like the US). The holiday festivities or Posadas will continue until the last day of Christmas which in Mexico is January 6th which is Epiphany or Three Kings Day (Dia de los Reyes). This is where the 12 days of Christmas originates and many Mexican families still give one small gift every day from Christmas until the 6th. She said Posadas are sometimes just a family or a neighborhood and start with a candlelight procession and are often are all night celebrations like the one on the 11th.
The tacos in the street lady remembers as a young girl her family painting a dried Century plant silver for their Christmas tree. Now she says her family has what we gringos would call a traditional artificial fir tree. Of course poinsettias are plentiful here and are found everywhere. Santa Claus is not a traditional figure here in Mexico but he is becoming more popular and some families open all their gifts on Christmas Eve after a big family dinner. But rather it is more traditional here for children to write their wish list to the Three Wise Men and wait until January 6th to see if their wishes are granted. Instead of leaving milk and cookies for Santa, they leave their shoes outside filled with hay for the camels.
But wait there is more. This will kind of remind you of Mardi Gras and King Cake and who gets the baby. On January 6th families eat a sweetbread ring shaped cake with small bits of fruit and candy inside and a small plastic baby that represents the baby Jesus. The person who receives the baby in their slice is responsible for giving a party and making tamales for the Fiesta de la Candelaria (Candles) on February 2nd, the last party of the Christmas season.
And we didn’t talk about what happens for New Years?!!
All the details above where as I mentioned from my friend Carol and I wanted to log them in and the blog seemed the perfect spot. I love learning about peoples traditions and Carol somehow is really good at searching them out.
I received a DHL package today here in Zihoutenejo. It was my new credit card. I am thankful for the wonderful network of people that made it possible for me to dingy to shore and pick up a package at the little grass shack at the end of the pier, how amazing is that?
We haven't really figured out what we are doing for Christmas eve or Christmas day yet, just going with the flow. There are now 8 boats in and around the bay. The restaurants in town have posted some dinner specials which look good.
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Zihoutenejo for the holidays
We left la Cruz December 1, 2011 right smack at the starting gun for this years Bandaras Bay Blast. Timing is everything right. Our destination Zihoutenejo for the holidays. We made a few stops along the way at Tenacatita and Las Hadas. The weather was warm and sunny for our trip but there was a lot of swell in the sea. I was a bit mal de mar. We saw jumping tuna, turtles, dolphins and of course a few fishing nets along the way. I really don't do to well with lack of sleep, I start hearing music that is not playing. In the past it was always The Magigal mystery tour, this trip I heard and old western tune (the one where the horses gallop).
Well we arrived here December 12 and put the anchor down for the holidays. This is our second visit to Zihoutenejo. We are familiar with most things in walking distance. The weather is warm, the water is warm 89 degrees. Doesn't really feel like Christmas. I took out my gallon size bag of decorations and was done decorating in about two minutes. I also found some solar Christmas type lights so they are outside on our solar panels, flashing!
We don't have any big plans, in fact no plans for Christmas. We are going to meet up with my sister in laws sister "Dorothy and her family" who frequently come to Zihoutenejo from the pacific northwest.
My friend Carol from Santa Rosa on board SVStraycat sent me this interesting news regarding the poinsettia plants that we see everywhere.
It seems like everywhere we go we see poinsettias – at the tienda (convenience store) ferreteria (hardware store) in the doorways and by the cash register, restaurants, offices, homes and even street taco stands as well as in the churches. They are sold at markets and from the back of pick-up trucks. The plethora of poinsettias prompted us to inquire about their significance. We were told the poinsettia was originally used by the Aztecs who called it “Cuetlaxochitle” (don’t ask me how to pronounce that). The Aztecs used the sap from the plants to reduce fevers and to make a reddish-purple dye. It is said that Montezuma, the last Aztec King, brought the flowers from Southern Mexico in caravans to Mexico City because the poinsettia would not grow at the higher altitudes.
In Mexico it is called “Flor del Noche Buena” (Christmas Eve Flower or literally Flower of the Good Night) or in Central America the “Flame Leaf.” In North America it became known as the Poinsettia and was so named after Dr. Joel Poinsett, who was the first United States Ambassador to Mexico from 1825 to 1829. The plants are native to the Taxco area in Mexico and while Dr. Poinsett was visiting the region he fell in love with the flowers and shipped some to his own nursery in Greenville, South Carolina where they were also given to several other nurseries to eventually be grown commercially. The Poinsettia starts out with star shaped green leaves that turn into a deep red at the top. Nowadays at home we see white ones, pink ones and variegated ones as well as the traditional red.
Naturally there is a wonderful legend in Mexico as to how the flower became used to celebrate Christmas. The story begins with a poor girl named Maria and her little brother Pablo (or cousin, Pedro, depending on who tells the story). Maria was very sad because she was so poor she had nothing to give the baby Jesus in the manger scene in the Village Church. On Christmas Eve (Noche Buena) on the way to church Maria picked some “weeds” to make a bouquet to leave at the manger scene. Her little brother (or cousin) said to her, “it does not matter what you give as long you give it in love”. Naturally the other children in the village teased them until they saw the “weeds” turn from green to a bright red right before their eyes as Maria knelt at the altar. The whole village then realized they had witnessed a true Christmas miracle and from that day forward the plant became known as the “Flor del Noche Buena.”
Well we arrived here December 12 and put the anchor down for the holidays. This is our second visit to Zihoutenejo. We are familiar with most things in walking distance. The weather is warm, the water is warm 89 degrees. Doesn't really feel like Christmas. I took out my gallon size bag of decorations and was done decorating in about two minutes. I also found some solar Christmas type lights so they are outside on our solar panels, flashing!
We don't have any big plans, in fact no plans for Christmas. We are going to meet up with my sister in laws sister "Dorothy and her family" who frequently come to Zihoutenejo from the pacific northwest.
My friend Carol from Santa Rosa on board SVStraycat sent me this interesting news regarding the poinsettia plants that we see everywhere.
It seems like everywhere we go we see poinsettias – at the tienda (convenience store) ferreteria (hardware store) in the doorways and by the cash register, restaurants, offices, homes and even street taco stands as well as in the churches. They are sold at markets and from the back of pick-up trucks. The plethora of poinsettias prompted us to inquire about their significance. We were told the poinsettia was originally used by the Aztecs who called it “Cuetlaxochitle” (don’t ask me how to pronounce that). The Aztecs used the sap from the plants to reduce fevers and to make a reddish-purple dye. It is said that Montezuma, the last Aztec King, brought the flowers from Southern Mexico in caravans to Mexico City because the poinsettia would not grow at the higher altitudes.
In Mexico it is called “Flor del Noche Buena” (Christmas Eve Flower or literally Flower of the Good Night) or in Central America the “Flame Leaf.” In North America it became known as the Poinsettia and was so named after Dr. Joel Poinsett, who was the first United States Ambassador to Mexico from 1825 to 1829. The plants are native to the Taxco area in Mexico and while Dr. Poinsett was visiting the region he fell in love with the flowers and shipped some to his own nursery in Greenville, South Carolina where they were also given to several other nurseries to eventually be grown commercially. The Poinsettia starts out with star shaped green leaves that turn into a deep red at the top. Nowadays at home we see white ones, pink ones and variegated ones as well as the traditional red.
Naturally there is a wonderful legend in Mexico as to how the flower became used to celebrate Christmas. The story begins with a poor girl named Maria and her little brother Pablo (or cousin, Pedro, depending on who tells the story). Maria was very sad because she was so poor she had nothing to give the baby Jesus in the manger scene in the Village Church. On Christmas Eve (Noche Buena) on the way to church Maria picked some “weeds” to make a bouquet to leave at the manger scene. Her little brother (or cousin) said to her, “it does not matter what you give as long you give it in love”. Naturally the other children in the village teased them until they saw the “weeds” turn from green to a bright red right before their eyes as Maria knelt at the altar. The whole village then realized they had witnessed a true Christmas miracle and from that day forward the plant became known as the “Flor del Noche Buena.”
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Día de San Patricio
Hola, Leo joined us here last night just in time for the St. Patricks day celebration in Melaque. OMG, it was the most amazing fireworks demonstration and fiesta I have seen in Mexico. We would NEVER, NEVER, EVER see anything like this in the USA.
Festivities began this week with the Fiesta del Torros which included rodeo events, bullfights, carnival, parades, blessing of the fishing fleet, folk dances, boxing matches, and nightly fireworks.
The town which I refer to as Melaque, is actually three towns seamlessly joined together: Melaque, Villa Obregón, and San Patricio. St. Patrick is the patron saint of San Patricio as in many other towns in Mexico. They all have a Saint Patrick's Day celebration but perhaps the biggest celebration is the Melaque, Jalisco, March 17 celebration which is the one event we went attended.
We took the bus over to Melaque from Barre de Navidid around 6:30 PM in the evening. The fiesta was in the town square. We wandered around and marveled at all the food stands selling taco, crepes, pancakes, hot dogs, hamburgers and finally decided on a taco stand that had a table, real fine dining.
After eating our tacos, which all had very elaborate names like a volcano, a gringa, etc., we shuffled off towards the bull ring to watch the dancing horses and the bull riders. On our way there we went by the church which was still having a service that was now including 3 troops of native dancers in the aisles of the church. I couldn't help but poke my nose in an have a look, very fascinating.
Just outside the church they had erected the "Castillo" which was a free standing fireworks display. You could smell the ingredients of the fireworks, it looked very explosive indeed. There was one small circle of caution tape around it with two fire extinguishers. This was to be set off around 11:00 PM. I noted that there was not a bombadero (firefighter) in site, not even a truck. I guess if something were to go wrong it would just be part of the show.
We continued down to the bullring and enjoyed a show of 2 dancing horses and the blessing of the bull riders. From our seats you could hear the 12 piece live band loud and clear! As we sat in our seats we experienced another only in Mexico! a vendor coming by our seats offering 10 peso aqave shots. We watched several bull riders (no hands) in the ring. One of the bull riders fell off and was trampled by the bull. It actually looked like he was injured pretty bad. The ambulance came into the ring. It was an old pick up truck with flashing lights. The driver/medic only had one leg but managed to move rapidly. They tossed the bull rider into the back of the pickup and took off. I'm figuring if he wasn't hurt by the bull that the truck ride to the hospital would certainly finish him off. On that note we decided to go pick a place to view the fireworks show.
We had heard you didn't want to be too close to the castillo so we found a spot in the square and waited for the fireworks to begin. We didn't have to wait too long, a guy just walking through the crowd let off huge bottle rockets with his cigarette! It was as loud as a shot gun and the crowd moved like a wave. Then the castillo ignited. The castillo is a very, very tall structure with several pinwheels attached. They started at the lower pin wheel. I can't even imagine why people where standing so close. The castillo launches fireworks out into the square and up into the sky at all levels. The crowd just goes wild trying to avoid the hot fireworks. Inside each pinwheel was a spinning figure of some sort having to do with the festival. Where we stood way in the back we were still ducking and jumping to avoid the fireworks. The show seemed to go on for a very long time. It really gets your heart pumping as you are wondering about crowd control, what crowd control! The top of the castillo finally ignited with even more gusto then any of the pinwheels. It was a little difficult to watch the whole show as I was avoiding hot piercing fireworks and trying not to get trampled but it was spectacular! The finale was a hot molten sign that said "fini" was launched into the crowd and landed on a tree and caught fire.
So we were thinking, ok, shows over the same guy who had started the show with the bottle rockets lit off several mortar rounds. I didn't even see the guy set them up but we where so close I could feel the concussion. I never even looked up at the fireworks cause I was too busy looking at the mortars that looked like they had misfired and exploded on the ground. Just after that little show a guys starts running through the crowd with a fireworks shooting rig in the shape of a bull. He ran through the crowd, leaving NO ONE out and aimed the rig and shot off fireworks intentionally right at people. It was absolutely nuts! This was a pretty big square and it was packed with people and I think I actually had eye contact with this guy at least 3 times! We had been trying to stay together as a group but at this point it was every man for himself. I ran into Kathy and Leo behind a small box truck trying to duck out of the guys aim only to see Kathy get pinned in between the truck and a motorcycle. It was crazy, crazy! When Kathy came out from behind the motor cycle we chatted and decided we thought we both we our pants on that one!
We tried to regroup where we all had been watching the show and let the guys know Kathy and I had to go find a bathroom. We walked around for a very long time trying to find a bano that did not have a huge line. We never did find one and I won't go into any details about that. What we did find was a carnival, Mexican style. I'm telling you it was like a dream, only we were walking through it. The carnival was pretty typical with the carni rides and amusement booths. At one booth they where playing a bingo game for kitchen plastics. It appeared to be a family oriented right up until we came to the full bar booth complete with "titty" drinking cups, "Call" drinks at a carnival.
Kathy and I spent the next 30 minutes looking for our group in the crowd so we could go back to Barre de Navidad. When we finally did find our group they where all sharing their version of how they managed during the show. Most everyone had black soot somewhere on themselves. The buses had all stopped so we went in search of a few taxi cabs. I think we were finally tucked back in our bunks by 2:00 am. what a night.
We are renting a car tomorrow (Saturday) and driving down to Zihutanejo to take Clark to the airport and drop Leo off on his next crew position about SV Precious Metal.
Festivities began this week with the Fiesta del Torros which included rodeo events, bullfights, carnival, parades, blessing of the fishing fleet, folk dances, boxing matches, and nightly fireworks.
The town which I refer to as Melaque, is actually three towns seamlessly joined together: Melaque, Villa Obregón, and San Patricio. St. Patrick is the patron saint of San Patricio as in many other towns in Mexico. They all have a Saint Patrick's Day celebration but perhaps the biggest celebration is the Melaque, Jalisco, March 17 celebration which is the one event we went attended.
We took the bus over to Melaque from Barre de Navidid around 6:30 PM in the evening. The fiesta was in the town square. We wandered around and marveled at all the food stands selling taco, crepes, pancakes, hot dogs, hamburgers and finally decided on a taco stand that had a table, real fine dining.
After eating our tacos, which all had very elaborate names like a volcano, a gringa, etc., we shuffled off towards the bull ring to watch the dancing horses and the bull riders. On our way there we went by the church which was still having a service that was now including 3 troops of native dancers in the aisles of the church. I couldn't help but poke my nose in an have a look, very fascinating.
Just outside the church they had erected the "Castillo" which was a free standing fireworks display. You could smell the ingredients of the fireworks, it looked very explosive indeed. There was one small circle of caution tape around it with two fire extinguishers. This was to be set off around 11:00 PM. I noted that there was not a bombadero (firefighter) in site, not even a truck. I guess if something were to go wrong it would just be part of the show.
We continued down to the bullring and enjoyed a show of 2 dancing horses and the blessing of the bull riders. From our seats you could hear the 12 piece live band loud and clear! As we sat in our seats we experienced another only in Mexico! a vendor coming by our seats offering 10 peso aqave shots. We watched several bull riders (no hands) in the ring. One of the bull riders fell off and was trampled by the bull. It actually looked like he was injured pretty bad. The ambulance came into the ring. It was an old pick up truck with flashing lights. The driver/medic only had one leg but managed to move rapidly. They tossed the bull rider into the back of the pickup and took off. I'm figuring if he wasn't hurt by the bull that the truck ride to the hospital would certainly finish him off. On that note we decided to go pick a place to view the fireworks show.
We had heard you didn't want to be too close to the castillo so we found a spot in the square and waited for the fireworks to begin. We didn't have to wait too long, a guy just walking through the crowd let off huge bottle rockets with his cigarette! It was as loud as a shot gun and the crowd moved like a wave. Then the castillo ignited. The castillo is a very, very tall structure with several pinwheels attached. They started at the lower pin wheel. I can't even imagine why people where standing so close. The castillo launches fireworks out into the square and up into the sky at all levels. The crowd just goes wild trying to avoid the hot fireworks. Inside each pinwheel was a spinning figure of some sort having to do with the festival. Where we stood way in the back we were still ducking and jumping to avoid the fireworks. The show seemed to go on for a very long time. It really gets your heart pumping as you are wondering about crowd control, what crowd control! The top of the castillo finally ignited with even more gusto then any of the pinwheels. It was a little difficult to watch the whole show as I was avoiding hot piercing fireworks and trying not to get trampled but it was spectacular! The finale was a hot molten sign that said "fini" was launched into the crowd and landed on a tree and caught fire.
So we were thinking, ok, shows over the same guy who had started the show with the bottle rockets lit off several mortar rounds. I didn't even see the guy set them up but we where so close I could feel the concussion. I never even looked up at the fireworks cause I was too busy looking at the mortars that looked like they had misfired and exploded on the ground. Just after that little show a guys starts running through the crowd with a fireworks shooting rig in the shape of a bull. He ran through the crowd, leaving NO ONE out and aimed the rig and shot off fireworks intentionally right at people. It was absolutely nuts! This was a pretty big square and it was packed with people and I think I actually had eye contact with this guy at least 3 times! We had been trying to stay together as a group but at this point it was every man for himself. I ran into Kathy and Leo behind a small box truck trying to duck out of the guys aim only to see Kathy get pinned in between the truck and a motorcycle. It was crazy, crazy! When Kathy came out from behind the motor cycle we chatted and decided we thought we both we our pants on that one!
We tried to regroup where we all had been watching the show and let the guys know Kathy and I had to go find a bathroom. We walked around for a very long time trying to find a bano that did not have a huge line. We never did find one and I won't go into any details about that. What we did find was a carnival, Mexican style. I'm telling you it was like a dream, only we were walking through it. The carnival was pretty typical with the carni rides and amusement booths. At one booth they where playing a bingo game for kitchen plastics. It appeared to be a family oriented right up until we came to the full bar booth complete with "titty" drinking cups, "Call" drinks at a carnival.
Kathy and I spent the next 30 minutes looking for our group in the crowd so we could go back to Barre de Navidad. When we finally did find our group they where all sharing their version of how they managed during the show. Most everyone had black soot somewhere on themselves. The buses had all stopped so we went in search of a few taxi cabs. I think we were finally tucked back in our bunks by 2:00 am. what a night.
We are renting a car tomorrow (Saturday) and driving down to Zihutanejo to take Clark to the airport and drop Leo off on his next crew position about SV Precious Metal.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Isle Grande
We are now on our way North back up into the sea. We stopped here to snorkel and enjoy this small island paradise. There is a Club Med over on the main shoreline, so I guess this is one of those places you might see in a brochure. Soft white sand beaches accentuate the island's shore along with a host of colorful palapa restaurants serving cold adulto beverages and fresh seafood. That's where lunch is today anyway!
Our next stop, after an all night sail is Las Hadas in Bahia de Manzanillo. We will meet up again with Leo, our crew since last November in Las Hadas. Leo has been in Guadalajara picking up his new passport and ATM card. We will also met up with our buddy boat SV Blue Dolphin.
We will take a little road trip back to Zihuatanejo to drop Clark off at the airport and send Leo South on board SV Precious Metal.
Our next stop, after an all night sail is Las Hadas in Bahia de Manzanillo. We will meet up again with Leo, our crew since last November in Las Hadas. Leo has been in Guadalajara picking up his new passport and ATM card. We will also met up with our buddy boat SV Blue Dolphin.
We will take a little road trip back to Zihuatanejo to drop Clark off at the airport and send Leo South on board SV Precious Metal.
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