Leaving Sayulita for a day in San Pancho

SAN FRANCISCO, Nayarit, Mexico - The surf village of Sayulita was having its annual Sayulita Days this weekend - something we didn't know when we decided that we would spend three days here.

And today, while a parade marched through town and the music roared, we roared ourselves, up the highway to the nearby Pueblo of San Pancho, which by comparison was deserted.

Before we left though, we went to the beach to check out the paddle board surfers who were enjoying the waves and hundreds of tourists who all seemed to be enjoying the colder weather.






In San Pancho, parking was easy and for some reason, it seemed actually a little warmer than it was in Sayulita.

Go figure that one.

There was tourist activity and the beach merchants - including a fellow who offers horseback riding - were doing a good business.






We hope that tomorrow we might have granddaughter Sasha Fox with us here in Sayulita, or back up in San Pancho.

She would have loved all the kids running around the beach today.

Perhaps manana...

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A four-wheeling adventure across the El Tecuan beach

EL TECUAN, Jalisco, Mexico - While Karen and Sylvia went shopping in La Manzanilla Friday, Mike Schamel and I (with her highness la perra Mia) took off on the quad to seek out some beach restaurants down near a residence known as Shang-ri-la.

We left hotel on the beach in Arroyo Seco and immediately discovered that the easy-access road to get to the El Tecuan side of the beach had dissolved into mostly rubble and looked almost impassable.

And so we took the scenic tour around a small lake and up through the now falling down Hotel Tecuan.

At one time, it was the place to visit. Now it's a hulk in need of serious help.

We arrived at the other end of the laguna and beach only to find that on that end, we were blocked by a river of water pouring out. It looked like it was about three feet deep and given how fast it was going, it was beyond the quad's ability to ford.

And on reflection, we decided even walking through it might be risky business.

We could clearly see the restaurants and perhaps in a week or so the ocean will reclaim the beach and close the notch the way it was last year.



The river, a little too deep to ford


Captain Mike Schamel taking some photos


Restaurants across the laguna


Princessa Mia, very happy to be out on the beach

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Stray dogs making their way into Arroyo Seco

ARROYO SECO, Jalisco, Mexico - Just a couple of days ahead we will leave for Sayulita to the north. But in the meantime, we have seen a number of pooches dumped here near the village - perhaps because the owners know what a soft touch Admiral Fox is.

A few minutes ago, she put out water and food for a female dog that has moved onto the porch of our neighbor Chon's house.

The dog has wanted to simply move into the Pink Flamingo but so far I have been able to keep that from happening.

Earlier today, we did see a pooch on the highway on the way into town who, for two days, has been stalking the truck whenever I have seen him. Today I gave up and invited him to jump into the back of the truck, but he declined.

Below are two photos: the first of the Admiral trying to entice him to follow us, the second of him following her down the road.

When we got close to town, however, he turned around and headed back out to the highway.






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A day at a resort hotel with California and NY amigos

BARRA DE NAVIDAD, Jalisco, Mexico - We caught up with amigos Roger and Di Frizzelle of the sailing vessel Di's Dream Wednesday at a fabulous marina/hotel, just across the channel from Barra de Navidad.

When cruising Sabbatical, the Grand Bay Hotel was one of our favorite stops, particularly because of the great pools, food, and service.

It hasn't changed all that much, though I did not have my favorite drink, a cocktail called a 'ballena.'

Karen and Mike Schamel went with us and the six of us had a great lunch, followed by hot tub time. And then there was some slide action and a visit to the famous swim-up bar, too.






Roger and Di will be sailing back up to Tenacatita Bay in a week or so for a sailing regatta and in the course of conversation, we were invited to tag along as crew!

It will be a great warmup for the Banderas Bay Regatta which runs at the end of March. It's entirely possible that Lotus - with Captain Clarence - will be around, too, so perhaps we will be able to get in some practice for the BBR.

The weather cooperated nicely, too, with some overcast. That meant my slightly sunburned skin won't be getting any redder - at least not until we go to Sayulita in a few days for some surfing, swimming, and shopping.

OH-MY-GOD! I forgot to mention the big news!

Big news! Notices grandes!

The ribbon cutting (or whatever it is called here) was held Wednesday for the paving of the 1.6 km. road from Highway 200 to el centro of Arroyo Seco. And the surveyors have actually started putting in stakes.

It could be our little town is about to change - very fast.






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Road trip! Admiral, Captain and crew heading to Sayulita

ARROYO SECO, Jalisco, Mexico - After several weeks here in Arroyo Seco, we decided to take a vacation to Sayulita, a not-so-small town north of Puerto Vallarta famous for surfing and at one time home to the author of the book 'Gringos in Paradise.'

Mike and Karen Schamel fly out of Puerto Vallarta Tuesday for the reaches of upstate New York and home. But before that, we will spend three days checking out the surfing, restaurants and famed nightlife.

Adm. Fox and Karen are already talking about salsa dance lessons for one of the nights.

Me? I'm taking my boogie boards and hope to not smash my toes on a rock like I did the last time I was there. It's a great surf beach but I am not sure I'll give that a try...

We will be staying at place call Casitas Tortugas in the penthouse. They don't call it the penthouse, but it is the top floor, has great verandas overlooking the town and is barely two blocks from the surf.

I'd call it a penthouse.

http://www.casitastortugas.com/the-25-bedroom-suite.html

Tonight the Pink Flamingo is having its first social event (and likely its only social event) by hosting the folks staying on the beach at the hotel. We will be firing up the stove in the palapa to make dinner and hope the mosquitos and no-see-ums that plague the beach right at dusk don't follow our amigos to town.

If so, we have some heavy duty fans to blow them out of town.

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The end of the rainbow, somewhere near Arroyo Seco

ARROYO SECO, Jalisco, Mexico - If it hadn't been so damn muddy, I might have gone looking for the pot of gold at the end of rainbow yesterday. After a day of near-monsoon rains, we had a gorgeous rainbow at the end of the day, and an equally spectacular sunset.

I could almost hear the Mexican leprechauns cackling over the treasure.


So what do you do in a beach town on a rainy day?

Go to another beach town, of course.

With Mike and Karen Schamel we headed south to Barra de Navidad where we wandered through a few shops, stopped at the miracle store to pick up a few miracles and then had lunch at a favorite stop: Mexico Lindo.

Normally, I would not have a margarita with my 2 p.m. lunch, but it was raining, there was no rush to do anything, and the young Mexican woman bartending seems to be pretty professional while doing other folks' drinks.

They were great margaritas... And I am soooooo glad I didn't have two.

But after the drinks and fish fajitas for lunch, we took a foray on a panga out to the anchorage where cruising sailboats hang out. There were lots of boats, but because of the weather, most of the cruisers were hiding below in their cabins.

Still it was fun. And I have never seen so many pelicans on the water anywhere.






Today the weather is still on-again, off-again rain, but with patches of blue here and there.

The locals say we will be back to normal sunny beach/surf weather Monday.

But then, they said that yesterday, too.


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Rainy day II in Arroyo Seco - and the mud piles up

ARROYO SECO, Jalisco, Mexico - We were awakened for the second night in a row by rain, this time accompanied by strong winds out of the south.

It reminded me of being anchored in Tenacatita Bay aboard Sabbatical and having the same thing happen some years back. One minute, you are in a paradise-like anchorage, the next, looking at a lee shore and hoping that your anchor is going to hold.

Last week we sold the Grey Goose Express I! Right now, it is in the possession of amigo and surfer dude Julian who is renovating it and will put it on his Arroyo Seco property as temporary housing.

He had asked to buy the Grey Goose for years and we caved in this year and sold it to him.

In an hour or so, we will hop in the car with Mike and Karen Schamel of Hector and head south to Barra de Navidad and other points to see what there is to see on a rainy day. I haven't been to Barra since the hurricane and want to see what's left. Barra sustained a lot of damage from ocean surge - even losing a landmark restaurant called Seamaster's. Plus we will make a stop at the miracle store.

I'll explain another time.

In the meantime here in el rancho Arroyo Seco, the rain has soaked the ground and what was at first a nice respite from dusty streets is turning those streets into mudpies - serious mudpies. Inside the compound we now have a growing lake and even the chickens have taken cover.



Sylvia wearing her handmade Mexican raincoat...

The forecast is for clearing Sunday (we hope) and a return to normal sunny beach life. In the meantime we have been assembling rain gear for our Barra adventure.

More on Barra de Navidad, the miracle store, and how to make raincoats out of plastic bags later.

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A rainy day in Arroyo Seco - no, really - rain!

ARROYO SECO, Jalisco, Mexico - We sat on a terrace overlooking Tenacatita Bay last night, remarking how the huge thunderclouds in the distance would have spelled rain for sure in upstate New York, smugly thinking that the clouds held nothing for us.

We were so wrong.

A few hours later, as we returned from a great dinner in La Manzanilla at Figaro's restaurant the rain began, with a slow pitter patter, followed by a little harder pounding.

And it rained all night and into this morning.

As I write this, the power has been knocked out (a very common occurrence when it rains) and the wind has started blowing, probably signaling that a high pressure weather front is moving through. It has already blown the lid off my water tank (which means climbing on the roof of the bodega) and sent other loose stuff flying about the property.

And when the sun does come back out, we can look forward to a serious blast of humidity and in a day or so, mosquitos.

Adm. Fox and Karen and Ginny have headed into La Manzanilla to the market there that on Friday sells all kinds of items: clothing, jewelry, even bootlegged DVDs of first-run movies in the U.S. Mike Schamel and I stayed behind - he's on the beach helping repair the fence around a turtle hatchery while I catch up on various writing projects, and, I suppose, getting my ladder out and replacing the airborne water tank lid.

The village farmers are ecstatic about the rain - it means their crops are likely to get a good boost. Rainwater seems to make things grow faster than well water for some reason.

On to the projects!





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Three days of seafood and it's time for a change

ARROYO SECO, Jalisco, Mexico - For three days, no, make that four days, we have had fabulous seafood meals, first in Puerto Vallarta and then at two restaurants here in Arroyo Seco.

A new restaurant opened a block back from the beach that is doing a great business by delivering meals to the hotel across the street where Karen and Mike Schamel and our amiga Ginny Tortarelli are staying.

The hotel (and 11-bedroom house, really) is full of guests and the deck grass area on the ocean side is the scene of a great cocktail party every night at puesta del sol.

After eating relatively healthy meals for two months, the sudden infusion of shrimp has been a little bit of a shock to my system.

Still, tonight we head into La Manzanilla for a dinner at Figaro's. My menu choice? Shrimp gambieri, of course.

Tomorrow I'll get back on the granola plan.

Below are two photos from the Pink Flamingo: one is the property at 8 a.m. this morning, the other is of one of scorpion removal team.





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The Internet line dies and is revived... Viva TelMex!

ARROYO SECO, Jalisco, Mexico - After several days sans internet in the village, a heroic hombre from TelMex (the telephone and internet service provider) arrived at the internet cafe to get things going again, just moments ago.
Added to that miracle is that this blogging software works again and you have quite a week going.
In the meantime, Mike and Karen Schamel arrived last night, escaping the cold (this year not-so-cold) upstate New York winter.
And now we are off to Luis' Restaurant Las Brisas for a lunch of shrimp and beer, er, I mean cerveza.
Hasta pasta, amigos.


TelMex to the rescue in Arroyo Seco
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