A dangerous roadtrip, Olympic highlights and a trip to a chilly beach

ARROYO SECO, Jalisco, Mexico - It rained again Wednesday. Real rain, as in slick-as-shit-road rain but the Pink Flamingo needed propane (for a new gas BBQ grill brought in last week by amigos Jim and Vicky), the gasoline supplies were low for the motorcycles and we needed some plumbing supplies to fix the geysers that have erupted in our sprinkler system.

A quick trip down the highway to the neighboring cities of Melaque and Cihuatlan solved all of those issues, though my neighbor Chon was concerned about my carrying gasoline and propane in the Toyota Tundra in one load.

Chon looked in the back of the truck and declared that with the tanks and gasoline cans, I had created una bomba. Yup, it means bomb. And even though he was concerned, he did hand me a 20-liter gasoline can to fill for him at the Pemex station.

Having transported a lot of propane and gasoline over the years for various boats, I knew enough to keep them quite separated with the propane tanks secured the cab of the truck, the gasoline (and diesel) strapped securely in the back. The propane tanks looked quite cute with their seat belts on.


No seat belts needed here

A celebratory lunch was in order after the solo voyage, and I followed the truck above into La Manzanilla, watching as the younger children leaned over the edge of the truck trying to touch the leaves on the low hanging branches of the trees.

There is a seat belt law in Mexico. The driver has to have one firmly buckled, as least on the highways and in Puerto Vallarta where the city police have discovered tagging people sans seatbelts is a good way to make some revenue.

It's the one place I buckle up all the time.


Better than watching golf. Really

At Palapa Joe's, the restaurant had a good lunch crowded packed in, with all eyes glued to the television where Olympic coverage was on from the Winter Olympics.

And while my first choice would have been downhill skiing and/or ski jumping, the women's curling events actually were far more interesting than I thought they would be. While I wolfed down a club sandwich, it was the Germans vs. the Americans and the yells and grunts from one German team member were wild.

Those Germans take their curling seriously.

Seriously.


Laura with Princess Mia at Tenacatita

Earlier this week, Admiral Fox and Laura and I did take an afternoon off to go to Tenacatita Beach for lunch and some boogie boarding and snorkeling, taking along Princess Mia (I knew Hazel wouldn't stick) for the sojourn.

We met up with friends Randy and Karin from California and also winter Tenacatita Beach denizens Mario and Sharon who were leaving the next day to return to Portland.

But the overcast socked in solid, and it was almost cold (in the low 70s, brrr... ), a big change from earlier trips this winter when we were bobbing in the surf to keep cool.

Some of the tourists even took to jogging to keep warm.


Jogging to keep warm at Tenacatita Beach

Semana Santa (Easter Week) comes to La Manzanilla

La Manzanilla beach looking north

LA MANZANILLA, Jalisco, Mexico - Perhaps it is because I grew up going to Coney Island and Jones Beach in New York, but the scene above, hundreds of Mexican families enjoying the beach, actually seems more normal than the virtually deserted stretches of sand I have become use to here for most of the year. OK - deserted stretches of sand I enjoy.

Welcome to Semana Santa, or as it is referred to by many people here, Semana Loco.

Carloads and busloads of Mexican families are arriving and setting up camp on the beach, in yards, alongside the highway - any place there is a flat spot. On my way back from Tenacatita, two days ago, I passed two teenage Mexican girls carrying backpacks who were hitchhiking to La Manzanilla. By the time I had passed them and realized I should give them a lift, two truckloads of Mexican fellows were vying for the chance to give them a ride to the beach.

It's kind of an annual Mexican Woodstock, sans the late Jimmy Hendrix, and it's going on in virtually every Mexican coastal city and town.


La Manzanilla beach looking south

The local gringos gird for this event like upstate New Yorkers get ready for a snowstorm. Stock up on food, water, and figure that you are not going to leave your house for days on end. Some leave town entirely and head for the interior - where all the beach-going Mexicans have just left. (And many of them rent out their La Manzanilla homes for a good price...)

I toured the beach area this afternoon and met only one other gringo - a very confused-looking Canadian fellow searching for the beachfront condo he had rented, not knowing that most of the state of Jalisco was going to arrive and was already cooking carne asada and fish on his doorstep.

But good grief, everyone else looked like they were having a great time, with soccer balls flying left and right and even kitesurfers putting on a show.


Kite surfing in 30 mph winds


Working on a sunburn, er, tan

I had planned to go to neighboring Melaque today - it is St. Patrick's Day, after all - but was warned against going near the city. Melaque's patron saint is St. Patrick (San Patricio) himself and the city apparently becomes so jammed with people, cars, tequila and people dancing in the streets, it's impossible to get around.

Sure sounds like fun to me, but I'm blogging instead.

Sigh.

But on the way home from the beach I went by the lagoon to see if the crocs were celebrating - or perhaps salivating - at the prospect of several thousand naive tourists on the beach, some of whom were wading in the end of the crocodile swamp near a local restaurant to cool off.

Not a good idea, considering how many people have been throwing food into that area for the crocs.


Waiting for just the right tourist

Sting rays and sunburns and cerverzas, oh my!

TENACATITA, Jalisco, Mexico - While Admiral Fox toiled in the real estate bizz Saturday, I played tour guide back out to Tencatita Bay for a snorkeling expedition to an area at the west end of the beach called The Aquarium, because there are sooooo many brightly colored fish swimming around the rocks and small reef.

Ruth and Jen Bills and I got there early enough to see some beautiful sea life, and stayed long enough to watch the influx of tourists from Melaque and Barra de Navidad who come up for the day. I heard people speaking English, Spanish (Really? What a surprise.), French, German and some Canadian, too, eh?

We stayed a little too long for me - I am sporting a rosy-looking lobster color today and I managed to step on a sharp sea shell which required some Neosporin and a band-aid.

For Jen Bills, her last foray in the water walking through a shallow tide pool resulted in a glancing sting from a half-asleep sting ray.

She said it was like standing on a large shiitake mushroom - at least until its tailed whipped around to her foot. It's healing already.


Ruth & Jen get ready to snorkel



There was plenty of activity on the beach and in the anchorage the sun got hot, the wind cranked up to about 25 knots and our lunches - though delicious - had a slight gritty taste in spots from the blowing sand.

And not everyone was there just for pleasure. A number of fisherman were working on their boats, ensuring that they will be ready for the water when Monday (lunes) rolls around.


Fishermen repair the keel on their panga


Westsail 32 at anchor off Tenacatita Beach


Returning from snorkeling - sans stingray encounters


Tying up loose ends

Today we all will venture one-hour south to Manzanillo where Ruth and Jen will spend a few days at a 4-star resort timeshare arranged by Karen Schamel of Hector who was too busy to come to Mexico and use it.

Que lastima, Karen, but thank you!