LA CRUZ TO LA PAZ 2019 - TAKING WHAT COMES

March 30, 2019

I didn’t sleep well, fearing to oversleep, and got up before my alarm went off.  I did one last load of linens, packed up the last of my food and clothing, and slipped out of the house to make one last trek across town to the marina.  I always got very sentimental when leaving La Cruz and it looked very quaint in the quiet of early morning.

I arrived at the boat at 7:15 with just enough time to stow my belongings before we left for the fuel dock.  It was busy, so we had to wait for room at the dock.  We put 120 liters in each fuel tank and finally left the marina by 8:30.  I took the short watch until 10:00 when we started the real rotation and then retired to nap until almost 14:00.  I needed to catch up on sleep.

Sun Setting Over the Marias Islands

By the time I awoke we were off La Penita and heading north.  It was hazy and we could barely see the shore.  I sat in the cockpit with Paul for the remainder of the afternoon and then took my watch at 18:00.  Carol cooked chicken and veggies with curried rice for dinner.  Winds were light and mostly on the nose, but we did manage to put the jib out for a few hours around sunset.  Sea Note, who had left just before us, fell far behind until we could barely see their lights when darkness fell.  We passed the Marias Islands at sunset.

My Bunk on Unleashed

I tried to sleep from 21:00 to 2:45, but something was banging in the head and I couldn’t secure myself well in my bunk.  We were heeled just enough for my face to fall into the lead cloth and I couldn’t turn around because I needed to leave access to the snack locker.

March 31, 2019

I got up before the alarm went off at 2:45.  I had finally silenced the banging about 2:00 but was too afraid to oversleep to drop off by that point.  The wind had died down and my watch from 3:00 to 6:00 was uneventful except for the moonrise at 4:15.  Carol relieved me at 6:00.  I had meant to stay up to watch the dawn, but was too tired.  I went below and napped in Carol’s bunk on the low side for three hours.

The Seas Were Very Flat

I got up when Carol came off watch at 10:00, dressed, and ate breakfast.  Then I sat down to write for a couple of hours.  It was pleasant below decks with the portholes open.  The sea was very flat and the wind still on the nose.  Paul checked the weather and we made the decision to bypass Mazatlan and head straight for Muertos.  The north winds were receding up the sea and we were betting they would be gone by the time we reached the other side.

Actually Sailing

My next watch began at 14:00.  The wind came up and we were able to sail, but not in the direction we wanted to go.  We elected to tack and sail southwest while we had the wind to do so.  We had been north of the rhumb line when we thought we were making for Mazatlan.  We needed to get west somehow, since La Paz was on the west side of the Sea.

Cooking on Unleashed

The seas grew increasingly lumpy and Carol started to feel queasy.  She was unable to prepare dinner before coming on watch at 18:00.  I cooked the dinner as soon as I came off watch.  We had saffron rice with a stew made from potatoes, tomatoes, and ground beef.  We stayed on that southwest heading until I finished cooking because it was easier to cook with the stove on the downhill side.  Once dinner was prepared, we tacked back over and headed north again.  I went down for a nap after dinner.  It was very lumpy but I was so tired that I had no trouble sleeping.  I slept until 23:30. 

The wind had died as soon as the sun set and we were motoring again when I came on watch at midnight.  It was quite choppy, but there wasn’t much wind. It was pitch dark and I could just barely see Sea Note’s  lights a couple of miles off our port beam.  We continued on in that manner for my entire three hour watch.

April 1, 2019

Paul and Carol of Unleashed

It was still quite lumpy when I went to bed at 3:00, but I had no trouble sleeping.  In fact, I slept until 9:00 when I awoke feeling quite refreshed.  The seas had died down and we were motoring along the rhumb line to Muertos.  Unfortunately, we were only making about four knots.  Even in the relatively calm seas, Unleashed hobby horsed a lot and the tide was against us.  Winds were frustratingly light and variable.

I grabbed a light breakfast of yogurt with granola and a quarter of an apple that was lying about the galley before taking the helm at 10:00.  Sea Note had pulled ahead of us during the night, probably because he had been more diligent in using his sails while we plodded along under motor power alone.

The winds grew lighter and lighter during my watch until we had only one and a half knots.  To make matters worse, the wind was shifting from one side of the boat to the other. 

Carol took over at 14:00 and I went below eat the leftovers from dinner and take a shower.  It drove Carol crazy that Sea Note was pulling ahead of us.  She put out the jib and tacked over to take advantage of what little wind there was.  Ray reported more wind ahead, but it was gone by the time we reached his position.  Ultimately, she abandoned her efforts because we had to sail too far south to catch any wind and it wasn’t giving us enough speed to justify covering the extra distance.

Another Sunset at Sea

We motored slowly north at four to five knots.  When dinnertime came, Paul took the helm and I boiled noodles and finished preparing the spaghetti with meatballs that Carol had made ahead of time and thawed for use that night.  It was amazingly lumpy for the non-existent wind we were experiencing and the sea state really slowed us down.

My watch began at 21:00.  It was pitch dark, as the moon didn’t rise until shortly before dawn.  Skies were clear and I could see the Milky Way.  Winds continued light but there must have been wind somewhere because we continued to battle swells.  For some reason, I was tired and slept like a log after I got off watch at midnight.

April 2, 2019

Crescent Moon at Dawn

I slept until my alarm went off at 5:45 for my 6:00 watch.  We were moving along at a good pace and I hoped for wind but found that it was just the tide that was scooting us along at six knots.  The crescent moon rose just before dawn and the sun rapidly followed.  When the glare from the rising sun abated, we were excited to see land off our port beam.

Entering the Cerralvo Channel at Dawn

The Ferry to Mazatlan

Late Afternoon in Puerto Balandra

After my watch at 10:00, I ate breakfast and then hid below, reading and napping, most of the day.  Carol woke me in the mid-afternoon, as we were exiting the Ceralvo Channel, because she said we were about to die and didn’t want me to wake up in heaven.  It turned out that we were just crossing paths with the Baja Ferry.  They missed us by half a mile.  Seas were finally flat and we continued making nearly six knots all day.  Due to the unexpected speed, we arrived in the anchorage at Puerto Balandra before 17:00.  We anchored easily and enjoyed a celebratory gin and tonic before Carol made us chicken tacos for dinner.  I played the guitar in the cockpit until it grew too dark to see.  We were all in our bunks by 21:00.

April 3, 2019

I got up early to watch the dawn but it was nothing to write home about.  I made a hot drink and sat in the cockpit until Paul and Carol got up.  They were surprised to see that I had been up for some time because they hadn’t heard me moving around.

Sea Note at Anchor in Balandra

They wanted to enter the marina at slack tide, which wasn’t until 14:41, so we were in no hurry.  I made pancakes and we had a leisurely breakfast.  Then we left for La Paz, arriving off the marina at 13:00.  

Sea Note  had already entered Marina Cortez and told us it was okay, so we decided not to anchor out and wait for slack tide.  The fairways in the marina were wide and there was not another boat sharing the double slip with Unleashed.  This turned out to be a good thing because the current and the wind were both pushing the boat off the dock and we ended up diagonally in the slip.  The stern line was barely long enough to haul the boat into proper position.

Marina Cortez was a nice, new marina with concrete docks.  They didn’t have the hard-wired internet connections and potable water that Marina La Paz offered, but it was otherwise a nice marina.  It remained to be seen how the docks, which lacked pilings and were attached to the bottom with heavy rubber bands, would hold up in a hurricane.

Paul at Marina Cortez

We were hungry, so headed up to Rancho Viejo for arrachera stuffed baked potatoes as soon as Paul and Carol checked into the marina.  After lunch, they helped me drag my baggage over to Scout and visited with Greg for a bit.  It was good to be back aboard Scout with all my gear in one place for a change.

We met up with Paul and Carol, later, for cocktails and then walked up to Gina’s for burritos.  Never imagining that anyone would think to put mustard on a burrito, I neglected to tell her to hold the mustard.  That rendered the burrito inedible as far as I was concerned but I really wasn’t hungry, anyway.  Greg started to bring it home to eat later but ended up giving it to one of the marina taxi drivers.  It had been a long day and we were ready to retire.

FINAL WEEK IN LA CRUZ

March 25, 2019

I finally felt almost normal, so got up and went to the gym on Monday morning.  After returning from the gym, I walked over to Mario’s grocery store to buy a little food before it got too warm.  I had eaten all my food and anticipated being in town for a few more days, so I needed supplies.

No sooner did I get home from the store than I received a message informing me that we would likely leave on Wednesday morning.  We didn’t have a long enough window to get to La Paz but would head for Mazatlan and wait there for a window to cross.  I was sorry to leave La Cruz so soon, but hadn’t been to Mazatlan since 2013 and had a friend to visit there.  It seemed like a good plan.

I spent most of the afternoon practicing the guitar and packing and then shot off a quick blog post.  It didn’t take long since almost nothing had happened the previous week.  Soon, it was time to head to the Octopus’ Garden to see Cheko Ruiz’ last concert of the season where he was scheduled to be joined by Diego Mondragon. I couldn’t miss that.

Cheko Ruiz and Diego Mondragon

Karen and I shared a table with six Canadian condo dwellers who were big fans of Cheko.  We enjoyed chatting with them while I ate dinner.  The show was fabulous.  Each musician outdid himself and even the owner, Alfredo, chimed in with his trumpet at one point.  They played some music I had never heard them play before.  One piece by Rodrigo y Gabriela rocked and the flamenco guitarist, Juan Ramirez, had a chance to shine.  He seemed to be better every time I saw him.  He had come a long way over the course of the season and I looked forward to hearing him, again, in the future.

Diego Mondragon played a few pieces with the band and added another level of complexity to the music.  Their grand finale was Cheko’s new single, Afinadito.  I decided to take a video just in case it became a huge hit.  The band jammed for over nine minutes and my arms felt like they were going to cramp up if it went one minute longer.  Diego and Daniel, the trumpeter, just kept playing and the drummer didn’t want to be outdone.  Even Juan took up some bongos and played a decent solo.  No one wanted to stop playing and the audience didn’t want the show to end, either.

It was my last show at the Octopus’ Garden, as Alfredo was losing his lease at the end of the summer and it would be converted from a restaurant to a hostel.  It was emotional for me as I had many wonderful memories of hearing and playing music there over the years.  It always seemed to take a long time to get comfortable again after my regular haunt closed.  I hoped that Alfredo would succeed in finding and establishing a new location before I returned.

March 26, 2019

I thought it was my last day and I had a lot to pack in.  I got up early and went for a run in the marina.  I had not done so for a couple of weeks and it was noticeably lighter.  I almost missed the dawn.  When I got home, I did a load of laundry and spent most of the day packing and storing away my belongings.  I practiced the guitar one last time and then packed my guitar and music.  I would be delivering my things to Unleashed later that afternoon.

I Never Got Enough of This View

I cooked up the chunk of arrachera I had bought when I thought we would be staying longer so that we could munch on it easily during the crossing.  I was leaving most of the perishables behind but was bringing along any transportable food that would go stale before I returned.  If we didn’t use it on Unleashed, we could use it later on Scout.   

I found a few minutes to update my blog before Cherie came home to give me a ride to the marina with my bags.  We were going to the beach at Destiladeras for the late afternoon/evening and dropped my things off on the way. 

Big Waves at Destiladeras

A number of our friends had gone to the beach, earlier, by bus and already had a table set up on the sand.  We arrived around 16:00 with our friend, John, in tow.  We ordered food and drink and played in the water for a couple of hours.  Our original plan had been to stay for the sunset but the tide had reached our table and our friends were ready to go when the restaurant employees came to relocate us.  It was very windy and the surf was big so I was not inclined to go in the water, anyway.  We packed up and headed for La Cruz by 18:00.

The Beach at Destiladeras

Having returned early, I decided to accompany Cherie to the Brittania for the evening.  We were hungry, so stopped at the Octopus’ Garden for Tuesday burrito night.  The burritos were made from shredded pork and were huge.  We split one and both of us got plenty to eat.  I got a chance to say goodbye to the owner, Alfredo, without a big concert crowd around.  I promised to find him at his new location in the fall, wherever that might be.  I knew he would keep us informed via his frequent Facebook posts.

The Band at the Brittania

It was not very crowded at the Brittania but I did get a chance to say goodbye to John and Janice, Mark and Rosie, and Connie and Ted.  I danced with Keith from Poco Loco Dos and had a good time we didn’t stay late because we were planning to leave in the morning.

I looked at the weather when we got home and the weather window seemed rather dubious.  I mentioned that to Paul in a text before going to bed.

March 27, 2019

I looked at my messages when I awoke and received the news that Paul agreed it was not a good time to go and had scrapped our departure.  All my clothes were on the boat, so I couldn’t go to the gym.  I had a lazy morning and then rode the bicycle down to the marina to collect my guitar and enough clothes from the boat to make it until our next possible weather window on Saturday.

Unleashed, My Ride to La Paz

While I had been ready to leave, I had been sorry to miss Geo’s dance party at Oso’s Oyster Bar on Wednesday night.  Geo was playing rock 'n roll and blues that night, which he normally does not do.  I was interested to see that.  With our departure delayed, I got the chance to go.  I met Paul and Carol at Unleashed at 17:30 to share a glass of wine and eat the chicken I had bought in anticipation of leaving.  Then I bicycled over to Oso’s for the music. 

Ted, Rosie, Marc, Janice, and John at Oso's

The usual music groupies had reserved a table for eight.  It was a beautiful night.  We didn’t have a good view of the stage, but we had a lovely view of the marina.  Oso’s was absolutely packed and they had even set up tables outside on the Malecon.  The service was terribly slow and it took me over an hour to get a glass of wine.  That was probably a good thing, as the glasses were generous.  As it was, I was a little bit tipsy by the time I was asked to dance.

Leon Playing Washboard with Geo at Oso's

My partner was a good dancer, but a terrible show off.  He spun me all over the floor and several times dipped me nearly to the floor.  At one point I was upside down with my head practically on Geo’s feet.  It was a very strange perspective and I was not comfortable.  It took me three dances to escape his clutches and, by then, I felt I had made up for missing the gym that morning.  I stayed firmly anchored to the table after that and managed to pay my bill just before the show ended about 22:00.  As usual, the crowd thinned noticeably after 21:00.  We were not late night partiers.

March 28, 2019

Dawn at the La Cruz Marina

Having retrieved my exercise clothes, I got up early to run on Thursday.  Karen, Marc, and I planned to spend the day at a music festival at La Postal in Bucerias which started at 11:00.  I needed a nine volt battery for my guitar and wanted to go to the bank before we left.  I took a combi to the Mega where I ran into my friend, Graham, but failed to find a nine volt battery.  I did find a great pair of sandals in a shop in the mall.  It had always been impossible to buy shoes with any arch support in Mexico, but Birkenstock knock-offs had finally appeared in some of the tourist areas.  While they weren’t quite the quality of true Birkenstocks, they were about 20% of the price and were often more stylish.  I bought a great pair from a brand called Nomads for 549 pesos (about $28.)

I met Marc and Karen at La Postal.  The festival (if you could call it that) was small.  It was a fund raiser for a group of parents trying to start a Waldorf school.  They had a silent auction but the minimum bids were set too high and no one was bidding.  We camped there all day, moving from table to table so as not to monopolize prime real estate.  Karen ate three meals there and Marc and I two.

Javier and Diana Gutierrez Singing Opera

While the “festival” was not a great success, the music was surprisingly good.  They started off with Diana and Javier Gutierrez, a pair of opera singers who were among the organizers.  I wasn’t expecting much, but they were so good that even the neighbors came out to see what was going on.  

The second act was Chema Chendrix, composed of Andra (formerly the singer from Ana Banana’s and now the Drunken Duck) and some friends.  She was normally quite good, but was not used to playing with those musicians and was put off by the sound system.  (The soprano, beforehand, had overwhelmed the sound system completely on a few high notes.)  It wasn’t her best performance, but it was nice to see Andra, again, since I don’t frequent the Drunken Duck and had been wondering what had become of her.  Keith, from Poco Loco Dos, joined us and remained with us with the exception of slipping out for a dentist appointment in the late afternoon.

Diego Chavez

Andra was followed by Matt Storch, who played at the La Cruz Inn.  He went through just about my entire repertoire and it was all I could do not to sing along.  Next, came Cesar Velasquez, a Mexican saxophone player who played Kenny G-like soft jazz and then Elaine Canineo and Chris Gomez, the Brazilian singer and bass player that we had seen at Chacala.

Diego Chavez came on at 17:15 and I had been waiting all day for his set.  I had enjoyed his performance at the San Pancho Music Festival and was happy to get the chance to hear more of his mostly original music.

Dueto Aguamarine at La Postal

We had moved to another table further from the stage when a birthday party of thirty mostly children invaded the upper level where the stage was.  Cherie and John joined us there and we eventually moved to a larger table nearer to the stage.  We couldn’t hear much of Olivia de La Cruz or Caravane who played while that party was going on.  They finally left in time for us to hear Dueto Aguamarine, who played from 20:00 to 23:00.  They were very good and, using looping technology, made a lot of music for two people.  They played all the traditional Mexican songs and the woman had a lovely voice.  The young man playing the guitar sounded great, but I could barely stand to watch him playing Spanish guitar with a flat pick.  He must have been self-taught.

We stayed until the end and we were amazed that they managed to produce correct bills for all that we had eaten and drunk over the course of twelve hours with friends coming and going.

March 29, 2019

I made one last trip to the gym on Friday and said goodbye to Fred and Judy from Wings.  I stopped at a farmacia on my way to the bus stop and purchased some packets of electrolyte powder to use on the crossing.  The packets were much smaller and lighter than bottled drinks, although they had a salty taste and weren’t very inviting.

I spent the afternoon doing a last load of laundry and practicing the guitar.  Then I schlepped across La Cruz with my guitar and backpack full of computer and heavy music to drop them off at the boat on my way to meet Karen.

"Noche Mexicana" in Nuevo Vallarta

Vallarta Azteca

My last night was spent in Nuevo Vallarta at “Noche Mexicana,” a fundraiser for Tierra de los Ninos, an organization that teaches life skills to underprivileged children.  Karen drove a truckload of us to the party, which was held in one of the covered structures behind the San Javier Hospital where the Nuevo Vallarta market is held on Tuesdays.  They had food vendors, a raffle, and a singer who entertained us while we ate.  I had a bowl of tasty pozole and a couple of tacos al pastor from Tacos Junior.  After everyone had eaten, there was a show put on by the award-winning dance troupe Vallarta Azteca.  They performed traditional dances from Jalisco.  They were very good and the costumes were outstanding.

Excellent Mariachis

After the dancing, there was mariachi music.  These mariachis were excellent.  All the violins were in tune and they stayed together.  The violinists strolled through the audience.  I was tired, but still glad to stay to hear them.  Karen, who loves mariachis, would not have been budged, anyway.  She dropped me off just before 23:00 and I went straight to bed, needing to get up at 5:45 the next morning for our departure.

THE GRAND EXODUS BEGINS

March 18-21, 2019

I felt too lousy on Monday to hit the gym, but I dragged myself to Bucerias by 11:00 for my nail appointment, only to find that the salon was closed for Benito Juarez’ birthday.  I contemplated doing errands, but ended up just taking the bus back and doing nothing for the rest of the day.

I didn’t get up to run on Tuesday, either, and finally broke down and started taking antibiotics.  I did very little all day but managed to make it to Unleashed by 17:00 for happy hour and a tour of the boat I would be assisting to cross to La Paz.  I was surprised to find a full scale party in progress, when I arrived, complete with sangria and appetizers.  We sat and socialized until after 20:00 and then headed, en masse, for Falconi’s in search of pizza.  Unfortunately, Falconi’s was closed on Tuesdays, as was Red Chairs.  We ended up having a very nice pizza feast at Casa Hule where they dragged out an extra table to seat all of us.  Few restaurants were open on Tuesdays and they were crowded.

The Twenty-Five Peso Store in Bucerias

My digestive tract felt better by Wednesday, but I still felt weak and was starting to get a sore throat.  I didn’t want to get sick for the crossing to La Paz, so stayed in and rested most of the day.  I did get a chance to catch up on my blog, which was weeks behind.

I had tried to text my manicurist on Wednesday to reschedule my appointment but didn’t receive a response.  By Thursday afternoon, I had started to lose nails and couldn’t really play the guitar.  I took a bus up to Bucerias about 15:00, only to find the salon packed.  I made an appointment for the following day and walked across Bucerias to the 25 peso store to buy clothespins for Scout.  I kept losing them overboard and we were getting low.  I was finally starting to feel better.

March 22, 2019

I finally got myself moving on Friday morning and went to the gym.  I hadn’t been able to make my nail appointment until noon, so I showered at the gym and then walked up the street to Chedraui to buy plastic storage bins.  My departure was approaching and, as our departure date was weather dependent, I needed to be ready to leave on short notice.  Our house sitters tended to use my room, so I wanted to pack up all my things and leave the room ready.

That errand didn’t take long, so I piled the bins on top of my head and walked back down the lateral to the Lateral Café for a Frappuccino while I waited.  It was difficult to walk on cobblestones with a stack of boxes on my head because I couldn’t look down.  Where the road got too rough, I had to carry them in front of me.  The waitress at the café felt sorry for me.  I was only sorry because I would be leaving soon.

I got my nails done at noon and, having lost most of the acrylic, decided to try just gel polish on all but my right thumb.  I was betting that, after two years of not biting the acrylic nails, I could refrain from chewing them off without the plastic coating.  I was rewarded by only having to pay 150 pesos or about $7.50.

I got lucky and a bus was waiting at the stop when I crossed the highway.  It was much easier to drag my bins aboard a full-sized bus than trying to squeeze them into a combi.  I got a seat near the door , so was able to get back off without incident when I reached La Cruz.  The only downside to the bus was that I had to walk farther, since the bus only stopped at regular intervals.  I spent the rest of the afternoon resting after my exertions.

I wanted to be sure to make it to the Poolside Deli for my domino game at 17:00, since it might quite possibly be my last game of the season.  I must not have been alone because we had such a large crowd that we had to break into three tables.  We played until 19:00.  Paul and Carol were there and we discussed the effect of the projected weather on our departure.  We needed three days without a north wind to make the crossing.  Paul couldn’t leave before the following Wednesday and a norther was predicted to kick in on Thursday.  If nothing changed, we would have to wait until after that wind event to make our crossing.

March 23, 2019

I had had trouble sleeping on Friday night, so did not get up in time to run on Saturday.  I did manage to get my laundry done, which I had not had time to do the day before.  I read most of the afternoon and, before I knew it, it was time to meet my friends for dinner.

Karen and I had been running around with John and Janice’s Canadian entourage (Ed and Carol, Ted and Connie) all season. Carol had discovered a new rib joint down the street from Agave Azul where a new concrete stretch of road had replaced the washed out section where the river ran during the rainy season.  The “restaurant” was actually just a few tables in someone’s yard and on the street in front of their property.  They were only open on Saturdays from 17:00 to 22:30 and served only ribs with mashed potatoes and coleslaw.  The chef, who also cooked the ribs for the Octopus’ Garden and Fondo del Mar in Punta Mita, was busy on the other nights of the week.  A rib dinner cost only 130 pesos or 190 pesos for a full rack.  This was about 65 pesos less than I was used to paying and the portions of sides was generous.  A half rack was plenty for me.

Carol, Karen and Ed Eating Ribs

With eight of us at the table, it was a noisy party and the place was hopping.  They had quite a crowd of regulars who showed up as soon as they opened so as to be sure not to miss out on the good, cheap food.  We all hoped that the new road wouldn’t wash out over the summer and take their business with it.  They could not have set up tables in the river bed.

La Boquita at the Octopus' Garden

It was Ed and Carol’s last night in Mexico, so we were celebrating.  After dinner, we strolled up to the Octopus’ Garden to see La Boquita, a troupe of flamenco musicians and dancers.  The group had a guitarist, a singer/cajon player, and two dancers.  There was also a cellist who played a couple of songs with them.  I was pleased to see that they were joined for the evening by Juan Ramirez, the flamenco guitarist from Cheko Ruiz’ band.  Unbeknownst to me, he turned out to be quite talented at singing in the gypsy style.  The woman who played the cajon also had a lovely voice.  This singing was a nice change from the largely instrumental flamenco music that we usually heard.

The dancers were also a nice change.  One of them did an amazing dance balancing on just the edges of her shoe heels.  They danced singly and together, with fans, canes, and shawls.  Juan added a lot to the show.  The audience appreciated the performance and gave them a standing ovation but there were only three tables of us.  Karen and I had tried to go see them in December, but that show had been cancelled due to lack of interest.  It was always difficult to attract an audience for a new band.  The competition in La Cruz was stiff.

After the show, we repaired to John and Janice’s to eat cheesecake and wish Ed and Carol farewell.  We made a noisy party as we teased each other about our various health issues.  Clearly, we were not teenagers anymore.  It was sad to say goodbye and made all of us realize how little time remained in the season.  I was only slightly comforted by the fact that I was only leaving La Cruz, not Mexico.

March 24, 2019

I spent a lazy morning and then practiced and did my writing for the week, finally bringing my blog up to date.  Cherie, John, and I rearranged the living room.  I was waiting for a message from John and Janice telling me what time to meet for the evening’s game of Rummikub.  We needed to get in at least one game before someone had to leave.

I spent the entire afternoon and evening hanging around the house but never heard from John and Janice.  I read and practiced the guitar and even started packing.  Eventually, about 22:00, I gave up and watched a Mexican crime show on Netflix.

MUSIC ALL OVER NAYARIT

March 11-12, 2019

Monday was a gym day.  I was feeling a bit under the weather as a result of something I ate at the race banquet, but I pressed myself to work out, anyway.  I spent a relaxing day at home, writing and practicing. 

Despite my lethargy, I made it to the Octopus’ Garden in time to see Perla singing with Tatewari.  Perla is a very talented vocalist in her own right and I always enjoyed her performances with Tatewari.  They played a very different set when she accompanied them, with more traditional Mexican songs. 

 

Perla Singing with Tatewari

 

It was Tatewari’s last concert of the season and they were in a festive mood.  The show ended with fireworks shooting out of the end of their guitars.  I had spent the whole evening trying to figure out what they had attached to the heads of their instruments and that answered my question.  We had a lot of fun.  Still, I was glad the show didn’t go late because I was ready to hit the hay.

Tatewari with Flaming Guitars

Tuesday Sunrise

I wasn’t feeling energetic Tuesday morning, but managed one lap around the marina, despite having overslept.  The sunrise was exceptional.  I spent another slow day at home and finally managed to complete a blog post.  I had not been in the mood to write for quite some time, possibly because I had already written almost everything there was to write about La Cruz.

La Fonda Cocqui (Tacos Across the Street)

We tried to go to Tacos on the Street for dinner, but discovered that they were closed on Tuesdays.  La Fonda Cocqui (also known as Tacos Across the Street) was open and doing a land office business.  We ate there, instead.  The food was just as good as the first time we had eaten there and, while I did not order one, I learned that they served margaritas.  I filed that information away for later.

March 13, 2019

I got up early and sat in the cockpit to watch the dawn.  Whatever had invaded my digestive tract was an early riser.  After the net, I went to the gym.  I managed to complete my aerobic workout, but felt too weak to do any weight training.

We had tickets to see Luna Rumba and Media Luna at Los Arroyos Verdes that evening.  My friend, Marc, had arranged a van to take eleven of us out there at 17:00.  We gathered in the square and were only a few minutes late getting started. 

It seemed like everyone attending the concert had the same idea of getting there early and eating dinner at the taco bar.  Sixty pesos bought you three small, very greasy, pre-prepared tacos, some slimy nopal salad and beans if you got there before we did.  The taco “bar” consisted of salsa and shredded cabbage.  The price was right, but the result was disappointing.  Still, the idea had been popular and there were more people trying to eat than seats in the eating area.  It was a mob scene.  We ate as fast as we could and then headed to the concert area where we had staked out seats as soon as they opened the gate.  There were twelve of us once Karen joined the party.

 

Media Luna Playing with Luna Rumba 

 Luna Rumba started the show, playing five now familiar songs from their repertoire.  Then they were joined by the three guitarists from Media Luna and played a mix of original Media Luna pieces and Luna Rumba favorites.  It was incredibly exciting to see them all playing together.  It is not often that you get five amazing guitarists simultaneously playing flamenco.  Each attempted to outdo the others.  Luna Rumba is an energetic band, but the boys from Media Luna definitely cranked the energy up a notch or two.  By the time they finished their set, I was exhausted.  I think I had been holding my breath.

Caleb and Jair of Media Luna

The band gave us an intermission to recover after the Media Luna set.  Everybody was so energized, it was hard to get us seated again, but there was more to come.  Chas Eller joined the band on keyboards after the intermission.  He had produced and played on the original Luna Rumba’s first studio album.  He and Geo began the set with a jazz rendition of Fly Me to the Moon.

Luna Rumba played a few more songs and then the dancing horses returned to dance to Geo’s song, Bailando Los Caballos.  It always amazed me that those poor horses could perform in a crowded space with all the crowd and loud music.  Any horse I had had would have bolted.  They looked a little wild-eyed but did what their riders asked of them.  They were amazingly well trained.  I was interested to learn that one of the horses belonged to the owner of the La Cruz Inn, which explained why they danced there on Friday evenings.  Their performances had become quite popular.

Geo Playing in the Audience

Lily in Her Wildest Costume

After the horses, Luna Rumba played some excellent Mana and Santana covers and Geo even played while strolling through the audience.  Lily danced for the crowd in increasingly exotic costumes.  Then Media Luna rejoined the band for the grand finale and, of course, encore.  It was by far the longest show of the season.  No one wanted them to stop playing.  They got a well-deserved standing ovation.  It was easily the best show I had seen all season.  I sincerely hoped they would spend the low season recording a new album.

Our taxi driver returned to take us back to La Cruz and Marc flagged him down with a blue light like a miniature version of the ones used to direct aircraft into gates.  It was midnight by the time we got home and very late for the crew of Scout.

March 14-16, 2019

Thursday Sunrise

I managed a couple of laps around the marina on Thursday morning, although I still felt under par.  That evening, nearly the entire marina turned out to watch Bohemian Rhapsody at the amphitheater.  I enjoyed it just as much the second time, although the sound wasn’t so great.  It was clear that everybody there loved Queen and Freddie Mercury.  His incredible talent seemed to have overcome people’s prejudices.

Friday was another gym day and I still felt weak.  I struggled through my cardio workout, once again, but had to go slowly on the rowing machine.  I spent the day resting and doing laundry.  Still, I managed to make it to the Mexican Train Dominoes happy hour, although I passed on the margaritas.

Scout was planning to leave on Saturday morning, so Friday was Greg and Blair’s last night in La Cruz.  We went to Tacos on the Street for dinner with Tom and Cary from Dragon’s Toy and were joined by the entire race crew of Pinocchio.  The tacos were even better than remembered.  They only serve one kind of meat, grilled beef, but it was excellent.  They are the only restaurant in town where you can get cheese on your tacos.  You might think that they cater only to gringos, but the place is always half-full with Mexican patrons, many of whom have spent the day at the beach in La Manzanilla.  Everybody likes Tacos on the Street.

We lounged for a bit in the cockpit after dinner.  It was my last night on Scout for a few weeks, so I lingered.  I was looking forward to sleeping in my own bed and not having to shuttle back and forth from house to boat, but was going to miss the boat, crew, and dock neighbors.

Scottie in Paradise

Once again, I did a couple of laps around the marina on Saturday morning.  There was a cute little white Scottie that walked in the mornings.  He always followed quite a distance behind his owner, his short little legs scrambling to keep up.  While dogs are supposed to be leashed on the marina property, they are free to roam in the town.  It’s a great place to be a dog, although they are often injured by cars or occasionally poisoned.  My dog would have loved the weather in La Cruz but I could not take him with me when crewing, so he had to remain shivering at home.

I stayed with the boat through coffee and the net and then went home and let them get on with their preparations to leave.  By noon, they were off Punta Mita and heading north.  I was still feeling lousy, so hung around the house doing as little as possible.

March 17, 2019

I slept late on Sunday and generally relaxed until it was time to meet Karen for our trip to the Chacala Music Festival.  Marc joined us.  Chacala is a two-hour drive up the coast to the north.  As Chacala is outside the Banderas Bay area, they are on Mountain, rather than Central, time so we gained an hour driving up there. 

The previous year, I had gone for three days and rented a room there.  The festival had been disappointing so, for 2019, I had decided to just go for one day to enjoy the beach at Chacala.  It was a lovely spot.

We arrived just in time to have tacos at a restaurant overlooking the plaza.  I had shrimp tacos despite the fact that I was still suffering from the shrimp I had eaten a week before.  They were delicious.  Shrimp was one of the best things about living in Nayarit.  I seldom ate it anywhere else.

The Beach at Chacala

We took our chairs to the beach, after lunch, and spent the afternoon reading and munching ice cream from the vendor who passed by.  I tried the yaka flavored ice cream and found it quite tasty.  It was a three-day weekend for Benito Juarez’ birthday and the beach was wall to wall umbrellas.  Kids were surfing inflatable mattresses in the breakers.  We sat on the beach until the professional music began about 19:00, electing to pass up the school kids’ performances.

The festival had always been held in the campground at the edge of town, but a dispute with squatters had led to the burning of the campground buildings and the festival had been downsized and moved to the small central plaza.  This turned out to be a good thing, as the old location was gorgeous but always seemed empty.  The new location was more intimate,  The organizers had shortened the music from three to two days, which was also a good thing as they had had trouble filling the bill with good acts.

The Plaza Where the Festival Was Held

I had chosen Sunday to go because Cheko Ruiz was playing.  He was the only band I recognized from the schedule released in advance.  When we got there, we discovered that Tatewari would be playing just before him.

Tatewari (sort of) at Chacala

The first band was Trio Descante, featuring a singer, drummer, and bassist who also played melody on a six-string bass.  They played Brazilian music and were very enjoyable.  We were pleasantly surprised.  

“Tatewari” was actually Esau and Lobo plus Daniel, as Sonny had returned to Canada and Mimi was probably playing another gig.  They were seated near us and we had stopped to chat with them and Cheko earlier.  It was fun to watch them watch the other bands.  We were the La Cruz rooting section.

Cheko's Band Got the Whole Crowd Dancing

Cheko’s band came on at 21:00 and played a long set.  The crowd loved them and everyone was dancing.  Despite it being late on Sunday night, no one showed sign of flagging.

Cheko's Fabulous Trumpeter

  Check out Cheko's earlier concert in Chacala on YouTube.

The last band on the schedule was Sonidos de Mi Tierra, which was billed as regional music and dance from around Mexico.  We were expecting the usual Ballet Folklorico with recorded music, but were surprised with a very talented group of young musicians and dancers with fabulous costumes.  They were very professional and had released a number of albums.  No one showed signs of leaving during their performance.

 

Sonidos de Mi Tierra

We were tired by the time that set ended at 23:30, but there was still another act to follow.  Two young men, Donas and his fellow musician, at least one of whom was from La Cruz, played a short set of original music and they were very good.  As tired as I was, I had no desire to leave before they finished.

It was midnight in Chacala when we finally headed for the car.  I nodded on and off during the drive home.  It was 3:00 AM in La Cruz when Karen dropped me off.  That was the latest I had stayed out in a very long time.  We vowed we would rent a room the following year.