Illusion, Friends, Lips, Hearts and Sunsets

Happy Spring Equinox! It's already starting to feel like summer here in La Paz.

The good life! La Buena Vida.

I don’t know why it’s always more fun to run into people from home when you are in a foreign country, but we always get very excited when we have the chance to rendezvous with people from the SF Bay Area here in Mexico. It’s not actually that odd, considering many of us are sailors/cruisers, but we were really surprised when we got an email from my ex-boss/now-friend Sally saying she and her husband Stan had left California, had sailed across the border and were hanging out in Turtle Bay having fun meeting other cruisers. 

When I first met Sally in 1998 she and Stan were “getting ready to cruise”, but one thing led to another, year after year, and they were never able to break away.

OK, to be fair, Stan WAS running a company, navigating mega-yachts, winning Volvo Cups, and creating viewing technology for the America's Cup. And he DID get me this great gig managing the antenna on top of the GGYC, where I got to watch the awesome AC action.

 But my, how time flies. And finally here they are in Mexico!

They let us know when they eventually arrived in Cabo San Lucas, so Tom and I decided it was a perfect opportunity for a road trip. We packed a few extra clothes just in case, hopped into the Tundra, and enjoyed a gorgeous drive down the west coast of Baja.

 A surprising Concours d'Elegance on the way to Todos Santos

We know that Sally and Stan take great care of their Cal 40, but we were still amazed to see that she was in pristine condition after her trip down the coast.

With Stan and Sally next to the beautiful Illusion.

We were having so much fun walking around Cabo that I almost forgot to take pictures!

I did remember to pull out my camera at the Dolphinarium,  where we were impressed with the parrot cage and their dedicated trainer.

The trainer was fantastic! He's giving her a High-5.

We mooched a bunk aboard Illusion for the night, and then spent the next day sightseeing and running errands.

Would you believe this great restaurant was at the food court at Walmart? Best  Mahi-Mahi burrito so far!

At the end of our busy day we said goodbye to our friends, who had plans to arrive in La Paz in a couple of weeks.

That night we looked for a campground that I had read about, but couldn’t find. We asked for directions at a tourist booth, and one of the local guys said he’d be glad to jump in our car and show us the way. REALLY? Was this going to be a set up for highway robbery? He asked us to promise to drive him back, which made us feel a little better…until we turned down a dirt road in questionable condition that went past a sketchy looking beer store with guys hanging around spitting and scratching their huevos. Hmmmm…  But our guide kept chatting amiably trying to sell us a timeshare, and soon he directed us into what appeared to be a dusty campground. We’d made it! Not quite to the place I was looking for, but it would do. We drove our guide back, tipped him which he greatly appreciated since he was unable to sell us a timeshare, and stopped at the scary beer store to stock up on beer and cookies for the night.

We pitched our tent in the dust under a huge cell tower that had survived Hurricane Odile, and were kept company by the owner’s two frisky Chihuahuas and one cat. Even though it was kind of sketchy, the place had GREAT showers!

Our campsite!

The next day we were skunked in the wind department, but we happened to stumble upon a famous surfing spot, Monuments, and after talking to some friendly locals who were departing, Tom had the whole place to himself.

Happy!

We continued up the East Cape through the wind-lovers mecca of Los Barriles (yes it means The Barrels). As we drove north, Tom remembered that El Triunfo is the home of a bakery famous for its authentic sourdough bread. So far we have not been impressed with Mexican sourdough, but this place made the real deal, almost as good as SF Sourdough. It smelled so good I wanted to stick my face right into it!

OMG real sourdough at last! Not SF Sourdough but close, very close.

We got back into La Paz just in time to hit commuter traffic, which gave us plenty of time to talk about what a great trip we’d had.

Typical commuter traffic in La Paz.

Album: Cabo Road Trip

The rest of February was filled up with Super Bowl…

Enjoying super bowl with our neighbors Manny and Lola.

Valentine’s Day…

Susan of Ross Marine wishes everyone a happy Dia de Amistad y Amor.

And of course our Valentine's Day fiesta.

Good-bye celebrations...

Farewell party for John of Time Piece; he got a great job with Caribbean Cruise Lines.

And Carnaval…

At the end of the month we got some insane Southerly winds...

Blue over gold means the Capitania de Puerto has closed the port!

...and as luck would have it Sally and Stan were heading to the East Cape from Cabo. Instead of trying to go into a rolly anchorage, they continued up on a spinnaker run with the favorable winds at their backs, and rolled into Marina Palmira during a morning calm.

We had a great time showing them around La Paz…

In front of my favorite statue on the Malecon, The Old Man and the Sea by G. G. Macias.

...and they introduced us to a fantastic couple they had met in Turtle Bay, Barry and Judy aboard Kiwi Three.

Happy Anniversary! So much for your romantic evening.

We invaded Barry and Judy’s anniversary, but it turned out to be a special night filled with jokes and laughter. Judy gave us our best quote of the month.

Tom: What were you before you were a cruiser?

Judy: Well, I was a child.

During the meal at a lovely outdoor patio, my watch alarm went off, reminding us that the ISS (International Space Station) was just about to pass directly overhead, and as we watched it we were awed to think that this extremely bright thing over our heads had humans in it.

Wow.

More Pictures in our: February Album

And Happy Anniversary to our friends Nancy and Rob aboard Shindig, enjoying the beautiful Mexican mainland. 

We miss you guys!!

Happy Lucky Friday The 13th! (OK, Posted Late So Happy Pi Day!)

Our Friday the 13th started off with a bit of excitement. Apparently a man tried to steal/borrow our kayak just after 6:00 a.m., but our neighbor's dog barked so loudly that she disturbed the crime in progress. The crook managed to get the kayak into the water, sans paddle, and he was seen paddling around behind our boats using his hands. But either he decided it was too much trouble, or maybe he was thinking to steal the paddle on the back of our neighbor's boat (which he boarded!), or too many people were poking their heads out of their boats thanks to Pancha the wonder dog, but he parked the kayak, climbed back onto the dock, then eventually departed empty-handed. Dumb Crook. We're all going to keep our eyes open though, and lock our stuff up, just in case. And our kayak is now tied to the side of the boat that faces the water. And Pancha got a chicken dinner as a reward.

Pancha is on duty 24/7!! She's sweet, but can be a bad-ass.

I met a woman last week who asked me if I live in La Paz. 

"Ermmmmm, yes. Yes, I live in La Paz." 

I guess so, since we've been here over three months, save for a couple of road trips. Tom and I were feeling like a couple of lazy loads for dragging our feet and never making it over to the mainland. But Tom really wanted to improve his kiteboarding skills, and he has been having a blast doing it. That's our excuse and we're sticking to it! Anyhoo, it's fun here and the weather so far has been mostly fantastic.

OK, so maybe we've had a few rainy days.

But check out this sunset that same evening!

La Paz is still recovering from hurricane Odile. Many lights and cell towers remain bent, crunched, and inoperable. A bunch of boats in the marina's boatyard blew over, and it is the responsibility of the owner to get them upright again. So as you can imagine some of them just remain tipped. So sad.

Boat likely damaged beyond repair.

However on this day the lovely boat Indara was being put back into the water after her bottom job. She looked like a gem compared to some of the wrecked boats in the yard. I was fascinated by how the yard splashed her, using a tractor to ease the trailer down the boat ramp. I took quite a few pictures which are in our January album (link below).

Indara gets lowered down the boat ramp.

La Paz is a hub for people traveling from far away places, and going to and from mainland Mexico. There is always someone interesting passing through. In January this couple rolled into town, literally, on their home built bamboo bicycle, looking to hitch a ride on a boat to the mainland. They had ridden through Europe, flown to Oakland and rode all the way down to La Paz!

Nico and Marki became popular very quickly.

They were absolutely charming, she from Czech and he from Argentina, and they had no trouble finding a boat willing to take them and their bicycle to Banderas Bay, where they will continue riding through Mexico bound for South America.

Unlike all the media hype, Mexico is generally a safe place to travel, but even La Paz has seen an increase in drug-related crimes. Fifty new police cars were added to the force in January, and it is very common to see Police and Military trucks patrolling the city.

Our favorite bartender and now friend, Conchita, was held up at knife point outside her house early one morning. She escaped with her life but the thief stole her money and her smart phone. She had worked long and hard to earn the money for that phone, and was always using her English translation app. We felt terrible for her, so Terry from the boat Cetus talked about starting a collection, and we all thought it was a terrific idea. A representative from each dock gathered a few pesos from each boat and we ended up with quite a lot of pesos, more than enough for a new smart phone! We decided to present the money to her a few days before Super Bowl Sunday, so one afternoon we all started trickling into her bar one by one. 

The ladies Mexican Train group starts off the gathering.

Conchita was a bit confused, because we don't ALL normally go there at once, unless there is some event going on. Finally, Terry presented the card to her, with a message written in Spanish by our neighbor Lola, explaining that Conchita is like family to us, and family sticks together, and by everyone putting in a little, it ended up being enough for her to buy a new phone. 

Terry (left) presents our card to Conchita.

Conchita (and friends) with her new smart phone!

Later, Conchita and two other victims were able to identify the perp, and he is now in jail for 5 years! 
Album: Surprise for Conchita

More pictures from January (yes I know we are already in March, but so what?). Album: Starting 2015 in La Paz


And yes, I know that it is now the day AFTER Friday the 13th, (also unlucky in Mexico). In fact it is Pi day! 

Pot pies and quiche for sale at the marina every Wednesday.

And tomorrow will be the Ides of March, "Beware!!" so maybe we'll go out and have some Caesar salad somewhere.

Coming Soon: Road trip to Cabo, Red Lips, Foggy hike to the cross.

The People We Meet - The City of Children

Welcome! Read on...

Yep, still in La Paz. Somehow the place has a hold on us and after a very hectic 2014 I guess it just feels good to hang out and meet interesting new people and meet up with old friends. 

We often listen to the La Paz Cruiser's Net at 08:00 a.m., where other cruisers discuss the weather, advertise goods for swaps and trades, and make general announcements to the fleet. One day in January I heard an announcement that a woman, Nancy, was going to be teaching English classes at the local orphanage/children's home and she was looking for volunteers to help with one-on-one tutoring of the students. Hmmm...

Later that day Nancy was at our marina hoping to meet with potential volunteers, and several of us were recruited to help with her classes. It would be easy; all we had to do was show up one day a week and speak English. Nancy ended up with something like 15 volunteers total, 4-5 from our Marina Palmira and the rest from town and other marinas.

The following Monday a few of us from Marina Palmira made our way to Ciudad de los Ninos y Ninas, (City of Children, aka Boys and Girls Town), located at the Santuario de Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe, a big church in the center of La Paz.

The church as seen from the playground.

The catholic church has sponsored the orphanage since 1952 and currently houses approximately 80 children, boys and girls. The facility is bright and clean and is an extremely pleasant environment. 

The English classes are a voluntary extra-curricular activity for the students. Most of the kids were in Nancy's classes last year and they were all delighted to see her, crowding around her and giving big hugs. There were 5-7 students in each of two classes (M/W and T/TH classes) with at least one volunteer for each student. 

Nancy teaches every year.

This year Nancy's theme was growing plants, so she taught planting terminology as well as plant parts, flowers, fruits and vegetables. Obviously while the kids were learning English I was learning the Spanish counterparts. The first day of class we even got to plant some seeds in cups so we could watch them grow. Nancy also used flashcards, class participation drills and games, and special "tickets" for correct answers that could be exchanged for gifts and candy. I really enjoyed being in school again!

The students proudly display their seedlings.

I was reminded how hard it was for me to learn some of the Spanish fruits and vegetables when we were teaching the students difficult words like mushrooms, watermelons, and strawberries. It's really hard to get your mouth around some words when your language doesn't include those sounds!

In one week our seeds sprouted into little seedlings so off we went to the local organic gardens Raiz de Fondo (intended for educational purposes and local enhancement) for a field trip to learn more about plants and gardening skills. It was a great garden! I learned that several of the students are already volunteers at this garden, learning about planting, watering, composting and harvesting among other things.

The students get name tags and hats for their visit.

It was fun for the students to see what their tomato plants will look like if they take care of them.

Garden volunteer gives tutorial on transplanting seedlings.

Nancy had arranged for some of the volunteers to build planter boxes back at the orphanage, so after the garden tutorial the kids were able to transplant their own seedlings, water them, and watch them grow into plants.

Usually Nancy's classes extend into March, but this year she had to end them early due to other plans, so before we knew it our last class was upon us. To celebrate, the Padre bought us a bunch of pizzas from Dominos, some soft drinks, and a big cake. 

Student Jesus shares some cake with me. He's been living at the orphanage for about 7 years.

The pizzas came with big french fries called papotas, different types of spicy salsas, cheese sauce and a chimichurri sauce that was suspiciously like thousand island dressing. Very different condiments from the Parmesan and red chili flakes we are used to. 

In true teacher fashion, Nancy asked the students to identify the different ingredients on their pizzas to make sure they'd learned their lessons: mushrooms, peppers, pineapple, spinach, etc.

Jesus, Nancy and Sherry from the sailboat Sol Seeker

These girls loved volunteer Adam and his bicycle.

Nancy told me that the students get a lot out of the one-on-one class sessions, but I came away feeling like perhaps I had gotten even more out of the classes. It was a great experience and if I'm in La Paz next year at this time I'd like to do it again.

Ciudad de los Ninos y Ninas is sponsored by the Catholic church and exists on donations and volunteer help. It also supports itself by running a print shop which accounts for 50% of its annual budget. Some of the children are not actually orphans, but come from families that are unable to care for them. None of the children are up for adoption because, 1) some might be able to return to their families one day, and 2) the City of Children functions as one big family. The students may live there as long as they are in school, and a couple of university students still live there. They have an "open door policy", meaning the children are not forced to stay and may leave the orphanage any time they wish, but few elect to leave this safe and pleasant sanctuary.

Photo Album: Ciudad de los Ninos y Ninas

The Saga of Bandito - The Tiny Puppy With a Huge Heart

Reporting from La Paz, Baja California Sur

The puppy had a frightening introduction to life. No more than two weeks old, his litter-mate was squashed on the highway and his mother ran off into the hills. The tiny puppy was abandoned next to the entrance of Marina Palmira, so he wisely ran away from the scary highway and into the compound where there were aromas of food and lots of kind people walking around. 

Will you help me??

The people didn’t seem to care that the puppy was dirty, skinny, and had patches of fur falling out of scabby spots. They petted him and gave him treats and, eventually, real puppy food. 

The puppy had a cheerful disposition in spite of his traumatic beginning. Truth be told, he was quite a scamp, and he immediately endeared himself to the people who lived in the marina. Some of the nice people took him to the veterinarian to get shots and special cream and shampoo for his skin.  

Soon his fur looked healthy (almost) and he even had a bit of a tummy. For a while the puppy lived a life of relative independence, sleeping where he wanted, trotting over to the restaurants, workers, and cruisers to beg, and poking his nose into the businesses that lined the marina. But he would never, ever leave the marina and go near the highway.

I'm staying right here!

The puppy especially liked to hang out at Cross Marine Works, because Kim Cross played with him and took care of him, Rob Cross let him play with his tools, and there were always people stopping by who would scratch his ears, hold him, and let him nip at their toes.

One night when it was cold, Kim found him shivering in the dirt behind the buildings, so she wrapped him in a towel and took him to her boat for the night. She was officially his temporary mom.

 After a couple of weeks the puppy had become a part of our marina community, and it was time to give him a name. Rob said the puppy was a little robber who was always sticking his nose into Rob’s tool bag and trying to carry off tools as big as himself. He tried out “Bandito” and the puppy looked right up at Rob, as if to say, “Yes sir, that’s me all right. I’m Bandito!”

Rob and Bandito

Kim and another nice lady contacted the Baja Dogs Society, and found a very nice home for Bandito. The adoptive parents wanted a dog to cuddle, and Bandito LOVED to play and cuddle. They also had a big house and a fenced in yard with lots of room and another dog for Bandito to play with. As soon as Bandito’s skin fungus was completely cured he would be allowed to go to his new, permanent home. Meanwhile, Bandito lived with Kim and Rob. He spent his days playing around their workshop and nights on their boat, where he had his own bed and bowls.

If this were a fairy tale there would be a wicked witch, but it’s a true story and witches don’t really exist, do they?

Way at the end of a dock there was a big motor yacht owned by a very rich lady. 

She rarely smiled, didn’t like to say hello, and she had a lot of big bodyguards (with guns, although they were hidden) making sure that nobody could hurt her or even talk to her. People said she had experienced great tragedy in her life, and her heart had turned to black ice. This lady decided she did not like seeing Bandito running around the marina, so she complained to the office and requested they send a dog catcher to capture Bandito and “throw him away”.

Luckily, the office told Kim. She immediately put Bandito on a leash and informed the office that Bandito was not a stray but had a real home waiting for him. Kim made sure Bandito was never off the leash. Even though he didn’t like it at first, he soon became used to it. 

It's better than being thrown away!

The leash was long enough for Bandito to sleep in Kim’s office, play in Rob’s workshop, and scamper around in the yard behind the shop. People stopped by during the day to play with him, take him for walks, and throw his squeaky toys for him. Life was happy for Bandito because Kim had saved his life.

Kim and Bandito

But one day things changed 100%, and not for the better. Kim and Rob came back from lunch and called for Bandito like they did every day, but he wasn’t there. His leash was still attached to the building, but Bandito and his collar were gone! Many of us searched everywhere for Bandito, Kim put out a general radio alert to the fleet, but Bandito was nowhere to be found. His leash had a strong clip on it, he would never, ever leave the marina, and so we knew he had been stolen. We were all heartsick and sad.

Kim was diligent and questioned everyone at the marina, and finally a clue materialized. Two people, reliable sources, had seen a truck drive into the marina just after Kim went to lunch and park next to Bandito. Then, a couple of people got out and unclipped him from his leash, tied him into the back of the truck, and drove away. And the witnesses said that the thieves looked like two of the rich lady’s bodyguards! 

Some people surmised that maybe they stole the dog to give it away or sell it. Some people feared that the rich lady ordered her guards to steal the dog and “throw it away” (or worse) as she had previously demanded. We were very concerned, and I cried that first night with worry as to what had become of Bandito. 

Kim made a sign – ROBADO/STOLEN!! – with a picture of Bandito and a description of the truck and people who had stolen him, and she posted it around the marina. She went down to the big yacht and spoke to one of the bodyguards, and he claimed to have no knowledge of the theft. Kim went to the marina office and asked them to inquire with the rich lady to see if her guards had taken the dog. Kim pursued it the next day as well, and was supported by the cruisers who owned pets. Many of them went to the office to express concern about the safety of their own pets.

Two days after Bandito disappeared Kim spoke to more of the guards and told them that Bandito had a contagious skin condition, he needed his medicine which only she had, and that she was going to report the theft to the police. Bandito was returned within an hour. The story the guards told was that they thought Bandito needed to be adopted and so they had taken him. Kim said “No, you stole him from off a leash when you knew I was gone! He has a home and I’m his adopted mom until he goes there.” 

Bandito went crazy with relief when he was returned to Kim. He was dusty, dirty and very thirsty, so wherever he was they hadn’t taken very good care of him. Kim wanted to take Bandito to her boat so she could give him a bath, and he was so excited to be back he wriggled underneath the gate before she could even open it, and he made a beeline straight for “his” boat. Kim lifted him up to help him into the boat and he leaped out of her arms, ran into the boat, and snuggled into his bed. Bandito was home at last.

Kim and Rob cleaned Bandito, fed him, and brought him to where we were all gathered watching a football game, and Bandito got a hero’s welcome. I called him and when he ran into my arms I cried again, this time for joy. It was time to celebrate. Also, Seattle had just miraculously beaten Green Bay, but everyone was so happy to see Bandito that even the Green Bay fans wanted to celebrate.

Time to celebrate! Is that why we're wearing near-identical outfits?

Bandito had another great week living at the marina, but eventually it was time for him to go to his new, permanent home, high on a hill overlooking La Paz. (Pretty deluxe, actually.) 

Wow! Check out Bandito's new neighborhood.

One afternoon Bandito got picked up by his new parents and Kim said goodbye to him, probably for the last time. She was sad to lose her little pal and adopted puppy, even though she always knew he would have to leave.

Bandito’s new family said they might change his name because their other doggie was named Bonita and they thought the dogs would get confused.

Maybe Bandito’s family will change his name, but to us he will always be Bandito, the little bandit who stole our hearts.

Bandito thanks everyone for helping him out.

The saga of Bandito has a happy ending, thanks to a doggie’s tenacity, positive attitude, and a person’s (and people’s) ability to see a big heart in a little package and lend a helping hand.

Unfortunately we see many strays in La Paz and there are several organizations dedicated to adopting them and trying to help them have better lives. You might recall that Tom spent a day last year donating his time at one of the animal rescue shelters: February 2014

We have met numerous cruisers who have rescued strays and found new homes for them or adopted them onto their boats. Most recently:

Jennifer and her boyfriend Lance found Enya thrown (literally) on the rocks near our Marina. Enya had cuts on her head, a swollen brain, was starving and covered with ticks. She was in doggy ICU for several days and we didn't know if she would make it.

Enya is still a bit skinny but getting healthier every day. She's very shy but if you give her a treat she'll sit in your lap. Jennifer is looking for a permanent home for this sweet, quiet little girl.

Gilligan is 3 months old, 2.5 pounds and was found abandoned and hiding under a car. Our friend Geno adopted him.

Epilogue - Let's just say it was a misunderstanding with the bodyguards and leave it at that. They are always nice when we say hi to them, but they are still bad-asses and I think Kim was pretty brave to confront them.