Sunday, March 31, 2013

Laredo, Mexico

Last night was a fish frenzy below our boat. We had the underwater lights on to see what kind of marine life we'd attract. Well... I can tell you without a doubt that there's no way I'm getting in this water. Low & behold... A SEA SNAKE cruises by swimming on the top of the water!! I haven't seen one since I was off the coast of Panama years ago and these things are poisonous! Eeeeeeek!!!! We did decide to imbibe in a friendly night fishing competition. Danny showed us how to fish with just a line (no pole)...Game on! It took a bit of time and nothing was getting caught with a lure. I went inside to fetch my top secret weapon (they don't call me the fish whisperer for nothing!) of ham and cheese. Ha!! I baited my hook and had bites within seconds. Unfortunately, they just ate my bait and I didn't have a hook up. Danny (of course) caught two fish within seconds of each other. He & Brad thought my ham & cheese combo was hilarious, but it worked. I told them that the fish were probably French and appreciated it. Danny even caught a little crab that was swimming by, and we were all entranced watching a large bait ball of sardines getting eaten by needle nose fish. The bait ball got smaller and smaller and it was fascinating to watch. Brad & I loved our evening of nautical entertainment. Apparently, I still need to redeem myself and my fish whispering skills!
This am we made our way up to Lareto which only took an hour to cruise to from Puerto Escondido. It's a small town with the first/original mission of the California mission chain...which ended approximately 150 years later in Somona. I'd say that this is the towns' "crown jewel" along with a church inside of it that was filled up for Easter sunday worship services. We had lunch in town and may have dinner there too, but all in all there's not a lot of people around and not much to do. We are the only boat anchored in front of town aside from one sailboat. Hard to believe they don't have a marina other than a teeny one for the fish mongers panga boats. We were quite happy to make or way back to the boat to enjoy some afternoon sunshine!! Tonight we'll try a different restaurant in town and tomorrow we head back down the coast toward Cabo San José. We will be stopping along the way at various bays & anchorages as we take our time cruising the coastline like Jacques Cousteau on a nautical adventure. We won't arrive until Wednesday or Thursday and it's doubtful that we'll have cell service... So stay tuned for the next update!











































Saturday, March 30, 2013

Off to Puerto Escondido

Last night was magical. We could hear a whale spouting about 150' off the starboard side of the boat, but it was pitch black out and unfortunately we couldn't see him. We just kept hearing him breathe and it sounded like he was right next to us...Mesmerizing nonetheless! A gorgeous night under a thick blanket of stars went on as far as the eye could see and what a sight that was.
We had no luck catching any fish (yes, again!), but in the little bay where we anchored for the night was a little (very, very remote!!) rustic fish camp. Danny suggested that he go to shore to see if they had any for sale. All I could think of is how did they keep it cold out here in the sticks and what kind of food poisoning were we going to get? HA!!! Luckily they had some fresh caught fish that looked really good and it was already gutted. Danny prepared it and it came out great on our BBQ.. And no vomitosis! Lol!! Who knew?!

We had a long cruise today to Puerto Escondido. The skies were gorgeous and the seas were like glass. A HUGE 7' long jellyfish was off the deck of the boat this am, so we won't be popping in the water anytime soon. The water is also too chilly to swim in at 68 degrees. Poop!! I'm not going to be able to perfect my Esther Williams routine apparently. The weather is chillier here too, but nothing drastic. It's in the low 70's during the day, but a chill is definitely in the air.
We saw a really large pod of dolphins today, and they just love to swim in front of the boat when we are underway. I noticed something hanging under their bellies and Danny said it was a type of fish that kinda suctions itself to the underside of the dolphin. So interesting. Love learning these tidbits of info!
Along with more stingrays and some birds & butterflies, we've come to the conclusion that this is definitely a nature cruise and very mellow... Perfect for lots of reading, naps and chillaxin! Its good to get Captain Jimmylegs (Brad) to slow down and we've indulged in two naps today...Vacation perfection! I'm already on my second book too...Good thing we are both voracious readers.
Puerto Escondido is a tiny port 20 miles south of Lareto. It's comprised mostly of sailboats and we are parked near our friends Fleming powerboat that they keep here. We still don't get the "allure" of this place , but truly enjoying our adventure nonetheless! On to Lareto tomorrow am...There's supposed to be civilization there too!



















































Friday, March 29, 2013

First Day on The Water

We departed La Paz marina after fueling up this am and headed out on the deep blue sea as we make our way up to Lareto. The topography is quite desolate out here although everyone tells us how "muy especial" it is. We have yet to decipher "the code"and figure out what everyone is talking about, so more on that later.