02/20/2007, Tiburon, CA
At first I didn't want to write about this, but I later decided this could be of interest. I got bronchitis, (I know this sounds incredible, how can you get bronchitis in sunny Mexico and 85 degree weather??).
This time of year thousands of tourists from Alaska, Minnesota, Canada, and the like, migrate to Mexico for the winter, and they bring their winter illnesses with them. And I caught the bug from one of them.
After an exam and an X-ray, the doctor diagnosed pneumonia. I was down for a few weeks. The doc put me on very potent antibiotics.
My weakened physical condition put me in a position of just wanting to be home with Pascale and the boys.
(As of this writing, the penumonia has completely cleared up, thanks to the Mexican pharmaceuticals).
We've read that the best weather for sailing north into the Sea of Cortez is in the month of May.
So I've decided to fly home, take care of business for a few months, and then fly back to Mazatlan sometime in April, where we'll prepare Calou for another sea journey, and set sail northwards in the first part of May.
That time of year, the notorious "Northers" will have ceased, and we'll enjoy warm weather sailing again.
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Comments [3]
A bientôt sur l'onde bleue du Pacifique.
Et j'ai hâte de voir les belles photos de ce carnaval de Mazatlan.
Jeff
Back in Mazatlan, it's nice to be back in tropical weather again. Crew member John flew home on Jan 25.
I keep busy by reading, doing projects on the boat, playing volleybal in the pool, and cooking on board Calou.
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Jeff
We saw this adorable baby on the platform while waiting for the train to take us back to Los Mochis.
A word about the train: it has full dining and bar service, but credit cards are not accepted. Furthermore, there were NO ATMs at any stops along our voyage. So we found that, on our return trip, we had just barely enough cash on hand to pay for our meals. The train staff pitied us and gave us a price discount so that we could purchase full meals.
Not being able to enjoy snacks, sodas, wine, coffee, etc. during the 9 hour train ride, put quite a damper on things! Lesson learned: when starting a Copper Canyon train trip, bring as much cash with you as you can, to cover all your incidental expenses, souvenirs, and the meals and snacks on the train both ways. I'd recommend bringing at least 3000 pesos per person, preferably more.
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We were astonished to see this family, with the young girls and babies, perched just a few feet from a vertical drop of hundreds of feet, as the mother made and sold baskets.
It gave us shivers to watch the toddler girl prance around a few steps from the precipice. The older siblings made sure she didn't fall.
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This is a typical Tarahumara dwelling, a tiny log cabin with a wood burning stove, a vegetable garden, no electricity and no indoor plumbing. There are hundreds such dwellings around and in the canyon in the area where Francois traversed on horseback.
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The dining room of the Mirador Hotel has very good food and great views of the canyon.
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These girls make and sell their baskets at Copper Canyon. They are a photogenic, and mysterious, people.
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Rita
