Jan 14-Jan 19

Savannah and I arrived safely, and in time for happy hour, to our boat in Chiapas! All 3 of our flights were on time, leading to an early arrival in Tapachula, Mexico. I even managed to smuggle in 3 pounds of Canadian Butter! but, at a price ... Mexican customs felt that my Arborio Rice was not safe to import - ???? a fair trade on my end !! Ha! little do they know I still have my contraband rice from last year!!

Savannah was thrilled to see Lavonne waiting on the other side of the glass !! Art, Jenny, and Dan were finishing their beers while my luggage was unloaded from the plane. Art, now almost a local, drove us, without incident, back to the marina in Memo’s stylish Honda Accord.

There is much to be done after the boat has been unattended for 8 months! and even more to do to prepare for a 40+ hour passage. Our first run is 230 nautical miles from Chiapas, Mexico to Barillas Marina, El Salvador.
My first 5 days have been busy with cleaning, organizing, disposing of old ‘stuff’, provisioning and cooking a few meals for ‘the road’. The list goes on … and on… and on! But, we work slow in the heat and manage to cross a few things off the ‘to do’ list.

And then, there’s a special birthday that must be honored !! Happy Birthday Big Art !!! We love you dearly – and wish you another awesome trip around the sun !! Savannah couldn’t make it to the end of the party, but luckily Lavonne saved us two of her delicious lemon cupcakes – which Savannah and I devoured the next morning. YUM !!

After 2 trips to Walmart plus 1 trip to Sam’s Club, every usable space in the boat is filled with something to eat or drink. I’ve filled the wine rack! The snack cupboard is over-flowing! The fruit bin is loaded with fresh pineapples, papayas and bananas. And the blender is waiting to be filled with these tropical delights and perhaps a bit of rum!

We’ve purchased as much diesel as we can store to avoid the high cost of fuel in Costa Rica. Our El Salvador courtesy flag is ready for hoisting, and Endorfin is ready to take us to parts unknown.

So now, we just wait for the customs officials to visit with their drug-sniffing dog … and if all goes well… we’ll be free to clear the port and leave Mexico in our wake.

Bon Voyage !!