Definition of cruising - boat maintenance in exotic places!
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Saturday 17th October
We arrived back in San Carlos, Mexico early on Wednesday morning after 2 flights and the Tufesa bus from Phoenix to Guaymas, total travelling time just short of 36 hours. Having booked an apartment at Gringo Pete's for $40 a night while Fantasia is still in dry storage our arrival at 6.30 am was a little early to find Pete up and about, however our arrival was greeted by millions of biting things reminding us of one of the drawbacks of this country. We would soon be reminded of a few more, stinking drains, searing heat - how can anyone do anything in this heat except sit and flick off mosquitoes, and of course the scary local bus with 2 speeds - flat out and stop! There are good things too, the beauty of the harbour and the mountains all around us, the friendliness of the people who will tell you the bus will come in 10 minutes rather than disappoint you with a don't know and the general feel good factor of not having to fight off the cold. Marina Seca in San Carlos had taken good care of Fantasia and we found her much the same as we left her with no damage sustained at all after Hurricane Jimena which hit the town with devastating consequences at the beginning of September albiet some shredded tarpaulines. With 4 feet of mud flowing down the mountain and through the yard and some of the boats being inches from floating away, the clean up over the last 5 weeks was pretty impressive with all the mud cleared and a new road to the yard being built to replace the one washed away. There are rumours that San Carlos is soon to become a trout fishing resort with the once dry riverbed in full flow! As I write we are carefully watching Rick, currently a category 4 hurricane heading our way and due to hit Sonora on Thursday. Everyone is hoping it loses its punch and heads off out to sea instead, it could spoil our week if it doesn't as we must launch this week or wait two weeks for the tide.
We have had our mizzen mast lifted to have the rot at the top repaired and are gradually learning the virtue of getting up at dawn to work before the sun gets too hot with another session before darkness falls in the late afternoon. With a new section scarfed in we must get it sanded and painted before the crane can reposition it on deck. It is exhausting work and by mid morning we take a slow walk back to Gringo Pete's to recharge our batteries ready for another session later on in the day. Hopefully we can get it painted early next week ready for a launch on Friday or Saturday, neither of us can wait to move back onto Fantasia and take her back to sea on another adventure.
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The vultures were circling overhead as we cycled up the steady gradient towards the Canon del Nacupule. The road from San Carlos had degenerated into a track long ago and we still had 3 miles to go and with so many hungry vultures overhead we had better keep moving! We had underestimated the amount of water to bring, having forgotten just how hot the desert was after being in the Bahia at San Carlos for the last couple of weeks but the promise of mountain springs in the canyon was enticing and so we pressed on. There would seem to be nothing that can put off a Mexican bus driver and sure enough we pulled across to the side of the road to let a school bus on a Sunday outing pass, the children calling 'Gracious' to us as they leant out of the windows. We marvelled at its suspension as it crossed a dry river bed strewn with boulders! Eventually we arrived at the entrance and left our bikes to walk through the narrow canyon and climb up over the rocks to reach the tropical pools, hidden within an incredibly lush oasis. The whole canyon was forested with palms and tropical plants of all kinds and colours, a complete contrast to the arid desert we had crossed to reach it.
We were glad to find the ride back to San Carlos downhill all the way and surprised that none of our fellow cruisers in the bay had ventured the 6 miles to this amazing place. I guess we have more freedom than most with our trusty bicycles allowing us to explore further than we could manage on foot.
There is of course a limit to our cycling trips and when it comes to longer journeys there is always the Mexican bus, although not for the faint hearted. The bus ride from San Carlos to Guaymas is about 12 miles at a guess but can take anything from 15 minutes to an hour depending on the driver. In general it is closer to the former and we have a suspicion that there is a race between drivers to clock up the most passengers. The most terrifying ride was when we went into Guaymas to book our tickets for our journey home. The bus arrived at the bus stop with the indicator and part of the bumper hanging off. We climbed on board and payed our 12 pesos each for the dubious privilege of travelling on public transport, noticing as we did so a large number of religious artefacts around the driver's seat. With a direct line to his maker I guess he felt duly insured against accidents. Meanwhile we hung on for dear life as he pushed his foot down hard on the floor regardless of bends, junctions or speed bumps. Fortunately we were learning how to travel and instead of standing up just before our stop to warn the driver to stop with the certainty of being flung dangerously up the bus, we shouted 'bajan' or 'get down' from our seats as the locals do. Amazingly the now trailing bus parts were still attached when we disembarked and standing by the side of the road in disbelief as we watched our bus disappear into a cloud of dust.
With Fantasia now safely tucked up at Marina Seca after her road trip we are our bus tickets for Phoenix booked, we are now ready for our trip home and will miss Mexico with her long days of warm sunshine and her cheerful, smiley people. We will look forward to returning next year and exploring the beautiful Sea of Cortez for another three months.
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