Sailing the Karina C

Last Monday we went for a ride on the zip lines up in the hills behind Puerto Vallarta. We started to get an idea of how much trouble we were in for when the “bus” we were on was really a modified F 350 with bench seats. Just when our bums got numb, we turned around and were struck by the fact that we were the oldest people on the bus by at least 25 years. After an hour and a half bus ride through PV and up into the hills, we got off in the hilltops. We were greeted by a very professional bunch of Mexican guides who hooked us up with harnesses and small pulleys for travelling the zip lines.
We then hiked up to the first zip line and were promptly hooked up to a line and sent on our way down a zip line. I was second and before I knew it, I was flying through the air and roaring down the zip line looking 100 feet down into the jungle. We went on 11 zip lines and, by the time we were around, we were having a pretty good time.
At the end, our guide Raphael, set us on some donkeys and we were on our way back to the top of the hill. We had a small meal and were soon on the numb bum bus back to Bucerias. It was a great day.
The rest of the week has been musical and slowly getting ready for the trip North. We washed Karina front to back and ran the motor for a few minutes yesterday.
1/14
Got a late start today. Went for a long walk and visited the WC. Last night we went to see an “unbelievable” show. It was Los Lobos Salteras. 2 girls were performing. The first set started over an hour late after the girls finally got set up. They had candles in paper bags all over the place. That should have been a clue as to what was about to happen.
The first set consisted of the 2 girls singing. One would put out a beat box sound with their mouth and a microphone. The other would sing. The thing that kinda got my attention was how far down in pitch they would go from where they started. The lyrics were unintelligible.
However, that was a pleasure compared to the second set. My attention was galvinized when the smell of gasoline came from backstage. With no fire suppression other than the wide eyed restaurant owner holding a CO2 backstage, they proceeded to bobble and drop flaming bits attached to a chain and a flaming hula hoop. Bill and Jean were with us at the show. Bill immediately chose discretion over staying in the front row. As the hula hoop was dropped twice: once just in front of us and another time into the PA system, I was beginning to wish they would start singing again. My attention was riveted as I was watching every move to see where the next accident was going to happen. Blessedly, the performance was over after what seemed like an eternity. Anita kept her drink to use as a fire extinguisher. As the candles in the paper bags burned down the bags caught fire and there were little spot fires all over the place to deal with.
The entire evening was redeemed by an excellent singer/guitarist who came on after the girls finished.
BTW- here is a link to the Joe Banana Band performing at the Britannia Pub last Tuesday night. The trumpet player (Pete) got off in the wrong key and decided to keep it that way. The sound is terrible. Anita was her usual excellent. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckwSYWvgBag&feature=related