SV Panta Rhei Retirement Trip

It feels like home. Of course we are not in Silshole. Maybe we will be, someday, but there is a list and we are on it. In the meantime we are at Bainbridge Island Marina.

23 August 2017 | Prince Rupert

The dinghy holds air again

It wasn't very nice of the bear to tear the fabric across a seam. We were worried that we couldn't patch it but tried anyway. The glue had a job to do and it did it!

15 August 2017 | Anan Bear Observatory

A Grizzly Bear damaged our dinghy

We were visiting the Anan Bear Observatory south of Wrangell. It is one of the best places to visit in all of SE Alaska BECAUSE it has bears. But (as we learned) there is a dark side to this bear concentration. And of course, there is a story to tell.

19 July 2017 | Petersburg, AK

Moving On

"No matter where you go, there you are" (unknown reference). By now we have been there and done that. Most recently that included Cannery Cove on Admiralty Island. The photo shows the quiet grandeur of the setting with Ron and Suzie's boat SV Tango in the foreground. It has been like that for the last [...]

17 June 2017 | Hoonah, AK

We are in Hoonah, SE Alaska now

We got something resembling a high pressure ridge so we moved expeditously across the Gulf of Alaska. The crossing took three days and weather stayed as forecast. That was a very good thing. The weather changes in the far north far more rapidly and dramatically than we ever experienced in the more southern [...]

03 June 2017 | Seward AK

Crossing the Gulf of Alaska

We are still in Seward, AK. Now that spring has come, why not start south?

Four hands massage

13 December 2011 | Mazatlan, MX

Larry Nelson

The engine is being installed, but not by us. We do things like go out to breakfast and on the way home check out a bargain. There aren't actually that many true bargains in Mexico. Beer is a bargain: $1USD for a bottle of good beer compared to maybe $5USD in the US. Fuel is a bargain: $2.71/gallon USD including all fees at the last fill up. (There is a fee for being at the dock where fuel is being dispensed, amoung other fees) Note here that I only include as bargains things that are a better value, not just cheaper. Beef for example is cheaper but it is not nearly as good tasting. Taxi's are a bargain ($8 USD gets you most any place in town), so are busses (6-12 pesos, less than $1 USD). Mammograms are 180 pesos ($15 USD) and the Xrays and radiologist report are given to the patient. If you include a Pap smear, it is $19 USD full up. Results come back within 2 hours. An ear cleaning and exam from an Otorrinolaringologia doctor is 500 pesos ($40 USD). Mostly anything that involves direct labor is cheaper. In the "Anti-bargain" class are things like moving parts into the country where fees add at least 50% to the price and delay arrival. Some marinas are outrageously priced AND empty. Mostly, it costs to live just like it does in the US except that our lifestyle is simpler and that saves a little money. Note that I did not include boat repairs as a bargain or as an anti-bargain. We spend a lot of money on the boat, just like we do in the US.

But there is one bargain that is the subject of today's blog. This one is real. A one hour massage in Mazatlan costs about $10 USD in Mazatlan (if you pay in pesos; they nick you on the exchange rate if you pay in USD). Seeing this advertised, I decided to try it. The particular place I went was called Mayan Massage. What's different about Mayan massages? I couldn't detect any real difference except maybe the Masseuss are Mayan ethnicity? I didn't ask. Note though that I said Masseuss! It was so cheap that I ordered up a 4 hands massage (twice the price but still a bargain). This is quite an experience. It's not really better; it's more like gin instead of rum. It is fun to try new things (within limits). I had heard about this possibility but it took me 2 months to find it.

The picture shows progress on our engine installation.

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