Steve
02/06/2012, Nuevo Vallarta

Sharon's Mom Kathy, and her Uncle Brian arrived to Puerto Vallarta on Friday. Yesterday we decided to sail over to La Cruz for brunch and to visit the Sunday Arts fair. As is typical in the early morning hours there was no wind and we had to motor the 5 miles over to La Cruz. After tying up at the guest dock at Marina La Cruz, we enjoyed a nice breakfast and then strolled around the Arts Fair and through the small town of La Cruz.
Although there had been a nice breeze that had come up during brunch.....it had pretty much died out by the time we were pulling out of the marina. It's always disappointing for people who want to go out for a sail, and we end up motoring around all day. They probably are asking themselves "gee why don't they just buy a power boat?". To tell the truth, I sometimes find myself asking the same question. As we cleared the harbor entrance a slight breeze (3-4 knots) kicked in and I thought....damm it, we're putting up the sails and sailing. So up went the sails and Kathy took over for her first time at the helm of a sailboat. At about the same time as kathy took over the wind almost immediately jumped to 10 knots...then 12 and we were sailing. After about 30 minutes Brian took over (pic) and the wind stayed consistent, maybe even added a knot or two. Steering a sailboat under sail for the first time is not always easy, but both Kathy and Brian did a superior job of holding their course, even while watching some distant whales. So we may have two new crew members....if we can just get them use to living in a shoebox.

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Steve
02/04/2012, any Bano in Mexico

We always get a kick out of the signs here in Mexico. Sometimes a sign in English will have a word misspelled, or maybe they'll have the words in the wrong order, after all there are a lot of phrases in Spanish that are said in reverse of english. Most of our favorite Mexican signs have been involving the most basic of human needs...the bano. Now ya gotta love the fact that the Mexicans seem to take great pleasure in poking fun at what us Americans seem to want to pretend no one needs to do. You have to admit that the following signs are a lot more fun than the blue silhouette of a man or woman.....especially when ya gotta go.
Oh....and please don't pee on the floor guys.

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Steve
02/04/2012, Any Bano in Mexico

When the urge hits....it hits!

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steve
02/04/2012, any Bano in Mexico

This sure beats a plain "restroom" sign.

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Steve
02/04/2012, any Bano in Mexico

Please don't poop on our beach. Taken at Chacala

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Steve
02/02/2012, Nuevo Vallarta

If La Cruz is the epicenter of cruising here in Mexico, then Nuevo Vallarta is the epicenter of tourism. Nuevo Vallarta is built on the end of a peninsula and is home to some of the most beautiful resorts I've ever seen....including the Mayan Palace, which is where Sharon's family will be staying. Yes, the stray dogs of real Mexico have been replaced by rooming packs of Timeshare people here in Nuevo Vallarta. Sharon and I have decided that we prefer the stray dogs over the Timeshare guys....for the most part the dogs pretty much leave you alone, and they're a lot cuter. There are a few other difference here in touristville, the other night we found ourselves grumbling about having to pay 28 pasos ($2.00) for a Pacifico...then it dawned on me that I use to brag about finding a happy hour in San Diego that sold Pacifico for $2.50.
The other day we walked over to the Mayan Place and snuck past the security guards so we could get a lay of the land before "the fam" arrives. I'm sure that we fooled security with our cruiser garb on... you know a three day beard, worn backpack, crocs and a t-shirt with more than one grease stain. Anyway, after walking around the lush grounds and around the city block sized pool (right on the beach), we decided that maybe tourist Mexico wasn't all that bad after all. I think we may be spending a little more time at the Mayan Palace over the next week.

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