It has been a great 10 days here in Z-town. We actually did a few boat projects (teak oiling is just not the same with out Sharon & Phyllis however) and have enjoyed sharing the town and experiencing the flavor of a laid back Mexican town together with Terri & Lyman. Remember our Happy Hour guest entertainment, a 12ft crocodile, that reminded us we were really in the "wild" open ocean, well turns out he is a "resident" creature that appears now and again, only at dusk for a little swim and perhaps a few fish, then returns to his home in the river off of La Ropa beach. Local "Latitude 38's infamous bar owner Rick" assured us that the croc never goes to the other beaches, so snorkeling was okay! However, not officially having a name we sat on Sans Cles one evening and discussed that very subject and came up with....Zapata....Spanish for shoes and turns out is a famous Mexican family name. Unfortunately we haven't seen him again to perform an official naming ceremony, but we mentioned it to Hilda (the matriarch of a local business that delivers water, fuel, supplies and laundry to our boats) who really liked the name as well... Who knows we may have just helped define alittle crocodile lore here in Zihua...

Our snorkeling adventure with Terri & Lyman took us to Las Gatas Beach, a serene, white sand, warm water beach. It was told to us that the reef here was hand made by the King's slaves who put the boulders about 75 feet out from the beach to form a kind of "bathing area" protected from the swells of the open ocean and warming the water. We swam with many different schools of fish and an eel hiding in the rocks. There was even a snake type blob that moved like "Jabba the Hut"between some rocks down deep. Never did see his head or tail but it definitely was breathing! My favorite fish still are the darker fish with the neon bluish white dots and the larger angel type of fish that are an irridescent dark blue! They really stand out amongst the white sand and rocks. The water here is still only hovering around 80 degrees plus or minus a couple of degrees either way. We were all really glad the red tide water went away a few days ago AND that Zapata the croc really does know his boundaries and stayed away from us human fish.

Walking the town, tequila tasting, watching cigars actually being rolled, watching the families gather on Sunday at the town square for "cultural night", seeing kids playing basketball and watching young and old enjoying this waterfront town has been a wonderful experience. The food here as well has been GREAT... We actually found real (non flavored) peanuts, enjoyed terrific fried onion rings, experienced Mexican pozole and my 2nd personal favorite meal on this trip so far....Coconut shrimp, prepared right at our table, on the beach. Adding the company of our good friends Terri & Lyman and meeting new friends ... Life just keeps on getting better and better. Alas today we say farwell to Zihua, pull anchor and head to our next destination...Acapulco...