We arrived here two days ago and are having difficulty leaving. Los Muertos (Cove of the Dead) is a beautiful little bay about 50 miles SE of La Paz. It used to be home to local fishermen but more recently the land surrounding the cove has been bought by American interests and has been subdivided into blocks of land ranging from 1/4 acre to 20 acres. A 1/4 acre block with water frontage costs a tad over US$1.5 million. Then the house is built and once the new owner has moved in there is an additional charge of US$1,000 per month that goes into the kitty to pay security guards! At the southern end of the beach there are already 3 or 4 mansions complete with swimming pools, spas etc... etc.. plus an 18 hole golf course. We went ashore when we arrived and walked along the beach thinking these places were a resort. There was nobody around and we wandered in and around, lying in the hammocks, showering off in the outdoor showers, thinking we were going to come across another Jonestown with all the bodies stacked out the back (after all, we are in the Cove of the Dead...). Then we discovered some photographs in frames on one of the outdoor bar-b-que preparation areas that clearly suggested we were wondering around someone's private home - they just weren't home. We think the owners must be someone famous because one of the pagolas over an outdoor area is supported by two 12 foot high replicas of the gold oscars.

At the other end of the beach, where we are anchored is a palapa bar called "The Giggling Marlin". A group of us Ha-Ha hangers on went ashore yesterday and we spent the afternoon looking back out at the anchorage as the sun went down drinking 3 or 4 (or was it 5 or 6) Negros cervezas (beers).

We are witnessing the end of an era here. Apart from the few houses at one end of the beach and the palapa bar at the other, there is nothing here except the pure white sand beach, manta rays, coral reefs and crystal clear water. In a few years there will be a marina, lots of houses, vendors who will happily write your name on a grain of rice, and the 40 mile road into La Paz will probably be a two lane highway.

We plan to get underway tonight at about midnight so that we can get into La Paz mid morning tomorrow. Our route takes us between the mainland and Isla Cerralvo, a very large island that acts as a wind funnel increasing the northerly windspeed considerably. If the normal breeze is about 15kts, it can increase to 25+kts coming down the Cerralvo Channel. As we will be going against the wind we'll motor during the night when the wind dies down a little.

We are just waiting for our neighbours on Talerra to finish coloring her hair, doing the ironing (and this is cruising!!!????) and then we are all going ashore for a day of hiking and exploring.

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