I had heard and read about this small town on the north side of Bahia de Banderas. The cruising guide described it as “quaint” with its cobble stone streets and trees. I would describe it as deceptively tranquil. Walking around during the day, the streets are quiet and almost deserted. Buildings are in need of paint and in disrepair. There is litter on the streets here and there. One could easily dismiss it at this surface view.

A large cruising community passes through here and it is no surprise why. Going inside some of the restaurants and shops, there is a lot going on. Many are nicely decorated and have a lot of charm. The restaurants are open air, often with courtyard or rooftop dining areas. At night there is live music everywhere. I have been lucky enough to hear everything from traditional Mexican music to blues to rock ‘n roll to the local high school band. And the bands are really quite good.

Everyone is friendly. Mexicans almost always smile and say “Hola” or “Buenas Dias” when you meet them on the street. (I have to say that some of the gringos are almost surly in comparison.)

So I landed in the middle of this community and began making friends with a number of cruisers. I was invited along to have dinner with several groups heading into town who offered to show me some good places to go. I spent one evening with a group of Canadians. After listening to some live guitar music here at the marina we ended up listening to rock at an outdoor café called Ana Banana. I went by myself to have a pizza one night. The restaurant was full and a nice couple from Nanaimo invited me to share their table. We listened to old blues tunes. Later there was a free concert at the marina with a band playing rock standards. The crowd of ex-pats and cruisers was as much fun to watch as the band.

I had met Laurin (Second Wind), and one night he and his friend, Pina, invited me along to a restaurant where they were playing beautiful old mexican music. The singer and band were in traditional dress. The singer was gorgeous and had a beautiful voice. I was totally charmed. Afterward, we went to a rooftop bar and danced and listened to music.

Luarin and Pina invited me to join them on a tour out to Islas Marietas the next day. I had resisted paying for boat tours but this was worth it. The islands are a national park and at least one of the coves we visited was limited in the visitors. When we got to the first stop, the tour operators had us jump in the water and swim through a cave into a circular grotto open to the sky. At another stop we swam to a beach. And at the third stop, we snorkeled along a reef looking at colorful fish.

Pina is from México and she was kind like a passport to getting the most fun out of all of our stops together. She has a smile that could light up a room and extraordinarily contagious enthusiasm. Everywhere we went, people were charmed by her and, by proxy, treated our little group very well.

The three of us headed into town together to get a light bite and found a celebration going on in the main square. (See the accompanying picture.) After paying only 12 pesos (about 60 cents) each for tamales and the same for a cup of champurrado or atole, we learned that this was a benefit for the town priest, who was in ill health. Pina helped us find someone to whom we could make a larger donation.

While here, I was also able to test out my inflatable with the outboard in a safe environment. After a few glitches, mostly due to “operator error”, I got it running. This will allow me to anchor out more and feel comfortable getting to the beach or a dock safely.

And I did not mention the Sunday market. Lots of booths with food and many artisans. And again, great live music, today by a jazz group. It was packed. I picked up some fresh frambosas (raspberries) along with some pasta and pesto for an emergency meal.

I am looking at the weather and thinking that I could leave here tomorrow (Monday). I would only get as far as San Blas before the northerlies fill in for about 5 days. The question here is whether I want to be stuck in San Blas or here where I am having so much fun. I will let you know what I decided in the next post.