We left Tenacatita motoring with no wind and by the time we reached Bahia de Navidad (10 miles down the coast) we had 20-25 kts. So we decided to anchor in Melaque (3 mi. across the bay from Barra) for the night rather than try to enter Barra's lagoon, which can be very tricky. The next morning we came in to the marina because we needed to get water. The marina is connected with the big Grand Bay Hotel. It's beautiful, with park-like grounds and several pools connected by water slides. The advantage to being in the marina is that we get to use the pool and facilities as if we were staying there. Our good friends, Steve and Pam from Barramundi, were staying in the lagoon and it was great to meet up with them again. They left Newport Beach 2 months before us and we've being trying to catch up to them ever since. We spent 2 fun days together before they left to go back to La Cruz. They showed us around the town, pointing out wherre the good stores and restaurants are, and giving us lots of good information about the area. While we were there Barra had their Carnival, or Mardi Gras. We watched the parade, which had many interesting floats, with children and Transvestites and everything in between. We ate pizza with Steve and Pam at a table on the street and watched the parade go by 5' from our table. It was a fun time to be in Barra with the party atmosphere and watch the local families enjoy the festivities.