Feliz Navidad

Someone's Christmas in La Cruz (from the street)

Oddly Christmas. On the one hand, I have been so happy to be away from the comedy of The Holidays in the US. The onslaught. The hammering. The crushing pressure to shop, to bake, to cook, to invite, to visit, to give, to receive, to always be behind and attempting to “do it all” before the deadline. But the pressure is here, too. The kids (Ben and Samey) have been so focused on Christmas and Santa Claus and presents. And Ben on his 9^th birthday (December 26). I had hoped, when imagining this trip, that we could avoid it all but I have since learned that it is not possible. As with so many of my “assumptions” about cruising and what is and is not possible living on a moving boat. It’s been hard to “feel” like Christmas since it feels so much like summer here. Our shopping and cultural integration skills have been weak thus far and our meager holiday decorations amount to a 20 inch plastic tree, bought in La Paz, that was decorated by Ben and then undecorated for the crossing and some cutout snowflakes. We’ve been reduced to shopping at Wal-Mart down here. We did spend some fun time over on Rebel Heart, sweating and making flat felt ornaments for their Christmas tree and that was “festive” (but I would enjoy doing just about anything with Charlotte!).  

Samey and Cora (Rebel Heart) in front of the tree!!

I also bought a fabulous paper mache Santa at the La Cruz artisan market for $150 Pesos (around $11).

Ho Ho Ho

But I had a white night feeling badly, mostly for Ben, about my lack of ability to “bring the magic” for him this year and make Christmas come alive. He is so anchored by the holidays and the decorum and the “traditions” and I fear that I have really let him down. With so much change and so much to adjust to and such a continual flux, the kids cling to what they know is set and “fixed”. Like holiday traditions. “We’re having stockings, aren’t we, Mom?” ACK! I didn’t think to bring them! He is so bright and eager and open and trusting and innocent. He sincerely believes in magic and I am convinced that he still believes in Santa. His letter to Santa reminded him that we would be in Puerto Vallarta… He prays at night. He just trusts. And we get impatient with him sometimes and his seemingly blind questions to us about “the obvious” but we forget and too often ignore the beauty of his age and sweet character. He has not yet “turned the corner” into “knowing”. He is such a fantastic child. I guess he will not be too scarred by this wonky holiday season. I hope. I hope that he’ll remember it as odd but special… Just like he is. Odd but special.

Paid some guy$30 Pesos for this shot on the beach in Yelapa.

As I write this, we are on the “A” dock at Paradise Village in Nuevo Vallarta (basically Puerto Vallarta). This is the most “resort” we have done thus far. HUGE resort. Multiple pools, crocodile slides, beach, tiger rescue cages, spa, a “Kid’s Club”, drink specials. The stink of the brief, stolen moments of luxury vacationing. You get the picture. It is fun to be at a marina at the base of the huge hotels with people everywhere. We are right in the resort but also apart and that is nice. And since our “vacationing” is extended, we don’t have the same desperation. Being at the Marina and at the Yacht Club here have their advantages. Fishermen in canoe-like boats throw their spiked nets right behind our boat. Luxury yachts pass by, excursion boats pass by, sport fishermen pass by. It is charming. For sure. But we are a long way from “Mexico” and getting food, necessities and the likes is a challenge. The laundry is at the shopping mall. Yes, I said that. At the shopping mall, down from McDonald’s. Around the corner from Starbucks. There is a nativity scene there, at the entrance of the mall, but someone apparently thought that the Baby Jesus deserved better and he was "removed". So much for religion.

Oh where or where has my little Jesus gone? Oh where or where could he be?

I miss La Cruz. It really felt like a good mix between cruiser world and “actual Mexico”. Simpler. Accessible. Less hustle and bustle. We aren’t far away. La Cruz is just a bus ride away and many friends are anchored or at the marina there. We even took the boat over there (one hour motoring) on Sunday to go to the market again since I love it so much and was looking for more Christmas gifts and the food is so good there. I’m sure we’ll be back. Sand Dollar and Winterhawk arrived there yesterday. Moments and Unleashed are there now, too. The holidays bring communities together. I find myself wishing we were there instead of here or rather that we could have BOTH places at once. Today, Christmas Eve, we are awaiting the arrival of Oma and Opa (Ilse and Pete) and Max’s dad, Holm, all three of whom are coming to stay for a week at the resort here with us, staying in the hotels. They will be arriving overladen with suitcases full of gifts from my mom and Amazon.com purchases made over the past month or so with the intention of making Christmas, Christmas. And of some things we have not been able to find here in Mexico (again, our lack of shopping prowess and know-how, possibly). We’ll make tacos for Christmas Eve dinner once everyone has arrived and is settled into their rooms and then, once the kids are asleep, we’ll do the “elfing” and wrapping and staging and get the little tree on our salon table ready for the waking of the kids… Christmas Day we’re joining several other boat friends on the dock for a “potluck”. The marina is supplying tables and chairs. I even forgot to bring the sour cream coffee cake recipe that we make every Christmas morning (my Dad’s favorite), that is how “oddly Christmas” it is going to be. I hope you all out there following us have a wonderful, warm holiday season... I'm sending you some spices, some sunshine and some Mexican color and cheer.

San Blas

Mexican Riviera!

And now we are on the Pacific Coast of Mexico! We left La Paz last Monday and went back to Los Muertos, buddy boating this time with our new friends Julie and Mike and their son Ben on Sea Otter. For the projected 40+ nautical mile trip (around 8 hours), I was feeling a bit brazen and decided to try the ear plug method since it was going to be a day sail. What a mistake! I could not get the foam ear plug to stay in my ear and since I wanted to test that method, I did not take anything else and so I was caught unprepared. I was SO SICK. I vomited 3 times. And I learned that the patch has really been doing a lot for me. Once we arrived, in the evening and set the anchor, I was fine. But YIKES. That was hard. It was lovely to be back there. Such a lovely anchorage! Some great snorkeling for everyone.

This time in that bay, I did not fall and hurt my ankle, we had calm nights for sleeping and it was all around a lot less stressful than the time we were here before. We stayed 2 nights while we watched the weather and waited for the perfect time to make our crossing of the Sea of Cortez. Went to the crazy Gran Sueno resort again. Deserted. A lovely place full of good intentions but falling to ruin.

Since the crossing of the Sea of Cortez would take us 48 hours or so, we decided with Sea Otter to leave late afternoon on Wednesday and do 2 overnights and one full day. I put on a patch, took a Zofran, put in an ear plug, put on the pressure wrist bands, some Advil and had a healthy dosage of chocolate. This seems to be the strange cocktail that works for me! I was not sick for the entire trip to Isla Isabel and even was able to cook and eat food! Amazing. I am still scared to take the Sturgeron (Cinnazarine) so I think, for now, that I will stick with the above noted cocktail and hope for the best! The trip was lovely. And weird, too. We had a bird land on the top of our mast just before dinner on Thursday night and for 14 hours he just sat there. Hitching a ride! I thought it was eery. For my 3-7 watch, I kept looking up at him and wondering what it all meant. I did not feel like I was alone... it was odd. He left us before we got to our destination so we must have helped it along!?!

Just sitting there. Pooping on the deck, of course.

We had so much fun in Isla Isabelle. Thousands of birds, breaking surf and an empty anchorage. We had great sleeping conditions and met up with John and his son Will from Alouette again and we all had a great time there swimming and snorkeling and visiting the birds and iguanas on the island that is a national nature preserve. The boys both came back to the boat with Geckos. I was not in favor of it but they are all so desperate for pets these days…

At the time I am typing this, Ben’s gecko, Rico, just reappeared in our head after we were sure he was lost, and Max’s Cinnamon is nowhere to be found. Apparently, they are good animals to have on a boat as they eat the bugs. We will see. So far, although San Blas is known for being incredibly buggy, we have had nothing! Something about a "quarter moon"? We may force them to release the geckos soon. If we can find them on the boat! We spent a night in Mantanchen bay which was also lovely. We arrived at night from Isla Isabel and so when we awoke this morning, we were treated to an amazing sight of a bay with lush foliage and palm trees. Compared to the dry, hard landscapes of the Baja California, it feels like Hawaii or the Caribbean! We motored into San Blas and arranged to take a ponga tour this afternoon into the jungle to see crocodiles and swim in a fresh water spring called La Tovara with Sea Otter. We had such an amazing day! So exciting. Invigorating. We saw turtles and birds and crocodiles and the most amazing mangroves.

Fresh water spring, La Tovara. A haven.

Perhaps being from Seattle, all this green and lush is doing me good. Perhaps all that dry was wearing me down? Here are some other photos from today in San Blas.

That boat (a wreck!), next to ours, is from Wilmington, Delaware?????

Appa and Sea Otter at La Marina Fornatur San Blas

Sailor Ben

 If my previous postings had you worried about me, thank you. I am fine. I just needed to vent and not just paint pretty pictures of rainbow pixie land. Lest you think all this is easy!