Bahia de Santiago

2-28-15

Saturday is Market Day in Santiago.  So, Nancy, Rob, Mike and I took their dinghy to shore and walked there. Upon arrival, we sought out a taco place for some breakfast.  We found one right in the center of the first isle of the marketplace. Silly Katie, no menu. Solomente tacos de carnitas. A.k.a. Pork tacos.  Each of us ordered....dos, dos, dos, and Rob ordered trés. It's amazing how much trés and seis sound alike!  Yep, we each got the two tacos as requested....Rob got seis or six tacos. It actually worked out great.  Mike, Nancy and I all ate one more taco and Rob ate three, as planned.  They were served with amazingly fresh Mexican salsas.  We were fueled and ready to go!

The market was pretty neat.  There was everything under the sun for you to buy, including handmade pottery and table runners, woven rugs, produce galore, including fresh berries!, pirated dvds, clothing, housewares, old tools, new pottery, hand-made jewelry, and even green chicks.  I bought a necklace made from fossilized coral found in the jungle of Mexico and a little table runner for the boat.

We took the bus back to the playa for 7 pesos and then walked to the Oasis Club for a cold adult beverage.  Margarita, to be exact.  Well, make that 2 margartias.  They were small.  We checked email and had an excellent dose of people watching; all the families were together playing in the sand and sea.

 We arrived safely back to the boat and decided to take the SUPs out for a spin.  I love tye core workout I get from paddling, and trying to keep up with Mike gives me an extra push.

When we got back to the boat, my nose told me there was trouble in paradise.  Our sweet boat/home was a bit ripe. Torn between wanting to know the cause of the odor and being afraid of finding it, I bravely walked back to the head, or bathroom.  After what Mike had been through with fixing the last head issue, I decided to take it on myself.  I opened the access door to all the plumbing and immediately found the issue. Something was leaking and there was a big mess.  Armed with latex gloves and baby wipes i began cleaning.  After everything was wiped clean I noticed the source of the leak.  This was not something I felt equipped to tackle, so I brought in the expert.  I showed Mike my discovery and he got to work tightening  a hose clamp.  A good cleaning followed the repair job.  All I can say is thank God for bleach.  Ah!  This boat is clean. And smells good again.  Let's hope we are good for a while in the head.

We made dinner and went to bed early.  It was a full day!

First Mate Kate

3-1-15

Wow!  It's March!  How did that happen? It seems like yesterday that we were celebrating New Year's Day.  I guess it has been 10 weeks since I arrived in Mexico.

Today began with a paddle with Nancy and Kathryn ( in her kayak).  The anchorage was as smooth as glass and the water was really clear.  

It was such perfect conditions for paddling that I asked Mike to go for another paddle with me. We toured the estuary at the north end of the anchorage.  It was a bit tricky getting across the breakwater to the entrance, but we made it.  There is another set of palapas on the shores hidden behind the bridge.  On the opposite side, a beautiful, white palatial hotel tucked behind lush greenery. The water depth varied quite a bit and we had to pay attention or run aground with our boards. On the way out we went out near the front of the main beach, as the surf had come up a bit. I mis-read the depth of the water and crashed but recovered.

Mike and I decided to be adventurous and take the bus to town.  So, we went back to the boat, got the dinghy and we were off.

We made our way down to Walmart to grab a few things for our trip down to Zihuatanejo.  We also found a Starbucks and popped in for good wifi and an iced latte.

Somehow between Walmart and the boat, one bag of groceries was lost.  Bummer.  At least I had everything I needed for tonight; we were invited to Agave Azul for a birthday dinner for Robin.

The evening was lovely. Rob and Nancy (Shindig), Bob and Sherry (Nirvana) and Mike and I joined Kathryn and Robin.  We all brought steaks to grill and a nice bottle of red wine to share and I brought dessert.  I made chocolate chocolate-chip brownies and brought chocolate chips and mini peanut butter cups to add to a whipped cream topping.  Robin seemed happy.  We love our new friends!

Another great day in paradise,

First Mate Kate

3-2-15

Today was our last full day in Bahia de Santiago.  Thus, today is all about preparing for our passage to Z-town.  We anticipate a 30-40 hour sail.

I got up and made banana chocolate-chip muffins and breakfast frittata.  Nancy wanted to head to Walmart and I said I'd go with her to re-buy the lost groceries.

Rob and Nancy picked me up in their dinghy and we were delivered to shore. We took the bus into town and did our shopping.  I had arranged to Skype with my parents, so back to Starbucks we went.  While I was talking with my parents, a parade of flat-bed trucks went by carrying stuffed animals.  What initially caught my eye was a big camel going by.  I think we saw a rhino, a black bear, a tiger, a buffalo, a jaguar, and a few others. Random and weird. And fun!

Nancy and I decided to walk back a ways and stop at the music store and a wine shop.  Both were worth the trip.

We bussed back and met Rob and Mike at the Oasis Club for lunch.  We had the best  fish and shrimp tacos!

I made a small lasagna for dinner with the plan of heating up the rest for our passage dinner. Mike grilled up an eggplant while I prepped everything else.  I threw in fresh basil and spinach and some prosciutto. It was tasty.

We went to bed early, all ready for our Zero Dark 30 departure.

First Mate Kate