Whew! Here it is Mid February and we’ve been here at Marina Chahu'e since January 17th - the time is flying by! Marina Chahu'e is in a beautiful area, the town of La Crucecita is very clean, beautiful, and one of the best, if not the best, places we’ve found in Mexico. This is not a typical “Mexican” town by any means, and it’s no wonder there are six direct flights weekly from Canada to here. You won’t find any high rise beach condos here, just friendly people, beautiful warm water, and wonderful beaches to explore.
Nancy and I love to ride our bikes to the Zocalo (town square), an easy 15 minutes and we’re at the local markets where you get the freshest fruits and veggies…with some you’ve never seen ,but are delicious and fun to try. One of our favorite is the Lemon-Mandarina….part Lime and part tangerine… it looks like a large lime, but inside it’s orange, sweet, and makes delicious Lim’onada – a perfect refreshment on a hot sunny day…just like today!
Nancy organized a great trip for 10 cruisers to tour a nearby botanical garden. We first enjoyed a great breakfast(and later a great lunch) cooked over a traditional wood oven and served with fresh fruits. We were told to bring swimsuits as there is a great place for everyone to swim and cool off before lunch. What a treat this was! Everyone gave Nancy a round of applause for her effort of organizing the fun trip. The “garden” is 350 acres large with over 10,000 fruit trees and assorted plants from around the world. I never knew there were so many different types of bananas, mango, nuts, and many other fruits I’ve never heard of. We tasted star fruits right off the tree, smelled the cinnamon tree, and dreamed of tasting the sweet new pineapples growing along the trial. The botanical garden is a vision of the owner and developed to show the local people how they can prosper from the land using natural, organic, and composted materials to grow the new types of plants.
On our way back to the marina, our driver took us along a back road, where we viewed a grade school that was nothing more than a thatch roof covering an open dirt area with the student desks. You can be sure there isn’t any free lunch programs, bus systems, or after school programs here. School hours are from 7am till 1 pm, and students wear spotless school uniforms.
Luckily, the “girls” made it back to the marina just in time for their hair appointments scheduled with a woman ,originally from London, who comes aboard the boats and provides haircuts for 200 peso (about $16). The ladies were all in line waiting their turn as Nancy was seated in the chair.
Recently, we went to a local dentist to have our teeth cleaned for 300 pesos ($25), and I have to admit she (the dentist) did a wonderful job. We later found she has been trained in both Mexico and Germany for dentistry. I think my last dental visit in the US nicely “cleaned” my wallet of $200!
One Saturday night, we went out for a pizza dinner and had a wonderful time…and great pizza too! We met a couple Canadian ladies down here for vacations and to get out of the 40 BELOW ZERO weather back in Winnipeg. One was a nurse, and the other worked for an insurance company. When they asked what work we did I told how Nancy was a surgical nurse…and I…a male model….which lead to a moment of unbelievable silence, then laughter broke out. I swear, I live for that wonderful “brief moment of silence” while their mind ponders what I’ve said and wonder if they should believe me…or not! I did follow up with, "I'm still waiting for my “big break” to happen". I think they began to order stronger drinks after that.
After dinner we decided to take in a movie at a local cinema. Yes, it was in English (with Spanish subtitles) and our ticket cost….an easy 67 pesos ($5.58) for both tickets! And, a combination large Coke with popcorn was less than $4.00……Ok, so now everyone KNOWS I’m a cheap date! And yes, we’re going back for another movie!
We’ve met many new friends and fellow cruisers, and the most frequently asked question is…”Are you going through the Canal, or heading to the South Pacific”? Most are going through the Canal and onward to the Caribbean Islands. As for Nancy and I, well, our course has not been set, we’re discussing going through the Panama Canal, then possibly heading toward Brazil and maybe sailing up the Amazon River. That would be an adventure for sure! But, that course is down the road and we have so much to see in El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama. Of course, first we have to break the Velcro holding us to this marina!
Oh! We have some videos on Youtube, just search Windfall Adventures – we added 3 short videos (so far) and will add more as time goes on - you may have to click on see all posts, for some reason clip #2 didn't show up when you search.
See you at our next Port’ of Call - Bah'ia Jiaquillisco (pronounced “hee-kee-LEE-skoh”) in El Salvador – A four day sail leading through the famed Gulf of Tehuantepec. Upon entering the bay you MUST hire a pilot boat to help guide your boat past the shifting shoals and breaker waves- where it can be flat calm, or…let just say “not so calm.” This has promise to be a (Gulp! )knee shaking adventure! …..Hey Nancy! Let’s review those boat insurance papers just one more time!!
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| Marina Chahue - Windfall is beside the big power boat. |
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| Swimming at the Botanical Garden - this was FUN!!! We swam inside a cave behind the waterfall! |
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| Nancy getting her hair trimmed |
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| At Marina Chahue - with our new sun shade! |
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| This is the wood fired stove/oven she cooks on everyday at the botanical garden.. The flat part is where she cooks tortillas, the ceramic clay pots sit on top of the oven and get VERY hot! |
