Occupy Chiapas Marina-Day #6

Current location: Puerto Madero, Chiapas, MX

“Occupy Chiapas Marina” Day #6…..

I grew up being dragged along to a variety of peaceful protests with my mother, learning quickly that candle wax really burns and that Bob Dylan’s voice really annoyed me. So to honor her memory we have decided to occupy Marina Chiapas as a symbol of our solidarity to penny pinchers everywhere. When the Mexican policia show up to drag us away from our free stay marina, we will prevail!

But seriously we have been loving our stay here in Chiapas, enjoying some afternoon rain showers, a coffee plantation tour and the boys racing around the newly paved parking lot on their rusty scooters. Life is good! The only bummer has been a reoccurrence of our fuel tank leakage which seems determined to trickle just bit of diesel every day. A repair we will take care of in El Salvador, which apparently has quality welding facilities.

One of my favorite parts so far has been the coffee plantation tour where were able to enjoy a beautiful and different environment. We actually had to put on sweatshirts to keep warm, a nice change of pace for us tropical residents. Visiting this place was a great reminder of how much I love being in the mountains and look forward to enjoying them again soon.

The boys and I, with a few of our friends, were picked up at the marina in a van driven by Ulysses who turned out to be the coffee plantation manager. We drove an hour and a half inland to the “finca”, the literal translation in English is “country house” (Ben was unable to go since he needed to finish his captain’s license requirement…another story in itself, requiring urine samples and drug testing).

This particular coffee plantation, Finca Hamburgo, has been owned by a German family for over 125 years and their tag line appropriately states, “A place two blocks from heaven”...or something like that (which conjured up this disturbing thought in my head, “I’m a long way from my destination if I’m headed the other way!!”). We traveled into the rainforest to about 5,000 feet in altitude and were amazed at the lushness of our surroundings.

Although Mickey and J.P. weren’t inspired by the subject of coffee growing, they found off-roading in a 4x4 truck through the rainforest quite exciting. As we passed people on the dirt roads with machetes in hand, they found it even more intriguing. They also raved about the the amazing meals we were served at the plantation’s restaurant/hotel. Chicken Parmegian in the middle of the rainforest….does it get any better than that???

I’ll let the pictures tell the rest of the story, but let me just clarify that the beauty and tranquility of this place was astounding. I was quite content to get off the water for a while and enjoy a different region of Mexico, a country I have grown to love.

As we get farther south and out of the more touristy regions I have noticed we “gringos” are quite the unique sight. One of the first days here, we went to a shopping mall which included a Walmart filled with Guatemalan people who often cross the border to get necessary items. When Nicole (from Bella Star) informed us there was a food court, I thought the boys might lose their minds with exictement. Sure enough we followed the bright lights and discovered the gringo promised land of Subway, Dominos and something absent from our diet for quite a while, Chinese food!!

Apparently there is a large Chinese population here which dates back to the railroads being built. As Mickey danced a little jig of joy next to me, we ordered Orange Chicken (his favorite food), plates of chow mein, fried rice and egg rolls. Although I found it unique to be speaking Spanish to an Asian woman, I liked the multi-cultural feel to this place. Turns out, it’s the gringos that aren’t the norm here….as I spied a group of junior high students pointing to us from across the food court. They had approached our friend and wanted to know if they could take a picture of our children.

So there we were in the middle of a shopping mall experiencing the “melting pot” of Mexico amongst Guatemalen, Chinese and Mexican people and we were the unicorn in the room. A round of pictures were taken as the boys patiently tolerated this group of teenage women oogling over how cute they were. It was like my children had taken on movie star status and were being pursued by the paparazzi (Mickey later pointed out that it was like being a famous major league baseball player). When I pulled out my Iphone to take their picture, their eyes lit up with excitement. One particular girl kept petting J.P. like a puppy, until he told her he needed his space. Surprisingly this translated just fine.

After I had used all of my basic Spanish conversational terms we found ourselves just standing there, staring and smiling at each other. I took this as a cue to break up the party and told them we needed to go eat something. They nodded comprehension and moved along with many backward glances, obviously having a great story to tell when they returned home from school. They spent the next half hour nearby, giggling and reviewing their cell phone pics of the boys.

Another event of note is our new friend Enrique who is in charge of building and running this new marina. Ironically, he has 8 and 10 year old sons and as I write this Ben, Enrique and all of the kids are off exploring ancient Mayan ruins. Afterwards they plan to go to Enrique’s club and swim in the pool.

So there you have it…in the last six days our experiences have ranged from rainforests, 125 year old coffee plantations, shopping malls, junior high girl encounters, Mayan ruins and swimming pools. A schizophrenic existence indeed, but we already knew that the Doolittles were crazy!

Cheers,
Molly

P.S. Leaving Mexico for El Salvador tomorrow morning (Tuesday). A two night passage that will take us past Guatemala and to Bahia Del Sol. Looking forward to seeing Central America!!!

P.P.S. Having trouble loading the photos tonight. Will post them soon!

Tehuantepec, T-Peckers, Tehuanapeckers

Current location: Puerto Madero (Chiapas), Mexico

Here we sit 14 miles from the Guatemalan border in Puerto Madero, having conquered the dreaded Tehuantepecs. To best explain the potential challenges of our most recent passage, let me quote our chart books that so boldly and explicitly explain:

“The next leg of the trip along this coast is a crucial passage that may be difficult. The formidable reputation of the Gulf of Tehauntepec is well deserved since the winds sweeping over the Isthmus maintain a yearly average of Force 6 on the Beuafort Scale and at times exceed Force 8 (especially from October to April). Added to the problems of heavy winds and seas felt over 100 miles offshore are strong currents which vary in direction and rate depending on the wind’s intensity. Northwest or northeast currents of over 2 knots on either shore of the Gulf…are a result of the wind being so strong at times that it actually lowers the water level at the head of the gulf.”

- From Charlie’s Charts

And just in case you didn’t get the point, here is an excerpt from “Cruising Ports” by Pat and John Rains:

Tehuantepec gales (known to pleasure boaters as ‘Tehuanapeckers’ or’ T-peckers’) have overwhelmed and blown ships as large as a 120’ coastal freighter 300 miles off shore. Each year, some sport fishers or cruising boats get caught too far out when a gale starts suddenly and are blown way off shore by overpowering wind (60 knots) into very big seas, sometimes breaking windows, hatches and rigging even capsizing and sinking. The lucky ones are rescued.”

You gotta love a guidebook that just puts it out there without any sugar coating and essentially saying, “Hey, man…watch yourself out there!”.

I went on to read the following with a big chuckle…

“The good news is that several hundred well founded yachts SAFELY transit the Gulf of Tehuantepec each year-gale or no.”

Phew! Well, isn’t that comforting? Doesn’t that just make you feel warm all over and want to hop in your little sailboat for a fun sail across the Gulf of Tehuantepec? Yeah.…me either! However, if we wanted to get south and explore faraway lands, we needed to cross the Gulf.

To be honest, we have traversed other dreaded sailing areas without drama or incident. These places have turned out to be the least challenging and scary and ironically it was other “benign” or “normal” areas that kicked our butt . This has made me a bit more relaxed when attempting a crossing like the Gulf of Tehuantepec.

Also, our captain is a quite calm, cool and relaxed about these types of sails with the philosophy of being patient and waiting for a good, open weather window. He was even gracious enough to extend his night watches so I could get a little more sleep. Apparently he is determined to avoid an exhausted, hysterical woman on board which can be far more dangerous than losing an extra hour of two of sleep.

Sometimes I envy JP and Mickey as they get snuggly in bed, sleep all night and awaken the next morning, excited to see we’ve made some good mileage and are closer to our destination. Little do they know, we’ve encountered rough weather, helped a disabled boat, have a leaky fuel tank or some other drama that can occur at night on the sea. Sometimes ignorance is truly bliss! (For proof see photos below).

Boats tend to stack up on one end of the Gulf, awaiting a good weather window and in our instance there were about nine of us crossing at the same time. We set up a pre-determined radio time and channel to check in with each other to share information and well, let’s be honest…..brag about the fish that were caught!

In the end, our 240 mile sail across was quite uneventful and we had to motor almost half the time due to lack of wind. The only drama occurred when we heard a call on the radio from a fellow cruiser, Espiritu asking for engine repair ideas. Floating dead in the water, attempting to fix the problem with the concern of a Tehuantepec wind kicking up is not a comforting place to be. In addition, it was an extremely dark night with no moon, very little wind (making it difficult to sail without a motor) and some far off lightening. On a positive note, we had all covered some ground and were only 40 miles from our destination, therefore, there were options.

Since we were the closest to Espiritu we approached them to see if we could offer any assistance. As we circled around their boat, Ben and Chris (of Espiritu) brainstormed ideas of what the problem could be and in the end Chris took apart the -blah, blah, blah- and replaced the -blah, blah, blah-, (you know what that is?....yeah, me either). A big sigh of relief and we were underway again.

As the sun came up we approached Puerto Madero, excited to pull into port and rest. Entering the breakwater, we watched huge waves crashing against the rocks and were amazed at the ferociousness and beauty of them. We were further astonished by the two men in a small canoe, fishing within 2 feet of the break. No paddles, no life jackets and a small hand line hanging over the boat. I looked back at Ben from the bow of the boat as he mouthed the word “loco”.

We maneuvered our way back into the lagoon, in an attempt to find the new Chiapas Marina that was recently built. There were no buoys or markers to assist us, but eventually (and in 9 feet of water) we found our way, happily pulling into a slip. Imagine our surprise to discover they had not officially opened and were not charging slip fees.

So here we sit with electricity, showers and internet access for the low, low price of FREE!! Upon discovering this Ben declared, “Say hello to our new home, boys! We’re never leaving.”


Here’s Mickey the morning after an overnight sail:

Here’s a pic of Ben the morning after an overnight sail.

Enough said?

Cheers,
Molly

BTW....We did not feel the Acapulco earthquake nor the aftershocks. All is well!

Awaiting A Weather Window....

Happy St. Patrick's Day to all!

I was quite unaware of the weird things occur when you await a good weather window for one of the "most dangerous crossings in North America". Here are some examples:

Perhaps not so strange (to Ben) is the Modelorama in Crucesitas where you order 1 to 3 litres of beer at your table. They load it into a tube and you can dispense it at your whim....let's just say it's a BIG treat to drink draft beer in Mexico and to be able to control the output...such an appropriate thing being St. Patrick's Day and all (aka Dia de St. Patricio here in Mexico). I think Ben may have found his "nirvana". Did I mention the waitress had on a tube top??

Anchored out in Huatulco, Mexico awaiting a good weather window can bring out some interesting activities to pass the time. After a visit to the mercado, what else to do but challenge each other to an egg toss game. The sailboat Panache was 200-300 yards from ours and when Zach (Captain of Panache) pointed out there was no way Mick and I would hit his boat...well, we busted out the huevos! As fate would have it....it was Capt. Zach to hit his own vessel! Happy sailing Zach! I think eggs are good luck!

Please note, you may have to cut and paste the link into your browser to make them work:



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpWD1MqpLwo&feature=share&list=ULdpWD1MqpLwo





Anchored out in Huatulco, Mexico awaiting a good weather window Mick and JP swam every morning and visited the neighborhood boats on the daily swim!


http://youtu.be/jaicKiLBbhw

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/jaicKiLBbhw" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>




And why not celebrate a birthday while you wait for the seas to die down?


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDmfkC8cb7g&feature=channel

Cheers,

Molly (on the Floating Frat House)

Happy Huatulco Birthday J.P.!!!

Current location: Huatulco, Mexico

Forgive me I am very much behind in my blog entries and someday will catch up with stories from Las Hadas, Zihuatanejo and Ixtapa. Or you will all have to buy the book I plan on writing of the Doolittle’s adventures at sea. Just for fun, you can submit ideas for the book’s title below. For now, here’s a present time blog post….

So here we sit and sweat in Huatulco, Mexico awaiting a weather window to sail across the dreaded Tehuanapecs. This is an isthmus of land where the gale force winds blow regularly (50-70 knot winds) so it’s time to stop and wait for the right time to jump across. Here’s an interesting quote via Wikipedia:

“Most of the hurricanes that form in the Eastern Pacific organize in or near this body of water. A strong, gale force wind called the Tehuano periodically blows out over the waters of the Gulf of Tehuantepec, inducing strong upwelling of nutrient-rich waters which support abundant sea life.”

Before you stop and gasp and “ooooh” and “aaahhh” about how we are adrenaline junkies or putting ourselves in danger, let it be noted that most sailors wait patiently for a wide open weather window. This usually results in puttering across the 240 miles using the engine to reach Puerto Madero. This is the benefit of modern technology and high tech weather forecasting. However, just to keep it exciting here are few stories I’ve heard personally (I’ve condensed them down to a few sentences):

“We left early in the weather window so we’d have some wind to sail. We faced 50 knot gusts on the nose, but after 24 hours it just died and we motored the rest of the way. By the way have you tried the steak sandwich here?”

Molly’s thoughts: Um, yeah. If I am sailing into 50 knot winds on the bow of our Catalina 38, we’ll be back in San Diego in no time. No thanks! Find me a 7 day weather window of dead calm and I’m ready! Besides have you ever seen an 8 and 10 year old puke cheeseburgers in the cockpit….I have and it ain’t pretty! My goal is to avoid repeating this event at all costs.

“We were halfway across and the winds picked up. I noticed the larger shrimp boats and commercial fishing vessels flying past us to reach Salina Cruz (a commercial port located halfway across). My crew member wanted to keep going so we could get across because we were out of ice. I explained that if these bigger, more experienced boats were running for cover so was I in my 29’ sailboat. We waited 3 longs days for the winds to die down.”

Molly’s thoughts: So there’s a place to stop in case you encounter crappy weather? Yes! And who’s this motivated, driven sailor whose main goal is ice for his cocktail…I love that guy!! Ok, this true story is from Ben on his last cruising trip 15 years ago. He and his dad got caught in the T-pec winds and ducked for cover. It always conjures up images in my head of Gilligan and Mr. Howell stranded on a small boat together.

Take heart there are quite a few sailboats “stacked up” here awaiting a good time to go. We won’t be alone and will have plenty of company as we make our way across to the border of Mexico and Guatamala.

With another long passage under our belts, it has been nice to hang out, clean up and rest for a while. We chose to sail straight through to Hautulco which was an approximate 230 mile sail (2 nights/3 days) from Zihuatanejo. Finally, we were very fortunate to get some great wind and were under sail most of the way. It had also been a while since we ‘buddy boated’ and the boys enjoyed being able to hail our friends who were within radio range most of the time. The dolphin videos I posted earlier show our continuing magical encounters with dolphins who at one point began a game of pseudo “tag” between our boat and Panache about ¼ mile away.

Again, we observed several sea turtles floating five to six miles offshore and they continue to make me giggle with their delayed and slow reaction to our approaching boat. At one point, I turned to Ben and said, “Isn’t it amazing that these guys are 80 to 100 years old?” To which he responded, “Of course, they live that long! They live in out in the middle of the ocean ALL by themselves!”

The boys and I have learned to not take offense to such envious observations from the Captain…although come to think of it he is telling the story of being offshore all by himself for 10 days more and more often these days…hmmmmmm!

We are enjoying our time here in Huatulco which is a town with some charm, albeit quite “touristy”, and I was relieved that we were able to celebrate JP’s 8th birthday on dry land. After arriving, we walked into the marina office and upon hearing the name of our boat, the manager got up and walked over to his desk. Soon we realized he had retrieved a package my sister, Kathy sent with all of J.P.’s birthday presents. Imagine our excitement to receive our first delivery in over 3 months!

A treasure chest of items awaited us! At the top of the list was J.P.’s IPod touch which he had saved for and purchased himself. Phew! The boys were also excited to finally receive belated Christmas presents, custom made baseball jerseys. We gave Mickey, the devoted Giant’s fan, Lincecum #55 and for the contrary J.P., a Phillies Roy Halliday jersey with “Doolittle” written across the back. The latter runs for cover as Mickey and I bust out the 2010 World Champion DVD’s which replay the playoffs and all 5 World Series games….we purposely play the NLCS defeat of the Phillies over the sound system really loudly so he can hear it! Hey if you’re going to wear a Phillies jersey on my boat, you better be prepared for some taunting!

J.P. celebrated his 8th birthday here in on dry land in HOT Huatulco. So instead of granting his wish of, “hanging on the boat and playing with his IPod Touch”, we convinced him to swim at the hotel pool across the street for the day. Nicole and Aaron form Bella Star and Zach from Panache (his new BFFs) helped us celebrate while playing in the pool, eating “Panditas” (Gummy Bears in Spanish) and wearing funny “Felicidades” glasses/hats. We had dinner at J.P.’s new favorite restaurant, Senor Puck’s and ended the day with a cake I made with the boys’ help. With Doolittle Cakes on sabbatical I looked forward to this task, but soon found it frustrating as the interior temperature of the boat reached 90 degrees and was limited by the minimal decorating tools onboard.

As we delved into the cake, we listened to newly downloaded Star Wars music from J.P.’s IPod and drank ice cold Fresca. Hopefully, a birthday he will not soon forget!

Cheers,
Molly

Note: If anyone knows the limits to MLB-At Bat internationally on an IPhone, please let us know. Mickey and I are trying to plan how to feed our Giant’s addiction and watch some games this season. We are currently keeping up by reading the San Jose Mercury News blog, Extra Baggs.






This is how cruisers celebrate b-days! Bring your own plate and fork, cram yourself into the cockpit of the boat while Star Wars music plays on the stereo and consume cake and Fresca (no ice)!!!!



















Doolittle Parties may be on sabbatical, but give me a can of frosting and some action figures and I'll try to make a go of it! The chocolate 'Ratones' are from the local supermarket. Note to self....baking cakes on a boats is a pain in the booooty!





















You can take take the kid out of America, but you can't take the America out of the kid!! JP's new favorite restaurant! Why? We had just gotten done with a 3 day ocean passage and this was the first eating establishment we found....air conditioning (it's frigin' hot here), t.v.'s, free WiFi and chicken nuggets.

Videos Finally!!

No writing today...just videos! We had yet another dolphin encounter on our way to Zihuatanejo/Ixtapa while a few miles offshore. They spent about a half hour swimming along with us and playing. We were all on the bow enjoying the show (don't worry, we have an autopilot on the boat). Good times!!!

J.P. leaned down and got to touch one of them as they swam along. Then the dolphin promptly spouted out of his blowhole, spraying JP all over. It should be noted that he just finished a research report on dolphins. Nothing like making research REAL!!

And yes, in the first video, JP is saying, "Hi guys! Let's Party-Party!". If touching dolphins isn't a party, I don't know what is!!!

Please excuse the rookie video filming...I'm always paranoid I'm going to drop the IPhone in the ocean. Also, you may have to paste the below links into the address bar to access them on You Tube. Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7t4jLldrT0&context=C3e13453ADOEgsToPDskKlMfySpODxFIgAVJ_WiTW3

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNgI0ADp5rE&feature=channel

OR

You can go to You Tube and paste in the following address for our videos:

http://www.youtube.com/user/DooCruise?feature=mhee

Cheers,
Molly

Doolittles Go Aground...in more ways than one!

Current location: Ixtapa, Mexico

After a two day sail and 190 miles, we arrived here in Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo a few days ago. It was an uneventful sail without any mechanical surprises and we had a glorious Sunday where we were surrounded by frolicking dolphins and breaching whales (look for a blog entry soon on this topic and maybe a video of our close encounters…J.P. actually touched one on his back as we swam along our boat). Even the 100 year old solitary sea turtles came out to greet us! It still makes me chuckle to see a bird perched upon the shell of these old guys in the middle of the ocean. As we get closer the bird flies away and all that is remaining is the bird poop splayed all over the turtles back. Show a little respect to your elders, man!!!

A more recent development is the surprise we sprung upon our unsuspecting children. It should be noted we have become experts at utilizing local hotels for our swimming and internet pleasure. In a nod to our rule-following Catholic upbringings, Ben and I usually ask for permission to use the facilities with management happily providing us with towels and passwords in exchange for buying a few beers. The travel industry is taking a big hit down here, so any gringos willing to spend money are welcomed.

We awoke yesterday morning and told both younger Frat brothers to pack a bag to which they replied, “Oh, man do we have to take a shower again?”. This response is disconcerting to the House Mother since she requires bathing quite infrequently. The most disturbing was J.P.’s comment a few weeks ago when he stated, “But I showered five days ago!”. Assimilating back into ‘normal’ society will take some adjustments from the Frat members who consider ocean and pool swimming acceptable bathing options.

But again I digress….when we told them to include a toothbrush, they knew something was up. We giggled and told them we would be staying in a big hotel down the street for the night. Mickey gleefully started packing his bag, but soon the smug looks on our faces and affirmative thoughts of “we’re the best parents in the world” were dashed when J.P. started to cry. Apparently he didn’t want to sleep anywhere but home saying, “But I like our boat!”.

When we agreed that he could bring ALL of his stuffed animals he reluctantly packed his bag. His attitude did an about face, upon the realization our room came equipped with cable television, a magical flushing toilet and room service. We spent the day swimming (a.k.a bathing) in the three pools, ordering room service and zoning in front of the television. Our friends from Bella Star and Panache came over from Zihuatanejo, but were promptly kicked out by security. So we moved down the beach to a more “open minded” hotel that allowed us to drink at their swim-up bar and cool off in their pool.

Other important items of note are the preparations J.P. is busy making for his upcoming birthday on the 13th. We assured him that if we were underway on the actual day, we’d celebrate big time in El Salvador. I’m sad to say there will be no Doolittle Parties custom made cake this year, although a Rice Krispie treat sculpted into a lightsaber may be attempted. Stay tuned!

Now onto a recent flashback to a blog I jotted down while anchored out in Las Hadas. To understand some references to our time in Barra de Navidad, read the previous blog first. Now the flashback…..

So here we sit in a lovely anchorage called Las Hadas near Manzanillo. We’ve enjoyed moseying along the coast for the past couple of weeks. The anchorages have been only a few hour sail between destinations which creates a relaxing pace. Unlike the “delivery mode” were found ourselves in early on (a term used to refer to the delivery of boats to certain places in a fixed amount of time), this part of the coast has a variety of stops which allows us to “Stop and smell the roses” or in sailing terms, “Stop, sleep, and snorkel”.

Our departure from Barra de Navidad and saying farwell to friends again was difficult, but a permanent part of this lifestyle. Unfortunately, the French Baker and I had to part ways (see previous post), bringing truth to the phrase, “Breaking up is hard to do”. It would have never worked out any way. I surely would have weighed 500 pounds and become a raging diabetic if our relationship had flourished. “C’est la vie“, old friend…until we meet again!

Apparently, there is a saying in Barra that goes like this, “There are two types of sailors, those who have run aground and those who will!”. When we first arrived at low tide we certainly would have joined the Aground Club had we not come upon a fellow sailor out in his dinghy. He waved us over, indicating to follow him in. His knowledge of the channel and the location of the sand bars allowed us a successful entry to the lagoon. During our departure we were not so lucky. Again at low tide (yes, I know you’re thinking, “Hello, Doolittles…try high tide!!”).

On the day of our departure, we pulled up our muddy anchor and maneuvered out through the fleet. I was driving while Ben put away the anchor on the bow. To give you Northern California folks an idea what the terrain was like, picture the Sacramento Delta which is marked by buoys and warnings of tidal changes….but this is Mexico and there were NO markers or buoys at all. Basically we were relying on waypoints (coordinates giving location via latitude and longitude) and instinct, which were both incorrect. As I watched the depth finder, I was perplexed to find it quickly decreasing in rapid increments, “12 - 10 - 8 - 7 – 6 - 5”. I counted off the #s to Ben and before I could shout ‘Four”, the boat came to a sudden stop. We were aground.

A couple in a dinghy were driving by and without a word maneuvered to start pushing our bow around to dislodge us from the soft, muddy bottom of the lagoon. Sure enough we swung around and were free. They quickly directed us to where the water was deeper (literally 3 feet to our left) and wished us luck. We were soon headed out of the breakwater into the open ocean.

Ever the entrepreneurs, Ben and I decided that we could open a shop selling t-shirts to sailors passing through Barra. Here are a few slogans we’d slap on some 100% cotton “camisas”:

For the simpleton:
“I Ran Aground in Barra”

For the optimist:
“Barra – Run aground, stay a while”
“My muddy bottom rocks!”
“I had a free mud bath in Barra”

For the frustrated:
“Lagoons Suck”

For the angry:
“We ran aground in Barra. Wipe that smug look off your face – you will too!!”

For the Master of Peer Pressure:
“Run aground in Barra – Everyone is doing it!”

For the Fraternity Brothers:
“We sucked mud in Barra”
“I was in Barra – Now I have a muddy bottom”

For the Nike lover:
“Run aground in Barra – Just Do It!!”

For the accusatory:
“My Wife Did It”
“My Dad Did It”

For our fellow sailor friend who shall remain nameless:
“I ran aground in Barra 3 times in one day!”

And finally, for the kids:
“My parents ran aground in Barra and all I got was this stupid t-shirt”

Coming soon…more stories from Las Hadas, Zihuatanejo and hopefully video downloads of our friends, the dolphins. I’m still having a hard time uploading videos to blogspot. If anyone has suggestions of where I can easily post short videos for people to view, let me know (and how to rotate videos off of my Iphone).

Cheers,
Molly






Ixtapa at sunset from the pool.

























JP found a bamboo Yoda stick before we left Barra. I love this pic!
























Some of my favorite neighbors...the Pelicans in Barra lagoon! Thanks to Susan off of Wiz for the photo!