A little Louisiana humor on the beach

We found this plastic alligator sand mold on Lover's beach and I just couldn't resist making some.

From one Indian to another

Allan found this perfectly beautiful arrowhead on a deserted beach that we stopped on our way. It's made of obsidian and is transparent on the edges...perfectly in tact like it was never used...possibly made for adornment instead of a weapon???? Museum quality piece for sure! Tony also found a spearpoint that probably broke when it found its target. I am eager to learn more about these Indians!!

Boat trip to Santa Rosalia

The day after I arrived, our friend, Montana Bob invited us to accompany him as he took his 48 foot yacht to Santa Rosalia, a coastal town about 45 miles north that has a marina where he can get fuel and ammenities. It was slick calm most of the way with a tail wind...perfect weather...it was me with 6 men and a dog..what a motley crew we were! A full day of fun in the sun made us all hungry for Super Pollo...a place in town that serves half a roasted chicken with the fixins for $5....great trip!!! Good scenery along the way....stopped for some beachcombing.....see next entry...

Returned to the Baja

I am returning to the Baja....I miss Allan. I miss the palapa. And I miss the Sea of Cortez! Isn't Bahia Concepcion beautiful?!

Camping at a cenote

One of the highlights of my stay in Puerto was a camping trip to one of the local cenotes with one of my partners in crime, Flor de Maria.....there was a palapa very near the entrance to the cenote and we put up the hammocks with our new hamnmock mosquito nets that worked perfectly!! This cenote is crystal clear and about 80 feet deep or so...great swimming and snorkeling....we were alone for the night..the caretaker lives about a quarter mile away....we watched the bats leave and heard lots of stange sounds in the jungle. A temazcal has been built there.

Back to the Yucatan

It is good to be back in Puerto Morelos! Weather is perfectly warm and sunny...water a bit cooler than I anticipated....there is a new palapa bar (Casa Azul) near the pier...there is nothing like sitting with your feet in the sand with a refreshing drink of soda water and cranberry juice just watching the day go by! There was a couple from Puebla that were playing several instuments on the beach that day...I was so impressed by the fact that they did it as a family...they laid the baby on the table while an older brother played nearby....as the baby started to wiggle and the mother proceeded to pick her up and keep playing the pan flute, I offered to hold little Cecilia....I got my baby fix for the month...or year...HA!!!

La Paz (the peace)

This town of about 200,000 has a nice malecon (seawall promenade)with many sculptures, palm-shaded benches, views of the many sailboats in the bay and great people watching. Hotel Yeneka, only a couple blocks away is quite an eclectic place to stay. Lots of tropical vegetation and an assortment of stuff that looks like an ongoing garage sale..There is a Model T in the courtyard...the pet monkey that used to swing from tree to tree is now stuffed and is "driving" the Model T. Tomorrow I fly to Mexico City (second largest city in the world, second to Tokyo) for a connection to Cancun.

Leaving the palapa

Here is the palapa as I left it...I am returning to the Yucatan for a bit....Allan took me to catch the bus by the side of the road....he waited with me to flag the bus down and they stopped and put my stuff in the baggage compartment and I climbed inside where they were glad to take my 500 pesos ($50) to take me to La Paz (5 hours south) to catch a plane to Cancun. Now imagine flagging down the Greyhound in the United States...HA!!

Dolphins galore

There are so many dolphins that pass by our palapa.....and its really fun to jump on the SeaDoo when we see them and go play..they love to race with us and generally play around! Last night we were awakened by a large WHALE blowing very close to the beach in front of the palapa. Possibly a finback or humpback??

Beast of a man

A visitor to Playa Escondida

Arrowheads

A lot has happened since I last posted, so lets catch up. We found 2 of these arrowheads just a few feet from the palapa....and one about 4 beaches away. We are curious who made them..how long ago...why are they so different..different Indians, or for different purposes or more advanced techniques????

Secluded beaches

We now are able to get to some really beautiful and secluded beaches thanks to a friend who loaned us his SeaDoo for a while.....beaches that are further than we want to venture in a kayak...as the wind can pick up or change in a moments notice. My favorite is one of the small islands that has a cave.

Fishing camp

This beach has been used as a fishing camp for who knows how long......while there is noone living on it now, there is plenty of evidence of past activities...fish skeletons, dried manta rays, and lots of snail traps made out of anything that is circular and withstands saltwater....they remind me of the crab traps we use in Louisiana...we would tie a chicken neck or gizzard in the middle and lower the trap from a pier to the bottom...then s l o w l y pull it up....

Semana Santa

Holy Week is over. The much talked about weeklong celebration came and went as expected. Most of the people were Mexican families from the north. Escondida beach population exploded as tents were erected, kitchens set up, and boats launched. The volleyball court came to life when Tecate beer set up their concession next to it. We had the same family camped on either side of us so "mi casa es su casa" was the rule. They were a very nice, generous family from Mexicali, though most lived in Los Angeles now. They called Allan "Tarzan" as they remembered him from 7 years ago....many of the same families have been coming here for years! Most of the activities centered around drinking, cooking, eating, and water sports. Fishing was abundant as was diving for clams, scallops and snails. We had ceviche of every type. Fish tacos, fried fish, carne asada, and birria - a stew of goat meat, mmmmmmmmm, they brought a whole goat in a cooler...the horns now decorate the palapa. Had a great time but glad to have our tranquil life back!!!!

Flattened Palapa

Easter Sunday was the final standing day for the end palapa on our little beach. A teenage girl from Santa Rosalia driving a 4 wheeler with her father, clipped a post as she was whippping around the beach bringing down the delopidated palapa. (Noone hurt) Ahhh...more building material for us!!! Stay tuned for next weeks renovation! HA!

Amigos leaving

We will miss the presence and energy of Marco and Amy....they were our neighbors for the past 3 months....they did make a grand exit from Escondida....Ramon and his beach dog, Vaca, took them in the panga to a restaurant a couple coves down where they stood by the side of the road to catch the bus, but at the very last moment got a ride in the back of a truck to Loreto where they were catching a plane to New York! See yall next year!

Guitar practice

I brought a classical guitar with me so I could learn to play like I have wanted to all my life.....there have been several musicians passing through this place and all have given me some sort of lesson....Marcos taught me the 12 bar blues. I am currently working on Cielito Lindo, a Mexican favorite. Yee haa!!

Greening up the beach

I do miss gardening, so I have started a small planting.......got the soil when we took a trip inland..good fertile volcanic soil...then went through our spices, beans, fruits, vegetables and planted every kind of seed from that....the most surprising was the popcorn....the plants are now over a foot tall...chia seed growing fine, tomatoes, peppers, garlic, chayote squash, pineapple, lemon grass (given to me by one of the vendors who is also a local policeman who told me it makes the best tea if your sick), all growing fine....papaya seeds not up yet???