La Cruz Part 2

Well, we've now been in La Cruz (in the ancorage) for close to a month.  We've really gotten to like this small town.  Lots of places to eat, lots of places to shop, fun places to just look around, like the Wednesday and Sunday markets (in town and at the marina).  After we said goodbye to son Steve, we quietly celebrated the New Years with Nancy watching the plethora of fireworks around Bandaras Bay, and Hal sleeping through it all.  

Heading into town via "The Stairs"

Finding a place to watch football

Views from the anchorage

We're are at Cruisers Comfort, a cool 3rd story patio to relax
and get some super fast wifi

There is no elevator!

Central Park for La Cruz

We were captivated by the guitar.  Found out used to belong
to a La Cruz icon (who also owned the bar before his death)

The marina's "Malecon"

On the "malecon" they show Thursday night movies here.

The anchorage as viewed from the marina "malecon" 

We're at the end of the "malecon" looking at the entrance
to the marina.  

Some of the marina

Marina

The Simdau "bazzar" (bizzare?) at the marina

One of the vendors at the huge fish market right there at
the bazzar, a permanent fixture open daily from 08 to 1500.

A flock of seagulls contemplating bombing Shakedown,
I'm sure

At the barbie

These sunsets are becoming common place

We've finally settled in and got started on a number of projects, including signing up for the Pacific Puddle Jump, which is the first step in committing ourselves to heading to the Marquesas (south pacific) this year.  We almost went last year but decided to wait and see a little bit more of Mexico.  Glad we did, too.  The holding tank needed some serious cleaning, which was finally accomplished (details omitted to protect the queasy).  We've been attending seminars on Tuesdays and Thursdays in preparation for the "Jump" at the Vallerta Yacht Club over in Nuevo Vallerta, we finally got the lazy boys off the boat, into the dinghy, into a cab, and about 1/4 mile up the road to a canvas/upholstery shop right here in town.  We gave him three weeks for the job, mainly because we need the same amount of time to finally get to the fresh water tanks (that live below the lazy boys) some TLC, as we figured they had not been attended to since this vessel was launched.  That particular project is now completely underway.  

We've got tentative plans to depart Mexico around March 22nd but we look forward to hooking up with some friends from far and wide between now and then.....the sunsets continue....

La Cruz de Huanacaxtle Part 1

 Well, we've finally arrived at La Cruz on the eve of Christmas, the 24th, and resting comfortably at anchor just outside the marina.  Once again, we had virtually no wind, so sails didn't get deployed with the exception of our trusty "windbreak" sail (stay sail) just to make us more visible and to minimize the port-to-starboard rocking caused by the swells.  Unfortunately, son Steve had to depart from us, as his vacation time was coming to an end.  We did manage to get him out in the town of La Cruz and a bus trip to Puerta Vallerta for a quick afternoon of eating and walking around the skyscraper hotels forming a continuous wall along the sea shore.  On the 29th, we took a taxi to the airport, had lunch, and wished Steve a safe flight home to the Baltimore, MD area.  We, of course, had to get through the "empty nest" syndrome....

Arriving at La Cruz

The anchorage area just outside entrance to the marina

Our first sunset in Bandaras Bay

The La Cruz Yacht Club and marina

Steve telling his dad how things are done in this town

Leaving the YC and heading into town (Hal & Steve)

The main bus stop for La Cruz

The highway towards Busceria & Pto Vallarta

Walking around the town of La Cruz

Steve complying with the request on the sticky note

The age old question presents itself

This is how you spell Bucerias
as we took a tour of the market

And the Tequilla Store

Approaching the church in Bucerias

Posing with Marilyn

Steve displaying his adroit handling of the dinghy

Where's the Iguana?

Some more La Cruze 

Lunch in La Cruz at La Glorieta de Enrique

Enrique's

Enrique's

The way to the gate from the dinghy dock

Time to get a cab and head for the airport

Waiting to check in his baggage, Steve bid us farewell....

We got back to Shakedown and started making real plans relating to things that needed to get accomplished prior to our planned crossing to French Polynesia this coming March.

Contemplating the next steps.....