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Chacala…

Back in the days when we began to entertain the notion of heading off in our Ontario 32 SV Shannon (and by "heading off" I mean taking on the challenges of sailing in 'blue water' which is found far from shore while taking on the challenge of a lifetime….all stories for another time) we were deeply involved in the preparation of selves and ship. We joined the Bluewater Sailing Association, we took dozens of courses and we renewed almost every important part of our little ship. We also joined a group of members who were training specifically for leaving and 'heading off' within the next year…and, as a result, we took even more courses. The sad truth for us was that we became overwhelmed with information and backed somewhat away from our plans and did not leave. To shorten a long story, suffice to say we joined the next year's 'Fleet in Training' and carried on with our preparations; all the while wondering if we were doing the right thing.

And then… we took a vacation and flew to Mexico for a couple weeks of R 'n R. On a day that became one of the most important days of our life, we had occasion to visit a small village on the shore of a beautiful bay called Chacala. There, as if provided as a message to us, rested at anchor, two sailboats about the same size as ours. Well, our fate was sealed and, when we returned home, we doubled our efforts in preparation, sucked it up as they say, and headed off in September of 2011. The stories about the rest of that adventure are under development now so I will move on today and tell you of our experience in the here and now.

We had the marvellous opportunity to visit two friends who were vacationing in, of all places, Chacala; the bay of our dreams and the source of our courage to leave in 2011.
As you can imagine, the village has changed and grown significantly but the beauty remains. We took a day (and a taxi) and enjoyed walking the beach, having a long overdue visit and a lovely lunch. To sit and think back and reminisce about all that trip meant was truly a gift and we are so grateful for that experience. The photos herein will give you a glimpse of the beach and bay today and, yes, there are two sailboats anchored and awaiting the next leg of their adventure.

May your own memories of adventures past stay with you as long as you wish.
Adios for now… CJ

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On the one hand…

Hola from afar.

Like everyone else, I expect, I shall be glued to the television today as we watch an event that will likely make significant changes across our world as we know it and, sadly, not for the best. 'Nuff said.

Moving back to real time, the here and now, it's been a few days since I've checked in… we've been busy getting familiar with the lay of the land and, yes, catching up on sleep and unfinished planning for next winter. Sounds crazy doesn't it but, if you're an RVer, you understand what I mean. For those who aren't … 'tis true; if one wants a nice site in a State Park, one must do the homework with respect to selection and booking…One year in advance. It's kind of like a game of chance… actually it's very much like a game of chance; sometimes you win and lots of times you lose out and get to start again.

But enough of that. Back to 'here in Mexico' we go 😃. We are well and have spent these last few days learning about where we are; the place, the people, the restaurants and the beach bars. like any small town, there is lots to see and lots to learn.

For instance, we've learned that after a few nights of listening to the local dogs barking at each other all night, your brain can actually block the noise out and allow you to get some sleep. The same can be said about the very loud roosters (who run wild on the streets along with their harems) and who think dawn is somewhere around 0400 hrs.
I'm not complaining mind, it's a small price to pay for the good fortune to be welcome in a small(er) town, close to larger venues if desired.

So far we've nailed down the locations that provide, the best BBQ ribs, the coldest cervesas, the loudest music, the strongest margueritas, the best beach for lounging, the best fish market, the best laundry, the easiest roads to walk on (many are hard to walk on cobblestone) and for me, an easy route for my morning walk (I just walk straight down our road to the very end, turn around and walk straight back). The route
I ve adopted takes about 40 minutes…a great way to start the day.

I'm including a few pics. They show, one of those roosters I mentioned, the reason we don't swim at our beach, a couple of the streets (the quiet one is the morning street at Sophia's; a lovely sidewalk cafe, and the view from our wee balcony.

Well, it's time for me to go and get ready for our day. Hope your days go well and your dogs and roosters are sleeping through the night. Adios amigos. CJ
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Tequila Sunset… oh yeah

'Tis true, there is nothing better than waking up on a gently rocking sailing vessel, securely anchored and nestled into an aquamarine anchorage bathed by warm, brilliantly coloured sunshine… not much anyway :-). That being said, as we no longer have a floating home south of the 49th, we are blessed to still be able to visit such places although it takes long days and uncomfortable airline flights. We have arrived at our temporary digs safely and are enjoying getting acclimatized and exploring nearby eateries and beaches. Tomorrow we're off to visit friends and explore other places… and, mostly, we are going to relax and catch up on our sleep. Wishing you all warm sun and comfortable visits. Adios amigos for now. CJ