We spent our first week in Banderas Bay at Punta Mita. We like anchoring there very much but during this visit we weren't able to pickup Wi-Fi to the boat and the Wi-Fi at our favorite lunch stop by the dinghy landing (El Coral) wasn't working properly. We ended up making two bus trips into La Cruz, combining internet with breakfast at La Ya Ya cafe, a visit to the Sunday market in the marina, and even a trip to the movies with friends. A movie ticket (27 pesos) cost less than the round trip bus fare (40 pesos), for a brand new theater where they asked us to select our seats from a computer display!
We moved into the La Cruz anchorage to have easier access to shore side amenities, and to spend time with Roy and Marlene on Damiana before they head into the Sea for the summer. Except for afternoon wind chop from fetch coming across the huge bay (which can be quite severe at times), we are living very comfortably. Damiana toured us through the produce mart where there's a good selection of fresh fruits and vegetables delivered every Tuesday and Friday at 5 PM. I contacted our old friends Dan and Lee on Afroessa to "sign up" for Lee's gentle yoga workout. There's no formal instruction but she doesn't charge a thing for people to join what would otherwise be her personal yoga sessions Monday through Saturday at 8 AM. It's great incentive for us to get off the boat early, and out doing other things once we're on shore for the morning. Not to mention it's a great workout for me! John sometimes goes for a walk and we meet up at Ya Ya for internet and breakfast.
We had quite an interesting evening for the opening night of the Tianguis Turistico Mexico 2012. As stages were being built on an empty gravel lot between the marina docks and the breakwater we speculated about what it could all be for. It turned out to be an international convention for tourism in Mexico and we were allowed to spectate on the sidelines. As it happened, our group of cruisers ended up standing right in the line of the hors d'oeuvres trays making their way from the catering tents to the crowd. A few very kind waiters took pity on us and we were offered first dibs from trays of three kinds of ceviche, lamb ribs, shrimp balls, two kinds of mini tortas (meat sandwiches), and my personal favorite, an avocado and sweet roasted pepper appetizer that was mouth-watering. We saw stilt walkers dressed in elaborate futuristic insect-like costumes, acrobatics in the style of Cirque du Soleil, a mariachi band of over 40 instruments, and traditional dancing. We watched from the boat as a long fireworks finale capped off an already entertaining evening.
A couple of nights later we were out at a benefit concert for a local good works organization. Several of the musicians who play regular gigs at area restaurants performed and we enjoyed getting a taste of their music without the normal entry fee of an expensive meal. This was held in a small amphitheater built out on the marina breakwater which made for an intimate venue.
I joined Damiana for a bus outing to Sayulita. I was looking forward to getting another taste of the "Pioneer" pancakes at Rollie's and we weren't disappointed. Rollie makes people feel right at home and Jeanne bends over backward to ensure that you order what you want and more. The food is delicious and there's plenty of it in every selection. We had to walk around afterwards for some shopping to work off our satisfied stomachs. The only downside to this visit was the huge street improvement project going on around the main square making for lots of jack hammering and torn up sidewalks. But the town should be even better once that's finished.
We sold a few things at the Saturday swap meet to help lighten the boat and pay for some of the socializing we've been doing with friends in the marina. It's been very nice to have another dinghy dock for access to all the fun on shore and this one is at a much more reasonable price!
Linda
{GMST}20|44.896|N|105|22.332|W|Anchorage|La Cruz{GEND}
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