After one final surf session at Caleta we hit the trail again and 130 miles later we dropped the hook in Chamela bay right at sunset. The surfboards hanging on our lifelines always attract attention from other boats. Somehow sailboats with boards seem to be highly appreciated even by non surfers. We were invited over to "Blue Sky" (they are in the recent issue of Lats and Ats) and fed and watered but when the kids went to bed we were promptly ushered off. We anchored the next day between two islands and spent hours snorkeling in 75 degree water with 45 foot visibility. We aren't very good with the spear guns yet. Some fish stand in line for death but they're the pretty ones that don't have good meat and it's a sin to kill a mockingbird. My digital camera is waterproof. You gotta see some of these videos. I'll try to upload if I ever find a fast connection. Ryan taught us some yoga on the beach and I wandered all around the island. It's a bird sanctuary. Think: all access pass to the SD Wild Animal Park. Really cool. Saw lots of big beautiful boobies. That's blue footed boobies (my aunts are surely smiling right now). The next day we anchored in the southern section of the same bay and while snorkeling this reef we saw a Mexican kid with a stringer of about 30 octopi on it. We befriended him and had him and his boss and friend back to Barraveigh for wine, beer, pistachios and loads of fresh pulpo. Then it was off to another anchorage called Paraiso (paradise, and it was) Amazing underwater adventures. Jorge, Luiz, and Fernando taught us how to spot and pull oysters off the rocks and we did! Also - shooting the swell in the kayaks as it surges through the rock gauntlets is almost as good as running a rapid on the river. This is a glorious part of the coast. They call it the Mexican Rivera. All the huge houses on the cliffs look like the best of La Jolla with the paint scheme chosen by papa smurf. The anchorages are within 3 - 12 miles of each other which is nice since we can leave whenever we want and not have to plan so earnestly when we arrive since we can always get there in daylight (kinda hairy coming into a new anchorage in the dark). Right now we are anchored in front of a Club Med that shut down in 2001. They've already been kind enough to give us a case of wine and some other things we needed for the boat. It's as if we have found a deserted civilization. Right now Ryan and I are headed back over there to climb their rock wall that overlooks the bay. This place is beyond words.

Haven't had any bugs since San Blas.

I could have sworn I saw a monkey today.

2 new maxims:

1.) Never pass up a bird sanctuary (Free eggs! Just kidding Mom)
2.) Never pass up a beach with a Club Med (they only pick the most beautiful spots)