Mazatalan, Mexico - Sunday March 14, 1999-

 

Position: Mazatalan, Mexico - Sunday March 14, 1999-

We left San Antonio for Mazatalan to sail with John & June for spring break 99. On our flight from SA to Mexico City we determined that American Airlines food was not too bad when presented by Mexicana. It was at this point that we realized that Tracey forgot the lunches she packed for our trip. We can't wait to get home to smell the bologna after it sits on the kitchen counter all week.

We arrived in Mexico City. A flat city in higher elevation. It was very dry and arid. The city looked like Puerto Rico from the air. We had a long layover, 3 1/2 hours. We cleared immigration but not customs since we sent our bags straight to Mazatlan. Immigration was extremely crowded. We met a couple trying to get to Puerto Vierta, but did not go through immigration. We hope they make it but we won't really ever know.

The layover was long and it was difficult to find any information on our flight until a gate was assigned 30 minutes prior to departure. The terminal was clean and nice. The restroom attendants were very attentive and kept the bathrooms very clean.

We left Mexico City for Mazatlan. I got a chance to look out the window on the trip. Jon & I played hangman; boy is his spelling getting to be good. I was amazed by the changes in topography. We flew over arid ground, then mountains (yes Jeffrey there were mountain lions you just couldn't see them), and then finally to the coast line with all the winding rivers leading to the Pacific Ocean.

We arrived in Mazatlan on time. The area around the airport is clearly a farming and agriculture area. Our bags were collected (from both secure and unsecured baggage claim areas) and after we pressed the button at customs we were allowed to "PASSE" without further inspection.

Peter from the boat met us and we took a taxi while Peter took the luggage to the boat. On our way into Mazatlan we counted over 135 punch buggies. We have found the capital of the free world. The trip to the Marina took about 30-45 minutes but was a lot of fun. The city reminds us some of St.

Maarten in the summer when it would get dried out. Maybe part of that is the foreign language.

We arrived at SeaQuell and boy were the kids glad to see John & June. The crew consisted of Peter, Gabriella, James and Nooka. We played dominos and had a nice dinner and then it was off to bed. Jonathan spent all night with an earache.

Monday March 15, 1999

Today was a great cool morning. Tracey and I awoke with plans to go to the main hotel to work out. The boat was at the El Cid Marina. Gabby tells us El Cid means "The Man". The big cheese or head honcho. It is a lovely place with condos surrounding the marina with two awesome pools. We decided to take the courtesy bus up to the main hotel to the gym. We met a couple from Las Vegas who come to Mazatlan every year and had some good advice. We changed our workout plans when we got to the gym and there was no power, so we couldn't use very many of the machines. Tracey and I decided to run back to the marina for our morning exercise. Boy it didn't seem that far in the courtesy bus, but we made it despite the smog from the passing vehicles.

We had a nice breakfast. Plans for golf were scrapped, as Jon did not feel well at all. Peter found us a Doctor on the hotel property and we went and saw him. For three hundred pesos he looked at Jonathan and determined he had a bad ear infection, a red throat and inflamed nose. He called in a prescription and had it delivered to the HarborMaster's office. This was just great service.

We returned to the boat for kayaking followed by a swimsuit fashion show by June and Tracey while John and I worked on his computer. By 11 am the kids just could not take it anymore and it was time to head to the pool. Tracey took them with June and the headed for the big pool with the rockslides and hot tub. Jenna had a little scare in the 9' water but with some repeat visits she became hooked on the slides.

Jon and I returned to the boat and he taught me a new card game called speed. It was a lot of fun and I even won a couple of times. After lunch it was time for naps. The kids had no trouble falling asleep, but neither did John, June or Tracey.

After our naps, it was time for more fun. Tracey and June went to the fitness center for June's massage. Jeffrey and I searched the kitchen and found the Oreo cookies and milk. After Jon and Jenna woke up, we headed to the fitness center as well for some tennis. We rode in an open air taxi. I'm glad we found some seat belts, because we were "cruising" down the road. It was fun.

The boys have really gotten very good at their tennis. Jon and I worked on his serves. I think I've only got a couple more years then I'm dog meat against that boy at that game.

We met up we Tracey and came back to the boat together. We met a man from Chattanooga, TN on our shuttle ride back to the marina. He owned a time-share unit at the El Cid. Dinner was a barbecue with hot dogs, hamburgers, tuna and pork. Then it was off to bed for lots of rest before our very busy Tuesday.

Tuesday March 16, 1999

I awoke at 5am and spent some quality time on the computer. I woke Tracey up at 6am for our exercise. We decided to kayak the lagoon together. We headed out and found a nice island in the middle of development. The inland marina and slips were being developed but looked like they were stopped in the middle of the project. Later we learned from Peter that at one time over 1400 Mexicans were employed on the construction project. When the peso was devalued, the project was halted and within 2 days all of the workers were laid off.

We saw the evidence of this. We won't forget the mooring for the catamaran that was on a dock built in the middle of the lagoon. No power, no telephone, no running water, and no connection to land. It's really just a cheap place to tie up without having to drop anchor.

We returned to the boat for breakfast. We watched the market open and we saw the Dow Jones cross 10000 for the first time ever. Although it didn't close over 10000, we did see it go over the top. Then John, Jeffrey, Jonathan and I headed to the El Cid resort for golf. Our tee time was 8:38. We took two carts and two caddies. This was the first time either of the

boys had a caddie for golf Quite a cool experience. John shot a 101, Jeff shot a 14, Jon shot a 118 and I had a 101.

Jeff was my driver and the cleaner of the cart tires. Jon drove pedals and steering wheel, for John. Everyone had a good time and the course was nice. After golf we headed back to the boat.

Gabby and Noko were very sick from something they ate or drank the night before. We met up with Tracey, June and Jenna and had lunch at the pool. The girls had been shopping and Tracey had bought a Medusa and a "drunk Mexican by a bottle" for our collection of Caribbean knick-knacks.

Lunch was by the pool and then it was time for us to explore the big pool and its caves. The water was a little cold but we didn't miss any of it, except for the fair pool temperature chicken of the group, Tracey.

We headed back to the boat for naps, as it was determined that John and I would be filling in on the overnight sail as crew for Gabby and Noko.

He left the Marina at high tide and barely made it out without touching the bottom at about 6:45pm. We stopped at an island just outside of Mazatlan for dinner. It was a great spot to eat dinner and see the lights of the city. Dinner was spaghetti and the kids loved it.

Jon was feeling a little queasy and so we headed down to John and June's room to find a movie. I chose Turner and Hooch for us to watch. Before long everyone was in Nana & Bumpa's room for the show. We all headed off to bed and I took a quick rest before my 12am - 3am watch began.

Wednesday March 17, 1999

Happy St. Patrick's Day. I must find someone to pinch whether they have any green on or not. My day started very early, at midnight. Peter and I took the first shift for our sail, should I say motor, to Isabael Island.

The trip is expected to take us about 8 hours and Peter wanted to arrive in the morning so that anchoring would be easier. We also wanted to sail at night so the kids would not be bored by the sail during the day and so we could maximize our time during the day. All good ideas.

Peter and I had a good talk and it was very nice getting to know him. He taught me all the important things to do in case we are about to run into anything unexpectedly or if he falls overboard. These were safety tips I appreciated as yelling "Hey I think Peter fell overboard" or "Is that a freighter in front of us" would not be as helpful as the advice Peter gave to me.

We learned that Mazatlan has the largest shrimp fleet in the world with over 650 ships.

The kids have gotten into the diary/journal idea as well. Jeffrey is writing in his journal for school. Jon is keeping a diary in the computer as well. Jenna, of course, is also writing in her diary as well. Very fun idea. Seems like mom is the only one not working. Well we'll see about that.

We arrived at the Isle of Isabael at shortly after Sam. I woke up today feeling terrible from a cold. We ate breakfast, pancakes, and were ready for our day. I had to take a brief nap while the kids swam. The got bit by an underwater mosquito type of creature. A little vinegar took the sting out but they all have little bites out of them.

At about 10:30 we headed by dingy to the island. First we went out to see a couple of shrimping boats up close. Once on the island we saw the beach lined with huts and tents for a fishing camp. Wooden fishing boats were anchored along the beach while the fishermen worked on their nets or rested.

We hiked the island. The Isle of Isabael is a bird sanctuary. While there we saws really four different types of birds. We learned that the female of one bird species can only mate every other year as she stays with her young for an entire year after they are hatched. We hiked to the top of the island where a lighthouse was located. We watched along the ridge and dodged angry birds protecting their nests and young.

We hiked down the ridge on the other side of the island and headed to a large preserve for the birds. We found observers who had long orange strings attached to the trees where the birds made their nests. Each bird was tagged and the orange strings were a means to determine their weight.

We hiked back to the beach and waited for a pick-up by James. Jon & I hiked around some steep rocks and went looking for caves while Tracey,

Jeffrey, Jenna and John headed back to the boat. Jon and I had lots of fun and he even almost stepped on an iguana while trying to find a cave. James came and rescued us from the far side of the island. We had to walk out in our tennis shoes on the coral reef to meat the dinghy. Jon & I arrived back at the boat we but happy about the experience. The spot was so impressive that Jacques Cousteou did one of his shows about the island.

Meanwhile at the boat, Jeffrey and Jenna had found a new sport of fishing. While Jeff fished with life fish bait caught by James while we were on the island, Jenna threw pieces of chicken and turkey to the Seagulls and then sprayed them with the hose. She was keeping them occupied so they wouldn't steal any bait on Jeff's hook or any catch he might have gotten.

We had lunch on board and prepared to sail to our next anchorage, Chacala. It is about 60 miles or about a six-hour sail. From there we are only 3-4 hours to Puerta Vallarta our final stop. The kids watched Turner and Hooch again in their cabin and tried to take a rest.

We arrived at Chacala at about 7pm. We dropped our anchor and quickly learned we were going to have a rolling anchorage. We tried to eat dinner, but Jon did not feel very well. He and I went downstairs, turned on the A/C and tried to watch City Slickers. Jeffrey and Jenna soon joined us. Jon and Jeff were quickly asleep, but Jenna was not sleepy after her big nap earlier in the day.

The boys went to bed without any incident. Peter and James put out a stern anchor, which greatly reduced the roll, and the night was much more comfortable.

Thursday March 18, 1999

Our day started early as the kids were up by 6:30. Bumpa took the kids out in the dinghy for a ride around the bay. The kids all came back laughing and Jenna was soaked. Bumpa said that all he heard the entire trip was "go faster, Bumpa. Go Faster".

After breakfast, Tracey, the kids and I all headed to the beach. It was a beautiful sand beach lined with bars with grass huts. Tracey and I sat in the shade and the kids got covered with sand and played in the ocean.

We returned to the boat. We set sail; yes we really sailed, for Puerta Vallarta. Lunch was served while under sail. Tracey and June have started a puzzle; we'll see how long it will take them to actually finish it.

During our sail we passed a beautiful 2 '/2 mile long sandy beach just south of Chacala. The place is called Jeltemba. Tracey thought it was a great place to open a hotel until Peter read about the location and found out that there are already 60 hotels on the beach. We have some great ideas just sometimes a little late on our timing.

Our sail turned to motoring so that we could improve upon the time to travel to Puerta Vallarta. While we sailed the kids slept, Tracey bronzed herself and I worked with John to get on-line with our computers.

We came into the Puerta Vallarta harbor at about 5pm. We woke the kids and sat on the bow of the boat and enjoy the beautiful views. We saw hot air balloons taking off over the mountains and a pirate ship going out to see. The marina entrance had a depth of just over 10' so we slipped in just barely.

We are moored at the Marina Vallarta. A lovely spot with lots of very large ships, including Ice Bear. June said they saw this ship in Juno as well. Tracey said Fred & Dana from the Lady Faye had actually delivered Ice Bear on a couple of trips. She said they told her that it had an elevator on board.

Tracey, the kids and I took a walk around the marina and saw all the shops, restaurants and condos surrounding the marina. We walked all the way to Ice Bear and then back. We came back to the boat and had dinner on board, home made Pizza. Then it was off to bed.

Friday March 19, 1999

Today we wanted to go to swim with the dolphins but there is no space available at all. Something we will have to remember for any return visits to Puerta Vallarta. We had breakfast on board. Bumpa took an early morning walk and determined that you cannot get out of the complex beyond the boardwalk and then back in. He also learned that the beaches are very restricted and you cannot get onto them without a bracelet from a hotel.

After breakfast and some putzing on the boat, John, June, Tracey, the kids and I set out for a walk around the marina. We decided to hit some of the shops that are located in the complex. We found some really neat art galleries. It was in one of them that we first saw our "Lottery" painting. It was in another shop that we bought Brent & Jodie their cow salt and pepper shakers. We all stopped for lunch at a restaurant at the marina.

After lunch we set out on our tour of Puerto Vallarta. Gabby had arranged a private 4 hour tour. Our guide was named Andres. He drove a white suburban with very good air conditioning. He gave us a tour of the entire city including his home.

We saw some beautiful sites as we headed south along the shoreline. We saw many lovely hotels and the beach where the movie "The Night of the Iguana" was shot. We saw a tree which was really two trees in one. The city of Puerto Vallarta is divided into an old city and new city. The new city is filled with modem shops and stores, like Hard Rock Cafe, Planet Hollywood and even Hooters.

Our tour then headed for the jungle. We saw a six foot alligator and some very pretty waterfalls. We stopped for a drink. We all tried something exotic, but I think the kids cokes were probably the best choices. When leaving the jungle we passed a zoo and watched a mountain lion staucking a horse. Fortunately, the horse had a fence between him and the lion. See, I told you Jeffrey that I saw a mountain lion.

We were all pretty tired so we headed back to the boat for a little rest before dinner. Tracey & I took everyone out for dinner to say thanks for a nice trip. We ate at a Argintinian restaurant located at the marina. We had some very good steaks and a nice time. We walked back to the boat and bought our "Lottery" painting which we had them roll for our trip home.

We returned to the boat and put the kids in their room with a movie, Richie Rich. We ended up watching it with them and then it was off to bed.

Saturday March 20, 1999

It was a rough night of sleep as I still do not feel well. Wetiwoke to breakfast of french toast. We are packing up the kids today to move them out of the port side cabin to make room for Rich and Teri today.

While Tracey packed, I took the kids to the pool next door. It is a nice place called the Reef Club. I was sure at first that it was an adult only hotel as I saw no kids anywhere when we first arrived. We didn't care, we just went right to swimming. After a short while Tracey joined us and we relaxed while the kids swam some more.

We all headed out to scope out the water park. We found the place and determined the cost. We headed back to the boat for lunch and a nap before the Hoopers arrival. The grey water tank had backed up into the crew shower so lunch was peanut butter sandwiches. Jenna had her first ever and loved it.

The kids and I laid down for naps. Jenna was reluctant but finally slept. When we awoke the Hoopers had arrived. We headed straight away to the water park.

It was a very fun place with four large water slides, a kids pool area and a river to float around on a tube. We never saw Jonathan and Kaitlyn until the very end. Jeffrey and Jenna both went down the big slides with Tracey and I and we had lots of fun. The day ended in an accident as Kaitlyn cut her chin on a slide. We went right back to the boat.

A trip to the doctor resulted in the first ever set of stiches for a Hooper child. She got three in all. She was a very brave patient and is only restricted from swimming for three days so it probably won't slow her down at all.

The Kirkman kids drew pictures for Kaitlyn (now called Kait) for her return. We had ribs for dinner. The adults drank champagne and a great 1991 Chateau St. Jean Cabernet. We celebrated Jenna's and Teri's birthdays. The kids put on a small show for the adults, Keegan even asked Jenna "may I have this dance?". The kids, for the most part, slept in the main salon while the adults retired to the cabins.

Sunday March 21, 1999

Our last day. I awoke early to play golf with John and Rich. Peter was going to join us but bowed out at the last minute. We played at the Marina Vallarta Golf Club just across the street. We were paired up with a fourth player from Minneapolis. David works in the temporary employment

industry. He and his wife and twelve year old adopted daughter arrived on Friday night for a week. They adopted their daughter at nine weeks from Guadalahara.

It was a nice course. Our caddie was named Phillipe. I shot an 87, much better than Mazatlan. John shot a 105 and Rich a 113. We returned to the boat to find Tracey, Teri and the kids gone to the beach. We found that their morning was filled with packing for Tracey and tent making for Gabby and the kids. Obviously good fun.

Lunch is on the boat. Quiche and salads for the adults and sandwiches for the kids. Then it will be time to clean up and head to the airport for our trip home. We fly from Puerto Vallarta to Mexico City. Only a 45 minute layover and then we fly to San Antonio. We arrive at 7:20 tonight and Sal will meet us to take us home.

I great vacation. Wonderful to see John and June and spend some time on the boat. Great to visit Mexico for the first time for each of us and to do it together. I like the idea of going on vacation with my family but I'm glad that they go whether I can or can't.

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