Caleta Partida, Islas Partida and Espiritu Santo
24 31.8 N 110 22.9 W
Traveling for us is experiencing the culture and people of different countries which we try to do by getting away from the main tourist areas and visiting small communities. So much of the Mexican coastline has been taken over by American and Canadians, living and isolating themselves in gated communities and large oceanfront homes and condominiums. At times we have had to remind ourselves that we are in fact in Mexico, not southern California. So it was nice to get away from the Puerto Vallarta area and continue north up the coast.
We spent New Years in the small bay of Chacala, one of many small beach resorts that cater to the local farming communities who flock to the beaches on the weekends. During the Christmas/New Years holiday the beaches were crowded with Mexicans eating in the beach palapa restaurants and camping or staying in the small hotels in the village. While we were there we met a few other cruisers who highly recommended stopping at San Blas, 20 nm up the coast.
The area surrounding San Blas is a tropical flooded forest and in it's many swampy inlets can been viewed many birds and crocodiles. It was the gateway port and support base on the Mexican mainland for expeditions to Baja and Alta California and settlement of Spanish colonial California. Father Francisco Kino an Fray Junipero Serra left from San Blas to begin the development of the missions on the Baja peninsula. It developed into a harbor and ship-building center. On the hill overlooking the town are the 18th century ruins of the church of Lady of el Rosario - La Marinera and the old accounting office, the first tax collection office of New Spain. On the waterfront is the old maritime customs house.
It is possible to get up into the river estuary and anchor in front of the town. There is also a new 20 slip marina that usually has only a few boats but provides good WiFi service, cold showers and, some time soon, power on the dock. It is possible to leave the dinghy in the marine and use the facilities for $4 US a day. The town of San Blas itself is very pleasant and the gringo presence is minimal, due mainly to the rumors of lots of no-see-ums. That's fine by us. There is a municipal mercado, many small tiendas for provisions, and the plaza comes alive at night. It is a fishing community and while we were there one could buy shrimp in all sizes and lobsters. We liked it so much we ended up staying for over two weeks.
We took a one hour bus trip into the mountains to spend the day in the town of Tepic, founded in 1542. It's cathedral on the main plaza dates from the 18th century. Today it is the agricultural service center for the region. We spent the day wandering through the streets of the historic section and two large municipal mercados. The Huichol and Cora Indians live in the surrounding mountain regions and are known for their embroidery and bead work.
One success story that is very evident in Mexico is that of the brown pelican. In the early 1970's, pelicanos were dying off due to poor reproduction from the loss of their eggs due to thin shell, the consequence of heavy DDT usage. When much of the world agreed to restrict the use of chlorinated hydro-carbon pesticides, such as DDT, the brown pelican, as well as many other bird species, began a slow recovery. More than thirty years later they are so abundant that it is hard to imagine they were ever threatened.
We went direct from San Blas to an anchorage 20 nm north of La Paz on the Baja. We were hoping to get up to Agua Verde, another 80 nm north but our weather window closed on us and we had 20-25 k NW winds, right on our bow, and once inside the Sea of Cortez the waves shorten up we had lots of water over the decks. Of course, as soon as we arrived on the Baja coast the winds came down. But it's great to be here and we're really enjoying the warm and DRY weather. We will spend the next two weeks exploring the area before heading into La Paz and doing a much needed haul-out to work on Tamara's bottom.
Traveling for us is experiencing the culture and people of different countries which we try to do by getting away from the main tourist areas and visiting small communities. So much of the Mexican coastline has been taken over by American and Canadians, living and isolating themselves in gated communities and large oceanfront homes and condominiums. At times we have had to remind ourselves that we are in fact in Mexico, not southern California. So it was nice to get away from the Puerto Vallarta area and continue north up the coast.
We spent New Years in the small bay of Chacala, one of many small beach resorts that cater to the local farming communities who flock to the beaches on the weekends. During the Christmas/New Years holiday the beaches were crowded with Mexicans eating in the beach palapa restaurants and camping or staying in the small hotels in the village. While we were there we met a few other cruisers who highly recommended stopping at San Blas, 20 nm up the coast.
The area surrounding San Blas is a tropical flooded forest and in it's many swampy inlets can been viewed many birds and crocodiles. It was the gateway port and support base on the Mexican mainland for expeditions to Baja and Alta California and settlement of Spanish colonial California. Father Francisco Kino an Fray Junipero Serra left from San Blas to begin the development of the missions on the Baja peninsula. It developed into a harbor and ship-building center. On the hill overlooking the town are the 18th century ruins of the church of Lady of el Rosario - La Marinera and the old accounting office, the first tax collection office of New Spain. On the waterfront is the old maritime customs house.
It is possible to get up into the river estuary and anchor in front of the town. There is also a new 20 slip marina that usually has only a few boats but provides good WiFi service, cold showers and, some time soon, power on the dock. It is possible to leave the dinghy in the marine and use the facilities for $4 US a day. The town of San Blas itself is very pleasant and the gringo presence is minimal, due mainly to the rumors of lots of no-see-ums. That's fine by us. There is a municipal mercado, many small tiendas for provisions, and the plaza comes alive at night. It is a fishing community and while we were there one could buy shrimp in all sizes and lobsters. We liked it so much we ended up staying for over two weeks.
We took a one hour bus trip into the mountains to spend the day in the town of Tepic, founded in 1542. It's cathedral on the main plaza dates from the 18th century. Today it is the agricultural service center for the region. We spent the day wandering through the streets of the historic section and two large municipal mercados. The Huichol and Cora Indians live in the surrounding mountain regions and are known for their embroidery and bead work.
One success story that is very evident in Mexico is that of the brown pelican. In the early 1970's, pelicanos were dying off due to poor reproduction from the loss of their eggs due to thin shell, the consequence of heavy DDT usage. When much of the world agreed to restrict the use of chlorinated hydro-carbon pesticides, such as DDT, the brown pelican, as well as many other bird species, began a slow recovery. More than thirty years later they are so abundant that it is hard to imagine they were ever threatened.
We went direct from San Blas to an anchorage 20 nm north of La Paz on the Baja. We were hoping to get up to Agua Verde, another 80 nm north but our weather window closed on us and we had 20-25 k NW winds, right on our bow, and once inside the Sea of Cortez the waves shorten up we had lots of water over the decks. Of course, as soon as we arrived on the Baja coast the winds came down. But it's great to be here and we're really enjoying the warm and DRY weather. We will spend the next two weeks exploring the area before heading into La Paz and doing a much needed haul-out to work on Tamara's bottom.
Labels: Tamara
posted by Photoessayist at 10:14 AM
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