Path in Puerto de los Cabos Marina
Friends and family, welcome to San Jose del Cabo.
The marina is full of artwork by Leonora Carrington
Horses eat along the bridge in to downtown San Jose del Cabo
As do bulls
Saturday is Organic Market day
With plenty of fresh veggies to choose from
Art and crafts
And live music
A walk through the art district
By a number of restaurants
Prayer flags hanging from a restaurant ceiling
And through the Plaza
Sunset drink with SV Event Horizon
Cuban band in town
You know you have had a good day when it ends with plans to have a painting commissioned of you riding on a horse. Not only did Conor and I make future plans to get a painting of us on horses, we are also planning on printing these paintings on a new sail sometime in the future. Get your t-shirt orders in now.
The day started out innocently enough. Conor went to the gym and I explored a new running path. I found 2 more Mercaditos (little grocery stores) and a bookstore. Conor found 2 unsolicited jobs at the gym! The first job was offered from the owner of the gym. One of their personal trainers is returning to Canada for a month so they are looking for someone to fill a temporary spot. The second came from a snorkeling cruise boat when they learned that Conor is a boater. We came here to not work, yet work keeps finding us.
It is just days now before our intended San Jose del Cabo departure for the mainland. Before we say our final goodbyes we hosted a Pina Colada Party that afternoon. We had been practicing our pina colada mix and it was time to share our Coladas with the greater cruising community.
Conor is a stud with the blender
A full cockpit!
Happy Friends 
Spilling on to the dock
Lounging by Moondance
And bears getting needle and thread anchor tatoos.
Eddie!
Moondance was filled to the brim with fun stories, laughter, and good company. Conor’s chicken salad and Ann-Marie’s crab dip were the hit of the party.
After the sun had set, the pina coladas were gone, the hors d’oervres eaten, and our guests had departed, we were weren’t quite ready to end the night. We sauntered over to the hot dog cart to visit our friend, Mr. Hot Dog Stand where Conor got the best hamburger of his life, I got a hot dog and Mr. Hot Dog Stand taught me how to say you are a sewer rat. “Tu eres un raton de alcantaria” He said I am only to say this if I am really angry. The bus came, we decided to continue our night on the town, and in a flash we were gone.
For the next ten minutes we watched in wonder as the driver struggled with a door that wouldn’t shut, checking his cell phone, and driving on a bridge alongside oncoming traffic with music blasting inside the bus. When we reached the last roundabout he pretended to get in a bus accident with one of his friends driving another bus.
After running off of the bus at our stop we soon found ourselves at the Tequila restaurant. There was a steady stream of retired Americans stumbling out of the front door so we knew the drinks must be good. Any place named Tequila sounds like a party. So we walked in and sat in the bar section. By ourselves. Maybe we underestimated the type of party inside as everybody else seemed to be sitting in the restaurant section. The bar tables were made of thick dark wood and upon them sat candles in red vases. The dark brown square leather couches were comfy, and we made a party all by ourselves in the deserted bar section. I loved the décor and decided that if I ever open a restaurant it will look just like this one. But mine will have running water and working toilets. This place had neither of those. Where will all these drunk Americans go to the bathroom?! We decided not to wait around and find out.
As we prepared to leave I saw a woman at the door with a sparkly silver shawl. Wow! I had to know about this scarf and where I could procure one for myself! I ran over to her and asked where she got it. “In Chicago. Here. Enjoy it. My husband hates it!” She said as she draped the dazzling scarf around my neck. I protested but her husband was right next to her insisting that I take it. He really did hate it! I think he thought it clashed with his baby pink sweater he was wearing. I was beyond excited. I ran back over to Conor and modeled my new garment for him.
My new sparkly shawl
So with a new sparkly shawl in tow, we were off to the next place. We followed our ears to the live music at The Tropicana which had $2.50 beers. The band was made up of a drummer, sax, guitarist, basist and singer. They played both Mexican and American music that made us dance in our seats and had a guest singer from Spain who performed for a couple of songs. This is where we saw a painting of a girl on a horse and knew we had to get a painting of ourselves on a horse stat. The seed was planted and our plans started to take shape.
Our last and final stop was at a corner bar. The name of one of their shots is Shit on the Grass. Considering their proximity to a sewage plant across the street, we didn’t try it. Although they were dismantling the whole restaurant behind us they still ushered us in for one last cerveza. When we were sitting at the last table left standing in the restaurant we took our cue and left. After spending all of our money on drinks we had to forgo the taxi and walk back to the boat. That’s ok. The walk gave us more time to plan out our horse riding paintings.
Image: © Tom Russell "Molly and Tenbrooks" http://www.rainbowman.com/russell.htm
(c) Deborah Gooch http://deborahgooch.com/Paintings.html
When your grandparents tell you they had to do any chore walking up a hill in the snow both ways- believe them!
We are learning skills that we never thought we would learn on our sailing trip. Skills we read about in sailing magazines but secretly thought, “Oh, we won’t have to do that.” Or maybe even “That doesn’t look that hard.” Well it is. And I feel so lucky that we have the choice to return to a life of convenience. Because some people never experience a life of convenience at all.
I decide to walk to the grocery story but forget the map. I wander for an hour in what I think is the right direction. I walk under trees and bugs jump on me. I walk by fancy hotels and condo complexes full of timeshares. I walk by construction sites, a beach access, and a family on horses. I think I’m lost and I ask a nice bellhop for directions to Soriana. He confirms, “You are lost.” and proceeds to give me directions including so many busses that I lose count.
“La Mega?” I ask.
“Oh, that is only 7 minutes away from here.”
He says 7 minutes but I think he means 17 minutes. Nevermind, it is close enough. It is right across the street from the hotel Temptations, “An Adult Experience.” I finally arrive and step on to a people mover that whisks me above a beautiful blue fountain to the second floor.
Conor comes with me for Round 2 at the Mega
On the second level people are enjoying ice cream and Starbucks on an open patio overlooking the ocean.
Patio View
What IS this place?! Can I live at the Mega?! I walk in and it gets better. There is a bakery immediately to the right. I get 2 churros for 5 pesos. That is less than 50 cents. An hour later after I have walked down every aisle I go to the checkout stand, pay my bill, tip the bagger (customary as baggers are usually students or retirees), then realize I have 5 bags. 5 bags? Obviously I didn’t think this through. Next time I must remember to bring more cloth bags. And buy less food! I cram as much as I can in to my purse and awkwardly hustle out the door and across the street to the bus stop with the rest of my loot in thin plastic bags. I remember a fellow cruiser giving me bus directions “If you go to the Mega, take the 1 to downtown San Jose and then take the 5 to the Mercadito in La Playita which is right by the marina.” Bus 1 comes and I manage to carry my bags on to the bus and the bus driver helps me watch for my stop. Getting off I manage to drop only 1 can and a nice lady fishes it from under her seat and hands it back to me. I walk a block and wait for bus 5. I wait so long that I think I can maybe walk back instead of taking the bus. The bus finally comes. I approach the bus and one of my bags break. Coffee, canned veggies and milk tumble to the ground rolling away from me and under the bus. I am not pleased. A teenage boy is nice enough to help me collect my runaway food items and the bus driver is nice enough to wait. I get off at my stop and am so happy. Just a 5 minute walk to the boat. As soon as I start to walk the rest of my bags start ripping and I am carrying my remaining groceries like a 5 year old who is trying to carry too many toys at once. Apples and avocados are spilling out and hitting the ground. I pick one item up only to have another fall out. This continues all the way to the boat. Conor now goes to the grocery store with me. It is much easier with two people and a little planning.
Q- LAUNDRY
When we first arrived I refused to pay $10 per load as I thought that was highway robbery. (Although thank goodness that Mama Riley surprised us by paying for several loads of hand delivered laundry during her stay). I also was too lazy to lug the several bags in to town. I did this in Ensenada and ended up getting lost and a nice man tried to sell me knife sharpening for 5 blocks (I told him I was on vacation to get rid of him and he responded, “but don’t you prepare any food?!” Does that mean that everyone in Mexico on vacation travels with kitchen knives?)
So this leaves option 3. Do laundry on the boat. They had quite a set up on the long dock. The long dock is a future fuel dock. The boats on the long dock have no access to power and it is outfitted with communal water hoses that are not long enough to reach the boat. The cost is about half of what we are paying and it is a lovely communal atmosphere. One boat had a great laundry bucket. Another had a special plunger that is used specifically to do laundry by hand and another had a clothes wringer. Since Moondance is in the “high rent district” with water and power we were on our own. I can do our laundry. It doesn’t look so hard, I thought.
Laundry at the dock
I get my 5 gallon bucket out, laundry detergent, a stick, dish gloves, and a pile of dirty clothes. I don’t know why I got the stick. I poked the wet clothes with it as if I was checking to see if they were dead. Then abondoned this method of agitation and started using my hands. Within 5 minutes I had suds in my hair, I’m soaking wet from the hose and I’m sweating. Agitating clothes by hand, I find, is a lot of work.
Keeping it classy at the marina
I don’t have enough clothes pins and my whites are only partially white. I think I’m going to start wearing strictly bathing suits and board shorts from now on.
So why is this still worth it? There is something rewarding about working so hard for the basic necessities. We walk everywhere. We experience more of our surroundings and meet more people. And we learn to slow down and appreciate more in life.
When we arrived Los Cabos my mother made a comment of concern. “Lanea , I think you look too skinny in your pictures.” Understandable. Eating under way is a bit of a challenge. But now we have been in a marina at San Jose del Cabo for a month. And I love all the food down here! In the States I found myself frequently disappointed by my meal and wishing I had just stayed home and made a PB&J sandwich instead. But down here I eat everything.
Pandulce. Especially the churros found at the Mega for only 2.5 pesos (about 20 cents) each!
So much yummy pandulce!
Frosting. Yes, from the container.
We found a double layer tin of cookies at Wal-Mart for $1. This is the tin after less than 24 hours. We spread frosting on the cookies. Naturally.
Strawberry ice cream popsicle from the mercadito.
Cornbread made on the boat.
Boat made jalepeno cornbread. We used it to practice our fire breathing routine.
Fresh guacamole made on the boat. The avocados are all so ripe and creamy down here.
Salsa
We make fresh salsa on the boat almost daily.
Fresh ceviche made on the boat and home-made tortillas. We discovered that making tortillas is hard work! We will try to buy them from now on.
Boat-made corn tortillas with ceviche. Fish is mahi mahi caught by Drew and Shelly on SV Born Free. Yummy!
Chips. The chips are amazing! They are fresh and probably fried in lard.
Nachos.
Fajita pizzas.
Fish dinners. La Marina Hotel has a delectable fish dinner and prepared in your choice of one of four styles. All are delicious and I think fondly of the meal for days if not weeks after eating it.
Empanadas- made fresh and sold at a nearby corner market.
Croissants we found at a French bakery. Great recommendation, Chris Dunton!
My new purpose in life is to learn how to make a cappuccino and croissant as delicious as the ones at a little french bakery in downtown San Jose del Cabo. Conor ordered a Mexican Crepe and we almost had to call the fire department because it put his mouth on fire!!
I order whole chickens from roadside stands.
Street Chicken. Amazingly delicious! Nice guy works at the stand. His sister is living in San Francisco.
I eat from bacon wrapped hot dog carts which can be found on 1 out of every 10 corners. Is it wrong that we are now friends with the hot dog cart guy?
This stand serves bacon wrapped hot dogs, hamburgers and tostadas. I don't like hot dogs but I don't know if it is proper to go though life without eating these hot dogs. The smell and taste instantly makes you happy.
And then there is the booze. Beer, margaritas, and the delicious pina coladas. I think I am eating enough calories to feed a family of five. I tell myself that I am just carb loading for the following months of sailing and anchoring. No. My mother does not need to worry about me.
What are little girls made of? Sugar and spice and everything nice.
Well if everything nice means a fresh coat of makeup, painted nails, pretty hair, and a good pair of heels, then I am in trouble. Being a lady at sea is a constant uphill battle. It is a harsh environment in which I am exposed to the elements every single day. But I have found that there isn’t anything a little lipstick can’t cure.
When I left the comforts of my shore based life I knew that I would have to go long stretches without a hairdryer. I knew that I might break a couple of nails and there are no floating salons in the sea where I can get my eyebrows waxed. I even knew that I would have to learn how to take a shower using a black plastic bag full of water. They call it a Sun Shower. It sounds luscious. Shower in the sun. Oh, those clever marketing devils.
My Manly Man
It’s been said (Staying pink in a Blue World article) that cruising makes men more manly and woman, well… less womanly. My dear husband is a very manly sailor. He gets scruffy during longer passages, he lifts heavy things, works on the engine, and constantly draws from one of three tool bags on board. Even the blood blisters he acquired under his fingernails from an anchoring mishap look manly. Yes, cruising is good for a man.
For the ladies, cruising makes it easy to forget you are, well, a lady. Almost every female creature comfort gets forgotten when sailing. When you are dog tired trying to stay awake for your last watch before sunrise. When you can barely heat up water for Cup o’Noodles because the boat is moving like you are on a wild seesaw ride with no OFF button. When you beach the dinghy and become covered with salt water in the process (dried saltwater is not a flattering look on the skin). When you are up the mast trying for what seems like the millionth time to fix those gosh darn mast lights and trying your hardest not to swear. When you have epoxy in your hair. When you are covered with diesel or engine oil and reaching for a bilge pad, praying that it isn’t the last on board. Yes, it gets hard to remember to splash on a little perfume and slip on a cute black number so you can go out to…. Oh yeah… you’re in an anchorage and there are no places to go to in your cute black number. Which is why you don’t even have a little black number taking up precious space on the boat. Or a decent pair of heels. The absence of both is practically grounds for arrest in my girl handbook.
Not only is there no cute black dress or a decent pair of heels which both belong in every woman’s wardrobe, there is not much more jewelry than the basics to dress up a plain outfit. The lack of jewelry is not from a lack of desire, but more for practicality and necessity. Catching a necklace in the engine belt does not sound like fun. The lack of jewelry also prevents possible theft (I’m wearing nice jewelry and I must have more on board so please come to my boat and rob me in the middle of the night).
This is as fancy as it gets living on Moondance!
It gets hard to remember to be a lady but remember I must. Because I have realized that cruising is so much more fun when I brush my hair, put on a little lipstick and eye makeup to compliment my sun dress, and my husband looks over at you with adoring eyes and says, “You look really pretty, babe.” Yes, for this it is worth it. And besides, I feel much more productive with a coat of lipstick on. Wonder Woman wears lipstick. And so does She-Ra. I think it makes them stronger. This I am sure of.
O sacred salon, at last we are together again
So after 2 months of working on the boat 10+ hours a day and 3 months of sailing, I decided to march in to town with Ann-Marie from SV Agua Azul in search of a salon. We were on a mission. Determined to find a pedicure. And somebody PLEASE look at my hair! I had recently tried to cut my own hair. Don’t laugh. To the untrained eye it was very passable. To the trained eye, well, “Tu cortaste muy mal!” said my hairdresser in between laughter. The type of laughter that made her throw her head back. The type of laugher that later in the week will make her chuckle when remembering that silly gringa who thought she could cut her hair. I politely laughed with her and decided to enjoy every single moment of pampering in her chair, closing my eyes and drinking it all in. I walked out of there with an even haircut and painted toes for less than $20. Yes. These salon visits will be included in the budget from now on.
This article can also be found at http://www.womenandcruising.com/blog/2012/02/lanea-riley-lipstick-sailor/.
Amigos Nuevos
I have never been so excited to go to church as I am today. Today Mexico allows animals in church to be blessed. I can’t wait! I wish I had an animal to bring so I didn’t have to play the part of Random Tourist Lurking in the Back. There are some horses, cows, and bulls roaming around the grounds at the marina. Maybe I can catch one on the way and get it blessed.
We put the invite out and my lovely mother-in-law found herself with time in her schedule and a short 2 hour flight away! We were so happy to hear about her plans to visit with us in Southern Baja Mexico!
Bernadette arrived on a Tuesday and met her at the Cabo airport. We started to catch up as we walked her and her luggage down the streets with 2 foot high curbs.
“Oh, I hope you didn’t rent a car to pick me up!” Mama Riley said as we quickly stepped down from a 2 foot high curb and scurried across the street alongside a car rental outfit. Only then I started to get a little worried about our chosen method of transportation. “Uh… No, don’t worry. We didn’t rent a car.” I nervously replied. A boat neighbor had told us that the bus system was fairly easy and at 36 – 60 pesos ($2.75 – $4.50 USD) per person round trip (the cost depends on… well who knows… but I think I varies depending on the color of the bus you board) this was much more economical than a $130 USD tax ride round trip. We had no time to second guess our transportation choice as we rounded a corner and saw a green bus at the airport bus stop. Conor grabbed Mama Riley’s bag and we asked her to run with us across a field sand to get to the bus before it pulled away.
WELCOME TO MEXICO MAMA RILEY! HERE IS YOUR BUS!
The first bus wasn’t so bad. It felt like a charter bus. We got off at our stop in front of the Soriana grocery store and waited on the sidewalk for our second bus, the number 5. The number 5 (along with the number 1, 2, 3, and 4) looks like a school bus.
The URBANO bus
Some are colored the traditional yellow and black and others are painted over white with red stripes. We didn’t wait long before the Number 5 comes bouncing along. The school buses are just like I remember them. No seatbelts, no shocks, and in some places you can see the ground through small holes in the floor. We finally disembark the rickety bus in front of a small market in La Playita which is a 5 minute walk to our boat and a 2 minute walk to Mama Riley’s hotel. All down dirt roads.
Mama Riley was staying at La Marina Hotel. A quaint little place with less than 50 rooms. The owner, George, seems to spend most of his days golfing and lives next to the office. There was a pool surrounded by lounging chairs and a restaurant with a great happy hour (Happy Hour starts at 1pm down here!) and amazing fish dishes downstairs.
2 for 1 Margaritas at La Marina Hotel!
Photo from http://www.lamarinahotel.com
Best of all the hotel was a 5 minute walk to Moondance and a 3 minute walk to the beach, which she dubbed as Bernadette’s beach as she typically had the whole beach to herself during early morning walks.
We had a fabulous visit. We visited downtown San Jose del Cabo, eating and wandering around the art district drinking wine. We had tequila, discovered a nearby estuary, and we lounged by the pool. We even went to a cruiser’s potluck. Yes, this was a good visit Conor and I are so grateful that Mama Riley is so supportive of our current adventurous and nontraditional lifestyle.
During her 3 night visit, Mama Riley was able to meet cruisers from 7 other sailboats and get a taste of what cruisers are all about.
Everyone has a different story, different background, and different process. But we all have one thing in common. We are ready for the adventure that life and the sea have to offer. It may not always be easy but there is something that keeps us going on this journey and lures us to the life of a salty sailor.
On Friday we were sad to see Mama Riley go but also thankful for such a wonderful visit. I boarded the Number 5 bus with her at the little market in La Playita, we got off at the Soriana grocery store and I got her safely on to the next bus after checking with the bus driver at least 5 times that they were indeed making a stop at the Cabo Airport.
MUCHAS GRACIAS POR TODO MAMA RILEY
XO CONOR AND LANEA
I was well in to my first surfing lesson with Conor as my instructor. I had flashbacks of being a little kid learning how to ride my bike at Bellvue Elementary School again. Conor would hold the surfboard to steady me and when the right wave would come he would give me a big push and yell, “Stand up! Stand up!” Well, I felt like I was a little kid until my husband brought me back to reality. “You are learning pretty well for someone just learning how to surf… in their 30s.”
Oh yeah, that’s right. I am in my 30’s. What am I doing on a surfboard?! Whatever. I chalk it up alongside our silly cruising adventure to midlife crisis prevention.
So I finally catch my first wave of the day conveniently just as a group of 10 tourists are walking by on the beach. And they clap for me! Oh my gosh! I immediately think they are the nicest people on earth. Or really drunk. I’m not sure which but I don’t mind either way. This new surfer girl in her 30s will take all the encouragement she can get.
We finally finished our lesson and Conor paddled the board back to the boat and I walked. I came across these incredible nice/drunk people and they were asking how to get back to their hotel without having to walk. They had walked quite a ways down the beach and were looking for an easier way back. One man had no shoes. I offer them the bus routes to get back. But these people were hotel people. Hotel people don’t take buses in foreign countries. Only weird hobo boat people like me do that.
So I offer to walk them to the marina office where they can call for a cab.
“So where are you staying?” Asks the shoeless man.
“Here in the marina.”
“They have a hotel here?”
“No. I’m staying on a sailboat. My husband and I left San Francisco in mid-October and sailed down here.”
Mouth agape. Oh… this conversation with the shoeless man is going to be fun, I think.
“You sailed? That’s pretty far. You stop at night, right?”
“No. We sail at night. Sometimes there isn’t a place to stop at night.” I answer.
“Oh. Are you ever scared?”
“One night I was scared, but nothing ended up happening that night. When we did hit high wind and seas I wasn’t scared. It’s not bad.”
“How long are you going to be gone?”
“Well we quit our jobs, so until the money runs out”
“So, another month?”
“Maybe until the end of the year.”
Mouth agape again. Gosh, I forgot how crazy our plans sound to a landlubber!
“Do you have property?”
“No, we don’t have kids or a mortgage yet which is we decided to go now.”
“Yeah. Once you have responsibilities you can’t do something like this.”
“Some people who do this are our age. Most are retired. A handful do it with kids on board. I know of a family of 4 who cruises on $1400 a month.”
Now this man with no shoes literally stops walking to stare at me with a look of shock.
The conversation breaks up as we are nearing the marine office. His wife asks about me and he says, “You wouldn’t believe it if I told you.” I could tell he couldn’t quite wrap his head around the whole idea as he paused for quite some time before continuing. “She left San Francisco in mid-October with her husband and sailed down here and she is going to continue until the end of the year. And then they will go back and start their careers all over again.”
I understand that this makes me instantly both intriguing and strange to the group.
His wife asks her husband, “Why don’t you do something like that?!”
“Take a couple showers under a bag of water and we’ll see how long you last!” Mr. Shoeless chirps back. I had filled him in on our solar showers we take in the cockpit when at anchorage.
They ask where I’m headed next, we wish each other a safe trip and go our separate ways. Them to catch a cab to their luxurious hotels, then back to their “normal” lives and “normal” careers. Me to my boat. AS soon as I arrive Conor paddles up. He gets the surfboard out of the water and then we decide to try out the inflatable kayak. I’m so thankful that this is the type of “normal” life I’ve chosen to live right now.
Article published in May Latitudes & Attitudes. http://www.seafaring.com/
We are sooo excited to be sailing in this video!
Passage highlights:
We saw whales 2 ½ miles away breaching. Completely out of the water- 4 times! Free Willy style.
For the first time we relaxed on passage and just enjoyed a sunset together.
The sailing, oh my god the sailing was magnificent! We finally had consistent enough wind to let Moondance free for several hours at a time. She still has a broken sailcar but she didn’t mind at all. She was so excited to sail you could taste her giddiness in the air. She danced to the music of the wind as the windvane guided the way for her. What a thrill.
It warmed up! OK, it wasn’t warm at night by any stretch of the imagination. But for the first time we could do our watches with just our foulie pants and a sweatshirt. It is not night sailing in a t-shirt and shorts, but hey, considering I was recently wearing two sweatshirts, two jackets, and three pant layers AND I’m sailing in December. I’ll take it!
Cabo Falso is reported to have similar conditions to Point Conception so we took great care to pass it during calm hours in the wee hours of the morning. It ended up being quite a thrill to sail around it. The wind was just above 10 knots, which the sails loved, and there was a 2 knot current helping us along. We were really moving at 7 knots! Weeee!
After dark on the first day ALL of our running lights went out. All the lights on the mast are out. The red and green navigation lights on the bow have gone out. The white stern light on the back of the boat has gone out. This is not a problem until we near Cabo Falso where we start to see a lot more boat traffic. I have a visual on a large ship nearby and according to radar they are coming straight for us. Darn it. They can’t see us! I scramble down in to the salon to dig out an extra lightbulb and pray that the bulb is just out. I come back up to the cockpit with the bulb, a screwdriver, and a brass brush. As soon as I replace the bulb it goes on and minutes later I see that the overtaking boat changes course. Phew! This is why watches are so important.
At the marina we are staying at in San Jose del Cabo there is a sailboat with the bow smashed in. They were having dinner below decks and T-boned a trawler that was travelling without any lights. I’m not sure what happened to the trawler but the sailboat was smashed so badly that they had duct tape on the bow inches above the water line. Duct tape! Luckily their insurance is going to cover the 36k bill to fix it. Ouch!!!
