By morning we started out again, with winds on our nose and headed for the village of Aqua Verde (aptly named as the water is very green). Aqua Verde is an interesting port surrounded by a reef that Lyle cautiously maneuvered around to enter the harbour. There are two distinctive rocks covered with guano in the bay reportedly with good snorkeling. Monica tried to snorkel off the shoreline once but she said the visibility was poor and it was VERY cold. I managed to get in once just to wash my hair and have a warm water deck shower but it was chilly and I stayed out of the water until we reached Puerto Escondido.
We stayed in Aqua Verde for 3 nights. The first morning, a panga came out to Aleydabeth with a man by the name of Gregorio. He was selling handicrafts that his mother made and some shell necklaces that he makes to earn extra money for his mother, who he claimed was ill and needed medical attention. He knew Carlos, who we had met the previous day and seemed happy that we had spoken with him. He asked for school books for his children.
Paper goods seem to be a precious commodity and notebooks are appreciated by outpost families. I had purchased some small journals at the Coombs store before I left and they have been treasures. The other special thing seems to be wrapping paper of any kind for gifts. However upon reflection, there isn’t a tree to be found on the Baja, so I am sure that pulp and paper products are rare.
We went on two good hikes, one into the village where we bought a few things at the local store. There was very little there and the restaurant seemed closed. The second day, I just hung out at the boat and read a little, and blogged a little. Ron and Monica dinghied ashore and beachcombed; returning with starfish and pretty shells.
The last day, on the advice of Harry on the sailboat “Destination Unknown” – we hiked up to the site of the cave paintings mentioned in our cruising guide. The hike was amazing, through a desert valley beside an old cemetery, past a palm treed beach, along a shoreline and up the side of a hill to a cave, where we found the handprints on the cave wall. The guide suggests that the cave paintings are from former Amerindian inhabitants, but I am not sure as they are really only handprints in an ochre colored paint, and I don’t believe that their authenticity has been verified. Lyle said he expected a graffiti slogan underneath that said “Grad 1964” – but really we couldn’t be sure what the prints meant. However, we were very glad that we made the trip. The cave itself was interesting and I expected to meet Clint Eastwood on horseback somewhere in the valley. The landscape reminded me of every western I had ever seen….mountainous, dusty and dry.
We returned each day to our cocktail hour in the cockpit and good dinners with friends followed by rousing card games, conversation and laughter. It was a good ten days even though we sailed very little.
We made our way to Puerto Escondido, (Hidden Port – aptly named) arriving on Saturday February 12. The harbor is very protected with high hills all around. Puerto Escondido has mooring balls operated by Singlar, a government agency. They had brave plans at the time of construction that seem to have fallen by the wayside. Paved roads lead nowhere, and empty lots suggest the lost possibilities of a housing or condominium development. Many of the services were unavailable on the weekend, and the store and restaurant opened late in the day. We have seen this repeatedly in Mexico – that developments have been abandoned part way through development, and many that have completed the first phase sit empty or have high vacancy rates. The state of the world’s current economy is definitely evident, however we don’t seem to see the prices coming down, or fire sales on property. There still seems to be a belief that condos are worth $500,000 US and more.
We made arrangements to rent a car for Sunday and had lunch at the marina restaurant, and caught up on email.
We stayed in Aqua Verde for 3 nights. The first morning, a panga came out to Aleydabeth with a man by the name of Gregorio. He was selling handicrafts that his mother made and some shell necklaces that he makes to earn extra money for his mother, who he claimed was ill and needed medical attention. He knew Carlos, who we had met the previous day and seemed happy that we had spoken with him. He asked for school books for his children.
Paper goods seem to be a precious commodity and notebooks are appreciated by outpost families. I had purchased some small journals at the Coombs store before I left and they have been treasures. The other special thing seems to be wrapping paper of any kind for gifts. However upon reflection, there isn’t a tree to be found on the Baja, so I am sure that pulp and paper products are rare.
We went on two good hikes, one into the village where we bought a few things at the local store. There was very little there and the restaurant seemed closed. The second day, I just hung out at the boat and read a little, and blogged a little. Ron and Monica dinghied ashore and beachcombed; returning with starfish and pretty shells.
The last day, on the advice of Harry on the sailboat “Destination Unknown” – we hiked up to the site of the cave paintings mentioned in our cruising guide. The hike was amazing, through a desert valley beside an old cemetery, past a palm treed beach, along a shoreline and up the side of a hill to a cave, where we found the handprints on the cave wall. The guide suggests that the cave paintings are from former Amerindian inhabitants, but I am not sure as they are really only handprints in an ochre colored paint, and I don’t believe that their authenticity has been verified. Lyle said he expected a graffiti slogan underneath that said “Grad 1964” – but really we couldn’t be sure what the prints meant. However, we were very glad that we made the trip. The cave itself was interesting and I expected to meet Clint Eastwood on horseback somewhere in the valley. The landscape reminded me of every western I had ever seen….mountainous, dusty and dry.
We returned each day to our cocktail hour in the cockpit and good dinners with friends followed by rousing card games, conversation and laughter. It was a good ten days even though we sailed very little.
We made our way to Puerto Escondido, (Hidden Port – aptly named) arriving on Saturday February 12. The harbor is very protected with high hills all around. Puerto Escondido has mooring balls operated by Singlar, a government agency. They had brave plans at the time of construction that seem to have fallen by the wayside. Paved roads lead nowhere, and empty lots suggest the lost possibilities of a housing or condominium development. Many of the services were unavailable on the weekend, and the store and restaurant opened late in the day. We have seen this repeatedly in Mexico – that developments have been abandoned part way through development, and many that have completed the first phase sit empty or have high vacancy rates. The state of the world’s current economy is definitely evident, however we don’t seem to see the prices coming down, or fire sales on property. There still seems to be a belief that condos are worth $500,000 US and more.
We made arrangements to rent a car for Sunday and had lunch at the marina restaurant, and caught up on email.