December 21

We couldn’t make Mazatlan as the wind was coming on our nose. I am sorry we missed it but the rest of the coast is supposed to be better anyhow.  We decided to head for San Blas. We approached San Blas early Wensday morning and we had to slow down as we did not want to enter at night. The accuracy of GPS and our charting software is not perfect. We were 10 miles off as the sun rose and the wind picked up. We had a lovely sail in. The positions of the land are a bit off in the charts so I am glad we waited for daybreak. We anchored in the Mantanchen Bay and San Blas is on the other side of a small penisula that creates the northern edge of the bay.  

Yesterday when we got in we were exhausted and then the heat hit us like a ton of bricks. This is the first place that has been really tropical hot. Little bar/restaurants called Palapas line the bay here and the clientale is all Mexican. The owner of one kindly gave us a ride into town so we could check in. Then they told us we had to use an agent to check and someone would come. We waited and watched the local dogcatchers round up some nasty strays. Soon an old guy on a bicycle appears and gestures us to follow.  No one spoke English and our Spanish is limited to ordering food and drinks so we had fun with hand gestures and our limited vocabulary. We follow our guide thru town until I see a restaurant listed in the guide book. Jonah and I remain at the restaurant while Jordan continued and got us checked in.  

The whole check in thing at each town with a Port Captain is so ridculous and simply a way of generating cash for the town. Its not a lot of money but it is a bit of a pain. The positive side is that you do tend to see more of the town than if you just came to look around. Everything in this town is a bit rundown and everyone seems to own a palapa. We went the market place - the produce looked good, very little processed food and a butcher. He had a big plastic box with cow parts (like heads etc) sitting out back in the sun.  

It is a very sleepy town with almost no tourists and certainly no big hotels. I like it though. People are very sweet and nice. It has huge marshlands behind it with lots of amazing and endangered species. Unfortunately it has misquotes and no-see-ums galore. We actually did ok but we anchored a mile from shore. I have only 2 bites!  

Jonah is thrilled about Hannukah which we are celebrating in our typical lame way. Light a candle – Jordan mummbles the prayer which he cant remember the words and Jonah gets a present!  

Today we are going on a “jungle cruise”. They take you on small boats upriver to the nature perserve. Snakes and birds….I think Jonah will love it. The things parents do for their kids. I am considering this our science lesson for the day.  

(Just back from the Jungle Cruise)

What fun. We took a motor boat thru these swamps of Mangroves. We saw crocodiles, birds and turtles. Jonah loved it. They drop you off at a place to swim and eat. It was packed with people. We were surprised. At the table next to us was JD Alley – a Art Director from Microsoft Games (my old gig). They were at an Eco Adventure Resort down the coast and this is one of the places that they take them to see. My batteries on my camera died so I didn’t get a lot of pictures. Jonah loved swimming in the fresh water. They put a big net around the area so croc’s don’t come in.