Mazatlan

Dave and I managed to escape the La Paz bungee cord and made it to Mazatlan after a two night wonderful beam reach sail with winds averaging 20 knots. Mazatlan is a very large city and much more spread out than La Paz. Fortunately, the bus system is very good and available for 10 pesos (about $1) and we rode the bus to the center of town and experienced the gigantic "Mercado" or open air shopping plaza. Throngs of people visit this market with just about everything one can think of available. I have never seen so many skinned pigs' heads and feet available for sale! I passed on the pig parts, but Dave could not resist the raw oysters and clams which he ate three for $1 - what a bargain! We will stay here one more day and then head down towards Puerto Vallarta tomorrow, stopping at several anchorages along the way. First off is Isla Isabella where I hope to finally see the blue footed boobies which have eluded us so far, since this island is a major nesting area for the birds. Many fellow cruisers have also been spotting the whales breaching, so hopefully we will see this as well on our way (but not too close)! I did however, not only sight a whale shark, but actually swam with one (yes, I did brave the 70 degree waters without a wetsuit)! Had a wonderful two week vacation with the kids where we spent time in both La Paz and Cabo. Visits were too short and most of them are now back in school. Check out the pictures on the web site for some of our fun activities.