The other day, just about at dusk I heard a voice from the front yard. A person carrying a guitar and back pack appeared. "It's me, Matt Mancinelli ! " A few years ago , Matt worked for me at the school in Occidental. I had told him of my Yelapa adventures and that I thought he would love Yelapa. Last time I saw him he was off to adventure in Italy. It turned out that his next stop was working on a sheep farm in Guadalajara and then he thought of Yelapa. On the hope that I was still here, he headed for Jalisco. Making his way to Boca close to sunset , he scurried looking for a water taxi. It was a bit too late, so after a volleyball game with the local kids, he looked for a place to sleep. Being a true adventurer, he found a dark spot and decided to sleep , on the ground. Sometime in the middle of the night, a light flashed on him from a nearby casa. Just at that moment, a few drunk locals walked by and invited him for a few beers, on the beach. Minutes later the federales appear and decide to check out this threesome. After a brief frisking, they leave to find other criminals. A local offers him a cot in the restaurant and so ends his first day in Cabo Corrientes. The next morning , an amigo tells him of a path between Boca and Yelapa. This info was true but what he didn't tell him was that it is unheard of for a gringo to try to pass on it and it hasn't been used in 15 years. Matt was ready to get on to Yelapa, so off he went. Just to make it a little bit rougher he was carrying his uncles acoustic guitar, without a case and a small backpack. After a good 4 hour hike up hills and over valleys, he arrived in Las Animas. Immediately he met a local who of course was amused of his journey, He offered to take him to his work and introduce him to his boss for possible work. After a hour work trade for food, sanding a cabinet, and a quick nap in the mountains, he heads off towards Yelapa. Somewhere around sunset he arrived in Quimixto. Tired and hungry, he buys some corn and vegetables and hunts for more filling tortillas or bread. While on this hunt he meets a local who offers him three sandwiches and the shopkeeper buys him a coke. After a round of questions and discussion, they offer him a room to spend the night, for free. As soon as he leaves Quimixto he realizes his life is in danger, as he is definitely off the trail. He has no choice but to continue. Matt goes step by step on the amazingly narrow ridge of the coast. one slip and death is sure ! Not only is he off the trail but the sun is hot and the ticks have begun feeding on him. At one point he finds he trail but a pasture later, it's gone ! He is in Hell...It seems as if he isn't making any distance. He decides to head back to the coast and finally sights civilization, Majahuitas, the expensive all inclusive resort... you have to imagine the look on their faces when he arrives out of the jungle covered in ticks from head to toe just as their guests are about to arrive ! Once again they find his tale amusing and offer him water and a few minutes stay before the next boat that passes by. He literally flags a boat down ,as they do in Maja, with a large white flag. "50 pesos" the boat captain says. "what ! that's the same price as from Boca !" He wasn't in a position to haggle. So after a few days adventure and having met a bunch of nice people, Matt arrives in Yelapa. His visit comes at a great time as we have a ton of work to do at Casa Iguana. So the two year old offer for a trade of a place to stay and food for work is perfect for us all. Matt is part of our family right now.

How is it that I had six months to stay in Yelapa and now I have six weeks ! Somehow it's true ! I woke up the other day and there it was staring at me. So I start the process of leaving. It's going to be easier in many ways , as Veronica and the Kids will live in Casa Iguana, so it doesn't need to get shut down and at the same time, it is going to be tough to be apart from them.

The temperature has turned up the last three days. We are so lucky to have a breeze in the afternoons here at Casa Iguana. Also today, the red tide slowly crept into Yelapa. Right now it is just on the west side of the bay and I hope it stays there. I've been told that it is caused by a reaction of the sand and the plants in the ocean. It usually lasts for a week or two and comes right before Easter every year.

We had a visit from The milkman... from Occidental ! Sherry and Jerry Luther who own Wildoak Dairy, their sister in law, Pam and Daycare Legend, Paula Boylan braved the boat ride over from Vallarta and we had a great day of food and fun and kids. The Luther Family just completed building a four level house in Vallarta. Take a look.

I love Fridays ! ( Viernes) mostly because of the food. As a buildup to Easter, every Friday we have chile rellenos, ceviche de gora , agua de some kind of fruit, and best of all capirotada, which is a bread pudding kind of thing with cheese, coconut and raisons. Eating together is a great thing and something I'm not accustomed to.

Me and Matt saw a black Puma this week. Just across from my casa is Casa Estela, owned by the David of Yelapa Internet Fame. It lives somewhere close to the casa, as this is the third time I've seen a Puma there. One was gray and one was black. This reminds me of a great Yelapa story. I'm going to go and visit the people involved, verify its truth and write you all, later this week.

The red tide is on it's way out , I think. There are a ton of Jellyfish though! Not the best of swimming conditions. The weather is hot and most of the internationals are leaving, as their six month visas expire. It is my opinion that late April and the the first two weeks in May are great times to be in Yelapa. The "season" for tourism is at a slow pace and the weather is sunny and hot. May 4 - 12 is our local celebration in honor of the Virgin of Guadeloupe. It really is great to see the community celebrate together. Daily processions from all of the neighborhoods. With the huge firework/explosions that go off at 4:30am, It's close to impossible to sleep through them. We also have a large band from Tuito come and live in Yelapa for the entire celebration. There's more but I really don't know how much you want to know... Nightly at 6:00pm, there is a mass and afterwards food and drinks in the church courtyard. All families contribute close to 200 pesos, to help fund the celebration. Basically the town is shining that week... a great time to be here... for me, every year, I leave a day or so, after it's over.

Our soil at Casa Iguana has been used up. Alot of the minerals are gone and with the direct sun the tierra can be tough. I've always dreamed of grass for the entrance to the casa.This week, we got an idea. Beans! We decided to pick the entire area and plant frijoles. They not only look good, healthy and green, but they are great for the soil, not to mention we can eat them! Danny planted a small plot about a month ago and they look great. So before I leave, my green front yard will be a reality.

Yesterday I spent the day in Vallarta with Pancho, my master mechanic here in Mexico. He works six days a week, as a mechanic and on Sundays, works at home for friends. Today's adventure was my clutch. It had gotten so bad that if I didn't have enough speed, I couldn't even get over a tope! So, off I went to Vallarta, on the 7:30am water taxi. At Samir's in Vallarta, I was able to find my Toyota clutch for $140.00. Putting in a new clutch is brutal! He worked seven hours straight, covered in grease from head to toe. As a friend his labor charge was $70.00! The Chinook is ready for travel. We almost sold her this week. We're broke and started thinking about how we could pay for a few months of food with the money. But we also remembered how cool it was to have our Chinook and to travel with the family. There are so many pueblitos that we still need to visit, so Ill drive down here another year...

More on the Puma... a few days ago I saw the Puma again! This time Veronica was here. I yelled for her to come quick and to look. "WHERE" she asked? looking right at it "THERE" you mean the cat? the gatito? A bit of a different opinion. No way! It's way to big to be a cat! Before you think I'm a gringo that was exaggerating, know that I looked at this beast in my binoculars and I still firmly believe that it is a Puma. Who knows? For now, I'll mark it up as a Yelapa Mystery.

It's great having Mateo here. He is sweet with the kids and the garden loves him too !

Yelapa ponga tips... Only buy a roundtrip ticket if neccesary. Pay your fare directly to the marinero, on the boat. If available, sit in the back of the boat... the back left is the best seat. Never stick your hand in the water while the boat is moving or you will soak everyone behind you. When carrying bags or goods don't place them in the center of the row ,as water flows through a channel there. If you put them on the front of the boat don't put them on the anchor or rope attached to the front of the boat, as it will be needed, on your passage. Getting in and out of the boat, takes some experience. Take off your shoes and socks and roll up your pants.The key is to make your move in or out when the boat is at its low point. Exit in one move, don't try to hang on the side of the boat. When making a beach exit know that when the boat rolls over a wave, the boat suddenly stops and if your standing up, you will fall. Usually you pay your fare, when you get off the boat. If you make a mistake and land on your butt or make a spectacle of yourself, smile... and remember that your misfortune is one the favorites joys of a Yelapense. There is nothing funnier than to be in the right place at the right time to see someone fall, trip or make a fool of themselves. I know this first hand... Also remember the locals have a lifetime of boat riding experience.

Full Moon... I just watched Mateo use his his tortilla as a napkin, wiping his face and then of course, eating the tortilla. Our platanos just got served. It is one of the joys of the end of our day. Hot ,Sweet Bananas. Veronica is knitting something to sell at the tiendita and the kids are playing with some palm leaves left over from Palm Sunday. We planted our beans today and did a ton of little projects. Manana we are working on the raised plant beds in front of our casita. I'm planning on visiting Isabel's Jungle soon, to gather cuttings and Mateo is heading off into the mountains near Chacala to forage plants for the terrain.

Water is so important here and every else on the planet. This is the time of the year in Yelapa, that water problems really multiply. The biggest problem is shortage of water. Most everyone gets their water from the river above the cascada. At different levels ,above the falls, most locals have a plastic hose sitting in a small pool of water, that's runs down the mountain to their tank and then to the casa. One water line may be split many times. If you ever look at who shares a line, you can figure out the alliances in Yelapa. The other interesting point is that plastic line will burst if you don't have a release, so 90% of the user's have a small extension of line that is open and is pouring water down the mountain.That is another major component to the water shortage. Over time locals move their lines higher and higher to gain a desirable spot with an abundance of water. Keep in mind that when leaves clog your line or your line moves and comes out of the water , you have to climb to the top of the cascada, carrying all parts and tools necessary for repair. In the summer months due to the large amount of water, you might have to climb it twice a day. On the positive side, I enjoy that there isn't any chlorine at all. Probably many other things but no chlorine. We use a water filter. We have a line that runs direct from the cascada to the filter. I've been drinking the water all season and with no sickness. All in all, a great investment for $60.00...seeing that 5 gallon bottles cost 20 pesos($2.00) it pays for itself very quickly. Also included in that is the workout I get carrying the 5 gallon bottles from my Mother in Law's casa, across town and up the hill to our casa. You see I bought her a filter and so weekly we go to her casa and fill up and carry to our casa. We use, mas or menos, 20 gallons per week. I'm dreaming of an extra water tank or two for our terrain, as a backup. You can never have enough garlic, ram, sex or water.

Bob Lee , are you out there?

I'm three weeks away from returning to California. I've started loading my car and purchasing the token gifts for friends. I'm making a final list of casa projects as I have decided to sleep, rest and play with the kids and Veronica, my last weeks here. Matt is still here but I am running out of projects, so I figure within a few weeks he will continue his travels to the south of Mexico. Having Matt live with us showed me something clearly. We should be doing an immersion program here. When I look at what he and I, have learned in a short time here, especially with my wife and her family and friends and their amazing knowledge of the Cabo Corrientes. Sure, we both learned a ton of Spanish, but we also learned a huge amount about about food, plants, animals fables, history and mexican life, in general. With my YMCA experience, I always thought of bringing groups of kids here for week long adventures, now I want to figure out a way to offer those services on an ongoing basis. So here's another pitch... If your reading this and you want to see another side of Mexico and specifically Yelapa and want to do more than sit on the beach and relax, think about a stay with my family here at Casa Iguana or at Casa Del Sol. We have so much to offer you and the price would be reasonable. When I get home to the states, I'm going to work out a business plan and build up a web presence for our project... so come and visit before the crowd arrives.

I survived two different fiestas/rodeos this last weekend during our Semana Santa Celebration. I don't know if you've ever been to a mexican rodeo. It definitely can be an overload to the senses. Imagine live ranchero music of an eighteen piece band turned up to 11, the hot sun baking the entire scene with very little shade, and what I find the most intense, is the seating. The majority of people sit around the ring on the top of the rim and then if you didn't push and fight for a seat, you sit on palm stumps under the dangling legs of the people seated above. You might be as lucky as me with our youngest, Jael sitting above me, constantly kicking me in the head. Oh, I forgot to mention you have to sort of stoop down to be the right height to see through the boards of the ring.... does this sound fun? well there's more! more beer is consumed than you can ever imagine! seriously! The thing that washes away all the discomfort is that it truly is a release for the locals... its got sort of a tribal feeling to it... Yelapense letting loose with all their might ! Every ten minutes or so someone rides a bull. The toro's actually are only a small component to the day. After a successful ride the cowboys praise god. I would too! Instead of a clown, there was a man who dresses as a woman and dances solo and bravely in the center of the ring for the entire rodeo. As a special added attraction this rodeo had a "sensual " semi pro singer , scantily clad, perform an hour show of bringing out locals to dance with her. Then somewhere around 9:00pm , the ring gets opened up and a frenzy of dancing all night long. The other item that caught my eye was the bevy of beautiful mexican women dressed in tight jeans. Its ok for me to look, not touch ! So until next years rodeo...adios

I am actually going to miss watering my plants. Every morning when I rise, I water for about an hour. It's a great way to start the day and then at sunset I do another hour. I already dream of returning next season and seeing the growth of my plants.

Palapa... is expensive. If you've ever seen them cut palapa you'd know why. With horses, they go into the mountains and climb palm trees, which are also a favorite spot for scorpions to hang out and well as other creatures. They cut and bundle the palapa and drag it back to your casa. All this for 120 pesos ($12.00) per dozen. My roof on my main casa uses 60 dozen. So every 8 years or so I can figure on spending $720.00 + the cost of labor. To redo a roof, in my case, you need 13 men to tie with twine, the palapa , forming panels which become the roof. Per man, the cost is $25.00 per day. Most jobs are finished in one day, occasionally two. It is also customary to provide food and drink for the crew. So all in all, it comes to about $1200.00. Keep in mind, we have another casa also so that is times two and another $750.00 for our casita. Today, we put up a specialized piece of awning material that hangs two feet on either side of the seam or crown of the roof. Since the crown is the first to go out, this will give us many extra years, on our palapa's life. In perspective, roughly $3000.00 isn't that much to spend on three roofs, every eight years, unless you remember that you don't own the casa's or the property.

I am almost finished prepping for my road trip home to California. With the the help of friends and family, I got my 4, 8 foot posts of Brazil wood, a 100 lb. bag of books, that my friend Deborah left here and that I will deliver to Santa Monica and more to my car in Boca. At night I'm dreaming of driving, which is always my sign that I am truly ready to go.

On May 1st, Yael turned three. Mexican Birthdays are always torturous to the birthday boy or girl. There is a custom, when the cake appears and is about to be cut, partygoers chant "bite the cake" and the child is supposed to make a face plant into the cake, on their own, or they can be assisted. After a few years and many birthdays witnessed, when their special day arrives, they sit in terror waiting for a cake to be shoved in their face. All of the birthdays I have seen have ended with a crying , terrified kid. I'm sure some kids love it or learn to love it.

Well no April showers here... just hot.... and getting hotter. Jellyfish are everywhere... But a good breeze splashes through our casa. I think I've already wrote this before...

One week left, reminds me of "Yelapa, Leave if you can !"... coming someday soon to a t -shirt near you.