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September 2004
Sonoma County,CA. It
was a smooth Summer. Our Summer Camp was smaller than usual but had some
great times hanging with kids. The ten weeks of camp seemed to fly by
as I dreamed of my family and of Yelapa. As far as living spaces, I had
a great house sitting gig at my friends house in Sebastopol. It was a
bit tough for me to get used to. One reason was of its location in the
city with neighbors inches on each side of you, the other was because
it is a one of a kind house, on a one of a kind street. Here's
a web article on them ...After a week or so I got adjusted and thoroughly
enjoyed my stay. My next stop was The David's of Graton. I made a grand
entrance. Just as I shut the door on my house sitting job, all the sudden
I became hugely dizzy. I got into my car and thought the air would bring
me back around. I was wrong. I was spinning and spinning. I concentrated
with all my might to drive the car. I figured if I pulled over I would
be stranded, so I decided to drive right to the doctor. I crawled into
his office. By this time I figured it to be a heart attack or some kind
of brain thing. After checking me out , both were ruled out. I talked
the doctor into releasing me on my own and headed down to my office ,
which was next door. Miraculously I made it through an important Occidental
Community Council Meeting and then between vomiting, I drove to my friends
, the David's. I ran to my guest room and collapsed, spinning and spinning.
Well... two days later I was still spinning. I tracked my doctor down
at home and explained my problem. "YOU HAVE LABRYNTHITUS" ?
what the hell is that? Some how the inner ear has little crystals that
get turned about and cause vertigo and spinning and loss of balance, that
can last up to three months! Oh no.. I don't want this! but somehow in
my little movie of life, I had it. After a week in bed, I got a bit better
and the spinning stopped. The next week, I had to get back to work! Slowly
I drove my car and worked a few hours every day. The next week , I was
just fuzzy and didn't have my balance. Somehow with the care and love
of friends and my good luck and a bit of hard work , I was able to finish
the never ending list , that I had to complete before leaving the USA
for nine months. As I sat there in the final night, trying to fit all
the things I had decided to bring to Yelapa into my bags, that were to
weigh no more than 50lbs.each. Well... how much is 50lbs.? I had at least
150lbs of used clothes and two carry on's , that I figure I could put
at any weight and sneak them on the plane...anyways Evan reminded me of
all the things we as humans do because of stuff. Stuff.... After taking
apart my perfectly packed carry on's for the airport inspectors, I smoothly
landed in Vallarta..Of course they too wanted to see my total contents.
After a good round of white lies, I headed for my water taxi and up my
hill to Veronica and the kids and Casa Iguana. I sat in wonder looking
at how fast plants can grow in three months and the same for the kids.
Crossing the Rio
The Yelapa pace of
life was easy to get into with one exception... this wasn't a vacation,
this is family life. My first morning home ,6am, I was reminded of this.
Danny who is in the Secondaria has to leave just before dark to walk up
river to school. Everyone was awake! Luz Clarita has to leave at 7:45am
but to make things even trickier, she has to be escorted to school by
one of us to cross her across the river. You see the Primary school is
located on the left side of the Rio Tuito. So along with all other Moms
, Dads, Uncles, Cousins, you make the 25 minute walk upriver twice every
day, to and from school. Some days there is a
boat to cross the kids for a peso per direction, other days you hand
or horse carry your child safely to the other side. But you never know
if the boat will be there or you'll never know if it rained high in the
mountains and if the rio is low or high. It's not over! We still have
to walk Jael and Vivian to Kinder by 9am or they lock the gate. I got
lucky and got the to Kinder by 9am shift and the afternoon pickup, up
river. In late November, the Rio will be down and we won't have to do
the escorting. At this point I'm not counting the days, I'm enjoying the
exercise.
The Queen
of Yelapa ( Riena de Yelapa)
Karla Selene Lorenzo Castillon ( Daughter of Ambrosio & Rosa )
After
many years forgotten, a Yelapa tradition is reborn, The
Queen of Yelapa. It was Dia de Independencia and
the entire community was in attendance at the concha (local basket ball
court). There were many games of basketball and soccer,
ranging from fun to full throttle. The men's soccer match was intense.
I'm always amazed by the instant speed and then a quick little dance and
an immediate stop that the players pull off with ease. You surely had
to watch the game also or you could easily get hit by a fast flying ball.
But that's all in the fun. The importance of todays event seemed clear
to everyone. It was a day for everyone to relax, be together and have
fun. The highlight was still to come. Tables were set up . Judges prepared.
Cheering sections were formed for each of the three candidates. The three
16 yr old candidates strolled in, all wearing lovely dresses. The first
name was called. She did a models strut to all ends of the basketball
court. Being from the states and with my politically correct training,
it was a bit strange. Next came a question, something close to "how
would you create world peace?" The cheering sections screamed for
their favorites, trying to be louder than the others. The Judges, the
comissario and his wife, an ex queen and ice cream shop owner, a pie lady
and a comendante of the new police force of four."And the winner
is....you know....Karla. I asked a few Yelapanse about her responsibilities.
I t seems she doesn't have any, but serves as role model to youth. I can
attest that she is a fine young woman with a great future ahead. I enjoyed
the ceremonial marching and the showing of repect to Mexico. Then
all hell broke loose as Gringo , the famous cargador, appeared with a
Bulls costume, full of fireworks. He was lit and proceeded to chase through
the crowd. Yelapense sure do have their Independence. Viva Karla,
Viva Yelapa, Viva Mexico.
Old
World Visitor
Just as we
were leaving for the Dia de Independencia, we ran into two 17 yr old boys
from Chacala. A quick word was exchanged and they asked permission to
stay with us for the night , as they had missed the last boat , leaving
Yelapa. I had seen one of the boys a number of times in Chacala and it
turns out he is family, like I'm suprised...Veronica offered them a shower,
as they had just walked for over two hours down a mountainous trail through
the jungle to Yelapa.The hike actually peaks at 3000 ft. elevation. Around
midnight, we return from our day and with our guests have cena (late light
meal). All the sudden, we hear a voice from the bottom of our stairs to
our terrain. Up comes walking a man I've never seen, obviously a cowboy.
I offer him in and some water and try to figure out what's going on? He
speaks to the boys for a minute. I sit watching intensely, still completely
confused. The boys get up and gather there things. I sat in amazement
as I figured that the visitor had just rode via horseback with any light
to Yelapa .Then in even more, when they all left the casa to make the
hike back to Chacala. It turned out that they were needed on the ranch
and the man had set out to find the and return with the boys. I still
have no idea how he even found out the boys were staying with us or where
our casa was? I found it amazing that the boys didn't even flinch about
making a massive two hours plus hike , in the dark of night. Later as
I lay in the safety of my bed, I sat in wonder about our visitors from
the old world, just two hours away...
Win or Lose,
which is less quiet ?
Tonight
the barrio is full of noise. I knew we were in for it when I saw the beer
arriving for a 24 yr, old Birthday Bash. Then I saw the beer arriving
at the cantina, across the path. Oh no! a soccer game too! and the Chivas
(local favorites) playing ! Instantly I wondered... which would be better
for a night a sleep? If the Chivas won... all would be happy and celebrate
by getting drunk... and if they lost... all would be depressed and go
and get drunk. I think the answer is either or...The topper was when I
realized it was Saturday and tonight was also a Baille ( Dance). I wish
you all could have been here to hear it. Screams and hoots of joy and
laughter, cry's of missed goals and great plays and the booming bass and
drums and semi, out of tune local band playing a favorite song , twice
in a row, all mixed together and served with a twist of lime. My solution
was to turn on my CD's just enough to drown out the rest. If you visit
Yelapa on a Saturday, Sunday or Wednesday night...you'll see for yourself...well
actually you'll hear for yourself. Once again, Viva Mexico!
Optical
Illusion
This first photo
I admit to doctoring up . We were visiting our relatives at Casa Milagros
and a fantastic rainbow appeared ! One end was right in front of us and
the other end was directly in front of Casa Del Sol, my in laws casa.
I did pick a great family to marry into.
Here are the two photos put
together.
The second
picture is real. Check out the river and beach. Notice anything new? How
about a new beach? It actually happens most year's, at this time.
Take a look .. .Not often do you see this much beach on the right
side of the river, by late November it's gone.
Yelapa Clean Up
Yesterday
morning, Something was up. From my deck and looking at the pier , it looked
funny. I grabbed my camera and ran down there. It was filled was
junk and trash. People were running all over, pulling out old stoves,
broken washers, huge solar batteries and more.It was quite amusing. It
was an annual ,Yelapa clean up.
But this year, all residents got involved, partly out of love for their
town and also because If they didn't' clean up their property, they would
be fined. At least twenty pongas of trash and junk left Yelapa , to be
disposed in Boca and from there who knows where. During the day, everyone
seemed to be full of community spirit, like the Yelapense ever lack it
! We cleaned the path, near our casa. Near the trail is a spot where people
have dumped garbage for years. Here was Rafa and EV and Ivan bagging up
wheelbarrow's full for disposal. For years, next door was this giant 100+lbs.
solar battery. It sat on the path, today was its final day! as Arnaldo
came by asking if he could help and put it on his back and carried it
to the pier. Applause to the President of Tuito, Macedonio Leon Rodriguez
Avalos who is pictured in the red and blue shirt, doing hands on work
.So tourists... get on down here! Yelapa is clean and ready for you!
Ingrid Michelle
Mancinelli Gardion
Daughter of Mateo and
Vanessa de Pizota
You may remember Mateo from my
past stories, king of the Yelapa entrances. Here
is a pic of their daughter. We were lucky to have them visit and spend
the night, in the big city of Yelapa. They all looked very happy and healthy.
I ordered another 5 kilos of Matt's Lemons and Bananas for delivery ,
next week. If
you ever visit PIzota, make sure to visit them. They would be the ultimate
tour guides.
Don Arturo
Cruz (
9/28/04
)
Don Arturo Cruz passed
away this morning in Yelapa. He is the father of Midardo, Beto and Nati
and four other kids. He is the brother of Don Juan Cruz. He lived here
in Yelapa for roughly, ninety years. His profession was working the earth,
as a farmer.
Pto. Vallarta
I braved a trip to
Vallarta today and brought Luz Clarita with me for fun. Going to Vallarta
isn't a hard task but it somehow , takes the energy out of you. We arrived
early in the morning via our water taxi. It's interesting to see the city
and it's employees start up their days. As usual I had this long list
of items to be found in in two and a half hours.Today was real smooth,
found all we were looking for. When looking for guitar strings, I couldn't
remember where the music shop was and decided to ask for help and by luck
asked the person who ran the exact shop... just about two hours later
, we had the luxury of eating some great quesadillas con carne with agua
de pina. Just in time to catch the 11:30 back to our fishy, little, sleeping
village, with bounty in hand. At home, Danny is full of homework and Veronica
is off playing volleyball with the kids. Tomorrow we build another ramada
as a rain/shade shelter on one entrance of the casa.
3
vs 50...
Not the best of odds. That is what the local police were up against
at Saturday night's Baille. As you may have read my story above, It was
a more than ordinary night filled with lots of beer and energy. Things
got way out of hand when two residents , one from the pueblo and one from
up river (El Paso) got into a fight and from there all hell broke loose.
The three local police had no choice but to sit back as the 50 people
battled. The Baille was shut down and calm was restored. The bigger picture
here is how the police are viewed. who isn't leary about police but the
four police here are good guys. Trinidad, Gustavo, Teo and Alfredo, all
cared about Yelapa and it's long term future. I had the chance to hang
out with them a bit . They all came from way tougher positions and enjoyed
the calm feeling in Yelapa. Working in a community where the police presence
is new is tough. The locals don't embrace you and your the evil stepchild
of the boss. Trying to accomplish their jobs with little pay, lack of
supplies and very little support ,were daily hurdles. A reporter showed
up the day after and wrote a scandalous story depicting the police as
lazy and good for nothing. It was a out and out lie. SO.. now with tensions
in both parts of the community on high, the entire force has been reassigned
to other locations and new way tougher police have been assigned to Yelapa.
For the future of Yelapa, lets hope the next chapter is a good one.
Fined
A
list of those who fought the other night has been past through the community
and each person has been required to pay a fine of 200 pesos and if they
are named again, 600 pesos. You see this Saturday is a huge rival Soccer
match between Chivas and Americas and once again the possibility of high
energy and tension will be here. Lets hope things are calmer this weekend.
"con el
taco en la mano todos somos hermanos"
( with a taco
in my hand, we are all brothers )
A round of tacos and a cold agua or coke...as
good as it gets. Thats my opinion. I found these expert tips to eating
tacos.
• Preparing or receiving a taco: take it with your
thumb and little finger up and the ring and index finger down so that
it does not fall apart or lose its contents.
• Make a 45 degree gyratory movement with your body to prevent getting
stains on your cloth, if you wear a tie, it is recommended to guard it
in the opening of your shirt.
• Know how to balance your body perfectly so that you can hold up
either the plate or the drink with your left arm.
• Have profound knowledge of the names and nuances of each taco
form and style so that you may not cause any contradiction with the taco
cook
• Be on the alert to order the subsequent tacos on time in order
not to “lose the rhythm”
• Keep good track of the number of tacos consumed in order to notify
the taco cook the end.
thats
it for Taco 101... Buen Provecho
No
Rain 10/7/04
Its been about two weeks since we had rain! I'm sad. We need so much
more for Yelapa and especially for all the new plants we have transplanted
this last week. So I start a new job of watering by hand. It's a pretty
easy job, very meditative. So when we have water in the line , direct
from the waterfall, you can find me here at Iguana, playing with water.
I'm not giving up hope for rain yet. I have been asking my good sources
and I should be dancing in the rain soon... The best tip I got yesterday
was that when its this hot, there still is rain coming, if it starts to
cool, here that means the temp drops to 80 degrees, during the day, then
the season has changed. I still think we may have caused this period of
no rain by building our ramada...
Uniforms
Based on an Idea from
the big city of Vallarta and the Office of Tourism, via Tuito, our Municipal,
comes new standards to vendors and restaurant workers in Yelapa. All will
be wearing white. Another new requirement is registered nametags. This
will insure all doing business are registered to do so. It's a bit sad
... sort of like Big Brother coming to a little tiny town and you know
the end of this story? But they say change is good... Restaurant workers
are now required to wear hair nets and health standards will be monitored
in the restaurants. Helping to enforce these new rules are fines, that
increase with each time you are cited. Sure some will get around the rules
and some violations might be overlooked but I guarantee, you will have
to pay.
More Visitors
I am lucky, everyday Veronica comes to me and tells me what she is making
for our main meal and asks for suggestions. Today she announced we were
having a fish fest. Danny has
been catching these small fish every day , so she decided to call our
Tia, Antonia
and feast on fish cooked over an open fire. Simple but tasty...that
is after you get the hang of it. I'm accustomed to eating fat, bone free
fillets, in the states. But here , at least at the casa's, you have to
pick through the entire fish and when a fish is small, its work. Watching
my family effientally eat a fish makes me feel like a kid again... The
phone rings... Its my friend Javier, the comissario (sheriff) who
tells my wife that he is on his way to our casa and with him are Judicial
Police from Mexico. hmmmm...did I pay all my parking tickets? Maybe someone
saw me hit my neighbors chicken with a rock, as it ate my plants? I question
Veronica more and she tells me they are coming to use my computer. Oh..
as I wipe the extra layer of sweat from my head... As they arrive, I was
expecting serious, dressed in all black police with a massive array of
firepower. Instead with Javier are three 30 yr old clean cut guys , casually
dressed. After catching their wind from our hill, they explained they
needed to take a statement of a local man in regards to a very serious
issue and needed to use my computer and printer. Of course... I set the
senior officer up on microsoft word and sat back to watch and learn. I
soon realized that all were carrying pistols, very much hidden. It turns
out that the Judicial Police are the highest form of police in Mexico.
Basically the Mexican Intelligence agency. These guys are definitely undercover,
showing very little police vibe. Over an hour, a long report was taken
and all the sudden my assistance was needed. :how do you make a ñ
"? I totally forgot... I quickly called my friend and master secretary,
Ann...Help!.... she saved me and my pride, as the local computer expert,
especially with special guests here. I helped correct margins and format
text. It
was amazing the level of perfection needed for the document. Overall an
interesting fish fest, police kind of day. I ended the day by doing my
required work/community support for the primary school. I raked a huge
amount of piles of brush together to be burned. As I slowly drug my tired
body across the high river and walked back home to my casa... I thought
about how exciting it is to have a new life, especially at my age.
Directions
to Yelapa
well I finally found
a map that makes it real clear
where we are.. in the world that is...
It's not all Cops and Robbers
It may seem that way
from my writings but the whole police thing here in Yelapa is new. A follow
up to another story. The bigger , badder police have been busy this week.
Lots of wayward teens/young adults have been escorted to places unknown.
A birthday party on the beach, last night turned a bit dicey as one partygoer
went crazy and then proceeded to try to make his escape by swimming away.
Police went off to the playita and waited for him to come ashore. I have
a feeling this is sort of a spring cleaning and Yelapa will be ready for
a great tourist season.
Creaking
The
other day while on the path, I solved a longtime mystery to me. At different
times of the day, I would hear a certain sound. It sounded like a big
tree creaking, but at a faster pace. A number of times I asked a local
what the sound was."Sabe" I don't know. I was walking and heard
the sound and looked up and there was a woodpecker pecking the metal support
base high on a telephone pole,
as the noise echoed through the pueblo. Another Yelapa mystery solved...many,
many others remained unsolved.
Passion for Life and Dominoes
Our grandfather here
in Yelapa is very close to 90 years old. He is truly amazing...and I only
know a fraction of the stories of his life. I know he has been on his
death bed more than once and made full recoveries. When I think of all
the kids he has raised... it's mind boggling. I heard his tales of a rancho
vida, his reputation of working always at night on full moons and sleeping
during the days and the time he set out for his two hour horse ride. It
was a camino he did regularly so the horse knew its path , so once they
started he would just go to sleep and wake up when they arrived. This
time they met some teens, one hour in and they turned him around , so
when he woke up he was back ,where he started.
Now at close
to ninety, no one really knows actually how old he is, he spends his life
staying in Vallarta with a daughter and in Yelapa with another. Many days
he can be found tying hammocks. He makes these great hammocks out of a
durable line so they will last forever. I have 5 for my property and more
for my casa in the states. His price is about 200p or twenty dollars.
There is one catch here.
Dominoes.. yup... that's his passion...you see he takes the money he earns
and goes to the beach and plays Dominoes. Seems harmless? The problem
is he really likes to play . Just getting there is an amazing feat. This
time of the year he crosses the Rio and slowly but surely makes his way
to the end of the beach and there he stays all day. Most times he forgets
to eat and then sometimes as late as nine o'clock he heads back to home
and then the river is waist deep! Not to mention what a bad day of Dominoes
does to his blood pressure and overall health. So.. you can Imagine, if
I want to buy a hammock from him I have to pay him slowly over a month
or he will go and gamble it away , also at risk of his health. Its no
fun to get old but even with this story told... Please God give me a live
as full as his.. Here is a
picture of him, always smiling..
Rain
10/8/04
I
wont even try to guess what caused the rain but tonight it rained for
a good hour and my new plants are so happy. Lets hope there's more to
come.
A thud in the night...
Last night around dark,
I heard a loud thud. I wondered to myself... I 've heard boats clanking
together when one gets loose and bangs against another but this was full
force. Then tonight I heard two boats collided last night right at the
shit rock where you make the turn to enter to Yelapa. They both were in
Vallarta today to see a judge and find out who's at fault. I' ve always
wondered how these boats travel at night without lights...I think I figured
out now that it is based on odds or luck...Both parties survived and there
boats can be repaired. more on this soon...
Air Yelapa
Just in case you missed
it on my front page, I have put together a
pics page with photos given to me by a group of friends that stay
here at Iguana each year. Mike and Linda bring new flyers here to learn.
I'm trying to get Mike to write a story about his last years first ever
paragliding flight to Quimixto. I have the first aerial photos taken of
the town but need his story to do the pictures justice. I hope you enjoy
the Air Yelapa photos as much as I did.
Community Service
I thought I had retired from 15 years of full time community service.
I guess that I knew it came from within but now I know its a lifestyle.
This time its going to be fun because my partner is my wife, Vero. She
has been talking to me about her ideas of helping the community and we
have finally formed a plan. You'll see a bunch of info about it here and
hopefully other places. Yelapa is an amazing community and also has a
ton of needs. Slowly but surely, we can help and hopefully you can too!
Paradise is
seldom quiet
Just about the only time it's quiet these days is when the power goes
out and even that is seldom. Yesterday we were treated to a 3 hour energy
break and along with it came the silence of Yelapa days past. No Stereos!
I'm a big fan of music but there is time for it and time without it. During
the silence you could hear the palms rustle and animals talking, the laughter
of kids playing and occasional hoot or scream. Thank God most people sold
their generators from the old Yelapa days. I went to watch the locals
in play at the concha . As the power returned , Yelapa was full of music
blaring from all directions. Reports from Pizota is that there is even
more booming stereos there! At
least we don't have sirens here...
Value of Money
Mateo came by this morning with lemons that we had ordered from him and
Vanessa. 'how much do they cost?" "a kilo for 5 pesos"
that works out to 20 lemons for 50 cents/us. As my mouth watered thinking
of the lemonade I am going to make, I decided on 3 kilos. He sat and counted
out my 60 lemons for 1.50 us. Vero bought a few kilos for her Volleyball
project, so the total negotiation was 25 pesos or $2.50us. I sat and thought
about how Matt had to go and collect the lemons , catch a boat to Yelapa
from Pizota, walk up our hill to our casa and for that $2.50! He still
had bananas and other fruit to sell , walking his way casa to casa, through
Yelapa and El Paso. Today's haul might be 200 pesos or $20.00us. That
is equivalent of full day of hard work for a laborer. There are many days
I dream of making 200 pesos. For a gringo, I sit and watch my money go
out and sometimes it doesn't come back in. I'm not the best laborer and
I'm lazy , so I can count that type of work out. So happy as a Bird, leaves
Mateo with his bag of fruit. This morning for breakfast was Papaya and
yogurt and for the kids eggs with sausage. Vero told me it was expensive
as she returned from the store. 80 pesos= $8.00us and that's breakfast
for six. The value of money here is definitely different. While we are
on the subject I do want to say that Yelapa is expensive, compared to
many other towns in Mexico. One reason is the location, all goods have
to be bought in Puerto Vallarta, one of the highest priced cities in Mexico
and transported almost daily via boat and hand carried to the stores and
then stocked for sale. If you want to eat on a limited budget it is very
possible and if you don't care... Yelapa is full of great restaurants...
A Special Day
I'm thinking of taking the family to Vallarta tomorrow and to spend the
night. Our main mission is to see a movie. It will be the first of their
life's. There is an animated movie"A Sharks Tale". It will surely
be an adventure. I also look forward to the tacos. Now to figure out where
to stay. Oh yea... I forgot to tell you that school is out till Wednesday.
Some sort of meetings for the teachers. Yahoo for us!
Vallarta Overnight
I always seem to use the word survived, when I return from Vallarta. It
is such an overload to the senses! I am fairly experienced at city life,
but after time in Yelapa, Vallarta is intense. The overnight with my family
was an adventure as planned and another lesson for me. I still am getting
accustomed to having a wife and four kids. In general, Vero is pretty
simple but the kids, especially out of their elements can be some work.
I have the hardest time with Danny. Being eleven years old and wanting
to be the man of the family. I can't blame him , based on his experiences
in life, but it's hard... hard for me to be that patient. Our boat left
early from Yelapa without us and so we had to wait an hour and take another
ponga and a bus to Vallarta. I was hoping to go direct by boat because
the kids don't have experience driving in cars/busses and often get sick.
After the 45 minute ride, we healed ourselves with a round of tacos. Next
stop the cinema. Another miscommunication, the times we had were wrong
so we had to wait another hour. A bus got into an accident just in front
of the theater and next thing you knew we were in the center of more sirens
than a community needs. Horns honked from all angles. I was amazed that
here in Mexico the cars in traffic don't pull over for ambulances! What
a scene... Finally 30 minutes prior to the movie we got into a line and
waited more. Kids movies bring out the kids here! whoa! talk about energy!
Mexicans sure know how to have fun... It was interesting to see the police
/security guard at the theater entrance door to our movie checking each
person in and out. No sneaking into movies here.. After a heated discussion
with Danny about why its better to sit in the middle rather than the front
row, we finally were ready. I was happy.
I sat and watched my kids faces as they were getting ready to see something
new. The lights dimmed and the first trailer passed and the look on their
faces! A Sharks Tale was great . I don't think they got it all but I laughed
alot. We headed for Hotel Azteca. I've stayed there for years. It is super
simple and super cheap. Our room with a double and two twins was 240p
(24usd). We walked the streets and ate a few more tacos and back for some
sleep. Due to the new surroundings for the kids, a pretty much sleepless
night. We headed back to our boat in the morning and as we got to the
Los Muertos Pier, it made me smile to see some of our locals, doing their
thing. A smooth boat ride and back to the comfort of my hammock and to
Casa Iguana and to the much appreciated, laid back, Yelapa.
More on a Thud
in the night
I watched as one of the boats involved in the head on accident, the other
night in the bay was getting repaired. It took a nasty hit with the point
of the other boat. It turns out that one party was under the influence.
The boat with the damage had a good witness to speak in court though.
A local policeman was on the boat and suffered a broken wrist. Remember
don't drink and drive, especially when driving boats at night.
Less
Ok... I am fat. But Im happy to report I've lost twelve pounds since I've
arrived a month ago. Not only the twelve pounds but I'm in better shape.
Yelapa, the world's best health club.
Pizota Bound
I'm ready for another adventure so I'm heading south to Pizota, tomorrow.
I'll spend the day with Mateo, Vanessa and Ingrid. Boats leave Yelapa
somewhere close to 9:30am from the pier. It's a green and white boat.
Be ready cause it just does a quick drive by. Visiting Pizota is a great
day trip from Yelapa. More on that tomorrow.
Mellow Pizota
What a nice day spent visiting Pizota and the Casa de Mateo
and Vanessa and Ingrid. As I said before leaving Yelapa at close to
9:30am is the green and white, Nayely. It's only a ten minute ride, south
to Pizota. Fare is 20p = 2usd, one way, per person. Have your money ready
and get ready for a quick jump and usually wet landing. The Surf in Pizota
can be rough at times. Get to the front of the boat and get in position
to debark. When the boat is at it's lowest point ,get off the boat in
one move. Don't hang on at all. If you go to the house straight in front
of you, the path to it is on your left, ask the mother for a raspado in
vidrio. It is shaved ice with different flavors. All are great. So refreshing
and only 7 pesos. There you can ask for Mateo or Fidencio, his farther
in law, who lives next door. I had a wonderful breakfast at the Casa de
Mateo and Vanessa. Homemade tortillas , made from their
corn. I got to play with almost three month old, Ingrid.
We then went up to Matt and his Father in laws, Banana Plantation. In
a short time in Pizota, Matt and Fidencio have accomplished a ton, planting
all sorts of crops. We walked the sleepy town, visiting people who were
mostly in hammocks. Then for a swim on
the middle beach. The water is so clear and warm. There are waves,
so it is necessary to swim out past the first set of surf. There you can
float and dream away the hours. The middle beach is large and pure. There
is a tienda/restaurant on the path to the middle beach and it might be
the only bathroom available, if you buy something. With help climbing
a palm, I bought a ream of coconuts and headed back to catch the 5:00pm
boat back to my paradise, a whole lot larger and a paradise of a different
flavor. In comparison, Pizota has 100 residents, Yelapa has 1500+. As
you may or may not know, Pizota has no phones or electricity and of course,
no car access. As of a few years ago, Yelapa has all three. Here is my
most interesting fact about Pizota, Did you know that 70+ years ago, Pizota
was an amazing party scene? Its true ! A huge marketplace, 24 hour Baille's,
Food , Mariachis and Fun ! At that time, coco's and chicle were the main
source of work and income and when you wanted to spend your money and
release a little tension, Pizota was the most popular community to visit,
in the entire Bay of Banderas. It was actually even referred to as a Port.
Times have changed, but it remains a wonderful community to visit. Go
and meet Mateo and see for yourself.
Mateo offers guided tours of Pizota and the neighboring community of Tecomate.
If your interested contact me and I'll send a bird with a message to him.
Viva Pizota!
Passing
One of Yelapa's first American residents, Peggy Muandel passed away, this
weekend. I didn't know her personally but have always thought of her,
as I passed her Rancho of the past 40 plus years. She was a very private
person and had a passion for animals and had many that lived with her.
I think she was the only person ever to live in Yelapa that seemed to
have no problems with anyone. I wish I had the chance to meet her...
Sleep
Alright I admit it.. I have a sleeping problem. I don't sleep much. But
then there are days when I catch up on it and today was one of those days.
After a great bowl of chicken vegetable soup, I went upstairs to my In
law's, Casa Del Sol. With no guests and all alone, I scouted out a nice
comfy space of the big, soft sofa that sits on the open patio. With the
sounds of the ocean and the views of the hills and point, I crept into
a deep sleep that lasted for many hours. Here is a peek at my
dream. Yelapa and naps ...two peas in a pod....
Palapa in Yelapa
.Com Exclusive!!! How to fly to Quimixto
Here
is Mike Miller's tale of the first ever flight by paraglider to Quimixto,
which is located, a 20 minute boat ride up the coast, towards Vallarta.
On the 24th of February 2004, I tempted the dragon and flew cross-country
from Yelapa Tapa to Quimixto.
This isn’t a long flight by most cross-country standards, but after
9 years of flying in Yelapa it was a first. My inspiration was from Dexter,
the owner of
Proflyght Hawaii and an excellent pilot. That day he said, “If
I get high, I’m going to (Puerto) Vallarta.” He had just sent
his 12 charges off from our 2200 foot launch and they had gone down to
the beach for breakfast. It was he, Alaska Jack and myself left on launch
as clouds were forming above us, promising an extraordinary flying day
for what is normally a lightly thermic coastal site. I left launch around
9:30 after watching Alaska Jack play around some clouds and a mountain
peak to the east. I worked moderate, smooth lift into cloud base a few
times and boated around trying to decide on where to go. To the south
I could probably reach the next town, Chacala, but Alaska Jack had done
that the previous year. Watching the cloud base intensify and darken and
lower in that direction helped dissuade me from that plan.I watched Dexter
take off and climb out, then turn to the north following his dream of
flying to Vallarta. First he had to cross the valley of Yelapa and climb
up the opposite side. At this point I was still undecided but had 3700’
of height. With this I decided to follow Dexter’s lead, but use
a ridge a little east to help bridge the valley and set myself up for
the jungle crossing after the other side of the valley.As I crossed
the valley, I saw both Dexter and then Jack get lower and lower and
arrive below ridge level , fight in lee side thermals and then turn for
the beach.I arrived at ridge level and further up valley, fought some
of my own lee side thermals and slowly worked my way higher and higher.
Since I was over un flown territory, I was on a constant lookout for landing
spots if I sank out. The jungle is very dense and full of ticks, so I
did not relish the thought of walking out. Finally, with a field in sight,
I committed myself. With a last radio transmission and a turn cross wind
over the un flown jungle I headed off. I found little lift but discovered
a few freshly plowed fields that I could work and land in if needed, for
a long walk out. Finally, I found something that gave me enough height
to make my out to the coast and a potential landing site at a small
beach. I was at 1400’ and could see over two hills into the
next town. Reaching it from this altitude wasn't going to be a problem
with the tailwind that had sprung up to push me along.I made the next
crossing in no time (10 minutes) and looked for more lift on the far
side of Quimixto but found nothing. So I turned around and went back
to land at the soccer field, which was showing a large Mexican flag. A
group of kids surrounded me and explained that it was national Flag
Day. From there I walked out to the beach and caught the next boat back
to Yelapa to my very relieved partner, Linda. I think I was very lucky
to have been in the right place at the right time. And that with the improvement
of glides, sink rates and speed in gliders has made what was impossible
8 years ago, now probable.
Here are a few other shots of Quimixto...
as far as I know, they are the first
aerial shots taken of the town.
Bobby Jones,
gone...10/22/04
Wild Man, Musician and Comic, Bobby Jones was in a car accident two days
ago in Colorado and yesterday left this planet for other worlds unknown.
He was a long time local of Yelapa. Stories of Bobby Jones will be told
for many years to come.
More Poles
The other day while on the path, I noticed new holes for telephone poles.
As I walked they followed me through the entire town. I finally came across
the underpaid and overworked crew from a little poor city somewhere in
Mexico. I sat in awe, as I watched them dig a hole about 18"wide
and 5 ft. deep, all by hand, in a path filled with cement and stone. It
turns out that the poles installed a few years ago were for the electricity
and now we are getting the poles for the telephones. It's gonna be a nightmare
to try and relocate all the wires to the new poles. Hmmmm...Im not crazy
about the thought of more poles ... not even a little, but I don't think
anybody's opinions count.
No Roads and
No Cars?
Where? If you believe we don't have either in Yelapa , your wrong. We
have both, sort of.
Cars... this year a local resident, drove his dune buggy through the town
to El Paso for repairs and the Tortilleria, now has a
four wheeler with a trailer that they use to deliver water, ice and
tortillas to upriver and occasionally a group of kids. Thank God, that's
all the cars we have here in the middle of town...
Roads... For more years that can possibly be documented, there has been
a camino/road from Yelapa to Chacala. For the majority of those years
, the road was traveled by horseback or by foot and in the the past 9
years by 4 wheel drive vehicles or vehicles with high clearance. Cars
can only pass on the camino from late November to late May, due to the
condition of the road during the rainy season. Every year, around December,
a huge scraper comes and levels out the road. There is even a weekly shuttle,
a truck that packs sometimes up to twenty people in a truck for the 30
minute ride to Chacala. With every road comes a parking lot and we have
two in Yelapa, one next door, at the Casa de Sabino and the other above
the cemetery.
The camino is beautiful. The landscape
seems to change at every turn. Some areas are covered in sand, some in
red clay. Orchids and Wildflowers galore! The
first portion of the road is uphill reaching towards, Yelapa Tapa,
the favorite launch of the paragliders. One spot has an ancient old stone
wall . When you get closer to Chacala you'll start to see cornfields
and other produce growing. With all this said, in the season less than
ten cars travel this road a day. To put it's location into perspective,
from Vallarta for example... 45 minutes south to Tuito, from Tuito to
Chacala, roughly 2 hours and from Chacala to Yelapa is 30 minutes. So
from Vallarta to Yelapa by car in 3 hours plus or 45 minutes by boat.
The main reason for travel on the road is many Yelapense have relatives
that live all over the Communidad de Chacala and travel this road to visit
them. Also, many supplies and materials can be bought at lower prices
and brought in by car easier than by boat, such as brick, cement and propane
gas tanks. From Chacala, the old
road continues for miles and miles, actually throughout the 70,000
acres of the Communidad de Chacala and more. Last year, we squeezed ten
of us into my chinook and went
on a vacation, visiting family and friends, all located off the path.
Some of the towns we visited were Mascotita,
Ixtahuahuey Llano Grande, Tlalpuyeque,
Maito, Tecolotan, and Tehualmixtle.
My In Laws Marcos and Alicia know every inch of these roads and the history.
If you ever want an adventure travel the road with them, as they offer
guided tours, walking to Chacala and beyond.
The lack of rain this year has enabled the Scraper to get the road ready for another dry season, earlier than ever.Today I was told the road is ready to roll.. I'll take my motorcycle out, in the next few days to see for myself...and you all can come along for the ride.
Cuarenta Gotas
(40 drops)
Both, yesterday and today, that's what it rained, for a grand total of
40 drops.. UGGRRRR!!! We need rain... I'm missing it so much. I love being
in bed, in our open palapa ,with my wife in my arms and have it pouring,
inches away from us. My garden misses the rain too. You tourists are the
only ones who hate the rain... you all want hot sunny days for your precious
vacations. I completely understand. It is still really hot and humid here.We
still have a chance or more than 40 drops....
Vientos (wind)
Well,
we didn't get any rain but instead we got wind, all night long. I'm not
talking about a breeze, I'm talking things flying all over the casa. The
winds continue today. I'm thinking of taking the moto out for a ride to
Yelapa Tapa and to see the views of the entire Bahia de Banderas. What
kind of exciting weather is planned for us, tomorrow?
Listo
I think all of Yelapa is doing the same type of work right now, getting
ready for the tourist season. Here at Casa Iguana, with the help of Angel,
master mason, we rebuilt our stairs. The whole of Yelapa are cleaning
up. It feels like its going to be a busy season, but you never know. Either
way, Life in Yelapa is great!
Hurricane
Anniversary
Just
figured out that today is the anniversary of the disastrous Hurricane
that hit Vallarta, last year. Locals told me that every year at this time,
we get wind and wild weather. They were right as today it rained and the
winds are blowing huge gusts, periodically during the day. I didn't make
it to the Tapa but I'm glad I got lazy or I would have been in the middle
of a huge weather front. Stay tuned...Snow is expected tomorrow..yeah
right...
Tapa Sunrise
As you know I didn't get to Yelapa Tapa ... but here is a
sunrise photo for you...
Famous, Yelapa.info
Once
again the national press pick up a story , that includes our neighbor
and friend, Davids Site.
You can read the article here.
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