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The hull is polished, the bottom is clean, the stainless gleaming, sails, dingy and all deck gear stowed, systems shut down, the boat is trussed like a turkey to the dock and we are ready to go to Guadalajara in the morning. We have been in the marina at Nuevo Vallarta for two weeks now, working every day to get ready. Nuevo is quite different from the main marina at Puerto Vallarta. It is much older and has had minimal to zero maintenance since it was constructed about fourteen years ago. When they put the electrical service in at each slip they used male instead of female connectors, so the wires are cut and hanging and each boat hot wires the connection. Some have circuit breakers and some not. The marina office is in a condemned condo building and the bathrooms are those of unfinished condos. There are many boats that are permanent fixtures here but that may change. Marina Vallarta has purchased the property and has a plan to rebuild everything. Of course, in Mexico, turning a plan into a finished product may take years to start and is usually never actually completed. We, along with the long term residents, really like it here. It is a beautiful setting, quiet and friendly. There are many birds around and their antics are fascinating. Dinner is at the end of a fish hook with a piece of bread on it. There is a nearby village about 20 minutes walk away that is untouched by tourism which has a weekly market, a restaurant and a bakery. A bus runs every 20 minutes into the city. Tomorrow we take the bus to Guadalajara, a five hour ride. The luxury bus is like a small airplane, with toilets, movies, air and lights above each first class seat. Fare is $25 U.S. per person. We will spend a month there, going to school every day for three hours in the morning and taking trips every afternoon sponsored by the school. We will stay with a Mexican family and eat our meals with them. We are looking forward to the experience and hope that we will improve our Spanish. After Guadalajara we will spend two months travelling by bus to about ten other small cities and towns in the interior and return to the boat in September. The rainy season is about to start and it is already hot and humid down on the coast. We haven't seen any rain yet, but it has started inland. We will take the computer with us so that we can stay in touch. Next report from Guadalajara. Colin & Patricia Shannon-Garvey |
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