Costa Brava Manzanillo

... got some variable winds and proceeded to sail in at around a knot or two. Who says you can't anchor under sail, that's exactly what we did back outside Las Hadas. Thank god I speak spanish fairly well because having to talk to a mechanic in spanish is much harder than just shooting the breeze with people. Turns out our intake valves are shot. I hope that's all thats wrong with the motor ...

... was fine though and we got into the lagoon easy enough. Like I said Barra reminded me a lot of home, big but small town. Everyone seemed to know eachother and said hi as they passed, surfshops, markets, cafes, and shops were all pretty centrally located. We all agreed that this is a place we could definetly spend a lot of time in.

Lots of people had told us about Tenacatita and that we should definetly go there, so we did. The place was awesome. It's too bad we sat in Paraiso anchored, we shouldve come straight here. We anchored near Boca de Iguana, the mouth of a jungle river which extended inland for several miles. Apparently theres a pretty good break there which of ...

... I got some surf in and Helen did a whole lot of relaxing. Our room was literally on the sand. We occasionally had high winds due to a local weather phenomena that happens that time of year. We were only here two full days in this quaint little town but it was long enough for Helen to kick my butt in some pool and take a nap at a table in a bar where we were watching a band. She even forgot I bought her flowers. Some good deeds never go unpunished.

... Tropicana that has an office in Melaque, Barra de Navidad and La Manzanilla. In our search of an agent who speaks English we met Manuel Inda who can be reached at: many@mexicoCB.com or 509-242-8771 (from Canada or the U.S.) for further information about real estate. A good marketing tool used by the real estate office is the daily 11:00 a.m. tour to look at available real estate in various areas of the region extending as far as La Manzanilla ...

... Since we were so enthusiastic about Barra de Navidad, did that enthusiasm extend to its beaches? Bluntly put, there were better beaches elsewhere. For instance the beach at Rincon de Guayabitos was a better beach and everything pales in comparison to what we found south of Tulum and at Puerto Morales on the Caribbean Coast. (Mayan Riviera). What is unique about Barra de Navidad is ...

... mentioned that her coffee shop survives off tourists and surprisingly that locals can't be convinced of the value of a good cup of coffee. Her coffee is a mix of Vera Cruz and Chiapas and tastes great.(that's my comment) Very importantly, she feels safe here. For a get-away Mexico City is only a one-hour flight from here. Arianne is very knowledgeable about Barra since she has lived and worked in ...

... the rocky islands out in the middle of the bay. The bay also attracts lots of boats, large and small, cabin cruisers and sailboats, too. The daytime temperatures were in the low 80s, but the breezes sometimes were actually quite chilly if you weren't in the sun. Also, it got down into the 50s at night, so good sleeping, snuggled under the blankets. The park also had some ...

... in the hammocks, eating coconuts and sipping cold beers until the sun sets in paradise, have dinner, then maybe have a campfire, crash out at about 10.30/11pm, sleep fantastically, wake up at 7 and do it all again! Does it get much better? Again, the swell wasn't huge as it had been the previous week. But it was a reliable 2- 4 and a half foot wave that was long and clean with some steep sections. Typically it would be off-shore wind in the morning then on-shore ...

... our way a few times, towards Tecoman. We get to Tecoman and evidently missed something cause an hour later we are by the sea again but not were we were headed. We ask for directions and find we are way off our trail and must go back. It will now be another three hours to Tenicita and we're told it's too dangerous to drive there at night and it's now 5:30. We head back to Tecoman and try to find a hotel. After circling the city streets for some time and getting various ...