Mexico's markets offer the best dried beans in the greatest variety of anywhere in the galaxy. My personal favorite are the Peruanos. They're sold mostly along the Pacific side of Mexico including the interior mainland, and you can get them in practically any size market. In dried form – in bag or bulk – they…
Mornings at anchor in the lagoon of Barra de Navidad are special times. About 8 o'clock the local cruisers' net comes up on VHF radio, a time when many cruisers greet the day with their first cup of coffee. By the time they're on their second cup of coffee, another voice comes over the VHF:…
If you want to see more of Oaxaca than just the town itself, there are plenty of day trips to take. For the archaeology buff like GB, no trip to southern Mexico would be complete without a look-see at some prehispanic ruins. The Oaxaca area has some good ones. It's easy for yatistas to take…
You can spend a fulfilling vacation in the state of Oaxaca and never actually leave the city of Oaxaca itself. There is that much to see and do. And buy. Ahem. The ex-convent of Santo Domingo is in the centro district, and like many other ex-convents around Mexico, this one has been restored and turned…
[I love Mexico. I think about it often, even as I travel elsewhere. Also, because I've been remiss in posting contemporaneously, you get these illustrated musings completely out of context to where I am right now. Such is the cruiser's mind.] When we spent a full month in Marina Chahue in Huatulco (Feb.-Mar. 2010), it…
First, some background. The Gulf of Tehuantepec is a large body of water bounded on the east by the narrow isthmus that separates the Gulf of Tehuantepec from the Gulf of Mexico, near Mexico's southern border with Guatemala. The T'pec spans roughly 250 miles from the town of Huatulco on its northwestern edge, to the…
We moved southeastward fairly quickly along the Mexico mainland. Here's what happened during the month of February. 1.Feb.-3.Feb.2010Passage from Zihuatanejo to Puerto Escondido (15deg.51'N/097deg.04'W). Very little wind, mostly motor-sailing in S breeze of <5 knots. Water's calm, days are hot – 80s-low 90sF. Critters spotted en route include spotted dolphin, common dolphin, many olive Ridley…
Gary here – if this pisses people off its not my wife….. no photos necessary We always had doubts about cruising the Mexico mainland. That’s why we stayed up in the Sea of Cortez for two years. The problem is that after a couple of winters up there you really start to tire of the…
When last we left the intrepid Gallant Fox she was anchored in the Tamarindo anchorage near Tenacatita, at 19deg.16'N/104deg.48'W. And it was January 11. Hey, how are y'all?? It's been a while. To catch up now to the present day, here are some sailing logs of the anchorages and passages we now have under our…
When we were busy sailing around Puget Sound in 1999 to 2006 – I always dreamed about being down in the warm waters of Mexico. I thought that by the time I got there, I would be a pretty good sailor. Surely going through the Broughtons, Desolation Sound, around Cape Scott, and down the west…