9/5/2011 - We actually moved!

Note:  This blog was originally written on 9/6/11 and included photos.  But, the wifi connection we can access from our anchorage without the external antenna which we lost in the chubasco, blocks any URL that includes the word "blog".  This includes "blogspot", "blogger", etc.  So, until my new antenna arrives from the States or I remember to take the computer ashore to the hotel or over to Wind Raven to use their wifi antenna, you'll just have to live w/o pictures.  Sorry. But, on with the show.  Here's the original blog from 9/5/2011:

9/5/2011 - We actually moved

Yesterday we went to the Sunday market in Loreto with friends Ed and Cindy on s/v Tequila Mockingbird. We'd heard a lot about the market and had been wanting to go but, unless you score a ride pretty early in the day, you're pretty much out of luck. We ran into Ed and Cindy the day before and were swapping stories. We first ran into them in Timbabiche a few months ago. We told them we were planning on leaving Puerto Escondido today (Saturday). They said that was too bad as they were planning on heading in to the market on Sunday and we were welcome to come along. This is when it's really nice to be retired. I said, "Well, there's no reason we actually have to leave on Saturday." So, we decided to postpone our departure so we could check out the market.

The market is sort of a farmers' market and flea market rolled into one. It's held every Sunday morning in what is usually a huge empty lot. There are numerous stands selling fresh produce, a meat market, a couple of places selling tamales, and a bunch of places selling what-have-you. I took my camera along but, as is my wont, forgot to actually take any pictures.

We bought a bunch of produce: potatoes, carrots, avocados, mangos, cabbage, peppers, limons, tomatoes, grapefruit, etc. The prices were great. We came back with a bunch of bulging bags and spent maybe 200 pesos (~$16.00 US). After the market, we had breakfast at Cafe Ole and then hit El Pescador supermarket for anything else we needed. Ed and Cindy drove us right up to the dinghy dock to unload our booty.

Back onboard before noon, Lulu started cleaning and stowing the groceries and I fired up the engine. Once the engine was warmed up, we dropped the mooring and motored out of the waiting room at Puerto Escondido.

Things have been getting sort of uncomfortable at PE the last couple of weeks. There's a new manager and he seems to be trying to prove that he's the boss or something. First was the stupidly high price increase. That's what ultimately forced us off the mooring ball and out into the Waiting Room. Then, it seemed like every day there was some new rule. One of the standard afternoon pastimes was to buy a beer at Pedro's Tienda and then sit outside Ray & Jaime's office and shoot the breeze. Thursday afternoon, we were informed by one of the workers (not by management itself, of course) that we could no longer drink beer in front to the office. By the next afternoon, the tables and chairs had been removed so we couldn't even sit there. It just seemed that the new manager was bound and determined to force the cruising gringos out of Puerto Escondido. Never mind that we're the bulk of the income. You have to give him credit, though. If forcing us all out is his goal, he's well on his way to succeeding. Anyway, even though we're paid up until the end of September in the Waiting Room, we decided to split.

We'd been hearing stories about Ensenada Blanca (Bahia Candaleros). There is a fancy new hotel there that is trying to sell timeshares. Well, if it's completely vacant, it's hard to look attractive to the potential buyers that they bus in from Loreto. Consequently, they're being very friendly to cruisers right now.

Having a few picturesque sailboats in the harbor in front of the hotel can't hurt, right? Besides that, they come out in a kayak every morning and bring us complimentary coffee and pastries. Further, if you go in and register your boat, they give you a wrist band that allows you, for the price of a drink or two, to use the swimming pools (one of which is chilled) and just generally hang around the hotel. So, let's see... Puerto Escondido where they are trying to drive us out, or Ensenada Blanca where they seem to actually want our patronage. Hmmmmm.... Tough choice.

We dropped the anchor at Ensenada Blanca Sunday afternoon about 2:30. Our friends Jay and Judy on s/v Wind Raven were already here. Jay had caught a nice Rooster Fish and gave us a couple of big chunks of it for dinner.

I cooked some spuds on the BBQ grill and then grilled the fish. Served it all with some sliced tomatoes from the Sunday market. A fine repast. We never did get ashore on Sunday.

Today (Monday), I rode to shore with Jay to check out the little tienda and get a few supplies that we didn't get in Loreto yesterday. Later, we joined the crews of most of the other boats anchored here (all of whom we had met in Puerto Escondido) along with Ray and Diana who drove down from PE. We all met ashore at a little palapa bar on the beach.  

Diana is trying to set up a party for cruisers to celebrate International Talk Like A Pirate Day on September 19th. We spent the afternoon in the palapa drinking beer and swapping lies.

The palapa closes at 5:00 so we all dinghied back to our respective homes (well, Lulu swam back). Lulu had made some chilorio/creamcheese dip so we had chips and dip and a salad consisting of avocados and tomatoes with basalmic vinegar, salt and pepper.

So, here we are. Tomorrow we're going out to an adjacent rock and doing some snorkeling with John and Patricia from s/v Trick and probably some others as well. One of these days we'll have to go in and use the hotel pool just to find out how good a chilled pool can feel.