We anchored in the bay in order to not have to deal with confusion in the San Blas harbor (tides, possible crowding, other unimaginables) but if we do it again, we’ll anchor up the river in town instead. The town of San Blas is a really long walk from Bahia Mantanchen. And Bahia Mantanchen is rife with no-see-ums (jejenes), which are evil, evil little bastards. I can’t imagine how the flimsy little shits make it all the way out a half-mile to your anchored boat in order to bite you on the ass but they manage. And in considerable numbers. I have no idea if they are less prevalent at the anchorage in San Blas harbor. One would hope. Other than that major irritation, the bay is pretty and shallow and it’s easy to land one’s dinghy. There are palapa bars (a lot of them) lining the bay on the west and north edges. We talked to an old woman who sold us gasoline in Mantanchen (the village up the road from the bay) and she said that all those palapas will be full of people come Semana Santa, and also Christmas.

Notable in Mantanchen is the large Ikea-blue beer warehouse; it’s visible from the Bay and I nearly fell off the boat when we pulled in. Ikea San Blas??! I can get some measuring cups! But no, it appears to be some sort of beer distribution center, and it has a mini storefront where you can buy their wares. Also, Mantanchen is full of banana bread bakers whose signs all say things like “The ORIGINAL Banana Bread” or “Accept no substitute!” or “Beware of PIRATE banana bread!” We of course bought banana bread from a couple of different places and it was fine; I’ve had better.

So we set out the first day to walk to San Blas. After a kilometer or two, a pickup stopped and asked us if we didn’t maybe want a ride there since San Blas was muy lejos. That was a scary ride; we haven’t gone much faster than 8 knots in a while and being in the back of a pickup going 80 k/h had me white knuckled. We spent the day wandering around and getting lunch. This generally takes a zillion years; we have to see every single eating establishment in town and scrutinize carefully the clientele (does it look like a popular place? Are they tourists or locals?) and try to figure out what they are serving. Obviously this is an exhausting task and generally ends up with both of us traumatized by the myriad of choices so that we finally pick at random the closest one to wherever we are at the moment because we’re so hungry that we don’t care anymore. We did this in San Blas and found ourselves at a tiny cocina casera (home cooking) place run by a woman named Patricia. She was serving a dish of dorado roe and that’s what we had for lunch. It was really good; she cooked it with garlic, bay, oregano, onion, chilis, and tomato. The roe is very tiny, smaller than tobiko, and a pale yellow color when cooked (when raw, they are more translucent and orangey). Patricia was very friendly: she gave us a tour of her kitchen—all 50 square feet of it—and explained at great length exactly how she prepared the roe dish. There were maybe four tables in the dining area and during our lunch, we got to practice our Spanish on everyone who came in; I guess Patricia doesn’t get too many foreigners and everyone seemed very interested in us and where we were from. There are a couple of sit-down restaurants in town (aside from hotel restaurants) that obviously catered to tourists and had folksy decorations on the walls, quaint matching tablecloths, and pizza on the menu, but we prefer to eat at places where you get to see the people preparing your food; at least where you can see the kitchen. One other place that looked interesting was a cocktail bar (we saw actual shaker inside behind the bar) that seemed to cater to ex-pats if not entirely run by an ex-pat. (We didn’t stop for drinks though.) It was randomly decorated with hand-me-down looking bar furniture, full of old men drinking beer (not Mexicans), and had a chalkboard that listed a few classic movies that they showed sometimes in the evenings.

We walked to the beach near the entry of the San Blas harbor and walked the entire length of the beach thinking we’d walk back around the point to where the boat was anchored. But no! Not possible because there is yet another river, one that is not mentioned at all in Charlie’s Charts or on his map, curiously. We had to turn around and walk all the way back to San Blas where we managed to catch the last bus going out Mantanchen way. The jejenes ambushed us when we arrived back at the dinghy and we got eaten alive before we could untie our kayak and paddle like fiends away from the shore. I have probably over a hundred angry red bites that itch excruciatingly. Each welt from each single bite looks like it could house 20 or 30 jejenes just fine. It’s hard to believe.

The best way to cut down on your Nutella intake is to first, finish off all the Nutella you have on your boat.

La Paz’s tractor beam is sucking us back down the coast to its bouncy anchorage on the pretext of obtaining a part for our busted traveler. Will we ever escape and get someplace warm?

Now that we have a SSB receiver radio, we get to listen to Don From Summer Passage, also known as Don The Weather Guy. Every cruiser in this area knows about Don but we just ‘met’ him, so to speak. He broadcasts from Oxnard at least twice daily on various SSB channels and gives a very perky rundown of the weather in all the key areas. “Gulf of Tuehuantepec? Will be screamin’. That’s right, 60 to 70-knot winds!! [Perk perk!] Pretty nasty stuff and you don’t want to be out in that. Not a bit! Seas 20-25 feet too; that’s as high as I’ve ever seen it! So any of you think you are going to make the crossing in that, well, you can just tell me how it was in the Afterlife! Ha!” Luckily the southern Sea only had a predicted 20+ norther and we took off south with ambitious destinations. We made it almost to Agua Verde and the wind died. Bleah. Motored in and anchored just as it began to pick up again. We hung out and attempted to take off the next day (the ‘peak’ day, according to weather reports) but didn’t even get out of the bay, the winds were so light. I couldn’t see any whitecaps anywhere with the binocs and another boat that had left ahead of us was still visible on the horizon, sails luffing in the nonexistent wind and big leftover swell. We returned to anchor and did boat projects. The next day we tried again and had good wind nearly to our next destination, when it again died completely, leaving us to motor into the anchorage at Gatos.

Again we had a good time at Gatos. Maybe the most spectacular land scenery we’ve seen at any anchorage anywhere. We hiked for several hours in the other direction this time. The mountains are layered with many different colors of dirt/rock and so when you hike around, you go through all these different colored areas. It’s just a really cool place.

Manuel the fisherman intercepted us as we attempted to leave Gatos for points south but there was no wind and no sea and we were just sitting out in the glassy water. He motored up and sat on our ama chatting with us for a bit holding onto his panga by a light leash. We told him we’d likely be pulling up to the beach at Timbabichi (a mere two miles south of Gatos) unless the wind performed a miracle and began to blow and he said if we did, he’d stop by later with some fish for us. Sweet!

A few hours later, anchored in Timbabichi, Manuel arrived with the goods: ‘chocolates.’ (What the?) They are large brown shiny clams and we traded some pesos for 20 of them. We asked Manuel how to cook them and he said you just boil them or whatever, like normal clams, which is what we did. They were great, not sandy at all; maybe a little on the large side if there were any complaints. Later, we ran into a couple in La Paz who were traveling around Baja with a camper and a folding kayak and the guy said that the best way to eat them was to take a large thin knife and split them right down the middle (uncooked, alive), then eat them like oysters on the half shell with lime juice and hot sauce. We told him that we boiled them with garlic butter and he went into fits. “AAHHHH!!! You ruined them! You ruined them!!” And his wife kept saying, “You didn’t ruin them, they are good no matter how you prepare them. Jeez!”

Chocolates! Boiled, not raw.

The next day we had light wind and crept south towards San Evaristo. Then the wind picked up insanely and we made wicked time. We pulled a bit of a Punta Baja when rounding the corner into the anchorage; winds that run over land intensify to insane proportions and generally anchorages are windier than the outside. Just another way life is not fair.

The next day we hopped over to Ensenada Grande on Isla Partida for the evening, chatted with a kayak guide from La Paz who was camped on the beach and returned to our boat to find that we had dragged anchor!! Ooop. It DID seem farther paddling back… We reset the anchor (it had reset itself but now were not in the position we wanted to be in) again and it held fine. We are not sure what caused it to drag; maybe it slid on some grasses? Hooked on the edge of a rock? Pretty embarrassing; I wonder if any of the other boats noticed. (“And they allll moved away from me on the bench…”)

We arrived in La Paz once again in the evening and stuck our anchor down right smack in the middle of the channel. “Hey, here’s a great wide open space where nobody’s anchored! Score!!” We discreetly moved the next morning when we realized where we were and again wondered if anyone noticed.

Don’s weather report was for northers and good sustained winds in the 20-25 knot range, “right down the middle!” so we did our restocking as fast as we could and headed out to cross the Sea of Cortez two days later.

One of our favorite taco stands (asada and adobada, which is the marinated pork).

Tacos in the making!

This guy makes what looks like salsa soup (hot); we haven’t tried it yet because every time we get to him, we’re already stuffed with tacos. We’ll get to it…

The previous two photos are of a very elaborate and popular stand that has very good fish tacos. You pay one guy who gives you a tiny bit of paper with your order written down, then you give that to the guy at the grill who will always present your place with the careful pronunciation: “feesh tacos.” Another woman mans the liquados and washes the dishes.

January 6th was Dia de los Reyes (day of the kings), which is a Catholic holiday celebrating when the three kings arrived to the baby jesus and gave him presents. Kids here open their presents (you know, from the kings) at this point and then everyone celebrates with a fruitcake, or ‘Rosca.’ Every bakery in town is loaded down with these ring-shaped fruit cakes, which represent the crowns of the kings, and something dangerous—possibly involving knives, and then there is a baby jesus inside the fruitcake! A Christmas miracle! (Um, if I understood correctly).

Pussy cakes! Actually, they are our favorite bakery treat aside from the palmeras; they are cheesecakes baked into a slightly obscene shape.

First and foremost: TREATS. The best ice cream I’ve probably ever had is from a place called “La Fuente” on the waterfront across from the municipal pier. It has the polka-dotted tree in front. Joshua and I have undertaken intensive research to find the best flavors: Limon de Crema (both the ice cream and the frozen yogurt—very creamy and nothing like the “frozen yogurts” in the states, which too often try to be the “low fat” option, and, bleargh!), Petalo de Rosa (loaded with many petite pink rose petals), café (not too sweet and with an intense flavor), and Fresa con Queso (strawberry ice with cream-cheese marble and cheesy chunks) are so far the standouts. The only losers, if you can call them that, are the rum raison that was not rummy enough and had stemmy raisons and the mango, which was just not as exciting as it seemed like it should have been. A notable mention goes to Tequila Almendrada.

Taco stands: In addition to market stalls and other various street foods, taco stands are our favorite way to eat in La Paz. There is a collection of taco stands around the corner of Ocampo and Revolucion. Our favorite is the guy in on the southwest corner in front of the yellow Western Union building with the sign “Tortas y Tacos.” He has great asada (beef) and adobada (pork) tacos and good salsas for 8 pesos apiece. His tortas are also good, although I prefer tacos in general to sandwiches. He takes a roll, puts a creamy mayonnaisey stuff on it and grills it mayo-side down until it has caramelized and sizzles. Then he puts refried beans, cheese, meat of your choice, tomato, avocado, lettuce, and more cream on top.

Just around the corner (turn left on Ocampo) is another very popular stand with 5-peso tacos. His asada is pretty good (not quite as good as Tortas y Tacos) and he sometimes has pescado; his also has a good selection of salsas. Across the street and down half a block (on Revolucion between Ocampo and Degollado) is lady with good 5-peso pescado tacos (she sometimes has them in the mornings, otherwise she has asada) and around the corner and down half a block (left/west on 16 de Septiembre) is a very elaborate stand with a vast array of salsas fresh and bottled. His pescado tacos are great and good sized, if more expensive (10 pesos). We ate all the salsas, fresh cabbages, pico de gallos, and sliced cucumbers and did not feel any ill aftereffects. (The only dinner that did not sit well was actually in one of the restaurants that catered somewhat to tourists.)

La Fonda (Nicolas Brava at Revolucion): Jeff had mentioned that he had eaten here previously and so we made many attempts to try it ourselves. On the fourth attempt (they were closed, not open yet, closed for a private party or something..), we secured a table for an early dinner after an exhausting day tracking down and hauling stove alcohol across town. We ordered off the hand-written daily special list and asked the waiter if he had any recommendations; I had the pollo con mole and Joshua went with the, um, steak something-something. First came a soup of shell-shaped wheat pasta in a chicken broth, it was okay—the pasta was somewhat mushy—but we were primarily wary of spoiling our appetites for the main dish. My pollo en mole was very good (I do not have much mole experience to compare it to, however); the mole was the dark brown chocolate-spice type with sesame seeds on top. The chicken was very flavorful and tender. It came with rice and beans and the salsas were good: a green tamatillo/pepper salsa and a dried chili and vinegar style salsa (very hot). Joshua’s steak was an asada-style cut (thin) grilled with rice and beans and a mole-covered enchilada. We’re typically used to eating steak as thick, med-rare American-style steaks so eating asada “steak” style and not chopped in tacos is sort of odd. Nonetheless, he pronounced his meal good, if not flat-out great, and we were both happy. The weirdest part of the meal was the postre (dessert) that came with: jello in a shallow plastic cup. I had a pineapple flavor and Joshua unfortunately ended up with grape. I don’t believe I have had jello since I was maybe 12. An unusual way to end a meal but it was a good experience (not counting the jello, necessarily) and very inexpensive; the total bill including two beers was 120 pesos or so.

Bistro Francais: A French restaurant, with some Spanish and Mexican flavors thrown in (around Esquerro and 16 de Septiembre). It’s okay; I ordered the grouper with green peppercorn sauce and a goat cheese salad with jamon Serrano. I have never had green peppercorns before and was surprised to discover that they tasted reminiscent of cleanser, but in a compelling way. Therefore, my fish was just so-so, plus the white sauce it was in was very rich and made my face flush. Joshua and Jeff had fish and scallops, respectively, in a creamy garlic sauce, which was recommended by the waiter and which they both enjoyed. The sauce seemed very similar to mine minus the green peppercorn, plus garlic. The salad was probably my favorite part, since goat cheese and fresh vegetables really can’t go wrong in my world. The interior of the restaurant is very nice and there is a great inner courtyard with a garden. There was a guy playing live music who thankfully did not abuse the drum beat function of his synthesizer and was, honestly, not bad at all; he played all sorts of unusual instruments, always a plus. (Entrées range vaguely from 60 to120 pesos.)

Rancho Viejo: This place was recommended to us by some other cruisers who had been in town for a bit and so we went by for some breakfast tacos. They have a large place with a pleasant atmosphere and menus painted on the walls. A few tables outside are on the street but next to the large grill (where you get to watch the guy grilling the meat) and inside is a nice courtyard (with a TV capable of showing terrible 80s movies about kangaroos named “Matilda” who box with the heavyweights; beware!). The first time we went, we tried the asada tacos (12 pesos each; because that’s what appeared to be on the grill when we arrived) and they were large with hefty cubed chunks of meat, but very gristly. I felt as if I couldn’t chew properly for fear I’d bite down on something freaky. The salsas were also lacking in flavor and we ended up putting salt on everything. Oh well. We left wishing we had eaten Tortas y Tacos’ asada tacos instead. We probably would not have returned if we didn’t keep running into more people recommending the place; this time they mentioned that the “arrachera” is what you have to order. Arrachera tacos are 17 pesos apiece but well worth trying. It’s still beef but marinated and very tender and no gristle. The salsas were also better this time, so perhaps we just hit them on a bad day our first visit.

Market food: In the public market on Nicolas Brava and Prieta are several food counters serving soups and tostadas and burritos and empanadas. The empanadas looked the most exciting because they are always making them fresh right there in front of you so we tried these from a couple of the different vendors. They all put the same stuff inside: beef and potato with spices, and they all serve it with an ancho chili salsa (very good and fairly spicy). So far, every one we’ve tried has been great. Also excellent is the fresh juice from the juicer counter—you can get orange and/or a blends of beet, celery, carrot, pineapple (we like the guy next to the south entrance). There is a tortilleria here as well with decent tortillas; however, our favorite tortilleria is on Allende at Gomez Farias (I think; north side of the Allende—white building with blue lettering).

(For reference, the current exchange rate is around 10.5 pesos per dollar.)