Time to Move On!

While I love the opportunities that the life style we've chosen give us, the one part I don't love is leaving.  La Cruz is the third stop on our retirement journey and, like Cabarete and Ajijic, very hard to leave.

This has been a short stay.  We were in Cabarete for five months and Ajijic for four.  Our stay in La Cruz has only been two months.  When we found our casita we fell in love but it was out of our budget.  The owner was very helpful and negotiated the rent to a point where we could afford it, but could only do this up until mid-December, which is when their high season kicks in.  I fully understand - with the hot, humid summers here she only have a few months of prime rental season.  But I'm sad to move on, our time here went too soon.  And right now the weather is PERFECT!   We have great pool days even though the water is starting to feel just a bit cool, unlike the nearly bathtub temperature the pool was when we arrived mid-October.  In the evening, you feel just a hint of cool in the air, but not enough to even bother with a jacket.  And the mornings are incredible!  The air is crisp and cool and so refreshing.  My yoga class is at 7:15 a.m. and I walk the six blocks in just my workout clothes.  But the Mexican ladies in my class arrive in thick sweaters or bundled up in warm hoodies.  While we're enjoying this, much of the US has been experiencing unseasonably cold weather, sleet, and snow.

So Sunday morning we leave.  We'll probably start sorting through our things the next few days to see what we can leave behind.  I have a massage scheduled for Saturday afternoon to get me in the mood to travel.  Sunday morning we'll stop at the artisans market behind our house.  Matt's favorite food item their is the smoked marlin burritos and they haven't had them the past several weeks.  But he put in a special order, and they're bringing just two for him.  Then we'll drive about five hours to Mazatlan and spend the night.  In Mazatlan we should be able to buy ferry tickets.  Mazatlan is one of the two towns that the ferry travels to, but the trip from Mazatlan to La Paz is about 18 hours -- too long for Hermann to be in a crate.  So Tuesday morning we're going to drive another five hours north to Topolobampo.   From there the ferry trip to La Paz is only eight hours.  The ferry leaves at 11:00 p.m. each night and arrives in La Paz at 7:00 a.m. Tuesday.  So in six days we'll be at our new home!

The visit with my sister was such a good one!  We had her to ourselves for six days.  We went to Desildoradas beach and had a great day at this beautiful beach.  There are always local men diving for oysters right off the beach and for 80 pesos they'll crack a dozen for you right at your table.  The water is clear and calm, and still very warm.  I did have my first encounter with what I believe was sea lice here.  I was in the water just up to my knees when both legs starting stinging.  I got out and rinsed off with bottled water but this didn't help.  The next days I had multiple patches of bumps that looked like poison ivy on both legs and MAN did it itch.  This went on for about four days before it finally cleared up.  But still.....well worth the experience and this is nothing that will stop me from swimming in that beautiful ocean.  Sue joined me for yoga classes, which we're her first studio classes, and she did great.  And she convinced me to go to strength training classes with her.  And then we had lots of good mornings watching the sunrise from her palapa apartment and hanging at the pool.

Syd and Sister Sue at PV Marina

Sue's husband Rodney arrived on December 2nd.  He booked a fishing trip and Sue and I decided to join him.  Guess who caught the biggest fish?  Yep, that's my bad boy and I pulled it in all by myself.

Syd's big catch

Oh, and here's Sue's big catch.  But she did reel it in without help.

Sue's big catch

 We also took Rodney back to Desildoradas and then spent another incredible beach day at San Pancho - and none of us had a camera!  Love San Pancho!

Matt, Syd & Rodney at Desildoradas Beach

Sue and Rodney wanted to show us the Puerto Vallarta Marina; Matt and I had never been there.  It's beautiful, if you can find a place to park!  Their favorite restaurant there is Victors where we went for breakfast.  At Victors, it's free tequila shots; any time of the day.  So along with our bloody mary's we had a couple of shots; good thing Matt was driving!

Monday we dropped off Sue and Rodney at the Hardrock where they'll spend a week before heading home to cold Kansas City.  Now, Matt and I are back to normal....just the two of us for a few more days.  We do love being on the beach if it means we can have visitors!