The past four days - wrapped up like a burrito.

From the buzz of a tsunami surge here in the marina, to attending one night of a nine day festival that honors Saint Patrick, the past four days have zipped by. The days have seemed to melt into one another and in this post I will try and wrap it all together.

Thursday, March 10th

The morning began with a special treat for me - a massage. We headed over to a modest hotel across the lagoon, called Hotel Sands where a very kind and lovely woman gives massages under a simple palapa. Jason played with Turner as I completely surrendered to the nice mix of reggae and soft electronic music, fragrant coconut oil and the masseuse's strong hands. The palm fronds were rustling and the water of the lagoon was softly lapping against the dock - it was everything an outdoor massage should be in a tropical place.

Turner looking very cool in his glasses as he and Jason lay under the palm tress 

while I was getting my massage.

After my massage we enjoyed a long lunch at a place called La Casa de mi Abuela. Then we headed over to the Thursday mercado (market) in the town center to check out the goods. As we were walking through the market Jason spotted a young woman with a little baby that appeared to be about Turner's age. We walked over and introduced ourselves and sure enough this little baby boy was five days younger than Turner. He and his mother are here from Lyon, France visiting her sister who is an artist that lives in Melaque. We chatted for several minutes, talked baby stuff and then we were on our way.

Friday, March 11th

Our Friday morning began like most, with the sad, tragic news of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. I have had the honor of traveling to Japan many times, and I have dear friends and colleagues there. My thoughts have been with them these past few days.

The buzz of the effects the tsunami may have on the marina here in Barra began early in the morning. We camped out on the boat through out most of the day. Jason kept the radio on and listened for word of any tsunami effects further north. He would then make a decision on whether or not he should move the boat out of the marina for a while. The safest place for a boat during a tsunami is out in deep open water. As the morning passed, we watched sailboat after sailboat leave their anchors in the lagoon. As for the power boats in the marina, nobody seemed too worried because the water level in the marina is deeper than that in the lagoon. Reports were only calling for a drop and rise in water of about 3 feet, which was a safe guarantee that many of the boats here in the marina would not strike the bottom when the water level dropped, nor would the water go over the sea wall when it rose. Needless to say, there was no reason to move the boat.

Although small, we did see the effects of the tsunami in the lagoon and in the marina. Starting around 3 pm on Friday afternoon and lasting over 24 hours, we began to see multiple surges as the water would rush out and then rush back in much faster than a regular tide - about 15 minutes versus 8 hours. There was about a 2 foot change in water level with each surge. Not extremely exciting or threatening, but nonetheless fascinating that what happened thousands of miles away was manifesting itself here.

Our prayers are with the people of Japan.

Saturday, March 12th

Saturday was Turner's 3-month birthday. Turner took a long late afternoon nap and woke up in a playful mood. We decided to head over to Melaque (the next town over) to watch the festivities for the Fiesta en Honor a San Patricio. Saint Patrick is Melaque's patron saint, and the fiesta takes place over a nine day period.

Our travel to Melaque involved transporting us, plus Turner's stroller on a ponga from the marina to Barra and then a taxi from Barra to Melaque. Once we arrived in Melaque's town center, we found a spot near the fountain and just relaxed and chatted as we watched kids play, vendors sell their items and people walk by. The old style bell tower begin to ring, and we noticed that the time on the clock was wrong and we couldn't quite tell what time was being rung. Suddenly, we were interrupted by the loud, blasting sounds of skyrockets going off nearby, and we notice that the sound was getting closer.

 

Shortly after, a small parade began to make its way a short distance around the corner toward the church. A small alter with a figure of Saint Patrick led the way. Following closely behind were dancers dressed in bright green capes with a large sequenced image of Mary on the back. The dancers, which included small children to young adults, skipped and hopped to the rhythm of the music. Following the first set of dancers was a float with a wedding scene (I'm not quite sure exactly what was being depicted). Another set of dancers depicting Mexico's indigenous people followed, and the parade finished with a small marching band. Each group entered the church and then a Eucharist (a ceremony which commemorates the Last Supper) followed.

The dancers 

The float 

This sign reads, "Warriors of God: To be with the Catholic Movement"

Kids in the town center trying to catch the skyrocket sticks.

After the parade we went to a nearby restaurant called Maya Tapas Bar. The restaurant is owned by a Canadian woman who lives and runs her restaurant in Melaque six months of the year. There was an open-aired kitchen, a huge polapa, a great little lawn surrounded by nice trees and bushes, a tiny garden and most importantly - great food. After we ordered some food, we were able to rock Turner to sleep and have a little time to ourselves as we enjoyed our dinner out in Melaque. 

With Turner

With Jason as Turner sleeps 

The Roasted Beet Salad

Polenta with Spinach and Gouda

Sunday, March 13th

We had seen advertisements around town the during the previous week about an art show at a little breakfast joint in Barra called Roosters. The artists that were featured in the show were primarily Canadians and Americans - there was one Mexican jewelry artist. Barra is full of Canadians and Americans that call it their home for half of the year. For some of these individuals, Barra is the perfect artists' haven as they paint, photograph and create jewelry which is inspired by the scenery, people, colors, shapes and life of this quaint town. Although the art show was fairly small, it was nice to see artists being supported. Although, I would have liked to have seen some more Mexican artists and artwork.

It was a nice morning as the restaurant was buzzing with people eating and looking at the artwork. We stayed for a while, ate a very large breakfast, chatted with a couple of the artists and took turns walking Turner around the restaurant. I ended up leaving with a full belly and couple of pieces of jewelry.

Jason walking Turner around the art show. 

Just as a Sunday should be, we took our time and walked around town for a little while. We stopped at the church and listened to the mass for a while and then we stopped by the beach and enjoyed the beautiful scenery for a bit. When we got back to the boat Turner and Jason finished it all off with a nice siesta.

 Turner and I at Barra de Navidad Beach