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| Wizard in Yelapa |
We met our family in Yelapa. We sailed from La Cruz to meet them and enjoyed seven days anchored in front of the house they rented for the week. It was so much fun!
We had heard stories and read the guidebooks about Yelapa being a hard place to anchor. The bay is too deep to anchor and the swells make an uncomfortable boat motion. It is suggested by the locals to secure a mooring ball as the best choice for an overnight anchorage. I was prepared for the worst night’s sleep. But, as it turned out, we had a perfect weather window with mild to non-existent winds. The bay was calm and lake-like many times. Our time on the mooring ball was great! It was fun being close to the kids' house to dingy ashore and just hang out with them.
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| Beautiful beach in Yelapa |
As we approached the bay, we were greeted by two different ponga drivers asking our intentions and length of stay. Everyone is related in Yelapa as the local natives own the land communally. The ponga drivers (probably cousins) compete for our business. (I’m still not sure if the monies collected through tourism are shared as a group or does each family get whatever “piece of the action” they can get?)
Anyway, the one-ponga driver offers us a mooring ball for the going rate of 200 pesos ($20 USD). But, only for one night, as he “is very busy and only has one mooring ball” to offer us. But, we say we need a week. We scan the anchorage off the beach and see only a few available mooring balls. Are the moorings owned by certain families? Does the community share the rental fees? Are the moorings safe? We are deciding what to do, when the other ponga driver, Bully his name, comes by and says, “no problem, take my mooring, all week! Same price!” He directs us to the largest ball in the anchorage. His cousin comes back and just shrugs his shoulders when we say we are taking Bully’s mooring for the week. Is he mad at us for not renting his?
We are cautious not knowing the procedure of the tie on and safety. But, Bully assures us his ball is the best and strongest. To be sure, Capt. Juan backs down on the mooring ball just as he would on our anchor to set it. . It holds. We are satisfied. Bully also invites us to eat at his sister’s restaurant where he also works and makes sure we know about his other services, like if we want a fishing trip or snorkeling tour to the Tres Marietas or whatever..he can arrange for us. We realize this is a tourist based economy and only for a short four months season. These families survive on our tourist dollar.
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| Austin, Thad, John, Sarah, Brooke (baby soon, too!) baking in the sun... |
Our family arrived on the water taxi from Puerto Vallarta just hours after our we got settled in. I quickly stocked up at the nearest tienda and supplied them with fresh food, coffee and cold beer!
We greet them at the dock. Six people with luggage empties the boat as they pour out. They have brought many items we requested from home. Thank you, kids! Much needed gear, like a replacement VHF handheld radio and the quick release pins for the dingy wheels...and kite surfing board and sails! John hopes to try his luck with this sport, too!
We hadn't seen each other since we left on our sailing adventure in September 2012. We missed all the holidays together, so this trip to Yelapa was like our family-get- together!
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| Who's the hunk? |
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| Austin tries our new SUP |
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| mother and daughter |
If you haven’t been to Yelapa, it’s really a trip! A step back in time. There are no cars only water taxis to and from Puerto Vallarta. Walking the cobblestoned pathways that maze through the village past open doorways is the only mode of transportation and offers peeps into the local residences who live a communal life. Also, present is an eclectic, aged hippie-music-art culture that is left over from the 70's...massage, yoga, healing arts and a writers hang out contribute to "vibe" of Yelapa. We know because we visited Yelapa way back when it was undiscovered. There was no electricity, no water purification or paved walks... now these new upgrades ( paid for by generous gringos) have brought the tourists.
"Turn left at the green toilet", are the directions to "Bob's place", as we pass a discarded pile of junk on our way to the house my kid's rented...everyone in the village knows where this is. Down the path to the beach, over the broken cement pathway littered with donkey poop. Everyone knows the way. Everyone knows everyone. Small town. There are unfinished homes, some garbage piled on the side that just exists...garbage must be taken out to recylcing by boat...the village is starting to care- it's a work in progress...but also,there are many really beautiful homes with well cared for gardens and flowers galore!
The villagers use burros or horses and quad motor cycles for working around town or tourist porting to and from the many vacation rentals and boutique hotels. There is the "old mexico" feel about the the village as well as "gringo pricing" at many great restaurants. We enjoyed the "juxtapositions" of both. There is a great beach scene with food palapas, vendors, para sailing and para gliding off the high mountain down to the beach. It's very tropical with coconut palms to the beach, unlike the north side of Banderas Bay which has more arrid vegetation.
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| Thad enjoys the SUP |
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| Jasmine in Yelapa |
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| The happy couple...soon to be new parents! |
One day we hiked up to the waterfall. It's a popular two hour hike up a dusty trail up the canyon and through the village. We got a glimpse of the simple way of life the Yelapanese people live. The open air homes with thatched roofs so different than what we live in, but are completely adequate for this climate...no solid walls...the cooling breeze flows through. We were warned of scorpions, cockroaches, skunks(coatis) and other creatures that come and go freely through the open bars and windows of these homes. My "city kids" were a little squeamish...but it becomes home for a week.
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Thad, Sara, Jasmine and Ali on the waterfall hike
We made a wrong left turn somewhere and so ended up below the "famous" waterfall...but we had a great hike anyway. The next day, the kids rented horses and found the right way, this time successful. |
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| Waiting for orders... |
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| Boy and his bicycle on the path up to the waterfall |
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| Someone gave wrong directions to the waterfall... look what happened to him! |
The next day we took the kids out on the sailboat for a snorkeling trip up the coast. We wanted to give them a glimpse of our life on a boat. They had fun paddling around and swimming.
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| Thad and Jasmine paddle to beach |
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| Sarah |
The next day we rented a fishing ponga for a day trip to the Tres Marietas. It was a perfect weather window with sunny skies. We saw a humpback whale with baby breeching out of the water. The boat driver got really close for us to get some great pictures. My picture doesn't capture this magnificent creature. I will post a great shot Jasmine took as soon as I get it.
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| Humpback whale breeching on boat ride to Tres Marietas |
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| Mermaids: Sarah, Sue, Jasmine, Ali, Brooke |
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| White sands beach of Tres Marietas |
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The ponga ride to Tres Marietas
Our day included snorkeling where we saw many colored fish and coral. Our tour guide landed us on a white sand beach had all to ourselves. We played and snorkeled in the surf, while our ponga driver made us bonita ceviche for lunch. The fish were different in the surf than the coral feeders. Awesome! |
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| Sue |
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| Jasmine and Ali |
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| Thad, Sarah and John |
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| The Tres Merietas are wild rocky preserves. |
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| Brooke |
We had heard that the islands are are a great day anchorage, but not recommended to stay overnight... we see how rocky and rough the seas are and glad we chose to visit by rented ponga and not sail our our boat...
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| Rocky anchorage at Tres Marietas |
Our days in Yelapa were busy...eating. drinking, snorkeling, boating, paddling, hiking....we could've used one more day lazy day on the beach... but, oh well, ... time to say farewell with one more dinner at Tacos Y Ma!..
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| Tacos Y Mas! farewell dinner! |
We had a great time in Yelapa! We hope to do this again!
OUR plans are to continue sailing off to the South Pacific. We leave for the Marquesas Islands tomorrow, Mach 28th. We have planned, provisioned, geared up and are ready to go! We will share our new adventures some 21 days from now when we reach Hiva Oa or Fatu Hiva our first landfall.
Wish us fair winds!
