Hello!

Welcome to our mid-life crisis! These are the chronicles of Laura and Patrick, their young son Jack, and their goofball Labrador Retriever named Evinrude (Rudy), as they travelled the Sea of Cortez and the Pacific coast of mainland Mexico in their catamaran. We went cruising in search of a change of pace, a closer knit family, and peace of mind. We found all three and more. The fun all started in October, 2008 and nearly four years later the Mexican adventure came to an end August 3rd, 2012. With our mid-life crisis cured in Mexico, we are excited to start a new adventure - life back in America.

Candeleros Chico

Candeleros Chico
Just another beautiful day at anchor on the Baja. 2010

Dolphins at play in the bow wake 2011

Dolphins at play in the bow wake  2011

Friday, January 27, 2012

Something Wrong in Barra

A confluence of dead fish caught in an eddy and some of the birds circling overhead for the ones just dying.

Two years ago when we first visited Barra de Navidad, there were many, many fishermen plying the waters of the Lagoon. Some had nets, others were diving for clams and oysters. Just entering the long, dredged canal that leads to the lagoon, you were forced to drive around fishermen, some in the traditional boats that looked like dugout canoes, and others in their modern pangas. Not so, this year.
Every day now, thousands of fish float dead on the surface. They are mostly a six to eight inch, herring-type fish, but there are other varieties too. The winds push them around the lagoon and the tide sucks them out into the bay. They look freshly dead, all of them have bright red marks by their gills, most haven't even begun to swell with gases. Every day, at various time of the day, the water is disturbed by scores of fish swimming erratically in their death throws. Hundreds of pelicans, seagulls, frigates and terns swarm in the skies feasting on the easily caught dying fish. As you can imagine, there are few fishermen to be found in the water.
We've heard that this is an outcome of the Jova hurricane that pummelled the Barra area this last hurricane season. We were told that the lagoon became contaminated by sewage and has not recovered. Whatever, the reason, the sight is disturbing and our hearts go out to the fishermen that once worked this water.

***********
Below is a picture of our favorite restaurant in all of Mexico, found in Melaque. It just tastes like home. They have all the items you find in a Mexican restaurant in America like chimichangas and fajitas, which you never find in an authentic Mexican restaurant in Mexico. We found out that extended family members own restaurants in America that have the exact same menu.

2 comments:

  1. Love Concha del Mar.....love that you got dingy wheels...perhaps you too fondly recall that one wicked beach "take off" which happened a while back which left us all thinking "oh no, this isn't good" but left YOU, Laura, laughing. I'll forever be impressed with that...you have a good and amazing attitude, even when you'll all wet and half your family is floating about in the surf!!! Hey, Ethan wants you to know that THAT is the best margarita in all of Mexico....so enjoy one and think of him! Miss you guys....and yes, we have your kit. xoxox

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Nancy!
    I could never forget that memorable day. That was quite a trouncing the wave gave us. Thankfully this year the weather is much. much milder and the beach landings are much kinder. We ate at Concha 3 x's in 3 days and each day I ordered the chimichanga. Never even got to the margaritas!
    Laura

    ReplyDelete