Settling In

We have been in Sayulita a week now. Some of the time was spent getting organized.  We took one trip into the outskirts of Vallarta to pick up a few items but primarily we spent the time relaxing, renewing acquaintances and getting lots of exercise (walking the hills, mountain biking and paddling).  Of course, there has been some time spent lounging on the beach and an occasional cerveza or margarita but not too much!

Below is a photo of the patio in front of our suite. The sunflowers are from yesterday's market and as I am writing, Linda is planting a few new plants in the the planter, located just to the left of this photo. Linda thought the planter was a little bare, so we made a quick run to a nearby greenhouse to pick up a few more plants. From the sound of it, another trip to the greenhouse is on the agenda.

Yesterday, as we were walking to the beach we noticed hundreds of birds whirling around over the ocean. As we entered the beach we saw that most of the birds were pelicans, some frigate birds and some smaller shore birds, similar to sand pipers. There was a feeding frenzy taking place in the ocean close to the shore. A large school or multiple schools of small fish were in the water just off shore. At times you could see them come close to the surface. When this occurred the water appeared to be boiling.  The pelicans and the smaller shore birds were diving for their dinner. The frigate birds aren't divers, they just circle around looking for the left overs. Below is a video of the action. Watch for the pelicans diving.

The birds were not the only ones interested in the schools of small fish. The bigger fish were also attracted to the area. Several fishermen had already arrived and were casting from shore.  One fellow we watched was catching and landing good sized Pescas Toros (Bull Fish, in English) every 10 minutes or so. Two Mexican men in front of us were buying all he caught.  Apparently you didn't need a line to catch these fish. There were so many close to shore that several people simply picked them out of the water by their gills!

Here are a couple of photos of the fisherman and his catch.  The meat of this particular species of fish is dark red in colour.  We had some ceviche the other day that was made from Toro.  It was very good.

I understand that it has been pretty darn cold in Fernie, BC.  I can't say that I miss the cold weather. Not everyday here is perfect. It has been a bit cloudy for the last few day. Yesterday evening I wore a long sleeved T-shirt when we went out for a bite to eat.  Today there is not a cloud in the sky and a comfortable on shore breeze.  This is a screen shot of the forecast for the next 5 days.  The locals call this cool weather, but we call it perfect!

As soon as I finish this entry I'm going to get ready for a bike ride. A local fellow, Ricardo and I are heading out on some back roads and trails toward Punta Mita.  I'm going to try to get  video of parts of our ride.

On Sundays many cities in Mexico prohibit motorized traffic on some main street near the centre of the city. Vallarta is no exception. The main highway and beach road through Vallarta is a divided boulevard with a business access (service) road on either side of the through lanes.  The main divided portion of the road is closed off for several kilometres to allow bicycles (walkers, skaters, etc.) to ride from the outskirts of town to the malecón and into old Vallarta.  Linda and I are planning to go into Vallarta tomorrow to see what it's like.

Just a quick closing photo taken a breakfast this morning...