Cruising with Barry and Stacey: January 2005

San Blas fort church ruins

San Blas fort

Blew Moon at anchor in San Blas estuary

San Blas Central Market next to town square

Brave San Blas crocodile swimmer

Swimming hole at end of San Blas estuary

Restaurant at San Blas artesian spring

Iguana in San Blas estuary

Big crocodile in San Blas estuary

San Blas estuary boat trip

San Blas parade

San Blas-Days 51 to 58 (1/25-2/1)

We all anchored in Mantanchen Bay in San Blas upon arrival. Once everyone got settled we dingied ashore to one of the two restaurants on the beach. As soon as we stepped ashore we were attacked by the dreaded no-see-ums, which are tiny tropical gnats that are present near the shore between dusk and dawn. They will eat you alive. We scurried to the restaurant where they had several piles of coconut husks burning which are said to be a natural repellant. We huddled around one such pile and got some relief from the pests but the smoke burned our eyes. We danced around for a good ten minutes before deciding to abort our dinner plans and high-tail it back to our boats. I read enough about the evils of no-see-ums before leaving San Diego that I stocked up on insect repellant. However, Barry and most of our group, had not protected themselves before going ashore. Everyone compared notes the next day and talked about our first no-see-um encounter and agreed that we’d be better prepared from then on. The next morning Barry and several others had welts covering their bodies! I have gotten some bites too, despite being diligent about protecting myself, but they can bite right through clothing and will get you while you sleep if you don’t use screens on your portholes and hatches. Welcome to the tropics!

In the morning another boater contacted our "fleet" by radio saying he was in the estuary on the north side of town and invited us to join him there. He told us it was the better anchorage area. That piqued our interest in light of our no-see-um experience in the bay. He said the benefits were that it was only a short dingy ride to shore and for ten pesos a young man named Roberto would make sure it was still there when you returned from town which was just a short walk. When anchoring in Mantanchen Bay, which was lovely, you had to arrange for a short ride into town after landing your dingy through gentle surf which means you get more wet! So, we all discussed it and decided to move our boats to the estuary.

We enjoyed our week in San Blas and will be moving on tomorrow to La Cruz in Banderas Bay where Puerta Vallarta is located. The highlight of our time there was the jungle boat ride up the other estuary in San Blas. This estuary is produced by underground artesian springs that travel about seven miles before spilling into Matanchen Bay. San Blas is referred to as the place where the jungle meets the sea. Going up the estuary through the mangroves we saw about 20 different species of birds. (Dan and Marywood, you would have loved this trip!) Once we were into fresh water we saw more wildlife. Everyone got real excited when our driver pointed out the first crocodile. It was a very young one lying across a low branch. Cameras immediately began snapping away! Then we passed another boat that was coming back who told us there were some large crocodiles further up. When we saw them the little guy didn’t seem like such a big deal! Wow, were they huge! There was a male and female asleep on a bank. We were able to get photos through some vegetation. It just kept getting better, though. We saw several other very large crocs; some of which we were able to get about five feet from. Also, there were iguanas of various sizes and colors all over and lots of turtles. The turtles were sunning themselves on a branch just above the surface of the water and would jump in immediately as we approached. Maybe they were camera shy! About three-quarters of the way up the estuary we stopped at a crocodile farm. That’s right, a croc farm where they breed them and release them once they are a certain size. We got a very informative tour (in English, thankfully). It was really interesting. They also had wild boar and a type of deer they were also breeding for release. After this brief stop we continued up the estuary to the end where the natural artesian springs originate. This spot was beautiful. The water was crystal-clear and you could swim with the fish. Some of our group snorkeled, some went for a swim and others sat on the restaurant patio that overlooked the swimming hole. We enjoyed lunch and then went for a swim. It was wonderful! They had a trapeze-type swing that you could use to plunge into the water below. I did that several times. It was a blast. After our refreshing time in the water Royce told us that there was a large crocodile swimming across the estuary a short distance from the swimming hole. I thought he was joking, but we later confirmed this. Evidently, this croc has been fed old chickens by the restaurant over the years since it was young. It became accustomed to the steady feedings and has remained in the immediate area since it was young. The panga drivers/tour guides keep an eye on him while there are people swimming. Had I known this, I’m sure I would have passed on this experience. Ironically, I was joking in the water with another person about whether we were somehow protected from crocodiles. I’m just glad we all lived to tell about it!

San Blas has an interesting history. Up a hill overlooking the ocean is their fort that was build in 1770. We hiked up there and enjoyed the spectacular view of the town, estuaries, grazing cattle and the ocean. Behind the fort are the ruins of the church built in 1788 and immortalized in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s final poem, The Bells of San Blas (referring to the bell tower). During a battle with the Spanish the Mexican Army General, who was also a priest, rode his horse off the cliffs near the fort rather than surrender. The week we visited happened to be a religious and political holiday for the people of San Blas. Part of the festivities were in honor of this general/priest who gave his life for Mexico. There were parades, music, dancing, food, a volleyball tournament (not sure of the significance of that) and lots of people milling around the town square. One night, they even had a Miss Gay San Blas pagaent. I’m not sorry we missed that! It seems like a mixture of cultural, political and religious tradition combined with whatever else pleases them. Some people travel to San Blas from other Mexican towns and cities to observe this special week of observance. We met one Mexican who was visiting from Los Angeles. We met a Mexican couple who traveled for four hours by bus from Guadalajare to observe "holy days".

Another point of interest is that Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s last poem was written about the church next to the fort. The poem is called The Bells of San Blas. We did a lot of walking, eating and sight-seeing. It was all enjoyable.

We hope that you are enjoying coming along with us on our adventure! Till next time . . . Stacey