April 7-17, 2013   Impressions of Banderas Bay; La Cruz, Bucerias, Puerto Vallarta


La Cruz de Huanacaxtle is a sleepy little village with dusty cobblestone streets, except for the one main road from the bus stop to the marina.  That one has been paved with cement brick.  The business of the town revolves around the cruisers.  There are tiny restaurants on every corner, many so small that the tables are set in the street.  A number of laundromats and small grocery stores.  Ships chandlery, boat yard and sailmaker along the waterfront along with a fish market and the port captain.  The longer we are here the more we like it.  Although it is small, almost everything we need can be found here. One of the more delightful discoveries is YaYas restaurant.  I have no idea what their food is like but they have an entire wall of books whit a sign saying “take what you want and leave what you are finished with”.   I go through dozens of paperback mysteries in the two weeks that we are here.  (One of the reasons that I am so far behind in my blog, when I get up at 3am, I read instead of writing.) 

Philos is another cruisers hang out.  Owned by an American who somehow just stayed here, it features live music and great pizza as well as internet and showers and a few rooms in case you just need to get off of the boat for a while.  One night while we were here there was a birthday party for “Captain Ron”  He was 97 years old and still a wonderful dancer.  He was dressed in his Canadian Air Force uniform and charmed us with his war stories, including the time he and his crew rescued the crew of a russian submarine.

Alan is busy with boat projects and not interested in exploring so I take off by myself on the bus several times.  One day I take the bus all the way to the end of the line in Puerto Vallarta and spend the day wandering.  I order a cup of coffee and a pastry in a small shop and am given a mug of water, hot from the microwave, and a jar of Nescafe.  I finally find a pair of white pants that I have been wanting.  (I wore the seat out of my other ones)  When lunch time comes, I ask a shopkeeper for someplace to get cheap tacos and am escorted across the street and into the back room of what looks like a beauty shop.  This seems to be where the locals eat. There is one table and a tiled kitchen and a steady stream of people coming and going.   I add a bowl of pizole soup to my order of tacos.  Wonderful. 

The other village along this side of the bay in Bucerias, about halfway between La Cruz and Puerto Vallarta.  While Puerto Vallarta is the American tourist destination and La Cruz serves American and Canadian cruisers, Brucerias is a bustling Mexican village catering to Mexican and Central American tourists.   Huichol indians display their handicrafts under the trees lining the median of the main street down to the beach.  On the side streets are stalls with the usual tourist hats, blouses, jewlery and pottery.  The beach is lined with open air restaurants and a man is offering horseback rides on the beach.  There is a plaza with a small church.  I am there on Sunday evening and a service is being conducted in the plaza.  The slow circle dance with its singing and clapping contrasts with mariachi music and rock guitar coming from the restaurants. 


La Cruz is a cruisers village.  This is the jumping off place for the “Pacific Puddle Jump” to the South Pacific.  Boats start gathering here in October and November each year.  By February the bay is packed.  There are seminars and parties.   The boat yards are working around the clock.  Restaurants are hopping.  Then in March they start to leave one by one or in small groups.  Bound for the next adventure.  By the time we arrive in April it is the very end of the weather window. We meet old friends from earlier in our voyages and then say good-bye to them again.   Each day more and more boats leave, either for the South Pacific or back up to the Sea of Cortez for the summer.  A few will spend the summer here in one of the marinas.  We are one of the last boats here that is not planning to stay for the summer.