Moving this Road Show South
When we dry-docked SolMate in San Carlos the plan was to stay until she sold. Wind, rain and freezing snow (I exaggerate) convinced us to move south, rather than shiver in San Carlos watching the boat sit on her jack stands. January saw us schlepping the SolVan full of boxes 21 hours down the coast. We lucked into a storage unit in Barra de Navidad - the only storage to be had in the greater Manzanillo area - dumped most of the boxes and then wandered farther down the road to Santiago Bay, searching for a place to hang our hula skirts.
Dining salon.
While Stan vanned it back to San Carlos for another load of precious "stuff," I hooked up with Susan, a savvy realtor who manages rentals. The available rentals in the area are mostly furnished, set up for short-termers, just like our #122 Bahia in San Carlos. And like San Carlos, the prices reflect the season. This being high season, the robber barons aren't interested in renting to long-term, budget-minded sailors. They're looking for free and easy tourists anxious to spread their wealth.
Turning right into the kitchen -
pint-sized stove (hidden) matches chest-high refer.
Two rentals were available, a little casita on the hill with a view of Las Hadas penninsula and Santiago Bay, and a studio apartment about the same size as the house, but situated on the main drag next to a disco. Choosing wasn't difficult.
Another right turn into the main ballroom.
Did I mention we lowered our standards, and our budget, this time around? The funky casita fits right into our pocket(book)!
More of the ballroom.
Private chambers.
The very Mexican bed is a mattress on top of a cement pedestal, actually really comfy, but makes it tough to pick up and change the room arrangement.
Veranda.
Six blocks straight down to the beach...we can hear the waves crashing, once the roosters hush up. It's a Mexican neighborhood - everyone's windows are wide open so we can all share each other's lives, and the lives of their dogs and their chickens. The hill behind is undeveloped and reputedly home to wild critters. I can vouch for Pepe LePeaux, geckos, and iguanas...s'posed to be coatis, foxes, and raccoons, too.
Million-dollar ($400) view from the veranda.
Thanks to an obliging stranger, dinner the day I moved in was taken care of, in the friendly liter bottle, which I'd already sampled by the time the camera came out.
The previous occupant's
contribution to my moving-in party.
Driving back and forth to the border, then south, again
