Kayaking with Crocodiles

Yesterday, we went back over to Nuevo Vallarta, specifically to go kayaking in the estuary which is really a pretty neat mangrove swamp ecosystem. There is a lot of development going on in the immediate marina area as more and more luxury homes are built. Which each house, they take out the entire riparian zone and put in cement walls to support their docks. Many of the houses look like they have been abandoned since construction as many of the owners are a long distance away and the tropical climate here means lots of maintenance.

Before we went kayaking we had lunch at the Puerto Vallarta Yacht Club. We had kayaked over to the yacht club leaving the boat over at Nuevo Vallarta Marina. They make a pretty nice rib-eye hamburger, but it needed a few cervesas to wash it down.

Once away from the developed areas, there was an abundance of birds and other wildlife. Crocodile tours kept coming by and were warning us of crocs they saw on shore. I only saw one, about 6’ in length and it slid into the water as soon as it saw us. It seems that the powerboats are ignored but kayaks either scare them into the water, or are potentially a slow moving lunch opportunity. There was lots of bird life, herons, snowy egrets and others that migrate for the winter from Alberta, as well as lots of other species, many which I did not recognize. There were lots of iguanas as well, just sitting in the Mangroves above the water. I saw one, went for a closer look and realized there was at least 5 all hanging in the sun above me.

We motor sailed back, showered and had supper at a little Italian place. Food was OK but we were pretty tired. Back to the boat, wound down and off to bed. Got up early to help Jason find a taxi, once that was a success, I headed back to bed.

I spent the day, crawling around the boat, cleaning and doing a few repairs. Crab and Crusty would be very happy to know that I rewired the running lights. They helped me rework them last year in La Paz just before we left Mazatlan. I ran a new power wire up to the bow lights, so no more concerns. Tired now, will do a quick update and then maybe catch a little of the Olympics. It is a little quieter on the boat now that I am crewless, but it will be all cleaned up for when the Admiral arrives on Monday….

I am starting to have a little problem with identification. My skin is getting darker with the sun I am getting. Both locals and tourists are mistaking me for one of the locals. Most of the tourists ignored me today when I'd say hello as they think I am trying to sell them a timeshare, a fishing trip, etc. On the other hand, the locals look very confused when they start speaking to me in Spanish and I answer "No habla espanol"...