Feeling Like Hell in Paradise

Well, it has been quite a few days since my last entry and so there is a lot to say and at the same time there is not very much that has happened.

When we sailed into Cabo we had dolphins in our bow and it seems that we have had a marine escort of some type for every eventfull crossing or entry so far. It was amazing to see the large gracefull creatures swimming beneath us and the difference in color that was lent by the turquise water. We anchored up and I immediately set myself to relaxing. After so many days at sea it was nice to just rest and to know that I was not going to be pressed into duty at any moment and could truly relax, even sleeping through the night. David, who was to be our crew mate for the first year let us know that he would not be joining us and we will be instead taking Shane. I think that David is more suited to being the captain of his own boat and maybe didn’t like the fast paced demanding attitude that Brett and I both have about the boat and her maintenance. Either way the feeling was mutual and we parted very amiably. Close quarters like this one are only suitable if all parties can get along and it was plainly obvious that David and I were not simpatico. So, after only one day in Cabo, David was gone back to Colorado and it was Shane and Brett and I on the boat to do as we may. Cabo is incredibly expensive and at first we thought that we had better move on immediatley but….. we were having so much fun!

After a night of rest Brett and I got out and snorkled a bit. We took our dinghy to the arch, a five minute ride form where we are anchored, and we dragged it up on the beach so that we could snorkle in the clear blue water. The water was amazing. The sand is white and clean and it is rolling in ripples towards the beach. There are so many beautiful fish that we saw more in one snorkle than we have seen in multible dives in Catalina. There were puffers, sting rays, angel fish and a most fabulouse eel that was white and black stripes, very exotic. So that was how we started here, snorkeling every morning, heading out to the bars a little at night and enjoying the scenery. On our third day we were looking for a laundry place and we met a local who told us that if we wanted to make some money then we should do these “Time-share Presentations” and we could walk away with cash… I was cynical but we had nothing to loose so we said fine, we’ll try it just once.

So begins the era of the time-share presentations. We walked from our first time-share presentation with $200 cash and a bottle of really bad tequila. I was absolutely giddy that we could be in the most expensive place in Mexico and actually making money. It being a Friday night we were to go out and celebrate our new found career: Professional Time Share Presentee. Unfortunately that night I was feeling like I might have a little cough coming on so I stayed home and we read our books and lounged in the cockpit. We had only been in Cabo for three days at this point and did not anticipate staying in Cabo past the weekend so this was my chance to go out and see the Cabo night life on the weekend. I was very sad when the next night my sickness increased to the point that I was imobile, laying on the bed with a iron rod through my head and a hacking cough that would not produce anything besides more dry coughing and a sharp pain in my chest and head. Brett slept in the other room and Shane explored the town and all the single girls that are available for the determined and party minded. So Shane partied on and I suffered. And Brett was my reluctant nurse through the affair. Unable to eat any solid food I just laid in a pile of discarded tissues and watched as the sun played across the windows, giving me a splitting headache.

After the two days of being a complete invalid I was ready for something and with my body so ravaged by this cough and the runny nose what else was there to do but a series of time-share presentations? Might as well make money while the misery was still ripe within me. If we could get into a good financial position great but most likely at this point we knew that the money we made at time-shares was going to be sorely needed because of the other nightmare that was plauging us on the boat.

The other Hell that was steadily making progress in the boat was the condition of our generator. We rely on the generator for the refridgeration of the food and for the watermaker. A brand new generator at the begining of our trip, it had none the less not recovered from its over throttle and subsequent death. Brett and Shane were working tirelessly to save the beast, taking it apart and putting it back together. Draining the oil and gas, drying the inside and trying everything to no avail. Apparently water intrusion is a bitch and not something that can be easily rememdied. So, do we take the generator to a local mechanic and hope for the best, all the while not knowing if the original problem will resurface after we fix the generator from the water intrusion? There is no guarentee that the same situation will not present itself again and we would be looking at another $1000 in repairs….. So after weighing all the options we have now decided to replace the generator. Thats right: a new generator not even a month into our trip. Thank God for time share presentations!

With our mind made up to get a new generator we hit up the time shares with a new passion and have now managed to make $1150, as well as being fed and given drinks (which due to my cough I have not been able to partake in, the shame!) and a taxi to and from the time share locations. It is such a scam. We can’t wait to get to other locations like Accupolco where they will, no doubt, have a similar system of bribery set up to get you to these presentations.

On the 23rd of December Andrea and Joel arrived and it has been so nice to have a familiar face around. They brought a care package of food that could not be found here and Andrea has been dragging me around to get facials, enjoy spa days and eat sushi. All things that Brett would keel over and die if he were there so it has been a nice reprive for me, if we have dipped into the generator fund a little… Oh well, its Christmas, right? And I should enjoy it, no? So Andrea and I went to a very fancy resort and lounged in the hot tub, the steam room and took about three hot showers during our incredibly relaxing facials. It was the most wonderful Christmas ever, so relaxing to have margaritas on the beach after then we came home to make a Christmas feast only to discover that Brett had invited the New Zealand America’s Cup team over for dinner. So instead of the lamb shank I had intended to make we had hamburgers and sat in the cockpit drinking mulled wine. The music from the bars was drifting over the still water and I fell asleep with Brett and the boys talking about anchors and tensil strength and so on, very mind numbing conversation you can be sure. Christmas found me in bed by 10pm with a small smile on my face and only a slight cough.

Yesterday Andrea and Joel rented a car and headed up the coast to explore and I have been listening to the Jet Skis make laps around our boat and the DJs calling out their silly games to the tourists. Still waiting for the remnants of the cough to go away and I am still not well enough to swim properly. So I am contented to relax, maybe a time share today? Maybe tomorow.