I’ve been working for a Swiss company for almost 10 years now, which includes assignments abroad every once in a while. This time around, I flew to Bangkok for a little over two weeks, which I´ve spent working long days at our office there. It was great fun to immerse myself in working life again, to see my colleagues again and to be out and about in a noisy, big city. Time flew by and I even had time for some sightseeing. And who would have thought? Of course, I chose a boat trip. My dad has travelled Thailand a few years ago and always highly recommended a Bangkok river cruise experience to me.

Boat traffic in the big city

The Chao Prayha River meanders through the middle of Bangkok and is frequented by all kinds of boating traffic. What the bus, the regional train or the tram are for us in Switzerland, the boat is for the population of Bangkok, among other means of getting from A to B. The river is frequented by various boat lines, which are distinguished from each other by colored flags. I decided to take the slowest of them all, which is marked by an orange flag and stops at most piers on both sides of the river.

The wild ride begins

I stood at the pier on our free Sunday and waited for a fast, long boat with a waving orange flag, which arrived after a short wait. Powered by a large, noisy diesel engine, the boat snarled my way, only docked with the stern and I was escorted onto the boat by a whistle-wielding attendant. The trip cost a whopping 16 baht (50 cents), which you had to pay to another employee who, like in the good old days, walked up and down the boat with a small, rattling cash register to issue the tickets.

Thai engines have to work hard

I quickly realized that Burrito (our diesel engine) lives a really comfortable, almost luxurious life aboard Milagros. The captain of the longboat let his engine roar, especially on the piers the forward and reverse gears were engaged with revs increased to five digits. I almost pitied the screaming engine in its box a bit. Who knows, maybe Thai diesel engines like it hard. The communication between captain and attendant on the back of the boat took place via whistle and rear-view mirror and was very well-rehearsed. Pati and I can only dream of such seasoned communication on Milagros. Maybe, we may also need to order a whistle and rear-view mirrors.

Pati is doing good for the canine world

While I was enjoying myself on rivers abroad, Pati, along with a few other residents of the Kingdom of El Mero, did something good for the dogs that lived with us on the dock. SBPA San Carlos is a non-profit organization dedicated to neutering street and family dogs free of charge. Mexico, like so many other countries around the world, has a huge, unmanageable stray problem, and SBPA is trying to help. After a quick phone call to the organization, an SBPA employee arrived in the wee morning hours at 7am on a Sunday to capture and neuter all the unneutered dogs that roam the docks.

Dingo, Rubber Ball, Cheesecake, Einstein

As if suspecting, the unneutered dogs were nowhere to be found and only two unfortunate remaining animals were captured and had their surgeries. Einstein and Cheesecake (other dogs got names like One Year and Two Year, Rubber Ball, Dingo or Mamacita, the residents of El Mero are extremely creative) had their balls and ovaries removed. As soon as the procedure was completed and the SBPA lady took off, all the unneutered dogs reappeared out of nowhere. Clever, clever. Unfortunately, I missed the action because I was still in Thailand.

Please help the dogs of Guaymas: We know that all of you have a few dollars, francs, euros or baht to spare to help SBPA. Opens your wallet and do something good for the canine world of Guaymas, Mexico! A castration costs around 20 bucks. We’ve already donated 100 dollars, so off you go, too! You can donate easily for example via Paypal here. It is worth it!

A long, long journey back from Thailand

My time in Bangkok passed quickly. My return voyage not so much. It was one of the longest I have ever undertaken, and God knows I have traveled a lot in my lifetime. One hour by taxi to the airport, 7.5 hours from Bangkok to Tokyo, just under 13 hours from Tokyo to Mexico City, 24 hours of layover in Mexico City, 3 hours from Mexico City to Hermosillo, 2 hours bus to Guaymas, a 45 minutes drive from the bus terminal to Milagros. All in all, complete madness, but in the end the trip passed relatively quickly and you can never go wrong with spending time in Mexico City. We can only recommend a visit to the capital of Mexico to you all! If you want to dive into the capital with us – here`s the first part of a two part blog post about our visit a while ago.

Home at last

When the bus finally turned into its destination in Guaymas, Pati was already waiting for me. It was late evening and dark night. We didn’t even have to take a cab since she was allowed to borrow Keith’s car. My return from Bangkok also marked the official start of our journey south. This year we want to make it to Panama and finally catch up with Iñaki and Carmen. We wanted to take another week or so to prepare the boat and complete a small upgrade that has been taking far too long.

An upgrade for our solar panels

Our solar panels were previously only supported by two plastic stands made by the previous owner, which were not screwed to the solar panels. So, it happened again and again that the wind lifted the solar panels out of their stands and they banged down on the railing. We decided to put an end to this problem once and for all by ordering fancy stainless steel stands from local metal worker and welder Jorge Garcia. As is unfortunately often the case in Mexico, he took far too long with the production of said stands. Unfortunately, the whole project degenerated into a last-minute project with which we are satisfied with overall, but which did not turn out as we had imagined. Nevertheless, our old and new solar panels are now safe from the wind. The installation also marked our final touches on Milagros in the beautiful kingdom of El Mero, before attempting the crossing back to the Baja California Peninsula.

Goodbye, dear kingdom!

Of course, we couldn’t leave El Mero without hanging out one last time on the dock with all the lovely people that have made our stay so enjoyable. We haven’t experienced such a great community since Cabrales Boatyard. We will miss you guys! And then, just in time for the beginning of a new week, we started our next great adventure. Upon leaving, we almost broke off our two new solar panels on one of El Mero´s big bollards. They are only still attached to the boat thanks to Lucas’ quick intervention. The moral of the story: We always have enough time to think through the departure maneuvers and do a quick briefing, but for some inexplicable reason we just don’t.

A sporty start to the crossing

The weather window we chose promised light wind sailing or motoring. Ha! Not even close! As soon as we turned the corner out of El Mero, the wind picked up and we were flying in 15 knots of wind with an average of 7 knots. Instead of light wind sailing, Milagros was in racing mode. Even with a double reefed (reduced) mainsail, Milagros didn’t lose a bit of momentum. We had exactly the same experience as at the end of 2020 when crossing from Ensenada to the boatyard of Puerto Peñasco – once the wind picked up Milagros has chosen her speed, you can reef all you want. So, we raced out of the bay of Guaymas and had a lot of fun. We definitely feel our experience growing more and more.

The sea calms down

After almost 5 hours of high-speed sailing and as it got dark, the wind steadily decreased. That was actually what was predicted in the forecasts. After a beautiful sunset it was time to furl the headsail and Burrito had to get to work. We chugged out into a clear and freezing cold night. During my 8pm to midnight shift, I could practically watch the waters calm down. A few hours ago, we were being pushed around by the Sea of Cortez, now she was smooth as a mirror and calm. Pati had decided to sleep in the cockpit because of the movement of the waves, for my resting time, I went to V-berth since the waves had subsided.

Dolphins for breakfast

The next morning, just in time for coffee, visitors. As usual, they arrived completely unannounced. All of a sudden, there they were. Dolphins! A small group of bottlenose dolphins gathered at the bow of Milagros. Little did we know then that this small group was only the vanguard of a large school of probably several hundred animals. Suddenly we noticed that dorsal fins could be seen everywhere behind the boat, plowing through the water.

Just wow.

The dolphins were on exactly the same course as we were. While the few animals in front had already made themselves comfortable, the rest stayed at a distance behind the boat, which didn’t last long though, because suddenly the dolphins took off like crazy until they caught up with us. Hundreds of dolphins stayed all around the boat for a little over an hour and so we became part of their group. What an awesome experience. Seeing wildlife from such a perspective is probably one of the greatest privileges that comes with living on the water. These are the very memories that will last a lifetime.

Land Ho!

After the dolphins had said their goodbye, our anchorage of choice “San Juanico” was already in sight. Anyone who has been reading along for a while knows that we anchored there with Hazel and Paul on the SV Susimi last summer on our way north. What a stunning place to be! In San Juanico we wanted to wait out the strong northerly wind. We were already preparing for anchoring when Pete from SV Swan Song and Bernie from SV Momo radioed in. They had been there for a few days so we asked about the situation.

A small change of plans

Pete had just set out to sail towards Isla Coronados, hoping it would be a little quieter there. Apparently, San Juanico was rather shaky even without a strong north wind and there were already a few other boats anchored in the bay. After our experience on Isla Espiritu Santo, we want(ed) to avoid a repeatition very, very much. All in all, the info and a very nice wind and wave situation made us decide to just follow Pete and sail with him straight to Isla Coronados. Turns out the decision was the right one and it was a really comfortable trip with nice light wind sailing over flat, calm water. Our little “Champagne sail” resulted in some great pictures of Swan Song and Milagros.

Back on the beautiful island

We were amazed when we turned the corner at the southeastern tip of Isla Corondos and only two other boats were anchored on the long, sandy shore. So, we took our time to choose an anchorage spot and found ourselves for the umpteenth time on the paradise island of Coronados that impresses with everything that the Sea of Cortez has to offer. White sandy beaches, hiking trails, beautiful surroundings, a large city nearby which provides cell signal and lots of sea creatures.

Time for an anchor beer

The water was crystal clear and as soon as we anchored, the first puffer fish found themselves near the anchor chain to look for food in the sandy seabed, which had been churned up by our anchor chain. A pod of dolphins swam by, the water was turquoise green, the clouds drifted by and hung themselves on the mountain peaks around us dramatically. What a great start to the new season. It was time for anchor beers and making plans for our stay. Good times ahead!

So, that´s it for this weeks blog post. This time around, we´re not asking for beer donations, but for donations to the SBPA neutering service in Guaymas. Please do something good and help contain the amount of homeless dogs roaming the streets of Guaymas. You choose how you want to donate on SBPA´s homepage by clicking the button below! It´s very easy! We promise! Thanks very much! Wooof!

Click here and help the dogs of Guaymas!

Der Beitrag Dolphins for Breakfast erschien zuerst auf Milagros.

As soon as we had returned from our trip to Iztapalapa, it was time for the concert! The band Greta van Fleet has been with us for a few years now. The 4 guys from Michigan thrill us with great retro rock album after album, but somehow, they never made it to Switzerland. Well, then we had to visit them in Mexico City. A concert in Latin America had been on our bucket list for years. Ch-ch-check! Another thing off the list! The concert was great, the audience anyway, the beer “Indio”.

While Dave and I jumped into the fray a bit further forward (Co*** is a thing of the distant past, isn’t it?), Nic and Janine stayed a bit further back. After the gig, we left the concert venue sweaty and in a good mood (the Pepsi Center holds about 7000 people and must have been half full). Outside the venue, we noticed noise and commotion coming from the street.

Tohuwabohu

Another spectacle awaited us. Noisy like a bazaar, various traders were offering all kinds of Great van Fleet merchandise in the streets around the Pepsi Center: mugs, cushions, shirts, pens, jumpers, stickers, bags – you name it! We’re pretty sure it wasn’t official merch 😉 We had never experienced anything like this before. We imagined the sellers getting out the heat gun the next day, removing the band logo and sticking the next band’s logo on the fabric.

By foot

Although Mexico City is a metropolis of millions, much was within walking distance of our flat. And it’s worth walking the streets. There are great restaurants, street food and street art on every corner and lots to see. No two houses are alike, and the streets are flanked with trees, flowers, and lawns. As we wandered the streets towards the National Museum of Anthropology, we treated ourselves to taco snacks, admired a pretty sweet skate park (and we’re not even skaters) and found the Milagros Temple.

At some point, we must have taken a wrong turn and found ourselves in front of a large, locked gate at the entrance to Chapultepec Park. So, what to do? Without further ado, we slipped through at the bottom of the big metal gate. We didn’t feel like going all the way back and looking for a different entrance, so we decided to break in like the gangsters that we are.

The National Museum of Anthropology

The National Museum of Anthropology houses an extensive collection of archaeological and ethnographic pieces documenting Mexico’s development. From room to room, different peoples and eras are on display, from prehistory to the present. So, we could marvel at pottery from the Mayas or the Teotihuacáns. After looking at clay figures, plates, and arrowheads for 2 hours, our heads were spinning. Who made what and when again?

The Spaniards again

What amazed me was that the Spanish had already started colonising Mexico in 1520. As a result, many adventurers and settlers from Spain came to central Mexico, and the Aztec religion was displaced by Christianity and much of the indigenous culture was wiped out. On one hand, I was not aware that this had happened so long ago. On the other hand, I found it impressive how much the Spaniards had destroyed during their invasion. Nevertheless, it was exciting to see how missionised Christianity was integrated into Mexican or indigenous customs. Incidentally, Moctezuma’s revenge, the traveler’s diarrhoea, dates from the time of the Spanish invasion. Moctezuma was an Aztec king who took revenge for the Spanish raids and destruction by giving the Spaniards digestive problems. Or maybe it wasn’t him at all, but just a bit too much chilli. Who knows?

Lucha Libre

Another highlight was the wrestling event of the Mexican league “Lucha Libre“. At 30 USD per person, the entrance fee was not exactly cheap. But we were first searched by a person at the entrance. Then a second person checked our tickets. A third person led us to our seats. And a fourth person immediately took the drink order. Also, the second-row seats that we chose would cost many times more at wrestling events in the USA and Europe.

Entertaining show

The evening started with a men’s “junior” match. This was followed by a very entertaining women’s round. 2 teams of 3 female fighters each, with names like Metalica and La Seductora, fought for victory. With, in my opinion, also nasty methods like hair pulling. With each round, the audience heated up more and shouted all kinds of insults into the ring. Esfinge (Spanish for Sphinx) was simply renamed “Pikachu” (the yellow Pokémon). The highlight of the evening was supposed to be the fight between the reigning champion Templario and his challenger Soberano. But shortly after the fight started, Templario held his ankle after kicking Soberano. We all thought it was part of the show, even when the doctor in the typical white coat came into the ring. But Templario had really hurt his foot and had to give up. That was an abrupt end to the evening!

The ruins of Teotihuacan

The last attraction we visited in Mexico City was the ruins of Teotihuacan. It is home of the third largest pyramid in the world: The Pyramid of the Sun. It is located about 1 hour’s drive outside the city. Thanks to Nick and Janine’s rental car, we didn’t have to worry about a taxi or a bus. We followed the recommendation to take a guide, who walked us through the impressive site for 2 hours. The 2000-year-old ruined metropolis with its stepped temples and pyramids is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The huge complex was built stone by stone by hand back then. And the fact that this was only one of countless buildings of this kind throughout Central America only makes the visit even more impressive.

A lot of effort went into it

Since the arrival of the Spanish, archaeological excavations and restorations have been carried out at Teotihuacan – sometimes in an amateurish way. For example, the Pyramid of the Sun now has 5 steps instead of 4 because one of the restorers made wrong assumptions. Also, when the walls were rebuilt, small black stones were inserted, so that the restoration is clearly visible today, but no longer corresponds to the original. After the tour, we could taste Xoconostle liqueur, which is fermented in the stump of the agave where all the leaves come together. It tasted like sweet kombucha. Although we are not usually fans of such drinks, we would have bought a bottle if we hadn’t been travelling only with hand luggage.

Bye bye

Our great stay Mexico City had come to an end. Our days were packed with work, sightseeing, relaxing, and eating. We treated ourselves to Indian food a whole 4 times – why not? We were surprised at how diverse, green, and clean the city was, and even in the poorer neighbourhoods, the streets were paved everywhere. Early in the morning on the day of our departure, we got a parting gift as Nick drove us to the airport. The police stopped us, checked the vehicle documents, and found that the registration had expired. Presumably the car rental company had failed to provide the latest printout. We were only allowed to drive on after paying a “fee”. Many thanks for that! Without further incident we were able to board the plane back to La Paz and were already back with Milagros in Puerto Escondido in the afternoon.

Aaaaaand we started planning our last 6 weeks of this sailing season. Stay tuned!

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Der Beitrag Milagros in the Big City – Part 2 erschien zuerst auf Milagros.

If our refit plans had worked out as planned, we would have been in the area around Acapulco in May 2022. From there, we could have made the journey to Mexico City easily by rental car or bus. As is well known, for one reason or another everything turned out a little differently and we spent a few more months in Puerto Peñasco.

Back to Puerto Escondido

But at one point, our sailing journey could start anyway and we made it all the way to the south of the Sea of ​​Cortez to La Paz, where we spent a couple of nice weeks exploring, enjoying ourselves and also cursing. Then we headed back north and now we were in Puerto Escondido again. Does that place ring a bell somewhere? Exactly! We were stuck there for almost 3 weeks with a broken diesel injection pump and therefore a defective engine. What craziness our maiden voyage was! If you have missed out on that part of our journey, don’t forget to read it and then subscribe to our newsletter to never miss any stories again!

We leave Milagros alone

Because we didn’t make it far enough south in time to travel comfortably by bus to Mexico City, we decided without further ado to leave Milagros at a mooring buoy in Puerto Escondido. The mooring field is well protected against all wave and wind directions, employees of the marina make visits to the moored boats to check every day and it is also a beautiful place overall. Here we could confidently let Milagros bob around happily on her own.

Taxi service from lovely people

Chad from sailboat Velella (greetings also to his Swiss wife Katrin) picked us up at Milagros and brought us to the dock in their dinghy. And Ray, with whom we brought his Sea Note to La Paz, lives nearby in Loreto. When we met him for lunch with Cavu, he volunteered to pick us up early in the morning in Puerto Escondido and drive us to the bus stop in Loreto. From there it took almost 5 hours to the airport of La Paz, from where the plane would take us to Mexico City. One of the nicest things about our sailing trip is how many lovely people we get to know. Everyone is always so helpful. Thanks to the lovely help of Ray and Chad, everything went like clockwork and we were soon on the bus to La Paz.

Mexico City is flexing its muscles

We don’t know how many more times we’ll turn up in La Paz again, but apparently this city has a magical attraction. The bus ride was uneventful and fortunately, also the flight from La Paz to the capital went smoothly. Approaching Mexico City Airport, the full extent of the city revealed itself. Depending on the source and which parts of the city you want to include, between 9 and more than 20 million people live in Ciudad de México. The approach by plane was impressive to say the least. Shortly before our arrival two planes at the huge and completely congested Aeropuerto Internacional de la Ciudad de México almost collided, which added to the experience! But we made it to the ground in one piece.

Rua Hatu are following

And so, after a full day of travelling, we found ourselves at the Mexico City airport. Nick and Janine from SV Rua Hatu would complete our small tour group a little later, coming from Acapulco on a rental car, with their two cats Coco and Milka and dog Kiwi (we still have high hopes that they’ll let us adopt her one day). Unlike us, the Rua Hatus actually made it to Acapulco and carried out our original plan. The two had booked us a large Airbnb where we would all spend the few days in Mexico City together.

Evening traffic in the Uber taxi

At the airport, an Uber taxi was available and picked us up within minutes and so we were able to enjoy the dreaded rush hour traffic of Mexico City for the first time. And you know what? It’s not so bad. Although the 5-lane road from the airport to the heart of the city was packed with cars, with a little patience and stop-and-go we arrived at our home for the next few days within just under 30 minutes.

Our luxury Airbnb

The spacious apartment was centrally located and within walking distance of a few sights and the concert venue. The floor plan of the building was very narrow, so the living space stretched over 4 floors and was very modern and built with many concrete surfaces. Spread over 4 floors were the living room and kitchen, two bedrooms, 4 bathrooms and a beautiful little terrace on the roof of the building (including a cat flap for the furrier residents). Well chosen, dear Rua Hatus!

Of forests and Indian food

Pati and I had two days to enjoy a bit of togetherness (we didn’t have enough of that on the boat already, you know) and moved around the houses a bit. The “Bosque de Chapultepec” (Chapultepec Forest), a huge park, was nearby and had to be explored. Nicknamed “the lungs of Mexico City”, the park covers almost 700 hectares and welcomes up to 15 million visitors a year. The Bosque de Chapultepec is home to greenery as far as the eye can see, lakes, museums, a zoo and much more. It felt so good to finally have trees, grass and plants around us again after all those months in the desert. After we had already ordered Indian food via Uber Eats the night before, we ended the evening in an Indian restaurant again. That’s how we roll. Time to catch up on all the good stuff we can’t have on the boat!

Touristy days

The next day we decided to let ourselves be chauffeured to the sights and booked a ticket on one of the open roof tour buses. We cruised all across town, where the branches of the trees along the streets were sometimes a little too low for the roofless double deckers. So, we had to be careful not to lose one of our eyes. At the “Plaza de la Constitutión” we marveled at the world-famous cathedral and the surrounding buildings. The president of Mexico also has his office there somewhere. However, we didn’t stay too long. Too many people, too much noise, too many street vendors. Not our thing. So, we hopped back on a bus, marveled at the busy streets of the city and then stopped off in a beer garden in pleasantly mild temperatures. Good times!

Full house

And suddenly, our beautiful apartment got way busy! Nic, Janine and their gang had made it to Mexico City. Since the entrance to the apartment was also the garage, they could practically drive into the apartment. While a few of the arrivals immediately hid under a chest of drawers (not Janine, but Coco) or explored the apartment (not Nic, but Milka), we were greeted exuberantly and showered with love (Kiwi) or greeted quite normally (not Kiwi, but Nick and Janine).

Indian and Indian and Indian!

Apart from an uncomfortable and expensive run-in with Mexican police (they apparently ran over traffic lights, which wasn’t entirely true, of course they still had to “pay a fine”), they had a quite pleasant journey. And what did we have for dinner? You guessed it – Indian. We’re so freaking creative! When the sun hid and the moon poked out his funny face, we got to experience something truly special. Having a roof terrace was the perfect choice. A complete lunar eclipse was imminent. The terrace was perfectly aligned and we were able to enjoy the whole spectacle on a cloudless sky. The Aztecs must have gone completely crazy back then when suddenly a black disc appeared in front of their face in the sky. Thank you, Coyolxauhqui. Google knows in this case.

Is Mexico City dangerous?

The next day it was time for the concert! Finally! Greta van Fleet live! And that in Mexico City! Whoooo! But since the concert was only in the evening, we had one more day to fill with Mexico City activities. In the run-up to the trip, I had researched a bit about the city. Of course, safety also comes up quickly. One reads of trick theft, fraud, rip-off, murder, manslaughter and kidnapping. Very frightening and dangerous! In the end, it’s the same for all cities and regions of the world – it’s all a matter of common sense. In all of Mexico, unless you’re head over heels drunk in a huge shiny sombrero and throwing yourself into the red light and drug districts, you’re usually fine and will have the greatest of experiences. Mexico City may have an image problem, but it’s just as safe as any other big city.

Iztapalapa

One of the more “dangerous” areas of Mexico City is a district called Iztapalapa. Iztapalapa is on everyone’s list of neighborhoods to avoid. On the other hand, Iztapalapa boasts over 7000 murals, markets, art and craft, is colorful, lively and far from expensive, fancy downtown Mexico City. In addition, the government has built a 10km long cable car (the «Cablebus») there, from which you can admire the whole district cruising over its rooftops. Far from tourist crowds, made to explore, made for Milagros and Rua Hatu.

Helpfulness à la Mexico

And what can we say? Luckily one is advised not to visit! Because we were the only touristy faces far and wide when we arrived at the station of the cable car. And we weren’t robbed, instead a nice elderly lady immediately helped out with her cable car pass when she noticed that we had bought the wrong tickets. Also, we were never pushed into buying a half-value plastic souvenir! If you change your mindset just a little, leave your comfort zone and don’t believe everything you read and hear, completely new possibilities and adventures open up. Iztapalapa showed off his best side in the form of the helpful within a few minutes. We probably won’t soon forget what followed. Luckily, we visited Iztapalpa! The view from the gondolas was nothing less than breath-taking, we had not only had Iztapalapa, but the whole city at our feet. The fact that the many murals had also turned into “roofals” was probably due to the “Cablebus”. The 45-minute ride was a treat.

A highlight

We also took the opportunity to stroll through the streets a little, where we visited a small street market and immersed ourselves in all kinds of culinary experiences. Thanks to our Spanish, which was getting better and better, we were also able to talk to the “Iztapalapians”. Without exception, they were all very pleased with our visit to their home district. Many people here live at the subsistence level, but we still had to do a lot of convincing when refusing we wanted to pay more for all the delicacies than we had to. This is Mexico for you, ladies and gentlemen! It’s not all drug wars, cartels and petty theft.

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Der Beitrag Milagros in the Big City – Part 1 erschien zuerst auf Milagros.