Work is fun -- and fun is fun, too.

Every day we have a plan of what to get done...and some days that plan is about having some fun in and around San Carlos/Guaymas, Mexico.  It's a beautiful place with a wide range of ways to appreciate the culture and beauty.  

Here's a picture of San Carlos taken by Vicky on one of her many morning and afternoon runs:

Notice the two tips of the hill toward the right of the picture...it's called the "Goat's Tits" mountains.  It was a goal of Vicky (in preparation for the 50K WayTooCool Run and her own quest for a challenge) to find her way up that mountain.  Stay tuned.  

Here's some pics of our fun in San Carlos/Guaymas/Empalme:

DEPARTMANTE ADLAI:

We have always stayed at the Departamente Adlai.  Tom and my room with a kitchen is $30 US a night and Vicky's room with 2 beds, microwave and frig is $26.  Lot's of cruisers stay here when their boats are in the work yard.  We met some terrific new folks (Sue & Barry from the catamarin "Wave...", Scotch Mist II's Barry, Cada Mia Mas' Bob, Bruce & Bridget of "Sojourn", and Dorothy's friends - now ours - Mystique's Patty & Terry), so we hosted a
  "Friday the 13th - What can possibly go wrong?" BarBQ/party
in our courtyard.  Everything was perfect -- well, except for a little squall that blew through -- the only rain they've seen in February in 3 years -- but we all just laughed about it and thoroughly enjoyed the evening.

EMPALME 
Sunday we have always enjoyed the 20 mile drive south to Empalme to visit the outdoor market and experience a bit of "old Mexico".

Vicky buying some uncommon foods (eg. - Tamarin candies) at the local market

Delicious Tacos with seating in the shade of a tree

They close down a long road for this open air market in Empalme every Sunday.  This Sunday was quieter than most thanks to the unseasonable morning rain. You can find everything from clothes to tools to washing machines to fresh produce.  The people watching is great and both Vicky & Tom turned the negotiations for price over to Suzanne.  (Hey, we saved 45 pesos - $3.00 - in one day!)

 AND THEN THERE's CARNIVAL !!!  
We saw the posters, but it was Tom who really wanted to go into Guaymas to see the last day of Carnival and their parade for Fat Tuesday (2/17).  At first, I thought oh, it's a bit of a hassle, but realized it would be a shame to miss it -- we had been to Carnival in Mazatlan and La Paz -- so we had to see how they celebrate in Guaymas (the city 13 miles from San Carlos).  Yes, indeed, It was a ton of fun!  Floats, Families, Music, Dancers and the streets were lined with onlookers...Here's a few pictures

 HORSEBACK RIDING:
Vicky and Suzanne met another Suzanne at the San Carlos Yacht Club.  We were invited to join a horseback riding group that next morning from the horse stables - Astid Ranch - right on the beach near the Soggy Peso.  

                                                               www.AstridRanch.com 

 So Vicky and Suzanne left Tom to work on Begone - and off we rode with Astid (the ranch owner) as our guide and 6 guests - Suzanne, Karin, Suzanne, Karin (not a duplicate, really), Vicky and Larry.  It was a gorgeous and fun morning - we got to visit the ruins from the movie set of Catch 22 and the Mask of Zoro as well as bushwack trails and ride along the beach -- it was terrific!

Vicky on Frijole , Suzanne on Tequila

 AND THEN THERE'S VICKY'S RUNNING HABIT
Vicky is training for the WayTooCool 50K Run so after a day working on the boat, she swaps her clothes and takes off on a run.  This day, we drove her to the Nacapule Canyon (7 KM away from our hotel).  She ran the canyon, then found an off-road trail to get her home.  How much energy can one person have?????

Vicky entering the Nacapule Canyon -- a challenging hike and even more challenging run.

 Favorite places for food and beverages:
No work in the boatyard should go unrewarded.  We have a number of favorite places for lunch, dinner and beverages.  JJ's Tacos has just moved to this big new palapa restaurante location (his old place was fun and funky).  Bayron (JJ's son) runs the lunch show and his Dad keeps the people coming back with his amusing quips like "Why Not? Who Cares?" as he tries to get you to order just one more taco.  

Tom's favorite after work stop is the Captain's Club.  Very cold Chope draft beer, guacamole, and a very fine staff who have been working for Mike (owner) for a long time.  You can also drop off your propane tanks here for refilling and they have USA satellite TV.

So that's what we've been up to since we left Port Costa - so far.  

But there will be more to come.