Kicking rocks, tequila shots, polishing stainless, and Mardi Gras is painless!

I apologize for the lack of posting in the past few weeks. I do not even have a good excuse.. I have not been that busy. I do, however, manage to fill my days, whether it be with fun surfing adventures or monotonous boat cleaning projects. It's all part of the "cruising" lifestyle.

My time here in Mexico is coming to an end. Am I sad about this? Yes. I am I excited to move on? Yes. Even the wildest bus drivers have become a part of the daily routine, and I rarely get lost anymore. I can more or less speak the language, understand the customs, and generally know what to expect day to day. Yes, it is time to move on.

That is not to say that there is nothing left in Mexico for me to explore. On the contrary, one could live a lifetime in Banderas Bay and discover something new every day. But we all create our bubbles, or comfort zone, and have to be pushed to go outside them. To push ourselves and prevent ourselves from becoming sloth-like in our little bubble, Mom and I decided to go to Sayulita yesterday.

Sayulita is a cute little surf town that has been completely overrun with tourists. There is a big rivalry between the Punta de Mita surf crew and the Sayulita surf crew, so I didn't go around telling everyone that the waves in Sayulita suck (which they did yesterday) and Mita es mejor. Although the waves were knee high, I went surfing because I lugged my surfboard all the way there- on a hike up the hill to the bus stop and then on 2 busses.

Right as I was entering the water I kicked a rock and took a nice chunk out of my big toe. Ouch. I caught a few waves anyway and then hobbled back to the beach. The (semi-sleazy) bar tender at the beach restaurant Mom and I were hanging out at insisted that he clean and bandage my toe, but not before taking a shot of tequila with me to "help ease the pain." After my toe was bandaged and kissed, Mom and I got out of there pretty quick. The place was a bit touristy for us but we managed to find some nice, greasy street tacos for lunch before we headed back to La Cruz.

Getting some serious "medical" attention from David, the bartender, and his apprentice, the barback.

Tonight we went out to Vallarta with some friends from other boats for the first night of Mardi Gras. We had dinner and watched a parade while drinking beer on the street. For being carnival, the city was surprisingly calm. Maybe it will pick up in the next few days.

Today Mom and I also finished polishing all of the stainless-steel on the boat. I don't know if you have seen this boat, but it is covered in stainless-steel, and we polished all of it - a 50 ft. boat's worth- with a toothbrush. Cruising is fun!!!

We are also beginning preparations to jump off for the Marquesas. Some people have already left, and we are aiming to leave around the 19th or 20th (assuming the surf is NOT pumping). We still have a few things to do before we leave: my brother and his partner are coming down for a week, we have to celebrate my 23rd birthday, and we have to provision.

Provisioning is a pretty big deal. We have to buy all the food here that we will need for the crossing, which could take anywhere from 18 to who knows how many days, as well as pick up supplies that we won't be able to get until New Zealand. Apparently you can't find mayonnaise in the South Pacific, so we will bring a couple gallons on board (kidding, kinda).

People keep telling us how amazing the South Pacific is: "You're going to love it; the water visibility is 100 feet; Bora Bora? Yes, it is as beautiful as it is in the pictures." And then they tell us about how they were hit by a rogue wave that filled up their cockpit and nearly drowned a crew member on their way to New Zealand. But I figure that you will experience these ups and downs in life anywhere, so why not experience them in the middle of the ocean?