Another gig at the Sunshine Bar - flamin' hot!

JANUARY 9

Just to demonstrate how slow life can get when retired in Mexico, we pretty much wasted the day. About all we accomplished today was to get Wanda’s nails painted. Salon Diva’s is all the rage for expats in Bucerias. Getting a coveted appointment is considered gold to the ladies from north of the border. Wanda had made her appointment before we even got down here. She assured me that this was too valuable to blow-off, so her 1 pm appointment had to be the centerpiece of the day. Being 1 pm, made it impossible to go to another town or beach or attraction.

In Wanda’s defense, it was inexpensive, her ocean teal nails look nice, and I enjoyed a day of total relaxation. We did manage to go to Los Pericos for supper. So, no problemo. It was a good day in paradise.

Ocean teal.

Chile Relleno at Los Pericos.

JANUARY 10

Oh, oh, another laid-back do-nothing day. We had big plans today. We were either going to go to San Pancho or Lo de Marco. These are two of the laziest un-touristy towns imaginable, complete with wonderful beaches. ex-pats that live there call it the best-kept secret in Mexico, and they want to keep it a secret. We were going to just flip a coin and go where fate took us. 

Fate had other plans. Wanda got up early to do a quick wash. When the washing machine reached the final rinse she announced, “I think we have a problem.” These are some of the most dreaded words that a wife can say to their husband. 

The washing machine is in the kitchen area and the kitchen floor was flooding. The washer was leaking. This particular machine is like Fort Knox. When it runs, it locks the lid and unless you know the secret code or combination or incantation, you can’t turn it off. It insists on running all the way through its cycle. 

I tried twisting the dial, pulling the dial, pushing the dial, pushing and holding the dial, etc. The damn machine just laughed at me and chugged on while it spilled its guts out onto the floor. All I could do is mop as Wanda called Alejandra, the subdivision’s manager, and Lettie, our landlady, for help. 

Lettie, bless her heart, sent an army of handymen to rescue us. One of them got the washer to finally stand down and open its lid. Another came to see if the machine was fixable. Alejandra picked up our laundry and either washed it herself or hired it out. 

All this fussing was appreciated, but it meant sticking around the house. I put it to good use by practicing for tomorrow’s afternoon Sunshine Bar gig. 

Tomorrow is also the beginning of our dental odyssey. In the morning we go to the dentist for teeth cleaning, consultation, and scheduling.

The cantankerous washing machine.

This bad boy dial refuses to cooperate.

JANUARY 11

Before we came down here, Wanda contacted the Dentoamerica Clinic and made tentative appointments for both of us. This morning was our preliminary meeting. We got our teeth cleaned, reviewed what was done last year, and devised a treatment plan to complete the work this year.

Dr. Karla Lassete, a no-nonsense periodontal specialist, is the only dentist that can clean my teeth without it hurting my receding gum line. She told me last year that she loves new technology. Last year she had just purchased the newest greatest teeth cleaning equipment that promised less pain for cases like mine. I was amazed - it worked. This year, she showed me a brand new machine that promises even less pain, however, it was so new that it hadn’t been installed yet - Dratz. Still, I barely felt a thing with last year’s greatest bestest equipment.

Both Wanda and I got great reports. Our surgeries last year were successful. My gums have stabilized. My deteriorating bone has filled back in. I had no plaque and no cavities. My implant is securely in place. Cool.

Wanda and I have one more gum surgery to complete that process. I have to get my two permanent crowns. And then the nightmare is over.

Dentoamerica is located in the Plaza Lago Real shopping center.

I reached the Sunshine Bar to play my gig with Jeff at 2:15 pm. I was a lot more comfortable this time and played well. It was a blast. I have to thank Jeff for letting me play. Sunshine Bar gives me 500 pesos to sit in with Jeff, and Jeff shares the tips with me. Just a token gesture, but appreciated nonetheless.

Jeff has a friend, Ted, and his wife, Kelly, visiting for the week. After the gig, Wanda and I joined Jeff, Teri, Ted, and Kelly for supper at the Esquina 22 Bar Lounge just a half block down the street. It is a quiet setting and the food was terrific. The bartender/owner is a round little man and he is very personable.

So, Ted is a big-time fisherman. Jeff’s pool man, Carlos, knows a guy who knows a guy with a boat. You can see where this is going. Carlos and his wife love to go fishing, but it costs a few pesos to go out on the ocean to do a little deep-sea fishing. Being clever, Carlos rounds up a bunch of gringos and takes them to his boat guy. The gringos pay for the trip and Carlos and his wife, Francis, tag along. Carlos volunteers to pay the tip and Francis makes sandwiches for everyone. This sounds way more cynical than it is. Carlos is a hoot. The sandwiches are delicious. The boat Captain only charges an arm, and not the leg, plus he all but guarantees fish.

Anyway, Jeff has a fishing trip lined up for tomorrow. Wanda and I are going along. I have never been deep-sea fishing before, so it will be a new experience for me. Wanda is going to photographically document the day. We are all psyched.

Shakin' up another killer margarita.

Esquina 22 Bar Lounge.

JANUARY 12

We had to be ready by 7 am. Carlos was raised in Lubbock, Texas, so he was only a few minutes late. The boat operates out of San Pancho, one of our favorite little coastal towns 30 miles north of Bucerias. Just before reaching San Pancho, Carlos turned down a goat path and ATVs it through a couple of miles of pure jungle. We all loved it.

The fishing boat, as I suspected, was a typical Mexican long boat - a glorified row boat with a 60 hp Yamaha. This was not a decked boat with a bar, swivel chairs, and bathroom. Those boats, according to Ted, costs upwards of 40,000 pesos a day. He knows, he has taken those fishing trips. Our stripped down economy boat was only 5,600 pesos for the whole day. 

The first thing we noticed is that the boat was at least 100’ from the water. I was amazed that they loaded the boat to the hilt with a giant ice chest, and a zillion other coolers loaded with beer, drinks, and food. Then the fishing tackle was added. Only when the boat was an extra couple of tons heavier did we push the boat toward the water. It wasn’t too bad as they laid out palm leaves, or fronds, on a path to the water. Surprisingly, this helped the boat slide over the deep loose sand. Still, I would have moved the boat nearer to the water before loading it all up.

Carlos picked us up in Bucerias and drove us to this beach near San Pancho.

We met the boat Captain at sunup.

The town of San Pancho is off in the distance on the right.

Carlos showing off his physique.

Our boat for the day on the left.

The boat Captain’s contact info.

The first order of business was to get bait. These commercial fishermen don’t go to a bait shop. They net their own minnows. We perceived a great omen when no more than 1,000’ offshore, the motor acted up. While the Captain was jury-rigging some ingenious fix, the first mate threw out a huge artificial lure that looked like a giant log with a humongous hook. The lure no more than hit the water when a large fish swooshed up and nailed it. He instantly gave the pole to Ted to reel it in. It gave Ted a terrific battle. It turned out to be a Tripletail which looks like a big crappie on steroids - it was a big fat mother.

Whatever the Captain did seemed to satisfy the motor and we were off and running towards Sayulita where we sought out an area where the pelicans were fishing. The First Mate threw out the net a dozen times and snagged about 100 minnows, or whatever the little fish were. The pelicans squawked at us for trespassing in their fishing waters so we threw them a couple of stray minnows. That seemed to calm them down.

Above: Ted hauling in his Tripletail. Below: The First Mate showing off Ted's fish.

The Captain and owner of the boat.

The First Mate on the right.

Carlos and Francis.

Gathering our bait.

Some throws only netted one or two minnows, while others brought up 50 or so.

The pelicans chastised us for netting in their territory.

Sayulita from the water.

Then we headed out to sea. We kept going and going and going. Both the Captain and First Mate were men of few words, leaving us wondering where in the heck we were going. After 45 minutes cruising, I discovered that the First Mate spoke pretty decent English and he reported that we were 8 miles out. We could barely see land and we all hoped that the Captain’s engine fix would hold for the day. 

Finally, we reached a makeshift buoy consisting of a couple of orange life vests, a large palm frond, and two two-liter empty coke bottles for floatation. The Captain would never have found this contraption without GPS. We netted a handful more minnows that were enjoying the shade underneath the palm frond.

The first buoy 8 miles out.

Then we headed further out to sea for another 15 minutes to another makeshift buoy. This time the First Mate casted another one of his giant logs. Again, he immediately got a strike and instantly handed the pole to Jeff to do battle. Jeff hauled in a beautiful Mahi Mahi. And I mean beautiful. Mahi Mahi are a bright aqua-color with a yellow belly. It was a shame to catch such a gorgeous creature, but they taste wonderful. In the cooler it went.

Jeff's Mahi Mahi.

The First Mate hauling Jeff's Mahi Mahi on board.

My turn was next. I got to haul in the biggest catch of the day - a large Jack. It took all of 15 minutes to get it on board and my arms were burning. I have to say that this deep-sea fishing does get the adrenalin to flow. Wanda got some nice photos. Then Ted hooked a Skipjack Tuna, a pretty shiny silvery fish.

My pole is bending as I work the Jack.

The catch of the day - a good size Jack.

Ted's Skipjack Tuna.

When the action slowed a bit we moved to another dot on the Captain’s GPS. This time we were all given poles with a 6” piece of rebar and a hook with a minnow. It was bottom fishing time. The depth was 50 meters (165’). It took about 30 seconds to drop the sinker and minnow down that far. We all got hits right and left. Again, I caught the biggest bottom feeder. It was a Brown something or other. I never did get the complete name, however, we mostly caught Groupers.

The First Mate bringing my Brown (what-ever) into the boat.

One of Carlos' many Groupers.

Whenever the action subsided, we moved on. Each time we stopped at some secret GPS point we nailed a few more groupers. As a bonus, each time we moved, we spotted whales breaching the surface, sometimes in spectacular fashion. Three times we witnessed whales jumping well into the air and splashing back down in giant belly flop fashion. I lost count after we saw a dozen whales. There must have been at least 20.

Thar she blows.

I wish I could have gotten photos of the whales that jumped high in the air - You have no idea when or where that is going to happen.

In all, we had a total of thirty good sized fish in our cooler when we called it day. There were many bladders ready to burst when the Captain aimed for home port. Sadly, Wanda caught a bad case of sea sickness and looked forward to getting her land-legs back.

Landing the boat was a trip. A guy on shore laid out a path of palm fronds all the way up to where the boat originally was when we arrived in the morning. The Captain waited for a tall giant rogue wave. When he got just the size he wanted, he gunned the motor and rode the wave at full speed to the row of palm fronds. We slid up the fronds.

The first attempt came up short of his target so he dropped us all off for a second try. This was successful. I was taking photos and had to jump out of the way as he skimmed along the fronds for a good 100’.

Approaching the home port of San Pancho. Well, maybe the word 'port' is overstating it, but we are on our way back to our starting point.

The Captain's second attempt at beaching his boat.

I had to quickly jump out of the way lest I be bull-dozed.

We loaded the fishing cooler in Carlos’ truck and followed the Captain to his house in San Pancho. The Captain and First Mate filleted the biggest fish for us. My brother-in-law, Heinrich, and I are pretty good at filleting fish. These guys did it exactly opposite of how we do. We start at the head and work our way back. They start at the tail and work forward. They were fast and accurate. After filling a zillion baggies of gorgeous fillets, we let them have the rest of the fish. 

My fish, the Jack, had dark maroon-colored meat. It was beautiful. Of course, we took the fine eating Mahi Mahi. Adding the Skipjack, Tripletail, and a bunch of Groupers, It was going to be fish for supper.

A nice haul - all in a day's work.

Back at the Captain's house in San Pancho, our guides fillet our fish.

My Jack's meat had a beautiful deep maroon color.

At Jeff’s house, all the chefs got their chance to contribute. Ted took the maroon Jack, performed some magic with seasoning and butter, and grilled it on Jeff’s little Weber Q-Grill. Carlos and Francis applied their secrets to the Mahi Mahi and a couple of the Groupers then pan-fried them on the stove. Francis whipped up an amazing sauce for the fish. Teri made a big batch of rice and corn. It was a feast to die for. I had never tasted better fish in my entire life. And there was a ton of fish left to freeze for another day. I hope I am invited to the next feast.

Ted grilling the Jack.

Carlos working on the Mahi Mahi and other fillets.

Terri got in the action making side dishes.

The evening sunset from the top of Jeff and Teri's house. The meal was spectacularily delicious, the company was delightful, and the evening was magical.

Dave and Wanda

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