I don't have any news to report - things are going fine. The weather is cooling - everyone is sort of complaining about it, but I will enjoy it while it lasts. I don't mind this - and by cool, I mean that it is in the 70s at times. But it gets up to 90 in the daytime. And you can still swim in the ocean. So it isn't really cold. But these people complain when it is too hot as well. I am just happy to be comfortable at night.
At this point, we are sort of in a holding pattern here on Magda Jean. As soon as we get paid again at the first of the month, we have someone coming to redo the outside woodwork (the "bright work") and to clean the bottom of the boat. We should get the bottom painted, but have decided to wait for a bit - maybe in El Salvador or we will wait until Panama, where I have heard they have good facilities for yachts and repair. We might at that point get the whole boat repainted. Of course, this is all up to Mike. He fusses about wanting desparately to get underway, then he schedules more projects . . .
But besides that work, we are awaiting our windlass and solar panels, which will be a pretty big installation project. The shipper told us they had cleared customs. Mike plans to do the work himself, with help from me and probably our nephew, who will be rejoining us in a few days. My plan is for us to head south December 10, but I have no idea if we will meet that date. Big shock there! I don't think I have ever made a plan that we have actually been able to stick to. Too many uncontrollable variables.
But on a much more somber note, a couple of days ago there were a number of dead people found in abandoned cars in Guadalajara. Drug cartel violence. It breaks my heart for the people down here - it's something they live with, some places more than others. I get a lot of people asking me how dangerous it is down here, and if we have to take special precautions, stuff like that. I have been asked if I feel safe. I would answer that we have never felt in any danger whatsoever, and take only commonsense precautions we would take anywhere. We have spent a year in Mexico now, spending time in cities and villages and in the middle of nowhere, and have never even come close to running into any problems. Much of our time has been spent in the state of Sinaloa, which is home to some pretty bad people and one of the most violent cartels. Mazatlan is a decent sized city, with some slummy areas, so we don't go certain places at night (not that there is any reason to go there at night anyway), don't engage with questionable people, don't flash money, don't get staggering drunk, and so on. Pretty much how I would conduct myself anywhere.
This is in no way supposed to be an attempt to minimize the problems. It is really horrible. But it is more like living in New York or Chicago during the gangster years than the Beirut-like manner it is shown as on TV and on the internet. It is hard to explain. The cartels don't want to run the country, so it isn't like guerilla fighters trying to convert the populace by force while the government tries to keep things status quo, like some of the Marxist rebel movements in South America. It is not in any way a civil war, or even close. The only possible danger would be getting caught in cross fire, but that is probably less likely to happen to you here than in Newark or Oakland or DC or New Orleans or Houston. The cartels have no desire to mess with tourists as it would make trouble for them, trouble they do not need or want. And tourists will not be kidnapped randomly - that is reserved for victims the cartels KNOW can raise large ransoms. Come here if you have a chance. You will not regret it. I still encourage everyone to vacation in Mexico - you will be in no danger on a vacation here. None whatsoever. You will think you died and went to heaven.
OK, off my soapbox for today. I have been pretty preachy lately - time for some new adventures. Have a great day!
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