Isla Isabel

Isla Isabel is known as the “Galapagos of Mexico” because of its large numbers of nesting birds and iguanas.  In 1981 Isla Isabel was given national park status and in 2003 was made a World Heritage site.  On January 1^st we departed from San Blas and motored 40 miles northwest to Isla Isabel where we arrived shortly before sunset.

The next morning Mark went over to a nearby boat that was having trouble raising its anchor to offer assistance.  They said that they felt they could manage their anchor but could we go out and help the s/v The Rose that was trying to free a whale from a net?  We fired up the engines, woke the kids and headed out to the s/v The Rose that was about ¾ mile off the island.  John from The Rose had been in the water for at least an hour and was tiring quickly.  They were looking for a strong swimmer and Neil volunteered.  Two other boats also came out from the anchorage to assist.  The rescue operation had started the day before but had to be abandoned as daylight slipped away.  Fortunately the whale was found again the next morning and was still alive!

Mark, Neil and the whale

 We motored out to near where a marine specialist was directing operations from a dingy and John was in the water with the whale.   Mark and Neil paddled our dingy over while I stood off on Three Hour Tour and Lisa was our official photographer.  

                                                                                                

Neil went into the water and an exhausted John was pulled into the dingy but before Neil could reach the whale it began to swim away and he couldn’t catch it.  A call came over the radio from one of the other boats that the whale appeared to be free which brought cheers from everyone.  Mark and Neil came back to the boat with a dingy full of fishing net and we headed back to the anchorage feeling pretty pleased even though our role had been somewhere between miniscule and non-existent.

On the way back to the anchorage a small pod of 3 or 4 whales came right up behind the boat.  During the videoing of their approach I sat down, not sure that they wouldn’t hit the boat.   You can tell from our dialogue on the video that we were somewhat concerned.  We know of a boat that was hit by a whale at anchor in La Cruz so it does happen.  Anyway, at the last minute they went around us.

Later that morning I took this video of a whale that was repeatedly slapping its tail on the water.  When he started slapping I didn’t get the camera because I was sure he would stop right away but as he continued I decided to try to get a video.  I estimate the whale slapped its tale in this fashion between 30 and 40 times and I was able to catch the tail end (ha ha) of it.  

 In the afternoon we went to the island to see the boobies, frigate birds and iguanas.  Even when they are nesting, the birds are not particularly afraid of people because there are few natural predators.  The boobies usually have only one egg but this proud momma had two.

The frigate birds nest in the small trees on the island 

and every tree had numerous nests.  The boobies nest on the ground.  The brown boobies build a nest with straw but the blue-footed boobies just make a slight depression in the dirt.

Proud brown boobie parents with their chick

Pair of blue-footed boobies with their egg

 

Frigate bird momma with her chick.  So cute!

Male frigate bird

Isla Isabel was formed by volcanic activity as evidenced by the geology (according to Neil).  The caldera of this extinct volcano is now a lake in the centre of the island. 

Lago Cráter

The kids opted to stay another day so the next day was spent collecting sea glass, snorkelling and walking the trails of the island.  We left Isla Isabel at 4:30 pm for an overnight trip back to Chacala.  The Quadrantid meteor shower was to be that night.  It is a brief shower and we didn’t see any meteors until around 4 am.  It was also very near full moon which may have obscured some of the fainter meteors.

We made a brief stop at Chacala and carried on to Jaltemba were we had lunch at Latitude 21, a restaurant owned by an American expat. 

Lunch in Jaltemba

From there we headed back to La Cruz from where the kids would fly home.  

Dinner!

The Past...San Blas

From Chacala we travelled 23 miles north to San Blas, arriving at about 5 pm on Thursday, December 29^th.

In the mid 1700’s San Blas was the Pacific naval port for New Spain.  A fort was built on a nearby hill that served both as an armed fort and an accounting office for San Blas.  The town thrived as a port and as a centre for ship building due to its proximity to nearby forests until 1810 when it was overtaken in the Spanish-Mexican war for independence.  San Blas fell into decline after the war and shipping activity was moved further south to the deeper ports of Manzanillo and Acapulco.

Shrimp and lobster at the market

Today San Blas is a quiet harbour town.  A central market supplies all manner of produce, fruit, meat, fish, seafood and hardware.  

Home delivery

Limes are available everywhere

The traditional costumes of the Huichol

A nearby tribe of Indians, the Huichol, are well known for their beadwork and colourful tapestries.  They can be found selling their handicrafts in the square dressed in their traditional costumes.  

Our panga in the mangroves

One of the highlights at San Blas is the jungle tour on the Río Tovara.  The tour company where you can rent pangas to take you up the river is a short walk from the beach.   

 The first half of the approximately four mile trip is through mangrove forest where we saw a few small crocodiles basking in the sun.  After breaking out of the mangroves, the landscape was one of rushes and isolated trees often covered with bromeliads and Tillandsia sp. or air plants.  We saw several species of birds and many turtles sunning themselves.  

Turtle sunning

The river ends at Camalota Spring where a local family runs a crocodile refuge.  American crocodiles are endangered due to poaching and loss of habitat and are protected in Mexico.  

On the way back we took a side trip to La Tovara Spring where we had lunch and a swim in the beautifully pristine water.  The pool for swimming is fenced off to prevent crocs from wandering in.  A large school of cichlids and catfish are resident there and we amused ourselves by throwing leftover tostada chips Frisbee style into the water and watching the ensuing feeding frenzy reminiscent of the old Tarzan movies where the hapless native enters piranha-infested waters. 

The swimming hole.  Note the fish near the bottom of the photo

 

The next day Mark, Lisa and I went up to view the old fort and abandoned church.  Neil was not feeling well and opted to stay on the boat.  Sometime around the late 1990’s the fort was repaired with a new roof, complete with a new steel I-beam running the length of the building, and missing sections of the walls replaced.  Many of the original cannons are still on the site.  

A short walk from the fort is the old Templo de la Virgen del Rosarío church which was built in 1769.  The removal of the bells from the belfry in 1872 was the inspiration for the poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow to write his famous poem, The Bells of San Blas.  

 

San Blas is also notorious for its jejenes or no-see-ums.  These tiny bugs are voracious and are able to fly great distances to hunt you down even on your boat.  Their bite itches for days and the warmth of bed particularly sets off the itching.  Nothing feels as good as scratching the skin off your ankles.  In town, this sign painted on a wall acknowledges the presence of the little beasties.  I’m sure that if you looked at one under a microscope you would see those sharp little teeth and that evil grin.  

The Happy Jején