We have now visited and reported on so many beautiful anchorages and towns that I’m feeling a little sheepish about declaring the new best place. So rather than declare La Cruz “the most awesomest pueblo en Mexico,” I’m going to provide some qualifications. Since we are planing to leave here tomorrow I have taken a moment to reflect on some of the things I’ll miss until we return. In no particular order:
Food
Tacos en Calle
… tacos at Claudia’s
… tacos pretty much everywhere
…flan
Tons of great produce at the Tuesday and Friday night markets, super cheap. Vick hauled home 3 huge backs of produce for $166 pesos (that’s about $12US). The “bunch” of cilantro is bigger than our sink. It all looks awesome!
<li>Nearly perfect weather. No bugs.</li>
<li>Super awesome, drama free cruiser community. The cruiser scene here rivals La Paz, and that's saying a lot!</li>
<li>Kid's club, and a half dozen 5-7 year old girls on our dock alone. Ruby has been gone nearly the whole time we have been in the marina.</li>
<li>Ruby taking to the town for ice cream. I would never consider this in Emeryville or even Mountain View. Here it seems natural to send her off to get her own ice cream (with a friend).</li>
<li>Cruising parents. Hanging out with other cruising parents on the dock, comparing notes and enjoying sundowners makes us feel "normal" in a way we hadn't yet. It may be a while before we get such a concentration of normal again.</li>
<li>A big small town. La Cruz is small enough to walk in an afternoon but big enough to offer choices in almost every category. It's also convenient to PV and Bucarias by bus. So far we have been either in cities or villages.</li>
<li>Music, mostly live, almost everywhere. The music is fun to hear, but it also invigorates the community making it really feel <em>alive</em>!</li>
<li>The most friendly locals of any place we have visited. I get a reply (usually with a big smile) to almost every "buenas tardes." And more than a few times someone recognized me wandering around and greeted me warmly like an old friend. It also doesn't hurt that several people have thanked us for bringing our kids!</li>
<li>Belonging. One of our cruising objectives is to find home. It's early yet, and I'm sure there are other spots that will feel like home but this is the first place so far that I can imagine growing roots in.</li>
So there it is. This place is 10x awesome and I’m not just effusing. I won’t apologize for being continuously blown away by everything that Mexico has to show me, and I won’t pretend that I think La Cruz is the last best place (though it may be). I will keep reporting with unrestrained subjectivity all of our experiences and impressions!