Being in Mexico has a certain perverse pleasure I describe as "You can't get from Pt. A to Pt. B without going to an unexpected Pt. C, or beyond..." This can be an adventure, a frustration, or something else entirely.
Fair weather continues in Yelapa, although smog over 15 mile distant Puerto Vallarta and Punta Mita Penisula reminds of LA: Early morning brown surface haze with black topping all the way to the horizon. PV is backed by mountains. Pollution from cars, trucks, and boats has difficulty escaping eastward with the mild afternoon southwesterly sea breezes. During the night, the smog blows offshore with the gentle downslope, offshore wind that replaces the seabreeze at sunset.
100 miles south, the Colima volcano east of Manzanillo is erupting. The Colima volcano is Central America's most active, and the ash cloud is blowing south in the atmospheric winds. Despite all this activity, the air in Yelapa is mostly clear, and except for the current full moon, mostly dark after sunset with a minimum of light pollution.
Yesterday was atypical for Yelapa. Two humpbacks swam into Yelapa Bay, and toured inshore for about 45 minutes, sometimes not 200 feet off the beach. I hiked 200 yards east on the coastal path for a close-up. While I watched, a paddle boarder and kayaker nearly ran onto the humpies, not recognizing their presence.
Returning to our casa, I collected some trash, passed some horses, mules, and a cute colt, and crossed over a stack of palm fronds that blocked the trail during construction of a local palapa. I went knee deep through the palm fronds, and landed gently on my back, covered in the trash I was carrying. No injury, but I couldn't get up and extricate myself for about minute. Fortunately no one but the horses observed what must have looked a sight: boracho gringo passed out on trail covered in trash?
Back at Casas Santa Cruz, drama was continuing to play out. 6 guests occupying one of the palapas for rent had more than their share of misfortune. In five days, one had stepped on some glass, two had suffered jellyfish stings. A fourth, celebrating her birthday, had a beer bottle explode in her hand.
The worst injury by far was to a young couple (30's) in the group of 6 who, perhaps unwisely, attempted to ascend the slippery rocks of the local waterfall. One fell about 75 feet down the cliff, hitting her head, smashing her nose flat, deeply gashing, and likely breaking her leg. Knocked unconscious, but lucky to be alive.
This morning we were able to evac everybody to PV, with Luis and David carrying the severely injured lady on a plastic stretcher to the local beach where the guests were successfully loaded aboard a panga water taxi for PV and the airport. At PV, the severely injured was gently lifted from the panga in a plastic chair and loaded in a van. Beyond that we do not know, but prayers for the best of outcomes.
Adventures included at no extra charge.
