Thursday, June 5, 2014

A Trip of Firsts


We experienced many a first on our little jaunt to Punta de Mita. It was the first time we boated with baby, which was family fun times but also way more work for Vlad. We even beach landed the dinghy with Jari, and despite all my anxiety he did not get swept out to sea. It also showed us how much extra time it takes to do things with a baby. It took us two weeks to get ready to go to Punta de Mita, and that is a 9-mile trip! I'm hoping that it won't always be that bad, but gone are the days when we could get things stowed and provision in a day. Now, we are reduced to one person working rather than two, and somehow it really equals out to only half a person. Yeah, we are slow.

Also, it was the first time we've seen Mexican fishing bats. After Jari had blessedly gone to sleep one evening, Vlad and I were chilling out in the cockpit, and we noticed a quick flash of brown that kept zipping across the water. Was it a bird? No, it was a bat, and a rather large one at that. We could hear it's wings skim the surface like the rustling of leaves and thought that it might be eating fish rather than insects. As it turns out, there are two species of marine fishing bat -the fish-eating myotis and the greater bulldog bat, and though we couldn't tell which type these were in the dark I'm gunning for the fish-eating myotis. Mostly they live well into the Sea of Cortez, but they inhabit islands like the Marietas, which are just a few miles offshore. Also, they were oddly stinky. We could actually smell them as they flew past. The whole situation reminded me of when we were invaded by fruit bats in Panama, and Vlad thought that whatever brushed his leg in the night was just a giant moth. Nope, it was a fruit bat eating our bananas. Thankfully, these bats stuck to the water.

This next one is a downer. It was the first time Jari rolled off our bed onto the solid teak floor. I cried almost as much as he did, but he did not even have a bruise. It's definitely time for lee cloths. And, finally, it was our first anniversary! We didn't do anything special, unless you include family cuddle piles and Vlad cooking dinner special. I know I do.

6 comments:

  1. Fishing bats?? I am so envious I could scream. I need to see those. They are now on my list of animals I must experience. And apparently you have discovered the time warp that is 'traveling with infant'. So he will definitely slow you down and make you appreciate all the small things. From the look on Vlad's face, I'd say that's ok with him. Very glad the little punkin wasn't hurt in his fall. Enjoy every precious moment and happy anniversary. Is it a year already?

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    1. Thanks so much, Melissa! We have, indeed, discovered the baby time warp, and honestly it's almost comical how slow we are now. But Jari is just so much fun that sometimes we just hang out and play with him rather than tackling the ever-growing list of jobs. It's bad behavior but worth it in my opinion.

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  2. Happy anniversary!! Loving your latest updates and adventures and that super-cute baby of yours :)

    We're in Key West so have been reading back through your time here to glean hints & tips (like where to find the best Key Lime Pie)... so helpful!! Thanks for sharing!

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    1. It's so funny because we were reading your blog the other day and reliving some of our experiences except in reverse! Also, I can't say definitively if that is the best Key Lime pie in town, but it is darn good. Enjoy the Keys!

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  3. Happy Anniversary! And I would count cuddle piles and good food as a nice celebration! Those bats sound pretty cool too. Glad Jari wasn't hurt, I can imagine it was likely harder on you than him... Cruising has taught us to slow down. I bet cruising with baby means you slow down that much more. Frustrating at times but then, what an opportunity. (Again, spoken like a person with no children, so you can tell me to get lost, haha). Cheers.

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    1. The bats were awesome. You guys would have loved them. And, yes, cruising slows you down and with a baby it's extra, extra slow at least for us. Suddenly, the whole world revolves around nap time!

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