It's been a busy and fun week of partying with friends, exploring and enjoying Barra.
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| Sunrise in the Barra lagoon |
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| It's usually very calm in the lagoon |
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| My view to the south |
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The water taxi (a panga) comes out to the lagoon to bring
you to town. Thirty pesos (c $1.75) round trip. They run
24 hours a day.
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Looking toward the harbor entrance and the bay from
the malecon. |
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Looking toward the Grand Bay Hotel from the water
taxi stand
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Celebrating my arrival with a margarita at
lunch at Manglito's
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| Looking south from my table: the Grand Bay Hotel |
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| Looking north from the table toward the town of Barra |
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It's not all play. I had to make a trip to the office of
the port captain to check in.
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Last season this marlin sculpture at the road
entrance to town was being refurbished.
It was nice to see it finished.
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There are several of these little park entrances to the beach
in Barra de Navidad
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| Looking south toward the harbor entrance |
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Looking north toward town. Yes, the beach is usually
this crowded.
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| Palm nuts along the road near the hotel |
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I took a little walk along the road behind the
hotel and saw quite a few flowers in bloom.
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| The tree in the background was full of these white flowers. |
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Seed pods of the flamboyant tree can be 18
inches long. In the spring the trees are covered
with red blossoms.
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A cactus the size of a tree growing in the jungle.
This one is so old that the bottom half looks
like a tree trunk.
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| Snowy egret |
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| Pelicans in formation |
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| A frigate in the sunrise |
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| A hawk riding the updraft |
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| White-collared seed-eaters seem to love sailboat lifelines |
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About a dozen of them flew over and landed on my
lifelines as I entered the harbor.
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| They come to roost on the lifelines several times a day. |
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This is the Alondra Hotel in Barra. The bar on the
sixth floor is a favorite cruisers' spot for happy hour
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I went with a bunch of friends to take advantage of the
two-for-one prices and the great sunset view.
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After happy hour we walked through town to have dinner
at Galleria des Artistes, a unique restaurant/gallery/
tequila bar. Recipes come from the owner's wife's
grandmother.
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No, we're not shooting craps. We're toasting marshmellows
on a little wood fire in the garden of Galeria des Artistes.
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A little walk along the malecon in the warm night air is
very pleasant after a great meal.
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Tuesday morning at 8 am a group of us met at the hotel to
take a trip to see the Colima volcano and other sites along
the way. Here Jay enjoys watching the sun rise over the
lagoon and the marina from the lobby level of the hotel.
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Our first stop was a roadside fruitstand that had lots of fresh
tropical fruits.
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Don't eat anything bigger than your head! (Or sit under a
jackfruit tree!)
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| The famous Las Hadas resort near Manzanillo |
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| A view of Santiago Bay, just north of Manzanillo Bay |
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| Manzanillo Bay |
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| Manzanillo is a major shipping port. |
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| Even the US navy visits. |
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| This is the famous big blue marlin in the plaza. |
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| What looks like a speck on the bottom is a child. |
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The area is famous for its salt, made simply from the natural
evaporation of sea water.
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| Pure sea salt has large crystals. |
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| A restaurant in the city of Colima |
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We preferred to spend our time in the smaller town of
Comala.
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| The church dominates the townscape as usual. |
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This is the restaurant on the square where we
ate lunch.
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All the tapas you can eat, free with the purchase
of drinks.
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| Entertainment too! |
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The main road out of Comala toward the volcano was
very nice, and there was a miles-long walk/bikeway too.
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| Off the highway the roads were cobblestone and rural. |
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| The animals knew enough to mooooove aside. |
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| Closer to the volcano |
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Although the volcano is now active, we weren't able to
see much because of the clouds.
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| Still an interesting sight. |
