buses, Burtons, and Bara

This is another catch up blog for aboard gypsywind. warning some of the content may be skewed by the amount of time the brain can keep track of things chronalogically.
We arrived in BARRA at 5 am. let me back up. the ride up to Mexico city with the 4 of us was an event. the road to Guadalahara is so windy Kim had needles going through her feet, the second part to Mexico city was smooth, we all slept. Coming back we stayed up till 11 pm, G. town, bus left Mexico city at 3:30, and could not sleep on the windy roads. second half to Barra, though Noah and Kiya managed. We catch a cab to barra from MELAQUE where our ticket was to arriving at the ponga dock 5:45 the one ponga is running workers to the hotel Grand, we wait then get to Gypsywind in the Lagoon. Nikita with little sleep waiting for a call to pick us up. we all crash wake up 11 am Evergreen , still in town, pick up Nikita and head off to the skim board comp. in Melaque. Everyone that helped Nikita was now moving around, Mishak down to manzanillo, Whatcha Gonna Do back in Tenacatita, Black Dragon left for Puerto Vallarta trying to beet the upcoming Northerly, which would make that a trip from hell. Evergreen also hoping to be in tenacatita before she starts to blow. Our friends from back home Doug and Anna Burton are in town they are building a house here, we take a cab over, Doug is sick in bed, ate the salad, we carry on to Melaque, watch the skim boarding with Nikita and Dennis and Josh from Evergreen. We walk 3 blocks to Susan and Jerrys hotel and say hi they have family down. We head to connect with Carrol {Evergeen] at the Sunset bar, guess who is sitting out front of the church Doug B. a little pale but hoping we would walk by. we make plans for next day on board. Out for drinks and supper with the gang from EVERGREEN. Doug and his girls Lashandra and Adrianna come aboard check out  Gypsywind, Doug has a thousand questions, he bought a boat a 27 Santa Cruz for the slocan lake a year and half ago. We head for lunch to their house, 5 kids back of the truck. Anna awaits we have Shrimp. fish and vegge tocos. We get the grand tour, the home, beautiful in design is ready for paint. flooring, and kitchen. Doug and Anna just bought a appartment size fridge, stove and washer, down for 3 weeks and get some work done on the house. NEXT DAY ANNA, AS WELL JOINS US ON BOARD. We have lunch and invite evergreen to join us in town for dinner. We head to Felixs´on the main steet Annas cousin. Jamie raved about the spinich omelletes. With 12 in the party the table in the street gets extended out into the steet literally. veryone walking stops to talk. we meet Annas sister, Father, mother, cousins all at various times. FELIX SERVES US HIMSELF AND GIVES ALL OF US THE FAMILY DISCOUNT. another beautiful evening in Bara.
Next day who should pull in Whatcha Gona Do, we make plans for dinner, the wind that day starts to blow 20kts then up to 28kts we stay on board. Kim gets one of her brain storms, if shes got to cook whats a few more, we invite Whatcha Gonna Do for vegge burgers, Kim makes from scratch, barb brings the awsome salad. Not only we but the kids catch up on much needed time with friends.
 Time flys and its time to head to Mexico city for my check up. this time I catch the8:10 that heads souththrough Collima no mountains or I should say no windy roads. A beautiful ride. movies till midnight arrive at 10: 30, 1 1/2 hrs late. catch cab. excellent check up with DR DALMA,walk down to IHOP for breakfast, hey this is Mexico city they have everything. a little shopping, can.t enjoy it decide to go to bus station early to make sure I get a good seat on the bus back.  ETN a new bus line to us,nice bus super delux for trip back. catch a cab takes me to wrong bus depot, there are 4 large ones one in each quadrant of the city. I walk in, nothing looks the same, find the ETN wait in long line get to front, girl speaks no english, stadard for Mexico city but wrong station, guy stands next to me helps with interpreting. she says that bus is full. we have an 11:30 bus would I like to buy a ticket before they are all gone. Now I should let you in on the plan. I was to arrive at 8;30 where the family was to meet me, catch a cab to the airport where we have a car on reserve for 9;45 to drive that day to Zihutanajo a 9 hr drive. Ya  No gracias. I catch a cab, the ones that Gringos are never to use, its OK I used them before. Mexico city has a real problem with taxi crime. the better cabs are secure cabs, or the most expensive tourist cabs, ussually outside hotels. No time to waste I need to be across town, the town with 22,000,000 people. Did I tell you these bus stations look like very dangerous places to hang out, think of Cardova st in Vancouver.Its now 6 oclock the taxi driver speaks no english seems pissed that I speak no spanish well {cervasa por favor} does not cut it right about now. The one thing I did right was to have the girl write down the name of the station I needed to be at. I give him the note. he senses the urgentcy, drives like a maniac, I can´t tell in what direction. but fast, we hit the freeway he weaves in and out utill we catch up to the Friday rush hour where every living soul is trying to escape the down town core or where ever we are. he takes a exit ramp down some allies, at high speed, now Im worried onto another free way down aother ramp, you get the picture, we arrive in 1/2 hr it ussually takes 45 min from the hotel. I tip him well Then it hits me the bus is full what am i hurrying for. I try anyway. that bus is full. now so is the 11 o clock, I run to Primera Plus, there busses are full one leaves 9 am the next day, I look around and the station is a sea of people, it´s friday night everyone is leaving somewhere. what to do. phone the wife and give her the bad news. Kim looses it that I haven´t checked other routes, what about Manzanillo.what about other bus lines, I have studied the bus lines Manzanillo and Bara are not the center of the universe only 2 bus lines even run there out of 12 or so.I hang up with kim where to start, even if I get a bus out of here by midnight i will be in at 1or 3 in the afternoon, the road to Zihutanajo comes with a warning, don´t drive this road at night. banditoes, right on the net under how to get to Z town, no direct bus even goes there, part of last weeks research. I´m screwed! where to start I haven´t even heard of some of these bus lines, and none of the girls speak english, I´m screwed! well might as well go down the line, just to keep track of where I´ve asked. Futura a name I can pronouce, I walk up in back of the girl, no line up by the way, is a sign Manzanillo, like they are running a spescial, I ask what time she shows me a screen 19:30 I ask today,she says ci, i ask like soon, she say ci,I ask how much, $715 P over a 100P cheaper I say OK she calls up the next screen I pick my seat only half full. It leaves in half an hr same as the bus I wanted. I run to the gate I´m early they are not letting people on yet, what to do. Grab a side of fries from the place you would be shit scared to eat at. Its ok, Kim myself and the kids ate there before, no one got sick. 22 pasos, you stand in line pay first, get a ticket stand in line, get your fries, cold, they are pre made to save on time. Eat them anyway, accually could not finish. on the bus, a bit run down, older, seat does not work properly. still had a tv just didnt fold into the ceiling.lower grade moves, english with spanish subtittles, my luck. Phoned Kim with the good news, wrong town but what the heck the right time. Will catch a cab to the airport and meet my Family there. And that is just what happened.