Return trip to El Quelite - No Iguanas

Yesterday we went to pick up Bill’s watch. Looks, sounds and runs like brand new. US$25 to fix it. Then we walked over by the central market to the bead store. Yes, I bought more beads – hadn’t bought any red ones. HAD to have red ones you know. Couldn’t leave without red ones.
Later in the aft we went over and watched the cruise ships and Baja Ferry leave the port. The cruise ships make the Ferry look like a toy boat they are so big.
This was the biggest one
They leave right around sunset set so it is quite pretty to watch. When you are driving towards the port the ships tower over the buildings in front of them. Even make the towers of the cathedral look small. We watched them till they disappeared into the horizon and sunset.
The square between the two islands was the first cruise ship to leave port
Met some people there from Culiacάn. They were all bundled up in sweaters and asked us if we weren’t cold. Bill had on a t-shirt and I had on a tank top. Nope – at least not until the sun went down. It’s hard to remember that this is winter for everyone who lives here.
It has still been raining south of us but not here in town. In fact the weather has been beautiful – not even too humid. And all the plants look so pretty and clean (without their coating of dust.)
Took a picture of a two-colored bougainvillea – not only are the plants two different colors the leaves are two colors – white and pink. The bush is gorgeous.

Today, Thursday, we drove out to El Quelite again. Wanted to take the pictures we had taken of the ladies sorting the beans to them. They were happy to see us and asked if we had found a house there to buy. They enjoyed the pictures.
From there we went to the restaurant to eat and give them back the shirt they had lent me. They recognized us right away – and remembered the iguana! This time they made sure we were sitting under an umbrella out of the way. But they also said it was too cold for the iguanas to be out, they like it hot. Breakfast passed without incident. But a few falling leaves had me looking up. Leaving the restaurant we saw some corn husk dolls that are made right there in town. Of course, had to have one. Had a hard time making up my mind (and now I wish I’d got a different one – one that showed more husk.)
Will take a picture of mine - later
Then we drove up to where the fighting cocks are raised and trained. Zillions of them. There are a couple of big fields full of them, talk about a racket. Each cock has his own shelter and one of leg is tethered so he can’t reach his neighbor.

They are so magnificent A couple distinct kinds that I could see. One with a yellow ruff

and the other kind with a rust colored ruff.

They would crow and puff their neck feathers straight out. In the back were some cages with one rooster and several hens in each one. Several had eggs in them.
There was a small tour just leaving there and I heard the guide say she was taking them to an old bakery. So we followed. The baker uses an adobe oven for all his baking. But instead of heating it up with wood he uses what amounts to a propane blow torch.

But it does the job, I can’t imagine how hot that room gets in the summer. Sure smelled good in there. Bought a couple of fruit empanadas and hit the road. Just as we were leaving town we came upon an older man riding his donkey down the street. He was almost bigger than the donkey. His faithful dog followed along tail held high.

And can you believe this!!!! I forgot to charge the battery in my camera, and forgot to bring the spare battery AND left Bill’s camera in Jennie. YES!! I RAN OUT OF BATTERY – COULD NOT TAKE ANY MORE PICTURES. So what did we do? Well went back to the campground and picked up the other camera and the charged battery – what else could we do.
Then back on the road out of town to go to La Noria again. That was the road full of pot holes – actually craters. But again The Driver managed to miss all of them.
Talked to the guys in the leather shop again, Bill got a machete and it’s leather sheath.

They showed us a beautiful saddle that had just been finished. Only US$200 – would cost a fortune in the states.

Also looked at the masks again and took pictures so Bill will have an idea how to do one when we get home.

I heard music so I left the leather place and followed my ears. A bunch of high school boys and girls were practicing folkloric dancing in the plaza. They were pretty darn good. They are going to put on a show for Carnaval.

Then back to the campground where we got an unpleasant surprise. A whole caravan (about 20) had pulled in. Up until now there had only been a couple of us in the back of the park. So we were all spread out with spaces between us. Not now. We have new neighbors on both sides of us. And the guy right next to us has a cat who doesn’t like to be left alone. Has been yowling the whole time they’ve been in a meeting planning tomorrows doings.
One of the first things they asked was “Is there Internet?” We’ve been letting a couple of people here use it with no problems. BUT if a lot of people get on it at once it slows way down. Also if someone happens to download a bunch of stuff we get FAPd (penalized by the network – they slow the signal down so much you can barely get on line.) So to save ourselves trouble we just shut it off. The campground has Internet but it too is iffy back here. But now we don’t have Internet either – grrrr….
Well the satellite dish is back up – the caravan loaded on to a bus and took off for the day to tour Mazatlan. Later I guess we’ll just take our chances.