Merry Christmas, Best Wishes for a Happy New Year Plus a Little History

Who doesn't need a little down time?  Christmas Eve before dinner Rhea was stricken with a case of "Tourista". At four AM Christmas day I joined her.  Fortunately, this happened to us two or three years ago in Puerto Vallarta where our dock neighbor was a MD.  He recommended an antibiotic available in the local grocery store (that's really over the counter).  We still had seven left, they were out of date by thirteen months but both of us were up for the Christmas Potluck Dinner the next afternoon.

We ordered another seven pills from the local pharmacy.  They don't stock them, probably because they cost $45 US, but they can get them in a day or two.  The dosage is only one a day for three days so with seven we are hopefully good for another couple of years.

Now a little history; most of us know that the Spanish explored much of the Pacific Ocean in the 1500's and specifically the Philippine Islands. I always assumed that the trade route to the Philippines was around Cape Horn.  What they mostly did was bring the metal parts needed for a boat across from the Caribbean  Coast of Mexico via horse back and Indian slaves to Barra de Navidad where they built new boats for the Philippine trade.  For many years Spain took zillions of dollars of precious metals from the Philippines to Mexico then transshipped it back to Spain.

Most of those vessels where built right here in the lagoon where we are currently anchored.

I wonder if they had as much of a challenge getting in and out as we do.

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