Nieto Jordan

Jordan at the Crocs!!

So, it came to pass that Sandy’s grandson, Jordan, came down for a visit this season. It is a pretty good fit for us because he was able to continue his school work via the internet as he normally would. When Sandy and I first talked about this visit we knew there were a few things that we would need to do to make it happen.

Getting along with the adults...

First of all we needed to get Jordan a passport. You just cannot travel until that requirement is complete, so, last summer while we were in Vancouver we took Jordan to the Post Office and started the process. Since we needed parental signatures it was necessary to make a second trip to fully accomplish that. It was easily done and we heard very soon that he had received his brand new, good for five years, passport. For minors the requirement is that the passport is good for a shorter time than the normal ten years for adults. He also had a preview of cruising because we taught him to play Mexican Train (dominoes) while he was with us for his passport excursion.

We bought a one way ticket for him and that caused a momentary bit of excitement when his father, Chris, noticed it. “Umm, are we going to get him back sometime?” We had figured out that it might be easier to find out how much he would like the trip before deciding how long his visit should be. As you will see we might have been able to extend his time far beyond what we have given him.

We bussed into Puerto Vallarta from La Cruz de Huanacaxtle and waited patiently for Jordan to pop out of the customs door. It took a lot longer than usual, perhaps because there were three planes that came in within a fifteen minute time frame. Soon enough though out popped Jordan and we were on our way back to the boat. The first order of business was to feed the young fellow which, oddly enough became a recurring theme, so we marched off to find an open restaurant. Having come to El Rey de Bombaro and, soon to be dubbed Nieto Jordan, having perused the menu we settled into watching his surprise when his order of fried fish was delivered. He thought he was going to get something like fish sticks but, of course, received a whole (here’s looking at you) fried fish (red snapper).

Favorite sport... eating.

Over the next few weeks we stopped at Tacos on the Street several times to fill up El Nieto. We learned that Philo’s has no extra charge for Coca Cola refills and that Nieto J likes refills on his plate of ribs. Leon, from Philo’s band, tried to get him to play the washboard with him but Nieto J steadfastly refused to be lured in. We also learned that he was very good about doing his school work and, further, that he lived up to deals to drive the dinghy… ½ an hour of rowing the hard dinghy earned him an hour of driving the inflatable with its 8 h.p. motor! Nieto J’s oft heard, “I like it here!!” was the back drop for walks on the beach, stops at the local open market and similar “Mexico” experiences. Our first run over to the Bucerias market streets was fun if only because El Nieto had not even fully stepped onto the street when he had blown his first $200 (pesos) on a trinket. “Almost free,” as the vendor said… there was no bargaining or discussion just buying. His next few purchases were much more involved and I think that he had learned a thing or three from that first experience.

Standard walking tour of a small town

When our friends, Michael and Gabrielle, arrived he was still with us, living in his cave (the V berth) and then joined them for a Zip Lining trip. Our fishing jaunt was more fun than I can say!!

The part of the haul we kept

We went to do a turtle release but arrived just as the turtles were let go so he only saw the tail end of that experience without the informative lecture. We tried to fill him in as best we could recall from our visit there last year and he seemed to enjoy the whole thing fairly well. Our trips into Sayulita and Puerto Vallarta were via bus and we found that this experience was among the least liked. It was the jostle of the over packed busses that made it so far down the list. Nieto J likes taxis quite well however!! We found him to be an adventurous eater too. He did at least try everything that came his way and he said he liked most of it. Low on that list was the jicama in lime juice sprinkled with chili power. High on the list was any sort of fish, tortilla soup or, naturally, hamburgesas!!! He liked the tacos, the enchiladas, the tamales, the chips with salsa and sooo much more as well!!

El Nieto "enjoying" the bus

The “sailing” we did from La Cruz to Tenacatita was a little queasy but he held up pretty well; sleeping in the cockpit on an over night passage is not my idea of a good time but it seemed to keep his sea sickness in check. The whales and dolphins along the way were appreciated as was driving the big boat. A bus ride over to La Manzanilla to see the crocs seems to have been a hit too. We have lived on the boat for several days at anchor now as well (almost two weeks) and he seems quite comfortable now. He is allowed to go out by himself to Barra de Navidad, taking the water taxi in as needed and he seems a good bit more independent than when he got here. His few words of Spanish are not yet enough to sustain long trips to town or any serious shopping but he does communicate what he needs and has learned a lot about how to get around here. As nearly as we can tell El Nieto has enjoyed the cruising lifestyle (I mean, what’s NOT to like?) and the cruisers themselves. He is very comfortable around adult discussion and fits into what we are doing. Over all I have to say that Jordan will want to come down again sometime. The good news is that he will be welcomed and enjoyed. Now we are waiting to see what color his parents have painted his bedroom in anticipation of his return. We understand that it may be pink!!

"I like Mexico!!" He was heard to say.