2.16 We stayed in this bay for a number of days. It had everything- mountains, beaches, turquoise waters (“agua verde”) a tiny store and village, a delightful palapa restaurant on the beach, ancient cave paintings on the next headland, a natural palm oasis….
We enjoyed meeting the locals in the town, our sailing neighbors and burros and goats wandering the arroyos. We spent one day walking over the headlands, past an ancient cemetery and then through a cool and lush palm oasis that lead the way to a wild, rocky and deserted beach. An enormous sea lion spent 5 minutes rearing up and tracking Isabelle from just off the shore.
We made our way to the end of that beach and then climbed up towards a cave high above the sea where we had been told we would see 7500 year old cave paintings. We found the cave, facing out to sea, with red hand prints all over the stone on what looked like a natural limestone “whitewash”. The cliffs above are clearly eroding and much of the cave’s walls have already fallen but they were deep and dry with soft clean sand. We enjoyed imagining people living here
Looking back down to the valley behind us we could see cattle grazing and a small ranch. We wondered how different the way of life is now from the time of the cave paintings. Definitely people living here are still enormously resourceful and in harmony with their surroundings.
The next day we stayed close to Tomten and did some work on her. Paul spent quite a bit of time in the dinghy and ended up with a companion…..our Pelican that seems to follow us wherever we go, often sleeping through the night in the shadow of her bow (I know it is the same one!)
Paul and friend Pelly 
Pelly not feeling quite so friendly
The palm oasis on the way to the caves 
Izzy’s hand (for perspective not touching!) 
View from the “peligroso” road above our anchorage. 
Totmen, 2nd from the left & friend Helmutt from San Francisco to right of us 
Local children playing on beach in front of the palapa restaurant 
These are the choices when you arrive on the beach. Wifi is 30 pesos/hr at the little tienda 
The grocery Store 
Town of Agua Verde 
Leaving Agua Verde, heading north to Puerto Escondido
Sailing Tomten 