San Blas feels like Mexico. The people only speak Spanish, most of the streets are dirt with some cobblestones, the center of town is a plaza in front of the church and the people are so friendly. We found great restaurants, bars and ice cream shops. Our first night here we met up with Norm and his wife Janet, who have lived in San Blas for the last 45 years. They took a group of cruisers to a street side restaurant that we wouldn’t have gone to unless it was recommended. Good choice.
 |
| Streets of San Blas |
 |
| The Central Square with the New Church |
 |
| Street Dinner with a bunch of Cruisers |
The next morning we went to the town’s flea market. It was held on the airport runway. There were about 100 booths with everything from food, clothes, tools, toys to house plants. Rick bought a small tool for a spare and I got a few hair clips and thread.
 |
| Flea Market |
 |
| House Plants at the Flea Market |
Next we took a taxi up the hill to the fort for a great overview. This fort was built in 1770 to defend the town and there are a number of cannons still there. On the hill behind the fort are the ruins of the Church of our Lady of the Rosary, built in 1769. The ruins once contained the bronze bells that inspired Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem “ The Bells of San Blas”.
 |
| The Fort at the Top of the Hill |
 |
| View from the Fort Looking toward the Marina and Ocean |
 |
| The Fort |
 |
| Church Ruins - Missing the Bells |
 |
| Inside the Church |
Back into town we stopped at a local bar, Billy Bob’s and found our friends Tom and Susanne. Tom had been looking for a boat he knew from the SF Bay area that was reported to be in San Blas somewhere. He found it in pieces at Billy Bob’s. The stern is a table. Tom brought a racing T-shirt with a picture of that boat on it and gave it to Billy Bob.
 |
| In Billy Bob's with 'La Sirena' |
No comments:
Post a Comment