We hung out at Boca Beach a bit longer, enjoying the beauty of the palms, and then headed south a few more miles to Melaque.
Melaque and Barra de Navidad are on opposite ends of a beach a couple of miles long. Barra is a little more cobble-stone scenic, but Melaque turned out to be an okay little town as well—a bit more of a locals-live-here feel.
We camped smack dab on the beach and on the main street through town the first night, and would have been happy to continue on there, but ice-cold only showers turned us off quick. We’ve got a shower in the bus, but it’s not worth the hassle unless we’re boondocking somewhere. So we moved to another place that was a few blocks from the beach, and way back in a dirt-road-only locals neighborhood. There we found a sparkling new pool and a bus to Barra that ran right out our front door. All good.
We spent Christmas in Barra de Navidad a few years ago, and popped over there again to visit a few old haunts. The main one being the dock at the Hotel Sand’s where all the cruisers used to leave their dinghies while bopping around town. Next to the dock, behind some bushes, is a crumbling cage with a lone monkey in it. We half hoped it wouldn’t be there.
It was, and as usual we were taken aback by the terrible condition of the cage and the loneliness of the space. The monkey came right over and held our hands and wrapped its tail around our fingers. The kids ate it up. Somehow the monkey looks to be in good shape—at least as far as I can tell, I’m not a vet.
We went back up to town for some bananas and mangos, then back to the monkey again. By the time we got back his cage had been washed. So, at least that’s something, I guess. He ate a couple bananas and one mango before turning down the rest. I don’t know, maybe somebody really loves this poor thing and does their best to take care of him. Whatever the situation though, it’s pretty sad. A life of solitary confinement.
I have to say that Barra just really didn’t do it for me this time around. Maybe I liked it before because I was on a boat and when you’re on a boat pretty much any town will make you happy so long as it has some fresh fruits and vegetables, and a restaurant with cold beer. When you’re on the road you can get that anywhere—even places without a protected bay.
I was happy to see that Hollister and American Eagle could put aside their rivalry to produce some wonderful footwear.
24 Comments on “Monkey Visit”
Cool! Lowe is standing in front of a monkey cage eating a banana wearing a shirt with a monkey on it.
That was the first thing Ali noticed too. I completely missed it. Perfect though, isn’t it?
I really love your family picture there – really inspires me to bust out the tripod and timer.
And! that ikea carpet in that context just cracks me up! awesome
We were just commenting on how awesome that Ikea carpet is. That thing has been in the dirt daily for over a year, and it still looks like new. 🙂
LOVE the black & white of Ouest on her bike. Her intense focus reminds me of Miss Gulch from Wizard of Oz! And Lowe is starting to look so grown-up. Most definitely beyond toddler and into the “kindergarten” level of maturity. You and Allie are doing great with your kids Pat. Keep up the good work!
Ali and I constantly find ourselves humming, dunt de dunt de dun, dunt de dunt de dun, while she rides around. And yes, Lowe has moved up a notch, you can tell because the two things he finds most hilarious in life right now are pee and poop jokes.
Time to find Lowe some copies of the “Captain Underpants” books. They are great fun and boys from his age to about 10 LOVE them!
I think your photography is excellent. May I have permission to paint the dock scene at Barra?
Thanks, Doug. Of course, paint away. Shoot us a picture of it when you’re done.
Really nice camera work.
It’s interesting how some places can be “right” one time and not the next.
I am guessing the guy on the motorcycle did’t want his picture taken?
Mark and Cindy
He never saw me, that’s just the way he was riding through town.
The way the light filters through the palm trees in those first shots is beautiful. Kind of sad about the monkey.
I love the pic of the guy on the motorcycle! I just wonder how many different motorcycles donated their parts to make it?
Free the monkey before you leave, please. Thank you.
If I thought simply opening up the cage was a good solution I would have done it three years ago.
Well, my favorite pic is “Tortilleria Gonzales.”
Thanks, I like that one too. We were sitting there waiting for the bus when the guy came out of the back and stood there in the doorway. I imagine he has stood there like that for many many hours.
Yeah, is he Gonzales? What is he thinking about? What’s behind that door? So many possibilities, and a bit of mystery. A whole storybook in one. He’s like a character from some sort of Mexican Federico Fellini movie, in that colorful setting.
The monkey is a rescue after someone cut off his thumbs. He could not survive in the wild and many people visit and care for him. We thank the family at The Sands to keep him well.
Thank you for letting us know. I figured there must be some sort of story behind it. I should have just asked.
Hi! I am Lisa Anderson from S/V Lisa Kay. I remember this monkey from 2010. I heard it crying one afternoon and went back and found him. It was horrifying but I did not know what to do. I wrote the Humane Society in a México City but never heard back. I had a dream about this monkey several nights ago and feel impelled now that I need to do something. Do you know anyone living in Barra now?
So in May2017 we visited him again, and a lady posted this comment on the monkey. “The monkey’s name is Chachi.
I call him, “the loneliest monkey in the world”. And also feed him bananas and sometimes bad stuff that he likes better. He was a gift to the sweet little old lady owner, long long ago, from her son who had been out hunting in the mountains. That’s what the sweet little old lady said, when we talked with her while standing at his cage, before she died last year. He’s a very old monkey, and has spent most of his life there. We want to rescue him but how? One would need to rescue him there and stay there with him. You can’t really move him out can you? Wouldn’t he be traumatized?”
As for us, we do not know of anyone in the area at this time. But should you find an organization to help him — we would help all we can including posting, sharing, and doing it ourselves. I have a lady in Sayulita that rescues dogs, maybe I can ask if she knows anyone in Barra that is in animal rescue…
I understand your dream – I have them often of all the animals in Central America. I would be happy to do some research with you. Email me and let’s make something happen.
And then Lisa and I did work together to release him! https://www.bumfuzzle.com/chacho/