Hotel Playa de Cortez | Guaymas | Sonora | Mexico

 

A few of us went to this hotel one day for lunch since we were in the neighborhood.  It's a grand old hotel and impressive in it's own way.  This is in no way an advertisement for this place, but rather an interesting building from an era long gone.

 

One large room had chandeliers made from colored glass, with a stained glass wall around a fireplace at one end.

 

 

The lobby.

Multiple carved wood plaques were on the wall in the dining room.

We elected to have our lunch outside by the fountain.

 

Way to cool at this time of the year, but a beautiful pool was available.

Some antiques that may have been used in the hotel's history.

This is the back yard, which I'm sure has seen many parties throughout the years.

The hotel was built right on the water, so this is the view.

 

They even have a crested Saguaro, which is rare.  Typically, the Saguaro cactus has a rounded top.

 

 

Pearl Farm | Guaymas | Sonora | Mexico

This is a large poster in the main entry into the Pearl Farm building.  The room is large, with all sorts of pearl jewelry, pearls and shells that produce the pearls.

This farm is unique, since it's the only one producing pearls from the Rainbow Lipped Pearl Oyster, which produces pearls that are iridescent and in many colors.  They only produce about 4000 pearls each year, which is only about 4 Kilos, compared with 1800 tons of fresh water oysters as well as other varieties with production data in between.  The oysters live in grids as shown below. 

 

These are only some of the jewelry created at this location, with pearls that have been grown here.  You can see the iridescence and coloration.  We were told that there are no chemicals to produce the colors, the oyster is who is producing the color, which will be the same color as the shell.

 

This little thatched hut is where most of the work is accomplished.  In the background, you can see floats on the water which support the oysters who are producing the pearls. 

 

Among other chores, this is where the oysters are cleaned during their lifetime here.  They must be cleaned of the barnacles and seaweed that grow on their shells - 5 times a year.  Keep in mind that it takes 4 years to grow a pearl.

To give an idea of the size they start at, the plastic container here is about the size of a deli order of a pound of potato salad.  The little tiny specks you see inside are the baby oysters.  They will be put in the green bags you can see hanging in the photo above.

This is a specimen of one, but it's enlarged quite a bit. 

 

Below are some examples of shells with pearls that have grown on their own, without help from the farm.

 

There are many varieties of pearls, as well as many colors..

 

In order to make a pearl, the oyster has to have an irritant, a tiny object for them to secrete the nacre, which grows the pearl.  At the farm, the oysters are implanted surgically when they're 2 years old.  The shell you see below with the bumps at the top were implanted with a tiny bead made from another shell.  They will then be put into the grid for water flow, since they live on plankton.  These are cut off the shell and made into jewelry when completely grown.

The chance of a pearl growing in an oyster living in the wild versus in a pearl farm is about 1 in 10,000, not very good odds if you're trying to make a living this way.  The photo below shows a shell, with barnacles on the top, and with two white beads that you can see in what looks like a crack in the shell. 

This oyster hasn't yet been cleaned, but this is about the size of the opening during the seeding operation.  The technicians place the beads in with slender tools, they have to work fast because the oysters can only be out of the water a short time.  We did get to see the lab and the procedure, but unfortunately were not allowed photos. 

 

Here you can see the stages the oyster goes through, the tiny baby ones are put in the green bags.  They graduate to the triangular ones when they're about the circumference of a golf ball.  When they get to be 2 years old, they graduate to the round cages and then to the grid.

 

 

Lots more bags waiting to house the baby oysters.

This is the building that houses the Pearl Farm.

 

For those of you who want to see more of this Pearl Farm, I have included the link below to the instructional video we watched before the tour. 



 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqv8Ikr1FJc

Desert Hiking

 

 

 

I'm happy to say that I finally have seen a blooming Saguaro cactus.  This species of cactus is so tall that some of them reach well over 30 feet or more.  Therefore, it's hard to get a picture of the bloom that's at human level.

 

This is typical of the Sonoran Desert around Arizona.   Not very much like the old cowboy movies where someone is struggling through the desert with nothing but sand.

 

Apparently this guy got lost and never made it back to civilization.

 

I'm not sure what animal makes a hole in the ground and then covers it with a web,  but I'm thinking maybe tarantula.   In any case it's a very intricate cover to his home.

The creosote bush has furry seeds, as you can see in the close-up below.  By the way, this is not where we get creosote.

This is probably my least favorite cactus but it sure does make pretty blooms.

I just love this purple coloring and then the yellow flowers on this cactus.

 

 And this is just a different way of seeing a sunset.

 

 

La Manga | San Carlos | Sonora | Mexico

 

 

La Manga is a small fishing village just outside of San Carlos, Mexico. They fish from small boats, no huge fishing vessels in this neighborhood. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There are quite a few restaurants in the village,  and of course, they have mostly seafood. 

     

 

 

 

Numerous piles of fishing nets were on the beach.

  

 

 

Of course, the sea birds were swarming all over, hoping to catch a stray fish.

 

There is nothing fancy about this area, there are about 3 of these windmills used to pump water.

 

Laundry day starts early in the morning.  This batch was on the fence before 10 AM. 

 

 

They have their own branch of Alcoholics Anonymous, and it looks like it just had a paint job.

 

I met this man outside a little store.  He posed for a picture and then indicated that I could have a ride on the horse if I wanted.  I declined, but thanked him and shook his hand, then he took off down the road. 

These shark jaws, complete with teeth are hanging outside the little store in the photo above.

 

Old RVs and trailers of all types come here as homes for some of the residents.

 

I'm not sure why this is here, although someone may have lived in it at one time.  It has been parked here for a while, judging by the look of the tires on the trailer.

This is one of the more interesting homes in the area, I think I'm intrigued by the license plates.

As I was leaving the area, I passed this gate.  I know they are building either condos or homes down that road.  The entire road to La Manga is lined on the sea side with condos and fancy homes.   I'm wondering how long before the residents of this little community are displaced by "progress".