Carl returned to Los Angeles for a brief sojourn albeit not a particularly pleasant one as he had an appointment with his dentist. Being the proud owner of a fine set of English teeth he had been troubled by a molar since we were in Ensenada so things didn't bode well. Unfortunately the tooth in question could not be saved and it turned out to be a very unpleasant trip indeed.

In the meantime, spending a few days with Winston in Puerto Escondido, Gemma received a personal invitation to attend a pizza party in Cocktail Cove. As the name suggests, Cocktail Cove is an area in Puerto Escondido where people gather, standing waist deep in the shallows to enjoy a drink or two in the late afternoon. Excuses were limited and so as 5pm, Friday afternoon rolled around, it was off to Cocktail Cove. A group of people, a variety of shapes were gathered around a surfboard, enjoying the pizza balanced precariously on top. Somehow after that, one's social calendar seemed complete.

Arriving back in Loreto on Saturday night, Carl rented the car we knew affectionately as B52 (due to a sticker on its rear) and started the 25km drive back to Puerto Escondido. Coming over a hill he was confronted by a dog sitting in the middle of the road. A car had stopped next to it and a woman was approaching the dog to see if it was injured. Almost taking out the woman, the car and the dog, Carl plowed off the road into the stone embankment shattering windows and writing off B52 nicely in the process. Bruised and shaken but otherwise fine, Carl was able to contact the rental car company and B52 was towed into Loreto never to be driven again. Surprisingly Budget was willing to give him another car immediately (apparently not concerned by the fact that he had just totalled one car and was quite shaken by the experience); in fact they upgraded him to a better model. Carl returned to the boat.

The next day was Gemma's Baja birthday. We had hoped to go back to the islands to celebrate but decided that given the exciting events of the previous night it might be prudent to have a quiet day. We went into Loreto in search of a delicious birthday breakfast however it was not to be, as with the exception of one taco stand, everything was closed. Gritty shrimp tacos and a can of diet coke made this a memorable birthday. Carl's gift was a lycra body suit to protect from those much-hated invisible jellyfish. Super hero minus the cape, it's the blue power ranger. Jumping in, the only bits of skin available, hands and feet were instantly stung all over. Everything else really appreciated the thought!