Day: February 18, 2016

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Lovely Ambiance

I had dinner with my friend Sue tonight. I didn’t realise until the bill came that I was being treated for my part in the Great iPad Rescue, so what a lovely surprise that was! Thanks!

We started with a glass of wine and a sunset from her roof, which has an amazing view of the harbour where the cruise ships come in. We then went nearly next door to a restaurant that is open in the evenings, a rarity on Isla. This is a fairly new place just up from the beach off of the road to Goat Island. Sue has been there a few times and you really need to know it’s there because there’s almost no lighting. Best way I can describe it is that it’s on the new access road to the beach, about halfway between the beach and Goat Island road entrance points. They have a sign listing their offerings and that they are abierto (open).

The restaurant is really charming. The furniture is made from pallets. You can sit out in the open overlooking the water…

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Or under a giant palapa on a brick terrace.

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This is not a “cendaduria” like Miguel’s with inexpensive fast food, but a proper sit down restaurant to enjoy a gourmet meal. Sue had had the garlic shrimp before and loved it, so we went for that, plus a Pacifico each. The garlic shrimp were plump and cooked to perfection. They came with the standard tomato rice and a surprising salad made of romaine lettuce, onion, cucumber, tomato, and pineapple (!), with a really good dressing made of oil and lime juice. We also had a basket of tortillas.

Dinner for two was $280, so $120 for the garlic shrimp and $20 for the beer. Definitely too much to make it a regular haunt, but what a great spot for a romantic date or just relaxing with a friend. I will definitely be back!

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Been a While

Not counting my adventure with Sue, today marked a full two weeks since the last time I went to town! I’ve just been insanely busy with work and haven’t lacked for anything. I can get all the basic groceries I need right here on Isla, as well as cold beer, and meals out. The only reason I went across the bay today was to make a withdrawal at the bank.

On the way there, I popped into a little Chinese restaurant on Juan Carrasco and had a really good lunch of beef and broccoli (and carrots) with an egg roll, rice, and ice tea. The main was really good and not too heavy, with the broccoli perfectly cooked. Good deal at $44, even if I ended up leaving most of the rice.

My stop at the bank didn’t take long. There will be a Scotiabank near my place in Mérida, but I didn’t want to arrive with just the cash I had on me, even if I know it will go far even with the cost of transportation to and from the airports. I’m really glad the expensive parts of the trip are paid for and out of the budget and that the first half of the month was almost expense-free. I’ll be able to have a good time in Mérida and maybe even get out of town for a day… I really haven’t made any plans yet for my time there, much like I didn’t do much prep for Durango. I’ll figure it out when I arrive.

Since I was out where I was, I continued a bit further to the big Waldo’s since I’d forgotten to bring my travel-sized bottles for toiletries from Canada. I was able to find inexpensive small plastic bottles to transfer shampoo and body wash into and I also bought a travel-sized container of hand cream and one of toothpaste. I haven’t actually checked if Interjet has rules for liquids or not, but I’d rather not bring big containers anyway. I also restocked on wet wipes. You can never have too many packages of those in Mexico!

My total at Waldo’s was higher than expected. I checked my receipt and realised I’d been charged twice for the hand cream. It was only $10, but it was the principle of the thing. So I went back in and the cashier told me to just go get another bottle so she wouldn’t have to process a refund. Fine for $10. I like have those little bottles handy in my purse anyway.

I was seriously drooping as I made my way back to the embarcadero as it’s back to being really hot out. Mérida is going to be about the same, high in the 30s C, so I’d better get used to it!

Sue and I are having dinner tonight, a nice treat before heading out. There’s a new restaurant by her place that apparently makes amazing garlic shrimp, so that’s what’s on the menu as long as the place is open. Mmmmmm.

Well, I’m off to keep packing. I hope that I can do all carry on luggage, but I might be over the weight allowance for that. I don’t fly out till 3:05, but I’m getting to the airport for noonish. That will give me plenty of time to get through security and possibly have a bite to eat before I take off. I’ll be in Mexico City by 5:00 my time here (6:00 their time) and will have just enough time to grab some dinner thanks to a 1.5-hour layover. I should be landing in Mérida around 9:30 their time (8:30 my time) and if I don’t have to wait for luggage, should be in a taxi by 10:00. The airport is within city limits and I’m told a ride to my apartment in Centro should only take about 20 minutes. Someone will be waiting for me when I get there. It’ll be a long day, but just think where I’ll be when I finally land!