Semana Santa: Friday On the Beach

I was done with half my work for the day  by 1:00, which considering the amount I have to do was quite a feat. I headed out to see what was happening on the beach. We’d woken to overcast conditions, but it was now very hot and sunny, with a wonderful breeze.

More cones at the end of my street.

More cones at the end of my street.

I said hello to the police officer at the end of my street and he asked why I wasn’t dressed for swimming. I told him I was just going for a quick peek at the beach, this being my first winter on Isla and therefore my first Semana Santa. He then asked how I am liking Semana Santa so far and I struggled to articulate that the atmosphere is pleasant, settling on “the soul of the beach is so peaceful”, and, from the expression on his face, that got my point across. I said that no one’s drinking to excess, the children are having fun, the music is lovely, etc.

The guy doing the parking next to the bright pink house piped up and said that it was nice to see a Gringa out and about enjoying the festivities and asked how come I haven’t left with everyone. Well, I sure wasn’t going to go into the real reason (ie. I got an extension on my healthcare coverage to be out of the province for eight months), but rather said that I’m not in a hurry. 🙂

And with that, I bid them farewell and headed down to the beach, avoiding all the vehicles, motorbikes, bikes, and ATVs hell bent on running me over. 😀

Lineup coming from The Road.

Lineup coming from The Road.

That end of the beach is getting more crowded.

That end of the beach is getting more crowded.

About the same this way.

About the same this way.

I ran into the blanket guy, as I expected I would, as I put in an order with him last week and told him I’d be looking for him the first week of April. I wanted a blanket with more yellow and he had a couple, but the only one that I liked was just like my first one, only with yellow instead of pink. I wanted something different and picked a traditional ‘rainbow’ pattern instead.

The light in the bedroom sucks and doesn't do justice to this blanket!

The light in the bedroom sucks and doesn’t do justice to this blanket!

This one will go on my bed at home and the other one will be for the bed in the back. I told him flat out that I’m done with blankets for this year and hope that he won’t harass me buy more. I’m very pleased to have picked these up as I’ve been looking for something for the bed in the back for ages.

I then continued on in search of raspado and came upon the same guy as Wednesday. I have never seen anyone so excited to see me without the words ‘It’s Rae from Travels With Miranda!’ being uttered! He had his wife with him to handle the money and he said, “That’s her! That’s her! That’s the Canadian gal! She bought a pineapple one from me, no caramel, no milk!” Then, to me, “Right? Am I right?” I laughed and said yes. The woman shook he her head and said, “My husband’s crazy. What do you want today?” I picked guava and, OH! So yummy! I got an extra scoop each of syrup and fruit compared to my last two raspados. And then, he said, “She pays a special price, 20!” I felt like a celebrity, LOL!

Strawberries with crema. I love how Mexicans turn fruit into fairly healthy snacks.

Strawberries with crema. I love how Mexicans turn fruit into fairly healthy snacks.

There were more hot food vendors today.

There were more hot food vendors today.

Rather than return home by the beach, I decided to go up and check out what was going on at this end of the village. It was probably a dumb idea to climb up when the foot path is so narrow and there was a long column coming down, but I hugged the wall and barreled my way up.

Enterprising person renting out the bathroom in their house.

Enterprising person renting out the bathroom in their house.

The beach panga was going non-stop.

The beach panga was going non-stop.

Big tanker in dock.

Big tanker in dock.

The Doric Breeze.

The Doric Breeze.

Campsite in the shade.

Campsite in the shade.

This would be a nice location to live.

This would be a nice location to live.

And it's for rent!

And it’s for rent!

Throngs of people coming off a tour boat.

Throngs of people coming off a tour boat.

It’s definitely busier today than the other days and I can feel it from the house, with more music and traffic. But it’s not overwhelming in the least and I don’t feel a need to hunker down in my house, like I was advised would probably be the best thing to do. I’m just concerned about the noise levels going up. Right now, there’s very loud music very close by and I am going to have to shut the office window. Hopefully, the fan will keep me cool!

Semana Santa: Thursday On the Beach

The sound of joyful music and the promise of a raspado lured me out of the casita this afternoon. Isla is getting much busier and, as expected, driving is now a nightmare here. I’m thinking I should up up a sign offering parking for one car for 50 pesos per day! 😀

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My street is a detour, with police making sure people turn and ATVers slow down.

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Parking only on this stretch, I guess.

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This person has a big empty lot and is putting it to good use!

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Better deal for parking if you don’t mind walking a bit.

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The RV park is shut tight.

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There’s a rope blocking access this way since everyone ignores the sign.

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Quiet(ish) at this end, if you don’t count the trombone music.

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But still busier than yesterday.

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Contessa’s site is looking empty.

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The entire area in front of the RV park is off limits.

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Quite a high cliff (higher than I can step up). Moments after I took this, the ground gave way and I fell pretty hard and hurt my hip. Thankfully, there were only a few thousand witnesses.

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Frolicking at low tide.

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I think this is the Navy (Marinos).

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Spiced mangoes on a stick and stuffed cucumbers. I might go for a mango tomorrow!

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Doing something wonderful with pineapples.

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What a lovely day!

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I did not see a single Gringo.

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Natural swimming pool.

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Fancier swimming pool.

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Traffic cones blocking a right hand turn from my street.

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Moron blocking my street. I would not be able to get out of the yard either forwards or backwards.

There were again a lot of raspado vendors and I picked one who had a hand washing station set up. He didn’t have his flavours listed, so I asked if he had prune, which he did. I didn’t take a picture because it frankly looked disgusting, but, of course, tasted divine. I liked it even more than the pineapple! The juice seemed to coat the ice better and the prunes had softened to melt in your mouth consistency. I had to watch out for pits, though!

I walked the whole length of the section of beach towards the panga and back savouring my treat, then had to walk quite a distance past the RV park until I found a place where I could get back up the sand hill, finding a stick firmly planted in the ground that I could use for a hand hold.

The atmosphere on the beach is wonderful. It’s not rowdy in the least. Everyone is having a good time, there’s barely any trash, the music is pleasant, and the police is friendly more than intimidating. I will definitely go check it out again tomorrow!

Semana Santa: Wednesday on the Beach

This week is Semana Santa (Holy Week) and the Mexicans are on holidays. I was warned that the beach will be standing room only by the weekend and that I should plan to hunker down. I decided that since today is likely to be the last day before the madness truly starts, I would go check out what was what on the beach.

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Shade is a precious commodity on a hot beach! These palapas were built for Semana Santa.

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Pretty quiet at my end of the beach.

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Quite a hill of sand. We’ve been having HIGH tides!

All the vendors and signage are for Mexicans, not Gringos, most of whom have left already anyway. It’s nice to be in such a touristy area and still experience something authentically Mexican.

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Teepees for rent.

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20 pesos PER HOUR!

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Getting busier.

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People were out in the water after several days of bad waves.

I will confess I was getting flashbacks to the movie Jaws, just before the Kintner boy is killed…

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A quiet stretch.

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You can buy all manner of beach toys.

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And beach clothes.

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More floaty things and pails.

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I’d only buy ceviche from a guy with a cooler at the start of the day…

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Surprisingly quiet at this end of the beach (near the climb to the panga).

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Finally, a chance to photograph this sign as a reminder to Google what the heck tejuino and tuba are!

Tejuino is a fermented drink made from corn juice. Tuba is palm wine. So both are very mildly alcoholic concoctions.

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Rent tables, bathrooms, and… watering cans? Sprinklers?

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Very few Gringos on the beach.

To my surprise, I saw my friend N playing in the surf, so I joined her, glad I was wearing suitable clothing for that! I had a few things to discuss with her, so that worked out really well.

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I was curious about raspado and picked a vendor at random.

I don’t normally bring money on my walks, but I had thought to stop at a restaurant for a limonada mineral and so had a little cash. Instead of waiting for ages at one of the crowded restaurants, I decided to check out what a ‘raspado’ is at there were a lot of vendors for them. I knew that shaved ice was involved.

That’s the base and you can add fruit juice with chunks of fruit, spices, caramel, sweetened condensed milk and more. I asked for a simple pineapple one and the cost was 20 pesos. Folks who got caramel and milk paid 25 to 30 pesos.

The ice comes in a huge block that is kept in a garbage bag. There’s a tool for shaving it that also collects the shavings into a neat shape that can be easily packed into a glass.

The man spoke some English, but was happy to switch to Spanish and said, “You must be Canadian.” I asked how he knew and he said that it’s easy. According to him, the Americans never buy from food carts, but Canadians often do. I shrugged and said that I’ve been here for almost six months and the food has yet to make me sick, much less kill me!

The raspado was wonderful and refreshing, with a generous amount of pineapple. I may seek him out again to try a prune one!

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Chunks of fruit (pineapple) with syrup over shaved ice. Very refreshing!

As I was reaching my turn off to go home, Paco, the jewellery vendor, came up to me and said, in English, “I’m not selling, just want you to look at more snake rings.” I did and didn’t like what he had as they were much bigger than the one I bought, which is already the limit of how big a ring I’ll wear since I have to be able to type with it. He proved to me that he really wasn’t trying to sell when he said, “Okay. See you again soon,” and turned to leave.

So I surprised him by asking if he had earrings, he opened up his case, I had a gander, and we struck a deal for delicate dragonflies with iridescent blue stones that he again confirmed are not real silver, but which are lovely nonetheless. He was really surprised and pleased to make a sale!

I’m glad I got a peek at what Semana Santa is like on the beach, but I’m not convinced I’ll be heading there over the weekend, other than to perhaps sneak a few pictures from a distance!

A Leisurely Mazatlán Drive

My friends Janet and Grant were moving to a B&B in the Golden Zone today and asked me to drive them and their wonderful dog, Boo, as well as their pile of luggage. I was warned by Contessa that this is a holiday week and so traffic in town is crazy and that they should take a panga and auriga. Having yet to see anywhere in North America traffic as bad as Montreal on a normal day and today being midweek, I decided to ignore the warning and save Janet and Grant the trouble of manhandling all that gear and the dog. 🙂

As it turned out, traffic was actually quite light so that, in combination with The Road being in good shape, meant we were at the B&B in just under an hour. It would have been closer to 45 minutes if I hadn’t tried to avoid Camarón Sábalo since I heard there would be closures on it. As it turned out, it was open to northbound traffic, so we were fine. Grant only had directions from Camarón Sábalo and no map, so it made sense to risk taking the road and it worked out fine.

From the B&B, I followed the very good and clear southbound detour signs to Rafael Buelna (Flagstaff, take note). I wanted to get a few things at Mega and the detour took me to Rafael Buelna just a block from the store, so I had a right, a left, and a right to make and I was there… where I discovered that between the three of us, we had missed the giant dog crate on the passenger bucket seat! Dang!

Since I was there, I decided to do my shopping before making my way back to the B&B. The trip to Mega ended up being rather pointless since they didn’t have the no sugar high protein delicious granola I picked up there last time, but they did have their unsweetened whole wheat raisin bread, so the trip wasn’t a complete bust. I also got beer since I can’t get Tecate on Isla, was due for a change, and didn’t have to carry it home!

Coming out of Mega, I was peckish, so I bought a slice of decent pizza and a bottle of cold water for 27 pesos from the Rin Rin below the supermarket. The manager was on hand to translate, but very quickly realised his help wasn’t needed and went back into the hall to try to find more customers.

I’d brought the styrofoam cooler with me, so I put my cold stuff in there when I got back to the truck. This included quite a lot of yoghurt since the Lala was quite a bit cheaper than I’ve ever seen it anywhere else, 20 pesos for the BIG tub!.

From Mega, I took Camarón Sábalo back up to Gaviotas and then on to the B&B where Janet and Grant were very happy to see me. Grant had already planned to get on a bus and meet me at the panga!

To get to Mex-15, I followed the Rafael Buelna signs for a bit, but then veered off from them, taking a route I believed would take me to a road where I could turn right and then catch Rafael Buelna at a light across from the Home Depot so I could make a left hand turn. My route was perfect and after a few turns, I was on Mex-15 heading home.

It was such an easy and pleasant drive in town today. My navigator wound up not being very useful (I so wish he read this blog *g*), but I really do know my way around now and all I had to focus on was not hitting or being hit by anyone, easy peasy.

Now, to see if Isla and the Beach do get as crazy this weekend as many people have warned me about…

Hitting the Bank

I posted on Facebook today that I might go to town to ‘hit the bank’ and my friend L replied that I should perhaps rethink my choice of words. I’m still giggling about that. It’s rather like the time I told my boss I was gone such a long time making the daily deposit ‘because there was a hold up at the bank.’ The English language never ceases to amuse me!

I wound up giving my landlady my last 500 peso bill to get gas for my last month here and do an advance payment on the final light bill. I have a pretty light work queue for the next few days, so I decided to run to town today for cash rather than wait. I was due for a break anyway. What with emotions running high in the first part of the week, I didn’t get much work done and really paid for it Wednesday and Thursday. It was really nice to have a slow morning, start on a project, then break for a long while in Maz.

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A common sight at home, but not here on Isla! Rabbits are conejos, not cojones. You only make that mistake once.

The exchange rate is bad/good, depending on how you look at it and I was FINALLY able to make an 8,000 peso withdrawal! That’s always been just above 700CAD since I’ve been here, my daily withdrawal limit. Today, it was just $687 with the fees!

After months of saying I would do this and not doing it, I finally went into the bank to change my 500s for smaller bills. I had lots of time in a very long line to work out what I would say. This is how I handle new situations, by anticipating potential questions and answers, so that I don’t get to a teller and go ‘Uh…’ The teller was friendly and I told her, “The machine gave me a lot of 500s and my landlady doesn’t like them. Can I change them for smaller? 200s and 100s would be good.”

She understood and said that she could do that. I handed her nine 500s, she counted them, and then asked me to confirm that it was 4,500 pesos. She then counted the money out in 200s and 100s and handed me a big wad without counting it out for me the way a Canadian and US teller does. I wasn’t worried, so I stepped out of line and found a quiet corner in the bank to confirm that I had 15 of each.

Then, I went to Beach Burger for lunch and splurged on not only a limonada mineral (I find it hilarious that beer is cheaper), but also the ‘Wipe Out’ burger with BBQ sauce and avocado. It also had cheese, mustard, ketchup, onions, and pickles, in addition to Montreal steak spice, and was probably the most amazing burger I have ever had. OMG! And I forgot to say no mayo but the server remembered and told the cook for me! That’s amazing considering the fact that the hot dog lady I see every week doesn’t remember that! For some reason, I also got chips and pico de gallo with this meal, so I came out of there stuffed!

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Nowhere near sick of pico de gallo yet and a meal without it is lacking! I can even handle a little heat now without crying!

The server always insists on speaking English to me and I always insist on speaking Spanish, this way we both practice! We chatted a bit and it came out that I’m renting a house here on Isla. He told me what he pays in Centro histórico for a one-bedroom with a bathroom, a mere 2,000 pesos! I was thinking of looking for a deal like that to be in town next year, but am not feeling that adventurous even if I know I am paying a Gringo premium on my place.

I headed to the Mercado next and look what I noticed kitty corner from the cathedral?

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Main Maz post office!

Am I blind???!!! How could I have gone by there so many times and only now noticed the post office?!

I then passed Panamá’s and resisted the call of the pastries, but I happened to notice this:

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What the heck is Canadian cream?!

Before getting veggies at the Mercado, I wanted to price a final (?) dress. I’ve seen it for months, since just after Christmas. It’s of a similar style to my Christmas dresses, but has a bit more embroidery, and it’s that gorgeous orangey pink I have on my dressing room walls at home that made me fall in love with some shades of pink.

The clerk pulled it down for me and I was rather disappointed to find that it looked a little small. Then the clerk said something to me (in English) I have never in my life heard, “I think it might be a bit big on you. Maybe you try it on over your dress and see?”

Um, okay. I tried it on and the fit was good! Woohoo! She wanted 350 or 360 and I got it for 330, which I knew was a very good deal. I wouldn’t have paid more than 350, though, as I’m really starting to stretch my clothes budget! I had planned to come home with a closet full of Mexican dresses, though, so these really are planned purchases. I just think it’s time to say I’ve hit the limit. But they’re so inexpensive and high quality it’s hard to stop!

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This picture doesn’t do justice to the colour or exquisite details of this dress.

Then, veggies and a quick Ley stop for yoghurt and ham. I was hoping they’d have some of that granola I found at Mega, but nope. The only ‘no sugar’ granola was three times the cost and sweetened with agave. Sugar is sugar, people. Read the labels!

I then took the shortcut I’ve discovered to reach the panga, where there was just one other passenger besides me. It was a quick ride since we didn’t have to go to the Colonia dock.

Now, I should probably try to get a little work done…