La Manzanilla

We hopped on the bus for our usual ride to La Manzanilla. Today we were packed like gringo sausages. We found out that there was a big boccie ball tournament on the beach so everyone was going. John and Beth were stuffed in the back of the transit, but we didn't notice that until I got stuffed further back in the package.

Looking up the beach toward Pedro's.

Off the bus and on to Pedro's, the rush of travel behind us. We got a great table and avoided the grumpy old folks next to us.Things were fine when we got our drinks and snacks.

During the day I took a long walk up the beach all the way to the abandoned hotel. I had not walked this stretch for a few years and noticed quite a few changes. (Visit Post Here) The place is growing!

You can see the hotel in the distance.
No one walking the beach!

Once we were finished it was back on the bus for a crowded ride home. Another day on the beach under our belts.

The hotel in all its glory!

Notice the reflection?

"I don't like this!"

Tenacatita

What a great day! Leigh and Barry Vincent picked us up and we drove North up Highway 200 our sights on a beach day at Tenacatita. At the intersection, to La Manzanilla, we took a hard right. Berry wanted to see what was further up the road at a little village.

We drove about a mile and sure enough, there was a very small village. Not much there, but any side trip gives Berry inspiration and he usually has a local story to tell. I love to ride with him and listen to the bits of history that he has picked up from his Mexican friends. Many of the stories involve politics of the area, some scrape along the surface of the local Cartel gossip. One story always leads to another.

Berry took a quick peek at the village and turned around and we headed back to the highway.

A stop and quick right put us back on Highway 200. More stories were discussed and eventually we parked the car right next to the beach at Tenacatita.

If you have followed my blog long, then you would probably have read my ramblings about this beach and its colorful history. You might Google Tenacatita and read about the land fighting and all that went with it. All I can say is that the beach is coming back, there is a restaurant just across the road and people are feeling much better about visiting and providing the locals a livelihood.

Today the weather and water were near perfect. There were about seven sailboats anchored in the Aquarium, the anchorage just offshore, and a large group of tourists lounging at the beach by the restaurant.

Berry and Leigh had all the beach accouterments and once we were all set up the lounging began.

As any beach day goes, there was food, drink and lots of talk. At one point Berry's eyes shut for just a few seconds, so I believe he took a nap.

This is what staying in Mexico is all about!

Dirty Feet

The music pulse drove the crowd into a frenzy. The dust rose above the ankles and filled the room. Light bounced off the musician's instruments and flashed the dancers as they moved to the rhythms. It was another night to remember, it was Pool Volleyball Taco Night!

That sort of reads like the start of a novel, well at least up until the Pool Volleyball Taco Night part.

Every year a bunch of the volleyball hardcore puts together an end of season party to thank everyone, the pool owners and players, for a fun winter season of ball smacking.

This year the party really got going due the addition of a live band. I don't have all the names, but this is how it came about. Jeff Cheek, a fellow volleyball player and bass guitar player, has been playing with a guitarest at the La Taza Negra coffee bar. Jeff asked this fellow if he would like to play at the party and then this new fellow,  invited a vocalist/guitarist to join them. Ive, another volleyball player, heard a drummer one evening at a bar and he hired the fellow to play with the other three at the Pool Volleyball Taco Night party. That's how a band is put together in Melaque!

We all had a blast dancing and eating. Always a good time in this little town.

Fat Tuesday

Gary and Grace, Linda and I, grabbed separate busses and made our way into Barra for an evening of Mardi Gras action. Our bus arrived first and once we gathered our two friends we walked down to the water taxi and crossed over to the Grand Bay.

Over at the docks we checked on John K's sailboat, enjoyed the cool breeze, and then returned to the beach at Barra.

There was a definite excitement in the air. The town was prepared for Fat Tuesday. Streets were blocked off and filled with carnival rides, the plaza was set with chairs, and the stage was electrified with lights and sound speakers. A loud evening lay ahead for Barra; we were glad we lived in Melaque.

Our first stop was Bananas for drinks and sunset. We sat and chatted while watching the sun go down. As soon as the sky was filled with color we heard the loud thumping of music coming from the street. The Mardi Gras parade was passing so we settled our check and went out to watch.

Like last year's parade, this one was a mish-mash of homemade floats and costumes. It is hard to explain exactly what each float represented. I don't think the people who put the floats together actually knew why they created what they created.

This year one float stuck out as the most un-politically correct float of all time. It was a float of cannibals in blackface with a very young lady as their captive. You make your own interpretations from there. Only in Mexico, is all I can say.

When the parade was over we walked through the plaza and past the kid's rides to dinner at Galeria de Arte. We've not been here before for a meal. We had a wonderful dinner which included a tasting of fine tequila. We chatted for quite awhile with the host, Robert, who obviously loves his passions of photography and tequila. Linda was very impressed and I think she has a new favorite tequila. 

After dinner we walked back to the main street in Barra and caught a taxi home. It was a nice night and a pleasure spending some time with Gary and Grace.

Not many pool players tonight!

Clicking Along

Sometimes things just click and an experience or an adventure can end up being super fun and relaxing. That was our trip to La Manzanilla yesterday.

At about 9:00 am we headed out and walked up to the Pemex station on the main highway where we met up with our friends Craig and Dayl. This was a new bus stop for Linda and myself. Dayl had suggested it and it turned out to be perfect.

The reason it worked out so well was that we got on an almost empty bus, got seats and then headed to San Patricio where we filled most all the empty seats.  This bus can be a bit crowded at times. This new bus stop gets you on board before the large flocks of gringos.

The ride over was pleasant and when we arrived we walked directly to Pedro's Tacos, grabbed a beach spot and settled in. We enjoyed a quick beverage and then Dayl, Craig and I walked over to the Cocodrillo tour area to look at the collection of gators.

Two years ago, Linda and I had walked the small boardwalk and checked out the crocodiles at the museum. It was nice, but in the past two years, they have expanded the boardwalk tremendously. I was pleasantly surprised!

We walked the boardwalk and took photos of some huge crocodiles. I don't know how many we saw but I know it was way more than fifteen; probably more in the range of forty or better. The walk took us into the mangroves where we were able to see birds of all kinds.  After about a quarter mile we crossed a swinging bridge and walked to the museum.

In this area, they had old crocs that had behavioral issues (escape artists, aggressive, etc) and holding pens full of baby crocs. There were at least five pens with sixteen or more babies in each. One pen had a combination of crocs and turtles.

A young man picked up a young croc and let us hold it for photos. Like I said I was impressed with all the creatures we were able to see.

Back at the beach, we met up with Leigh and Barry who had settled in and we spent the rest of the day eating and talking in the shade of the umbrellas at Pedro's. It was super relaxing and everyone enjoyed the little getaway.

Leigh and Barry packed everyone into their car for the return ride home; another welcome addition to the day.

I took quite a few pictures so please excuse the gallery below. Remember to click on some of the bird and croc shots and expand them to their full size, I think some are quite good.