South Again

 ¡feliz año nuevo! We wish you all the best this coming year.

Wow, I don't know how to explain everything that it took to get into our next adventure. There was so much preparation prior to our departure that words would never convey what it took to get out of Post Falls. Linda was the organizer in all respects. I just shoveled snow, ran errands, and kept my head down. Without my Bug (Linda), we would not be sitting here in Mexico enjoying the sun and listening to the waves on the ocean.

View from our condo balcony.

Linda made this happen and gets full credit for everything. Over the past eight months, she was able to put together this trip, starting with securing a rental house in Melaque, Mexico. Once she made the connection and covered the details of the rental, we started contacting friends who we thought would like to travel to Mexico and share the house with us.

The house is relatively new and large enough for visitors. There are three bedrooms and other amenities that give us room to be comfortable with our guests. Once we formalized this rental, the rest of the trip, our flights, guest lists, and numerous other details were covered. Keep in mind, Linda made all the arraignments while also taking care of her mother and all her needs. She was amazing!

The four amigos head to the pool.

On our departure date Rayelle, Mike, and Julia Anderson, our first traveling companions, arrived and picked us up at our house. A friend of theirs, John, rode along to shuttle Mike's truck home after the airport drop-off. 

We had no problems getting through security and checking in on our flights. In fact, we had no real problems throughout the entire journey down south even though every air terminal was packed with holiday travelers. There were a couple delayed flights but nothing that affected our travels.

This is from the lower pool area.

Our itinerary took us from Spokane to Seattle and then to Los Angeles, where we stayed overnight at the typical airport hotel. It wasn't the Ritz, but we had no problems and it made all the connections very easy. Thanks, Rayelle, for taking care of that part. Leaving LA our flight was packed. We all settled in and just kept thinking that by the end of the day we would be in a beautiful spot with NO snow.

Arrival was on time and we disembarked our flight into the warmth of 84-degree weather. The Mexican terminal was the usual chaos with everyone crowding to get through the lines and pick up their luggage. Of course, we ended up being about the last people through the process.  We spilled out of security and into the concourse where we were greeted by Sue and Raul, the owners of our condo unit. We all introduced ourselves and made our way out of the airport.  Linda and I rode with Sue and Raul, and the Andersons hired a taxi.  Homer, the taxi driver, was very nice, spoke a little English, and made their trip very enjoyable. Linda and I chatted with Sue and Raul as we drove down towards Manzanillo to Vida del Mar and our condo. 

The bridge leading to the playa

What a beautiful place! The view out of our patio is like a  photo from a travel brochure. We have stayed here with our friends Hal and Jennie Schoener once before. If you want to read more about the area and our first visit, follow this link about Vida del Mar.

Our group settled in and learned all about the condo from Raul. We checked everything out and fell in love with our living space. Thank you, Jennie and Linda, for getting us these gorgeous accommodations!

Rayelle and Mike, before my chair, broke.

That evening our friend Pete drove Mike and me to an Italian restaurant to pick up a couple pizzas we ordered for our first dinner.  We had a beverage and received our order. The restaurant owner brought us our pizzas and an order of chicken parmesan. We let him know that we didn't order the chicken meal, he just smiled and shrugged his shoulders, and said that it would not go to waste.

Walking back to the car, I stepped on a curb and slipped off the rounded edge. I fell gracefully (like a gazelle), dropped the pizzas carefully on the grass, and rolled to the ground.  Nothing damaged, bruised, or splattered.  Only my pride scuffed a bit. The funny thing about this was that Mike was wearing some flip-flops for the first time ever, and I had explained to him how to walk in them and that one of the things he needed to watch was catching the toe and tripping. Basically, what I had just done. 

When we got home we ate and I reenacted the fall. Everyone laughed and had a great evening.

Thursday saw Linda, Rayelle, and Julia in a taxi with Jose. They were going to the bank to pick up some pesos and then on to the grocery store for supplies. It was a long day for them but Jose waited as they did what they wanted to do and then brought them home safely. They raved about Jose. He was very nice, shared lots of information about Manzanillo and his family, and will appear more in this blog. 

On Friday we all got up and walked to the beach on a quiet cove called Playa La Boquita.  This playa is on the northern part of the north bay called Santiago Bay. The southern bay is Manzanillo Bay. Don't let the locals catch you calling the big bay system Manzanillo Bay because it is definitely two bays.  We spent the afternoon eating quesadillas, and guacamole, and drinking cervezas while watching the holiday travelers enjoying the sun.  We were the only folks with no skin color whatsoever (Idaho winter white), so we didn't blend in very well.

As we sat and watched the spectacle of the beach, my chair started making slight movements in the sand. Being an experienced Mexico beach chair user, I warned everyone around the table to be aware that their white plastic seat could explode, shatter or sink at any moment. They all acknowledged the warning and returned to enjoying the food. My chair move once again and I adjusted my balance thinking that it was sinking a bit into the sand.  Suddenly the right rear leg buckled. Slowly I lowered toward the ground. With experience on my side, I reached my right hand out and down just in time to stop myself from hitting the sand. Everyone started laughing and I struggled to regain my balance and right myself. Once again my instincts prevailed. No harm, no foul. 

The hike back to the condo was hot and when we arrived I found out we had hiked a total of 2.5 miles. Everyone but myself went to the pool. I cooled off and snored myself to sleep. My snoring was so bad I woke myself up about a million times.  

We all gathered and prepared a great shrimp taco meal. Then we settled into a big game of Hucklebuck. I lost badly and we retired for the evening exhausted but content.