Living Onward

Our guests, the Andersons, left Melaque on Saturday. We were very sad to see them go. We had been having so much fun with them, but good times have to end. They had arranged a taxi but the driver they had spoken to did not show up and we had to call in a backup at the very last minute. This taxi mishap has never happened to us, they are usually very dependable. Looks like "Eddy" won't be getting our business in the future.  Their flight departed the Manzanillo airport a bit late, which unfortunately caused them to miss their flight from LA to Seattle, so they had to stay the night in LA.  The following day, they boarded an early flight to Boise, ID, and then to Spokane. They were a bit tired but got home on Sunday around noon.

John, Loretta, Beth, and Linda on the beach.

Next, Linda and I had until Monday before Beth arrived. Our plan was to organize our stuff and do some shopping.  We also planned to get re-acquainted with the town.  As we walked about, we met people we have known from prior stays and it was fun to chat and say hello.

On Sunday Iris, our friend from Edison, WA, texted and we went to lunch at one of our favorite spots, Rosa's.  We walked and talked and got a bit caught up. At Rosa's, we were unexpectedly joined by some other good friends AnneMarie and Mac from the North Seattle area. We all enjoyed a great lunch and did some catching up.

Three amigas!

Beth arrived without any problems. She settled into the bedroom on the right. She will be staying for about ten weeks and will be working via the internet the entire time she is here. It's great to have her here. We haven't seen her in person for quite a while.

Three days after Beth arrived, our third guests made their way to our doorstep. John and Loretta Sutherland flew from their winter hideaway in Baja to the airport in Manzanillo and took a taxi up for a five-day visit. They settled into the bedroom on the left for their stay. After their visit here, they traveled to Morelia to view the monarch butterfly migration and explore some different regions of Mexico.

With the Sutherlands and Beth settled in, we wandered around Melaque, eating at the local restaurants and visiting. One day we all went over to Barra, while Beth stayed home and worked (she works eight hours each day online). We visited Jon Karpenko and his girlfriend, Cheri at Jon's new house. It's located in the barrio of Barra and he is working to make it his southern retreat.

Big surf on the beach in Barra.

We enjoyed our visit with John and Loretta very much, but they had to move on around the 18th of January. 

Linda and I have been settling into the rhythm of Melaque.  The little town is growing, construction is booming, gringos are plentiful and there seems to be a quickening in the pace of life in this small town.

Many remembered restaurants have closed but others have opened and are busy. The bigger stores where we shop for our necessities are the same, but the little bodegas have been replaced by Oxxos.

We received an email from David and Rebecca Kilmer inviting us to Barra to see their very nice casa.  We rode the bus over and enjoyed the sunset from their palapa. We all went out to dinner and enjoyed street tacos in the heart of Barra.

Three days later the Kilmers drove over to Melaque and we reciprocated by showing them our casa followed by a walk to Pedro,s for street tacos. It was a great night and we really enjoyed their visit. 

On January 27th, Hal and Jennie Shoener drove over from Manzanillo for a three-night stay. Because of travel issues, we hadn't been able to see them while we were in Manzanillo.  While they were here, we walked daily, saw some great sunsets, took a lot of pictures, and ate at some great places. We often worry about the friends that visit us. We don't want them to be bored, but Melaque is a quiet place to live and that's what we do here. Things to do here are pretty simple: play a game, read a book, chat with friends, swim, play volleyball, walk/run... Nightlife consists of late dinners and hanging in the centro watching the families walk around or watching a Zags game or football on TV. Cancun or Puerto Vallarta it is not.

John, on Mexico time.

At this time we have a break from hosting visitors. Our plans are to lay low and rest up. We will play, live, and enjoy this little town.

Loretta, John Linda and Beth on the sea wall.

The main street in Barra.

Hal and Jennie. Drinks with friends!

Linda's latest heart purchase.

unset in  Melaque.

We finished a very cool Puzzle.

Sunrise over Melaque Bay.

Friends, Fish and Fireflies

OutsideTemplo San Antonio de Padua

"Cristo del Ciclón"

We rushed to volleyball with our packs stuffed full for the day. Our friend Iris was leaving for home and we wanted to spend some quality volleyball time with her before she had to fly. It was a fun hour and at the end, we hugged and said our goodbyes. It will not be the same without her here.

Directly from the pool at volleyball we changed and walked to catch a bus to Barra de Navidad. We had plans to meet up with some friends from Coeur d'Alene who are staying on their sailboat in the marina at the Grand Bay Hotel, awaiting the move to their new casa in Barra's Barrio.

Arriving early to our rendezvous location at the jardin, we walked to Ramone's, a small restaurant on one the main streets, and drank a couple of cold beverages. Volleyball had made us thirsty and those drinks hit the spot.

At our arranged time we walked back to the jardin. As we walked along holding hands we rounded the center planter of vegetation and I spotted David and Rebecca sitting on a bench in the shade. At the same time, Linda started waving and pulling my hand in the direction of a group of people across the street to our right. A moment of confusion ensued. There we were both pulling different directions waving at two different groups of people. We stopped and looked at each other. Finally, Linda spotted David and Rebecca standing up to greet us. We hugged, shook hands and tried to explain the confusion. We looked to the right towards the group of people Linda had thought were David and Rebecca and they were gone! With a confused laugh, we started our visit.

Our view at Sea Master for lunch.

David and Rebecca Kilmer, as I said, are friends from our home town. They have traveled and sailed, living a dream that we have talked about for years. We were lucky to be able to go out on their sailboat, Liberté, when they were staying down in Barra several years ago.  At present they are moored at the Grand Bay Hotel in the marina living on their boat. They have bought a new house and are set to move in the first part of February.  

After the greetings, we walked into Barra's Centro and checked out the many places that we all were familiar with. David and Rebecca pointed out the places where they did their daily shopping and the various areas that provided services for them and Linda and I pointed out the places that we were familiar with from our visits to this fun little tourist town.

We sat down for lunch at a restaurant located right off the water called the Sea Master and enjoyed a nice lunch of tacos and chips. Our time was spent catching up on both couples' lives and the lives of mutual friends. It was a very enjoyable time in a beautiful location.

From the deck of the Sea Master, we walked through the streets, and past the shops to the water taxi dock and caught a panga over to the marina. The taxi captain dropped us off on the dock right next to Liberté. Linda and I were so impressed. Two steps and we were on board. We can't wait to have the Kilmers over to our casa and have them experience the 37 steps up to our living quarters.

The view from their cockpit of Liberté is spectacular. The Grand Bay Hotel encompasses the entire panorama before you. Sailboats and yachts provide the foreground and all this is perfectly edged with the green of palm trees over a blue sky backdrop.

Catching up with friends was wonderful. We sat on the soft pads on the boat and talked and laughed. They suggested that we go for a swim and so we left the boat and wound our way through the maze of garden and villas to the pool area. This pool is actually about four pools connected with slides and waterfalls. Surrounded by beautiful gardens, the pools seem to go on forever. We found a spot in a quiet corner overlooking  Barra and the lagoon. We swam and talked for a while and enjoyed the life at the Grand Bay.

After about an hour our attention was drawn to the many fishing boats that were returning from a day of fishing out at sea. This weekend a huge fishing tournament was taking place and the Grand Bay was the site of all the ceremonies. Boats of all sizes were returning with their catch to be weighed and measured. We could not resist, so we walked from our quiet hideaway into the center of the fishing tournament spectacle.

Night and day! From the tranquility of our quiet corner to a throng of people crowded around the rack where the competing fish were hung after being weighed and measured. The atmosphere was loud music, fish, tequila, pretty girls and testosterone. Big boats, beer, and fish stories. The place was humming. The people-watching was excellent so we crowded in, caught the thump of the loudspeakers, and enjoyed the ride.

The beautiful grounds of the Grand Bay.

After some drinks and exploring the festivities we walked back to Liberté and got comfortable. Rebecca fixed a plate of wonderful snacks and David provided us with some of his world-famous guacamole. We snacked and told stories as the fishing frenzy died out. Once things around the marina calmed down and we watched the lights come up around the Grand Bay, we had to say our goodbyes and catch a water taxi back to Barra. 

Living quarters on Liberté.

Dave and Rebecca escorted us up and into the lobby of the Grand Bay and showed us the vistas from that magnificent complex. We walked the path out of the resort into a favorite hidden garden of the Kilmers. As David told us of how special the area was to them we noticed that they had presented us with a rare spectacle. All throughout the dark garden area twinkled little sparks from a hatch of fireflies. A blanket of twinkling lights for us to say our goodbyes. We hugged and bid adios to our friends and climbed aboard the water taxi and were off across the dark waters. Another amazing day in Mexico.

Part of the pool area where we swam.

Watching the tournament catches being unloaded.

Just one of the unlucky Marlin.

Boats of all sizes.

Dorado!

Fish, tequila, boys and beauties.

David and Rebecca having a tequila mixer.

Photos by David Kilmer, Linda Bennett, and Dean Bennett