What's Next

 The Andersons will be with us for the week, so I won't post about everything we do on a daily basis. I will post news of events that I figure will be interesting to your all. This will be done here on this post along with photos that we take during this time frame. It will be easier for everyone involved and definitely will be less boring for everyone to read.

Photos you might like:

Diner at Tito's.

Dinner at Pedro's Tacos.

Two whales in Melaque Bay. 

Little puppy on the roof of a van.

2023 Is Here!

The New Year rolled in. On New Year's Eve, after the clan got home from the Oaxacan Market, we hung out at the pool, made dinner, and played a ton of different games trying to stay awake for the New Year fireworks which we had heard about. Mike and I decided we didn't need to see those. We remained at the condo and took the time to get ready for sleep. Linda, Rayelle, and Julia walked down to a spot where they could see a large portion of the playa where they hoped to watch the fireworks.  We were told that there would be over 30,000 people on the beach to watch the fireworks.  We were also told that it was so packed on this night, we would probably not have enjoyed the crowds. 

When the threesome returned they told us that the fireworks were pretty, but were also far away. I was glad I had not walked down to the viewing area, fireworks have never been my thing.

January 1st was spent resting and relaxing. We started preparing for our move from Manzanillo to our rental house in Melaque. We are anxious to see the place and hopeful that it will provide a comfortable three-month home.

Linda had arranged for a driver, Jose, the gentleman they had used for their trips into Manzanillo, to pick us up and deliver us to the new casa. He would be arriving on the 2nd at 11:00 am for the move.

New Year's fireworks. Welcome, 2023!

Let's jump back to Saturday. The group decided to take a road trip to do some shopping at the Oaxacan market in Manzanillo. Linda had arranged for a taxi driver to drive us all in. Exactly at the time requested, the taxi arrived. It was Jose, the driver the grocery shoppers had had earlier in the week. We lined up outside the casa. I was the last in line and Jose looked at the group and then back to the taxi. I could tell he noticed just how large the group was. It was obvious that we would not fit into the little taxi Jose arrived in. Immediately, I seized the moment and volunteered to stay home and let the four others squeeze into the vehicle. Off they drove and I went back into the casa and enjoyed a very nice quiet day on my own. I missed being with everyone as they explored and shopped, but I had been to the big city before. 

When they arrived home we found out that one of the apartment keys had gone missing. After an extensive search, we declared that the keys are gone and we would pay for a replacement once we were ready to leave our condo.

Lunch in Manzanillo.

LINDA - On Saturday morning Mike, Rayelle, Julia, and I ventured out again to hit up the Oaxacan Artisian Market located in the parking lot of the Soriana. We discovered it was in town when we went grocery shopping earlier in the week. I was so excited when I saw it. I had been telling Rayelle and Julia about it but wasn't sure when or if it would be there. Dean stayed at the condo because the taxi was too small. Our driver of choice, Jose, was responsible for getting us there. I had thought he was busy that day with family stuff/New Year's Eve celebration so I contacted another name I had been given. He wasn't available. I contacted the office and they promised they would send a taxi our way.

Believe it or not, the driver they sent was Jose! I apologized and said I would have called him myself but thought he was busy. He explained he was busy later that day but ready now. My Spanish and his English got the job done but sometimes there were some misunderstandings. We got there and make arrangements for Jose to pick us up when we were ready to come home. The market was smaller by more than half compared to the years I'd been going (that's been 3 years ago, there was a pandemic, and who knows what else) I felt a bit silly because I had built this up so much and then it wasn't at all what I expected. Even with that, I think everyone had a great time. We went through the whole thing looking at all the crafts and booths then circled back and went in with more intent. Mike was a trooper. He carried backpacks, held water, and was very patient while we three shopped and made decisions.

Julia and Rayelle scored heavily with things for themselves and gifts for others. We then decided to try out Jose's suggestion for tacos at a restaurant across the street from the market. It was a fun experience. I scored big when the Andersons bought ice cream for all as we waited for Jose to come pick us up for our return to Vida del Mar. I tried a sorbet made with guanabana fruit. This is a frightening-looking fruit on the outside, but wow, was it ever delicious!!

The missing keys.

 Each night we played cards or other games. The Andersons showed no mercy and won most of the contests. I had to remind Linda that they were our guests down here and that there will be many opportunities for her to get even throughout the coming week. As we packed for our trip to the new digs, Julia found the infamous keys. They had been stuffed in her backpack. This gave us all relief and provided something we could tease Julia about.

On January 2nd at 11:00 am sharp Jose arrived once again to transport us up to Melaque. This time he brought his suburban and we all fit in just fine. Jose is a very outgoing gentleman. If the conversation slowed down, he always had an observation, question, or story to fill the silence. The ride to Melaque took us about an hour. We knew the area where our casa was located but had never been there. Like all small towns in Mexico, the street names are usually painted on the building walls, and like most places, the walls get painted which includes painting over the street names. We circled past the street where our casa was located a couple times but finally were able to zero in on the exact location with the help of Google.

Seahawks via our computer and VPN!

After we paid Jose and said our goodbyes, we entered the casa and started exploring. The house has three bedrooms a living space with connecting kitchen, three full bathrooms with showers, and two restrooms with no showers.  The upper palapa is very spacious with various seating options. There is a pool table that works as a ping pong table and disk hockey surface. We were very surprised at how nice all this was.  Two bedrooms have two beds in them and storage, while the master bedroom has a king-sized bed with good storage and a very large bathroom.

Once we all settled in, our group started getting into the swing of being a tourist and doing what everyone does, explore!

Dinner at Tito's in Melaque.

Hard to get this group to act normal!

Going into the plaza in Melaque.

Shopping!

Anderson's first Melaque Churro.

Shopping in Barra.

Julia with the Barra sign.

Surfing, a big draw in Barra. 

Our friend John K. just happened to be setting sail 
out of Barra as we visited the malecon. What a coincidence!

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.

A Long Bus Ride

Being honest, this wasn't our best effort.

Daren and Marcy asked us if we wanted to go into Old Town Manzanillo to look around and see what is in that area. We agreed and then also decided that we would take buses all the way into the big city and back. 

Our first view of the blue marlin of Manzanillo.

We got up early and purchased tickets from Melaque to the main bus central in Manzanillo. I think they came to 140 pesos per couple one way. We also made a decision to take the Coordinados Bus lines in and then to make a judgment call for the return ride after we visited Old Town.

The bus pulled in on time and we loaded up. Our bus was surprisingly full and so Linda and I got two seats just a little back from the halfway point on the bus.  We didn't notice the air conditioner located just above our seats. Daren and Marcy found seats just behind us.

Linda and big blue!

Our journey began.
The Coordinados Bus Lines is a mid-range bus company that serves the folks who prefer not to pay for the first-class busses like are offered by Primera Plus, for example. The busses tend to be a bit run down and also make more stops while in transit.

By the first stop in Barra de Navidad, I was about frozen from the air conditioner blowing directly down upon me. Linda was slightly off to my side and she was fairing far better. We continued on and proceeded to stop at multiple small pick-up points along the way. Oh, I almost forgot. Coordinados Busses run movies and music videos at full volume as they travel across the countryside. On this trip, we were blessed with one of the thousand productions in the "Fast and the Furious" franchise. Imagine Vin Diesel in Spanish at full volume.

The old town area of Manzanillo.

On we traveled. We entered the outskirts of the big city and passed places we recognized. On we went. The sights were new, but we also knew that we would arrive at the Bus Centro and it may be a new destination for the two of us. (Our last bus visit was about 15 years ago) We arrived!

We climbed off the bus and everyone headed into the nearest bathroom. Once comfortable again we walked through the terminal and caught a chicken bus for the final leg into Old Town.

Mexican warships on display.

Our driver knew that we wanted to get off in Old Town and when we reached the stop he shouted and we obeyed! The next hour was classic tourist stuff; walking aimlessly toward the big Blue Marlin that designated the center of the Port of Manzanillo. We took photos and then walked aimlessly into the heart of Old Town proper.

Food was our next directive and so Linda and Marcy looked on their phone and found us a restaurant that we could refuel at. Chantilly's was located on the main road and we were able to get seats out in the shade for our meal. We had a nice lunch and spent quite a bit of time talking and eating.

The tourists at the Manzanillo sign.

We finished our meal and walked back onto the streets. By this time everyone was about ready to find our next chicken bus back to Bus Central. We returned to the drop-off point and immediately caught a bus headed back to the main bus terminal. The trip back seemed much faster then the trip in and we climbed off the bus on the sidewalk in front of the terminal.

At the ticket booth, we had to make a choice. We could purchase tickets on the first-class Primera Plus Bus which would be leaving in an hour and 25 minutes, or we could leave immediately on the Coordinados Bus that was waiting just out the door. The ticket lady reiterated the fact that the first class bus wouldn't leave for an hour and a half when we said we wanted tickets on the Primera bus. This caused us to rethink our choice and make the biggest mistake of the day. We chose the Coordinados Bus.

Another perspective.

We boarded the bus and then it proceeded to stop at every little spot between Manzanillo and Melaque. It filled to the max and the driver had to do walk-throughs checking tickets. IT TOOK FOREVER to get home (1 hour, 50 minutes). Oh, I forgot to mention that the movie was "Thor - Ragnarok" at full volume.

We are beat!

Adventure or Obsession

Gathering for the bus trip into Manzanillo.

The four Nautilus amigos gathered outside the Coordinados Bus depot and waited patiently for the bus to Manzanillo. This "adventure" was called the annual Oaxacan Market shopping trip, but that was really a thinly disguised excuse to travel to one of our favorite eating establishments, Monster Burger.

The bus was about as late as the usual lower cost buses normally are. We loaded in and found our seats. Linda and I sat towards the front of the bus while Jacquie and Grant were seated further back.

Normally we would have photos of the Oaxacan Market,
but let's be real, this was our goal!

Immediately as we departed, a gentleman named David started chatting with us.  He first wanted us to know that the people of Mexico loved us and that U.S. friends were welcome to this country.

He explained that he had lived in the U.S. and that he was able to attend two years at Chico State University in California. That part of his life changed when he got in trouble and he had to return to Mexico, but that is another story that he didn't elaborate upon. He said he now lived in La Huerta and worked for the government.

Then he showed us beautiful photos of a beach in Lo De Marcos where he said he built his house using stones from the local river. He showed us a photo of a very large stone. It had what looked like a "D" in it. He said he placed it near the entry of the house; the "D" representing his name, David.

Flowers outside Monster Burger.

Next, he said he owned a workout gym with a friend, but that did not work out. He showed us photos of the gym and said he lived there.

At this point, Linda leaned over and whispered in my ear that she thought this guy was full of shit. His stories and photos didn't match up at all, but what could we do, get up and move? He talked all the way to Cihuatlán. It was a little confusing to follow.  When the bus stopped he bid us farewell. I don't know if I could have kept up with his stories if he had stayed.

Flowers again. Only posted to add a bit of beauty.
On to the FOOD!

The bus rolled on and our attention went to the movie that was on the TV screens. What a thriller! It was a low budget flick called "Maze Runner" and it had every thriller movie cliche in the book. Linda must have helped write it because she could predict every outcome from every scene in the plot.

Soon we spotted Walmart, our jumping-off point and requested the bus driver to stop. The four of us got off and as we huddled to firm up our plans, I spotted a friend, Dayl, as she walked toward us on the sidewalk. Dayl was in Manzanillo because her husband Craig was in the hospital not feeling well.

My smile tells it all.

Dayl relayed their story and assured us that Craig would be fine. They had plans to fly home within the next few days. Relieved that all would be well, we marveled at the coincidence of running into her this far away from Melaque.

At Walmart, we bought a couple items that we couldn't get in Melaque and then it was off to the Oaxacan Market.

What can I say about the Oaxacan Market? The vendors were sleepy and preoccupied with their phones. The artisan items were basically the same as our tiangue has. There were maybe more cloth items and mole products, but a lot of items we could pick up at home. Grant bought a man bag and Jacquie and I bought jalapeño goat cheese. The cheese was very good. I didn't taste Grant's man bag.

Our annual "Don't touch!" photo.

Our market adventure lasted about half an hour. We then walked to the Soriana store and got a few items which took us another half hour.

We exited the store, hailed a taxi, negotiated the price and were on our way to the real reason we came to Manzanillo... Monster Burger!!

Avad, our driver, took us directly to the front entrance of the burger joint. Linda, before she got out, asked Avad if he could come back to transport us back home to Melaque and how much that would cost us. He was more than happy to take us to Melaque for the price of 500 pesos. He gave her his cell number and was on his way. (314-218-5591)

Strange art in Monster Burger.

From this point, the focus was on lunch and only lunch. We ordered our drinks (two margaritas, a beer, and a jamaica.) Next, we ordered our meals. Jacquie and Grant ordered regular El Capitan Monster Burgers, Linda ordered nachos, and I had a Brisket sandwich.

It was a great meal and we enjoyed every bite.

One thing we noticed was that all the sports-related items on the walls were Seattle Seahawks memorabilia. Flags, jerseys, and posters covered the eating area. No other team was represented. I think that is why we actually go there.

We then had our waiter call Avad and within fifteen minutes we were on our way back to Melaque. Our return trip was uneventful and everyone was filled with food and very quiet. Avad delivered us to our front door and I gave him 600 pesos and he handed me 100 back. I told him to keep it and his face lit up. It was a very nice way to end our trip.

Looking back on our day, we agreed that next year we would return and call it a trip to Monster Burger, skipping all thinly veiled Oaxacan Market talk.