And I'm not talking about hotels and condos, although I'm sure there's been some of that too. But on the whole it feels just the same as it did in 2004-05 and all our favorite places are still here. Tacos at Carnitas Uruapan in the mercado, empenadas con crema at the panaderia, al pastor at Los Braseros, gelato across from the basketball court, pozole at Santa Prisca, internet at Pinovery, and "DaveFest" (a birthday party for Dave on Sweet Lorraine) at Las Gatas.
Thanks to suggestions from friends, new discoveries this visit include: sunset drinks at Soltaventa overlooking the bay, an outstanding Chinese meal at Mi Chayita, and meeting for drinks at the corner bar next to the Black Bull club. Literally on the corner, with a few stools on both sides, we often had the sidewalk filled with friends enjoying Pacificos, margaritas, and micheladas lesbianas (beer, lime, Worcestershire and tobasco sauce, and Clamato juice) all served up by the adorable Fabiola. After more drinking and late nights out than we've done all winter, we had to move our departure day from Saturday to Sunday just to recover!
We enjoyed a gourmet pizza dinner on Flying Free with good friends, Steve and Lisa, whom we hadn't seen since last June. They had just returned from an inland car trip to Morelia with Don and Peggy on Interlude so we got to see their Monarch butterfly pictures and video (not as boring as it sounds!). They elected to take a four mile rutted dirt road with a guide and horses to an off the beaten track viewing location. They were already at high altitude and this added more than a couple of thousand feet, but Steve and Don hate horses and insisted on walking. The extreme altitude almost got both of them so if you decide to do this, be sure to get a horse.
Lisa is my shopping guru and she had taken a "shopping tour" of Zihua with Cheryl on Lazy Days. After looking at some of the beautiful souvenirs she'd chosen I had her give me an abbreviated tour for the things I especially liked. John returned with me later to help make the final selection since this was more than we usually spend on trinkets. We bought an exquisitely painted gourd, and two small lacquer bowls with colorful scenes painted on them. Since the gourd is likely to stay safely stored until it can be displayed in a house some day, we'll have to post a picture of it for all to enjoy!
John played two more rounds of Texas Hold 'Em Friday night, and once again the pots stayed on Southern Belle. Saturday he rewired the cockpit speakers, we made one last trip into town, and unfortunately we had to skip the evening out at the wrestling match with the Summer in the Sea gang. It's a good thing we didn't join them since they didn't get back to the boats until 1 AM, but after their rave reviews (funniest thing they've ever seen) it sounds like that's a must see for next time.
We left this morning for Huatulco, where we should arrive some time on Wednesday. The water temperature is a chilly 73 degrees, but we expect the days to be increasingly warmer as we head south to new places.
Linda and John