Happy January 4th, the end of the long holiday weekend. Hope your New Year is getting off to a good start. We have adapted to the time and the light and are arising a little earlier each morning. Yesterday some church bells, the requisite roosters and donkeys, etc. got us going about 7:45 am. I took off for an extended walk, up through the Mexican neighborhood to check on the situation with our favorite bar, Que Pasa. It has been closed due to some long-time dispute over the building. It is a great shame as this was our regular Thursday haunt. Great food and terrific music. A real loss!
Back home for the blog ritual and then we decided to head back to Ritmos Beach. The difference in the amount of people in just two days was incredible. New Year's day had been packed. Yesterday, we were about two rows in the from the water and it was very quiet. As I said, I imagine by the end of today the town will have really quieted down. We spent a very nice two hours in the sun, again getting a little water time and strolling the beach to enjoy the kids and families at play. I love the whole family thing that seems so much a part of this country, at the beach, at the store, at church, it is all about the whole family.
We strolled back toward the apartment. On the Malécon you cross over a bridge where the Rio Cuale flows into the sea. It is a favorite play and sun spot for Mexicans
They gather on both sides and just play in the stream, jump in the ocean, have a little lunch and usually fall asleep
I also managed to catch a couple of pictures of these birds (not the Pelicans) that seem to frequent the shoreline. They swim in the most amazing straight lines
Nature seems to be much more organized than we can manage!
We got home for a little lunch. Actually, our lunch had become a joke. We had a half of left over pizza in the fridge from our fist night here. We kept saying we would eat it, but had yet to make good on the promise. Out of necessity, we had to finally finish it off. Actually, and perhaps surprisingly, it tasted better than the night it was fresh.
Napped a bit, read and I watched the NFL Playoff Games, in Spanish. If you recall I saw the Superbowl that way as well last year.
Having had a somewhat substantial lunch (I think we finished off some guacamole as well), we decided to make it a light dinner. We drifted down to Época for a drink. Talked a little with the owner about the hugh new Condominium complex that had gone in next door. It was under construction last year, but is now totally complete, although only about half full
We just sat for an hour or so and watched the crowds stroll by. Caught a glimpse of the Pirate Dinner Ship in the harbor
We then strolled up to Cafe Candela. This was the Mexican place that we discovered the dip with the Greek yogurt, onions, capers and oil-cured black olives that we have served to many of you. We wanted to see if our concoction was close to theirs. It is actually called Jocoque Candela. Jocoque is a sharp, thick sour cream that is the basis for the dish. It is very sharp and adds a certain bitterness that ours does not have, due to the milder Greek Yogurt. Still very tasty. We had a couple of glasses of wine and finished off the dip before heading up the hill. Unfortunately, the camera was not working and I have no current pictures of Candela, but they will follow. With Que Pasa closed, Candela may become a local hangout. Lovely setting, very nice people although there is NO English spoken and no English menu. Still a very affordable place and very close to home.
More to come
Ed and Polley
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