Empty Beaches and Closed Restaurant

Wednesday a.m.
“Recalculate”

Yep that’s what we did. We are going to spend more time here in Aticama. Maybe a couple of days, maybe a week more. Not sure yet. However – yesterday was soooo hot here I had to go to the neighbors to cool off. One problem with bringing the Alfa down here is we cannot run the air conditioning as the power in the campground is not good enough. We do not have roof air units we have a big basement unit that needs at least 30 amps and we don’t have that here. We can turn on the generator but that is annoying to other people. So for now I’ll just go visit. Thank goodness it really cools down at night so sleeping is no problem.

At least I felt much better yesterday. We started off the day by taking a short walk on the beach. Lots and lots of beach and no other people were on it. Guess everyone has gone home and back to work.

We were going to try to find the little town of Singayta but just got too hot too quick. So that is on our agenda today.

Late in the afternoon we all decided ( us, John, Carol and George) to go into San Blas for dinner. And George needed to go to the Telcel store. Drove up to Telcel – they were closed. Got to Walla Walla, the restaurant, and they were closed – a hand written sign on the door said it would open at 5:00 p.m. So we went to buy some banana bread at the Original Juan Banana store. It is so good. Went back to park by the restaurant and then walk around a little bit. Restaurant finally opened about quarter after five. We were the only ones in there – but most people here eat later. We all had good meals. I had breaded chicken with peach sauce, rice and vegetables. Bill had enchiladas.  
After eating we walked back to the Telcel store which was open. Bill and George went in there and the rest of us walked around town. Saw one place that had slot machines in it. Quite a few people inside playing the machines. Every time we’d passed it before during the daytime it had been shuttered. We find that a lot – when you go by during the day the place is closed – after 6 p.m. they open up. Also found a restaurant –a very small one – away from the main area. They have a good menu and actually serve a wide variety of breakfasts. So we will have to try it. And John found a place where maybe he can get his TV repaired – a CD is stuck in it and won’t come out.
Here is a picture of the taxi driver’s telephone. The one that rings then he gets out answers it and goes to pick up who ever called.

Need to get ready to go out to breakfast. Bill is up at the office paying for our extended stay.

3rd Day of the New Year

7:00 a.m.
Sun has not come over the hill yet but looks like it will be a good day. Today I want to go up the road a way and try to find a small village where supposedly the residents grow orchids. But no one is sure where it is??? Adventure awaits!
Sure will be glad when this "Iowa" thiing is over - but then it will just go on somewhere else till November - come on people almost two years of this is way too much.
We are maybe leaving for Mazatlan again tomorrow - but as always our plans are written in jello.
I have a back ache this morning - Bill says I've been sitting too much - probably right - have read two books in two days. Need to get active.
9:30
Just got back from a walk on a very empty beach and have made a decision to stay here for another week. What the heck - we still don't know when our friends are coming from Indiana for their vacation in Mazatlan so will wait to hear from them.

Very Quiet Day

Couldn't get on line this morning and then didn't think about it again till now - 6:30 - oops. Also was not feeling too hot today - spent most of the day just reading. Feeling fine now - maybe I just needed a day of doing nothing.
Yesterday the beach was packed. The most people we've seen there since we've been here.

The man with the two horses had people riding them all day.



We went into Aticama to buy some stuff we needed. Looked at these fish but really weren't in the market for them.



The "super market" we went to.

Bill picking out some produce. It all looked and smelled so good.



While we were there this young boy delivered packages of corn tortillas.

We also bought a dozen eggs. The clerk put them in a plastic bag and handed them to me. I very gently put them in my lap for the bumpy ride home down the beach. Got them all home in one piece.
Sunset last night.

So that's it for today - tomorrow will be our last day here. Heading back to Mazatlan on Wednesday.

2012 - Happy New Year

Happy New Years to Everyone

Today is our 47^th Anniversary – lots of roads traveled through the years. Literally and figuratively.

We had a very quiet last day of the year. Figured it was a good day to stay off the roads including the beach used as a road.

But I’ve told my first lie of the New Year – eek! We did go into Aticama for short visit and bought some pollo asado (grilled chicken) its very tasty but looks kind of funny.  The chicken is split down the front and spread out and flattened cook. Kind of looks like it has been hit with a very big sludge hammer – splat. When they sell it to you you can have it whole or they will chop it up for you. If you want it cut up they lay it on an old tree stump that is their cutting board and take a machete to it to chop it. Watch the fingers! We took ours whole.
Bill made Italian chicken salad for him and George for lunch.
And he bought me more fresas con crème (this time I spelled fresas right – last time I spelled it fresca which means fresh - not strawberry) from one of the beach vendors. Now I have an extra one in the freezer for later.
Not as many people on the beach yesterday as we expected. But lots of auto traffic and horse rides. Last night the restaurant at El Chaco had a band that started playing about 7:00 – luckily with the windows closed it wasn’t too loud. But every once in a while they would stop playing and then shoot of fire works. Knew what was going on but still jumped in my seat.  Much preferred the music. Their song for ushering in the New Year? Had me laughing. Achy Breaky Heart! Guess they line danced into the New Year.
I stayed up long enough to finish my Vince Flynn book then took a sleeping pill and went to bed. Don't know if the fireworks kept up or not. Bill did frown when I asked him how he slept last night.
Sun is up today with just a little haze thrown in and so far everything is very quiet around here. Just the guys out cleaning the beach and two kids walking in the sand.
So glad none of the big celebrations had any problems last night.