After a couple of intense days of exploration and adventure it was time to slow things down. We were, after all, in paradise and it seemed a waste to rush it all away. We slowly got ourselves up, in no hurry to do anything, as all of our scheduled events had been fulfilled. We lazily strolled up to Mango’s cafe for another wonderful breakfast.
Maggie had a big stack of hot cakes with eggs and bacon and I settled into delicious Caribbean Benedict with curried hollandaise, sauteed mushrooms and onions over a delicate and buttery croissant. Mango’s never disappointed and was always delicious. We sat in the billowing heat of the morning and discussed what we would do for the day. The beach was the only thing on the docket and after breakfast we strolled back down to the apartment gathered our belongings for a day floating in the pristine waves.
The upstairs of the blue and orange building was our apartment.
We shared a cab with a few locals also headed to town and for the standard 50 pesos made our way to playa Centro or center beach. As always the water was perfect and the sand khaki in color and the texture of sugar. For 300 pesos (about $16 usd) worth of food and drinks you could get two beach chairs, an umbrella, shower facilities and restrooms. Most of the bathrooms on the beach were pay to use so all the amenities were a nice perk. Just to put the exchange rate into perspective (keep in mind, prices on the beach were much higher than in the neighborhood) a beer was 55 pesos, a coke 35 and food averaged around 100. I spent about $20 usd for the day and we were on the beach from 10:30 am until around 5:30 am.
Maggie and I bobbed in the beautiful water and ate and drank our fill. A couple from Seattle sat next to us and we had some good conversations and really enjoyed the day. Maggie picked up her souvenir she had been trying to find, it was a handmade wind chime made from local seashells and we sat on the beach until we could take no more.
The sun was beginning to set, the beach was emptying out and it was time for a good rinse a little A/C and an authentic street meal. We caught a cab back to our apartment and cleaned up for some exploration of the neighborhood streets.
A block in the opposite direction from where we went every other day we found a classic street cart selling some delicious street tacos. Longaniza, bistec, suadero, al pastor, the options were impressive for such a tiny cart. Everything made to order, amazingly fresh and incredibly delicious.
The ladies who worked the stand were so sweet and we made some new friends. The cook was a master of his craft and took no time in preparing the nights offerings. The stand opened at 5:30 each night and operated until 1:00 a.m. Taqueria Erika, in case you where wondering, at the corner of Calle Javier Rojo Gomez and Avenue Jesús Martinez Ross. You know it’s good when, as we sat at the plastic tables waiting for our order, locals on bikes, and mopeds rode up to order and Erica’s phone stayed ringing with orders people were picking up on their way home from working the tourist strip.
We walked back to the apartment with bottled cokes and Taco’s in hand. Erica asked if we would bring the empty bottles back as we walked away and of course it was not a problem. After dinner and a quick stroll to return the bottles it was time to turn in. I barely remember laying my head on the pillow as the set faded to black and the reflection of stars on a still sea filled my dreams.
