I realized today that it's been over two weeks since I last updated my blog. Things have finally settled down here somewhat so we've been able to get out and about! We've been into Puerto Vallarta a few times, and of course had to drop in to Cafe Roma to see Fox and the regulars. Robin and Serge have tenants for the month, Nancy and Scott, who are also from Tacoma. We took them along with us and they signed up for Christmas dinner - which is where we spent last Christmas. Fox closes the restaurant and for $100. pesos (about $10.00 Canadian) and a small pot luck dish, you get an entire traditional Christmas meal. All the money goes to support the "School of Champions", a local charity that helps the kids who comb through the garbage at the dump to help feed their families.
Nancy and Scott had a Mexican friend from Mazatlan visit for a couple of days this week. Mazatlan is the shrimp/prawn capital of Mexico. He brought lots with him and they invited us over for dinner a few nights ago. We had YUMMY prawns and veggies on skewers that were BBQ'd over charcoal.
We've been to La Cruz de Huanacaxtle three times. It's the little town just north of us where the fabulous new marina is being built. The boats moored there are magnificent. Like just about everywhere in Mexico the rich and the poor are right next to each other. That's one of the things I love most about living here. One night we went for tacos on the street and they were delicious and cheap! We had two "gringas", a little taco filled with meat and veggies, for $20. pesos - equivalent of $2.00 Canadian- and it was just the right amount of food. Another time we went for breakfast at the marina restaurant. It is a beautiful place with excellent Italian food, great service, fabulous views and very reasonable prices. My huge breakfast was about $5.00 Canadian. Then last Friday night 15 of us hired a large van and went to Phyllos bar for dancing and live music. The music was GREAT! One guy played the sax better than anyone I have ever heard.
Of course, we've been for dinner in Bucerias. One of our favourite spots is "The Rim" where you get a fabulous burger with all the fixin's for $2.00 Canadian. The name? Everything is cooked outside on a tire rim. I swear to God it's true!
We've driven up to La Penita for the weekly market. It's about a 45 minute drive but well worth it as it is the best open air market in this area. You can buy fresh vegetables, fruits, bread, fish, chicken and meat. There are also lots of vendors with Mexican pottery, jewelery, glassware, clothing, plants etc. Then you can carry on to to flea market which is exactly what you would expect here. It's a real experience to walk around the town on market day. It will be one of the things we will take our guests to see when they visit.
Last Saturday we had a thank you party for our workers at the large palapa. We went around the complex and collected about $1,600. pesos and bought hot dogs, buns, decorations, beer, pop, snacks and a pinata which we filled with candy and coins. Greg and Ian BBQ'd all afternoon and the workers had a great time. It was a lot of fun, especially when they beat the Santa Claus pinata apart and scrambled for all the loot. We figure there were about 25-30 workers, some of whom brought their spouses, plus about 30 or so owners and guests. We had a great group who organized it all and helped clean up afterwards. I've posted a little video at the bottom of the blog. It's of the last worker who smashed the pinata. That's me screaming at the end as all the candy came flying towards me!
Last night we had six of our neighbours over for appies, roast beef, Lea's pear mashed potatoes, glazed carrots, and Gail's famous brandied peaches on vanilla ice cream for dessert. Oh, and lots of great wine and laughs. It was a fun evening.
So, I guess the title of my blog is now starting to be quite accurate. We are "Living in Bucerias" and loving every minute! Oh, especially when we see the snow in Victoria, Vancouver and Kelowna on BCTV!
For Andrew and Tamara- we listen to you just about every morning while we are having our tea and juice. When you do your all request Christmas show- play Feliz Navidad for us! We'll be sure to be listening!
No comments:
Post a Comment