Diary of 3 Weeks in Mexico

June 12
7:45pm

It is hot... the air is hazy, steamy and thick, making my vision almost blurry like there is a light fog in the air.

We`re at our next stop now- we said goodbye to Puerto Vallarta earlier his morning and set out for Barra de Navidad- a few hundred miles further down the coast.

Barra is known as a surfing town and is a very popular weekend getaway for the people of Jalisco and Colima (the two nearby Mexican states). Midweek however, we have the sleepy little surf town to ourselves and the friendly locals are glad we`re here.

The whole city maybe spans about 2 miles of peninsulan coastline. It`s natural beauty is astounding with a soft-beach, light-waved lagoon with tiny islands dotting the waters on one side, and a sandy cove with big swells on the other. To both the north and south the coastline in rocky and mountainous and from the beach here the crashing waves are visible.

Being completely surrounded by water, people don`t only come here to surf, but to fish- fishing charters go out all day- and there are quite a few bait shops and weigh-in stations, almost more than enough for this tiny town. At the harbor sit quite a few fishing boats for such a little place... they almost out number the amount of people we`ve seen here. And for all the seafood that`s caught, there have to be places to go to eat it... each of the city`s quaint beachside (and lagoon side) restaurants feature mariscos frescas (fresh seafood). Tonight I had these great garlic and oil peel-and-eat shrimp, and it`s all pretty cheap. With a heap of rice, salad, soda and tortilla chips and salsa (of course)- my whole meal was about 9 American dollars.

We`re really only here for one day and two nights so we checked into this quiet, family-run little place, that both our travel books had recommended as economical and comfortable.. but also saying you can`t get a room here on the weekends. But today I believe we may be the only ones here.

Our room, while both comfortable and economical is swealtering. We have the fan on and windows open but are seriously debating the prospect of dragging our mattresses out to the upstairs patio and sleeping in the crossbreeze. We´re just a little afraid the hotel`s owner may be upset if she awakes to the discovery of the two american visitors sleeping on the ground, and on her mattresses.

We spent about an hour walking around tonight, and Im pretty sure we covered the whole town... as there´s not much to it. At one point in the plaza we did witness a band processional coming down the main street. About 8 or 9 teenage boys playing the brass instruments, the parade being led by a man and a woman holding a feminine-catholic figurine on their shoulders. We were amused and a bit puzzled...

Tomorrow we plan to just chill at the beach for the morning and take a water taxi out and around the shoreline in the afternoon. I love being at the beach, however whenever there´s a possibility of actually boating on the water I´m very easily inticed and excited. I love boats.

Yesterday was just as relaxing as tomorrow`s shaping up to be. We got out to the beach after breakfast and before 11... staying on our towels (and taking quick jaunts to the ocean to cool off every once in a while) until we couldnt take the heat anymore and felt no amount of sunblock would be able to help any longer. At about 1:30, we retreated to the warm shade of our porch and the American movies on our television.

We left for a walk after it began to cool down about 5, had dinner, called home and when the rains began to poor down we once again made the retreat to our room for some showers and a Friends Marathon and and early bedtime.

I know... what a life. Im so grateful for these days.