Time seems to slip away while you are on a nice vacation and it hard to believe our beach adventure is half over. I woke up feeling the champagne this morning and was a bit slow to get going. We puttered around the hotel until about 10:00 AM and then it was off to the beach. We had planned on renting the long stand-up surf boards, but Richard was MIA this morning on an apparent fishing expedition.
Acapulco seems to be getting more and more busy as the holidays approach. There were new lines of umbrellas and the increased beach goers was apparent. That didn't stop us from finding a great location with no one around. I would say the nice part of this beach destination is the beach is huge, even if the waves are very strong and on occasion attack your beach towel.
Although Tim has bought a couple food items on the beach already, there wasn't a lot to talk about. He first adventured into a black spiny sea urchin, which some varieties have poisonous spines. He liked that but it was hardly a meal.
Today, he adventured to have fish and potato tacos, fried to a crisp. We had seen the sellers walking up and down the beach and they looked awesome.
Our primary concern (besides food illness) was they carried on top of the tacos a large plate of fresh toppings. The heat of the sun likely keeps the tacos hot, but the thought of the veggies.... They actually turned out pretty good and the veggies were only marginally toasted. Way too spicy for me; even Tim was on fire.
Although Tim was pretty full, he had wanted to try the fresh oysters, abalone and sea scallops; all raw and freshly prepared in front of you on the beach. He made a friend a couple day back that was recommended by Richard, and as his luck would have it, Tim had indulged in something just prior to his arrival. Today he order a half dozen oysters, just to try them; what a mistake, he should have gotten the full dozen! They were amazing; cold, salty, and sour from lime.
After roasting in the hot sun and Tim enjoying one of his fat cigars, we headed back to the hotel room to make a trip to the market.
We walked up Costera Avenue the opposite direction as Walmart. One thing that became apparent quickly was the further we went, the more 'touristy' it became; not in a good way. Passing by each hotel or restaurant we were barraged with offers of tours, taxis or good deals on meals. Although I would agree it was relentless, I was not as bothered as Tim (especially having just experienced this everyday on tour).
We ducked into a McDonald's, more to use the washroom than anything; however, I could not resist a cold McFlurry, especially for under $2.
We made it to the 'market' and Tim was very frustrated. Having just experienced some of the most amazing markets in Mexico City, this market was all tourist souvenirs. Not only that, there were hundreds of venders competing to get you into their shop. We didn't buy anything, but if space was not a factor, Tim would have bought a skull made from cow bone.
The walk back to our 'neighbourhood' was less eventful but with the heat of the day and the sour experience at the market, we decided to stop for a couple beers and a small bite to eat. Coronas are always refreshing! Food was amazing too.
It was pushing 5:00 PM, but I wanted to hit the beach again for sunset.
Richard was at the beach so we rented the boards and off we went (150 pesos for an hour). The boards we got were not that great and are very difficult, granted, but my words cannot capture the sight of Tim trying to sit on it, let alone stand. Not only did he keep flipping it, he couldn't get it to go forward; all his efforts would just turn him. I could barely get mine to move simply because I was laughing so hard I couldn't paddle. After about 10 minutes of Tim half drowning and getting frustrated, Richard sent out one of his boys to offer him their little red rescue boat (Aka a Kayak). He had a much more enjoyable experience but a bit traumatized by the surf board.
The surf boards are very difficult. They take a lot of skill and practice to balance. I tried but with every attempt to kneel or stand, I was greeted with a mouth full of sea water. Definitely not recommending them for novices.
It was getting dark and Tim was done with the water for the day, so, we headed back to our room. We needed a couple things and headed out to the grocery store. The city is beautifully decorated for Christmas; we enjoyed the romantic walk. The trip only took about 30 minutes.
We spent the remainder of the evening drinking Champagne and playing cards. Nice ending to a nice day.
