February 10

February 10:

The days are starting to blend into one another. A tropical ennui is invading my system. I got up as early as usual and got my coffee from OXXO and then I stood on he corner and watched everyone rushing to work, tourists grimly keeping to their exercise schedules, vendors opening their stalls, and dogs marking their territories.

One street up was a one-way street heading into the centre of PV. Two streets up was a one-way heading away from the centre of PV. Both had buses going in a steady stream, snorting and belching exhaust fumes. The frigatebirds were circling aloft, and pelicans were marking out possible fishing sites on the bay. I was sort of going against the stream of life as I ambled back to the hotel.

Patti headed out to zumba and I started in on my diary. It was proving frustrating as the wi-fi kept cutting out and I constantly had to save my work and reconnect. I eventually got it done and I headed out to the pool where I lazily swam, read from my Norman Mailer novel, The Naked and the Dead, dozed, chatted with some hotel guests, and watched the para-sailors pass by over the ocean near the shore.

After darkening my tan some more, I went up to our room for a nap. We had decided to try a very exclusive restauarant several blocks up from the Malecon. When I say up, the trek is several hundred feet up with the last third up steep stair cases and a difficult journey for me. I left before the others and took a bus to the foot of the street heading up.

I stopped several times for photos and to ease the stress on my legs and spine. When I got to the top, I realized that my discomfort was a small price to pay for the view from the patio on the roof-top.

We enjoyed a sunset drink and visited with some friends from Winnipeg who also had reservations for the evening meal.

Some whales and dolphins were visible in the bay below. Our patio was on a level with the steeple of the cathedral just off the Plaza on the Malecon.

Our meal while late in coming, was very delicious! We were serenaded by a young tapatio who played Paloma Negra, a personal favorite of Patti and me.

Heading back down was easy, 

and I slowly walked on the Malecon and enjoyed the age difference of the evening crowd from our geritol crowd during the day. The brightly lit shops were almost deserted 

but the bars were a-hopping!