LIVING IN LA CRUZ

February 25, 2018

Huevos Divorciados

I was sick of the touristy crowds at the La Cruz farmers' market and needed to go to the bank, so I decided to go the the Sunday market in Bucerias instead.  I took a combi to my bank, but the ATMs were out of order.  Businesses on the frontage roads in Bucerias place their signs up high where they can be seen from the highway.  Consequently, it is often hard to see them from below.  I tried to walk back to the next nearest bank, but somehow managed to walk right past it.  When I got to the pedestrian overcrossing and realized I had gone too far, I crossed over the highway and walked back up the frontage road on the other side.  All that walking made me hungry, so I stopped into a neighborhood hole in the wall café for breakfast.  The proprietor was very friendly and I got a lovely breakfast of huevos divorciados (two fried eggs, one with red salsa and one with green), toast, and coffee with warm milk for 55 pesos or about $3.00.  I took my time and enjoyed my coffee and the excellent service.

Colorful Houses in Bucerias

Having located the bank from the opposite side of the street, I crossed back over to the HSBC branch and got some cash.  It was surprising how much lower the exchange rate was at HSBC than at Santander, but I needed cash, so couldn’t be picky.  After I got my money, I walked down the hill to Lazaro Cardenas, the main street through Bucerias south of the arroyo, and browsed through the shops, looking for a new dress.  The ones I had bought on my first trip to La Cruz in 2013 were falling apart.  Close to the arroyo, I found a shop with a good selection of dresses in sizes appropriate for North Americans.  I tried on several before settling on an orange floral print.  I found some pretty beaded earrings to match and bargained with the owner, finally reaching an agreement whereby I got the earrings for free.

Bucerias Sunday Market

My dress shopping completed, I walked up the arroyo to the Sunday market.  It was much larger than I expected and stretched far back up the arroyo and well down a side street.  Vendors were selling produce, clothing, and household items.  I bought a chef’s knife for our house and a big bag of strawberries, some limes, and a pineapple for what a smaller bag of strawberries would have cost me at the La Cruz market.  I also got some homemade cheese with jalapenos.

The Cheese I Bought at the Bucerias Market

It was about 1:00 by the time I returned to La Cruz.  I had just enough time to practice the guitar before it was time to walk down the hill and meet my friend, Karen, who was giving me a ride to the San Pancho Music Festival.

Soul Trip at the San Pancho Music Festival

We arrived just as the festival began at 5:00 and the square was much emptier than it had been the day before.  We got chairs and set them up in the shade.  The first band to play was Soul Trip, a group of young Mexican men who played mostly 60's music.  The bands on the second stage played jazz on Sunday.  They were actually very good.  Members rotated in and out for each set.

La Patrona played the second set on the main stage.  Her husband, the guitarist, was in fine form and entertained us with his antics.  I had never seen him so animated.  Ojo de Agua came on next and played traditional music with a very strong beat.  They were very well received and people got up and danced.

Ojo de Agua at the San Pancho Music Festival

La Grim Factory was an international group of young people.  They had a very talented singer who was an excellent mimic.  They mostly sang classic rock songs, but were so enthusiastic that they carried the crowd along with them.  The final act was Caravane, another international group of musicians who played music from around the world.  They were good, but the crowd was losing steam and didn’t receive them as enthusiastically as they had in the past.  We stayed until the end and didn’t get back to La Cruz until well after midnight.

February 26-27, 2018

Our Back Patio

I was tired on Monday morning and didn’t get up in time to run.  I swept the patio and did laundry.  I spent the afternoon catching up on my blog and practicing the guitar.  I had been out every night the week before, so was glad to spend a quiet night at home.

When we got up in the morning on Monday, there were tufts of black and orange fur all over the living room floor and it was clear that cats had been fighting.  Cherie decided that, if having the mother cat and kitten living in our couch was attracting other cats, it was time for them to move out.  John and I waited until the mother cat went out and then moved the couch so I could scoop up the tiny kitten and put her in a box.  We put the box back in the bodega and left a can of octopus out to attract the mother.

The Tiny Kitten in Her Box

We heard the mother yowling at our door when she found it closed, but she ran off when John opened the door.  She crouched under a car across the street for awhile and then disappeared by mid-afternoon.  The poor little kitten remained alone in the bodega.  I checked on her all afternoon and evening, but the mother never returned.  Finally, about midnight, I brought her inside for the night because I didn’t want to leave her, undefended and cold, in the bodega.

About 2:30 in the morning, I heard some animal crashing around on the back patio.  Shortly thereafter, I saw the silhouette of a cat trying to climb through my window.  I got up and put the kitten outside.  After a bit, I saw the mother standing guard over the kitten.  I figured everything would be fine now that they were reunited, so I went back to sleep.

Tuesday morning, the kitten and mother were gone.  We were relieved that we wouldn’t have to worry about finding a home for them.  I spent a leisurely morning and practiced the guitar in anticipation of playing at the Octopus’ Garden later that day.

Fundraiser at the Octopus' Garden

My Felting Project

  

Mama and Baby Under the Sink

One of the owners of the Octopus’ Garden had fallen off the roof several years before and become paralyzed.  His medical bills continued to be substantial and the community supported them in whatever ways they could.  On Tuesday, they were holding a fundraiser.  There was an open mic for musicians to play and artists were painting and drawing and dancing and felting.  Incredible musicians turned up from as far away as San Pancho and there was wonderful music all afternoon.  Even I played a couple of songs.  The place was packed and there was a wonderful sense of love and community.  Wayland sat in his wheelchair in the middle of it all, observing the magic of the sanctuary for artists that he had created.  It was probably the finest day I had ever spent in La Cruz.  People stayed for five hours.  I even had time to execute my first attempt at felting.  What started out to be abstract eventually morphed into a bird and I was pleased with the result, since I had been slacking on the art front.

I was home alone for the evening and had time to get organized for the following day’s music circle by typing up some song sheets to share.  The day was satisfying all around.  Late that evening, I heard a cat yowling on the back patio and looked out to see the black cat streaking away.  I figured he wouldn’t have been there if the cat and kitten weren’t around somewhere, so I went out to investigate.  I found them snuggled up under the utility sink.  I was glad to see they were alright and had found a protected den.  At least they were outside where they couldn’t do any harm.

February 28, 2018

The La Cruz Anchorage at Dawn

I got up early on Wednesday and went running.  The days were getting longer and, though I got up at the same hour, I almost missed the sunrise.  I would have to get up earlier to see the dawn show.  Unfortunately, my window faced north and the sun did not wake me.  I piddled around the kitchen and then swept the front and back patios.  About noon, I ran out to a local papeleria (stationery store) to print and copy the songs for my music circle.  The young man behind the counter was very helpful and the whole process cost me about 60 cents.  Then it was time to walk the mile back down to the Poolside Deli to meet my music circle.

We had three guitars, a violin, and a mandolin there to play.  After three weeks of playing together, we were starting to get pretty good and attracted a small audience.  At one point, when we were playing Wagon Wheel a group of people arrived, singing the chorus, and stayed to finish the song.  They were on the way to the restaurant upstairs and continued to listen and shout requests.

Friends at the Street Party

Wednesday evening, there was a street party put on by the Britannia and the Octopus’ Garden as a fund raiser to help pay medical expenses for members of the community.  Tables were set up in the street under canopies.  Bands played from 3 to 11 and people could purchase food and drinks.  Having spent the previous afternoon at the Octupus’ Garden, I elected to go home to write and practice the guitar for the remainder of the afternoon.  Shortly after 7:00, I went down and met Don and some other friends at the party.

The music was unexpectedly great.  Oscar Fuentes was playing solo when I arrived and I found him much more compelling without the Shuffle Band who, in my opinion, murder every song they play.  He then played another set with the band and my friend Victor’s band, the Piratas Verdes, played next.  Victor plays original, jazz tinged songs that not everyone appreciates.  I enjoy listening to his band precisely because they don’t play classic rock covers like everyone else.

Soul Trip appeared next and they blew everyone away, just as they had at the San Pancho music festival.  Their lead singer, who is a great vocalist, plays an equally mean harmonica and they performed some classic blues numbers as well as familiar rock songs.  They were so good that I didn’t mind the repertoire.  I was even considering going to Ana Banana’s to see them again.

I was tired and thinking of going home when the Britannia’s house band, the Carajos, came on.  Don was really enjoying himself, though, so I stayed until they finished playing their set of country, rock, and latin songs well after 11:00.  They would have kept on playing, but the staff started picking up the chairs.  The party was unquestionably a success.

March 1, 2018

I didn’t have any plans for Thursday, so decided to go along to Bucerias with Cherie and John who were planning a run to Costco.  We picked up our friend, Paul, and his friend, George, and headed toward’s Karen’s for lunch.  Various people needed money, so we made the rounds of banks in Bucerias and I stopped at Toka Music, near the HSBC, to buy a guitar strap.  I had hoped to find a book of Mexican songs to learn, but they didn’t have anything like that.

Karen's Place (Towards the Rear)

Karen’s is a beautiful restaurant and bar located on the grounds of a luxury condo complex on the beach in Bucerias.  They had excellent food in a wonderful environment for quite average prices.  I had a chicken Caesar burrito that was fresh and packed with chicken.

We parted ways after lunch.  John and Cherie went to Costco.  Paul and George (With John, Paul, and George, all we needed was a Ringo.) walked down the beach to secure a table for the afternoon music at Mar y Sol and I hiked back up the hill to see my opthamologist, Dr. Alma.  I had bought a pair of glasses from her the previous summer after losing mine while white water rafting.  I had paid $1000 for the original pair, but managed to replace them with identical ones for the equivalent of about $215.  The ones I got from Dr. Alma were actually the best prescription I had ever had and I wanted to purchase another pair for evening.  I selected some rhinestone accented black wire rims and ordered another pair for approximately the same price.

The Malecon in Bucerias

The Beach in Bucerias

My errands for the day completed, I walked back down the beach to look for Paul and George, taking photos along the way.  I couldn’t find them at first because I was looking for two men at a table,  When I finally found them, they were surrounded by five women.  I recognized the very loud band as one that had formerly played at the Gecko Rojo.  They weren’t fabulous, but they played good music for dancing and Paul liked them for that reason.  We sat and struggled to converse over the blasting music until 4:30 when John and Cherie arrived.  At that point, the others left to go back to Karen’s for happy hour and, not being big drinkers, John, Cherie, and I moved to a quieter table and ordered lemonade.

The trouble with going to tourist restaurants is that you get assaulted by a constant stream of vendors.  Not only that, but the waiter attempted to overcharge us for the lemonades.  We didn’t leave a tip.  We stayed until the band packed up at 5:00 and then headed home.  I spent a quiet evening at home, practicing playing the guitar standing up (with my new strap) and watching Netflix.

                                                                                       March 2, 2018

Sunrise Over the La Cruz Marina

Friday morning, I got up extra early to run during the sunrise.  It was overcast and rather dull at first, but got prettier as the sun cleared the mountains.  I spent the day writing and practicing the guitar. 

Me on the Beach at Destiladeras

In the late afternoon, John, Cherie, and I went to the beach at Destiladeras to swim and watch the sunset. I had been hearing about that beach from surfers for years, but had never been there.  The beach is not far past the turnoff for La Manzanilla.  The parking lot can be identified by the skeleton of a large building on the left as you head west.  Security guards will hit you up for tips as you enter the parking lot.  We fended them off and only tipped them as we exited.  The buses that go to Punta de Mita will stop at Destiladeras.

John with His Silly Orange Lounger

The beach was wide and sandy and stretched for over a mile.  There was a restaurant where one could get food and drinks.  Vendors were selling fruit.  We staked out a spot for our chairs and John attempted to use a sort of inflatable device that was supposed to scoop up air and then function like a bean bag chair.  He didn’t have much luck with it, though.  It kept deflating.  It didn’t work any better as a floaty toy.  It just got wet and sandy.

Children Playing at Sunset

I went for a short swim.  It was quite windy and the water felt chilly at first.  I was about to chicken out when a wave caught me and knocked me over.  The water felt fine once I was in.  It was choppy and somewhat hard to swim because waves were coming from different directions, but there wasn’t a strong current.  When I got out, the air felt warmer. 

Sunset at Destiladeras

Cherie and I went for a walk and then we sat, drying off and reading, until the sun began to set.  The sunset was pretty, but it was still windy and started to get cold.  We enjoyed the sunset while packing up our gear and walking backwards to the car, so as not to have to stay any longer than necessary.  I was quite content to stay in for the evening, after that.

March 3-4, 2018

Christy Making Us Breakfast

Cherie and I went to the cruisers’ swap meet on Saturday morning and then to Christy’s for breakfast.  I made a nail appointment for later on the way.  After breakfast, Cherie had an appointment and went home.  I stopped to visit with Bobby, Jen, and Gregg at Casa Mango until it was time for my nail appointment.

Gabriela did my nails for 190 pesos (about $11) and I was very satisfied.  By the time I got home, the laundry I had started in the morning was fairly wet, since our washing machine leaks.  I hung it out to dry, but had missed the morning sun and eventually had to use the dryer for most of it.  I hung around the house, working on this and that and then cooked up some arrachera for Cherie and I to have tostadas for dinner.

The Piratas Verdes at the Fish Market

Sunday morning started off slowly.  We made it to the market by 11:00 to see our friends’ band, the Piratas Verdes, play at the fish market.  We wandered about a bit and got empanadas for breakfast, but mostly hung around and caught their show.  Piratas Verdes play original music and it was nice to hear them in a venue where the music wasn’t so loud that the words were too distorted to hear.

View from the Green Tomate

From the market, we adjourned to the Green Tomate where we had a drink with friends and listened to the very loud band.  The Green Tomate is upstairs and has a lovely view and a nice breeze.  It would be a perfect hangout if the music weren’t so loud, but was still a nice place to pass a lazy Sunday afternoon.  When Falconi’s opened at 3:00, we moved down there where it was quieter.  We ordered pizza and played pool.  Cherie and I were especially pleased that they didn’t allow smoking inside, so our smoking companions had to go outside.  I had a second drink, which was enough to send me home to take a nap.  All of us were sleepy and it was very quiet at our house on Sunday evening.  I watched a few episodes of Narcos on Netflix and went to bed early.