I guessed the time of sunrise a bit more accurately and was up at 6:30 am. Sister #3 & R joined me. It was absolutely glorious and fun to share.

We enjoyed breakfast of yogurt, fruit and granola at home. I walked through town getting reacquainted with Centro.

I joined the gang once again at the beach but left by 2 pm because I had no water left in my water bottle and I didn’t want to hog C’s umbrella. Went to Chedraui for some more supplies for breakfasts, beach lunches and a party that we were invited to the following day.

Made it down to Playa Sol to catch the sunset before venturing to Javi’s Cantina (follow link here) for a fabulous dinner.

Later we assembled at Nash’s to watch the Jet’s game (who if I may gloat, are one game away from their first round play off victory!)

Kath’s quote: “When cleaning I do it the way people go to church—not so much to discover anything new, although I’m alert for new things, but mainly to reacquaint myself with the familiar. It’s nice to go over familiar paths.” -Robert M. Pirsig, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

Love never fails.

I set the alarm for 6 am, dressed quickly and walked to the malecon to watch my first sunrise. I could tell by the darkness that sunrise was still some time away so I crossed the island and went to 7-11 to purchase a coffee. It made the wait for more enjoyable. I savoured my second cup that morning from the communal pot in the lobby of the hotel.

When I arrived home this assembly was going on across the street.

It had been pre-dertemined that our little gang was going to meet at Fredy’s that morning to sample Ana’s breakfast (see link here).

After breakfast I joined Bro#3 and L on Playa Norte waving hello to many friends in their typical spots on the beach. It was hot (even under the umbrella)!  I was in and out of the water many times to cool down. Time on the sand was spent reading and journalling.

When I couldn’t stand myself any longer I went home for a cool shower.

This was the view from the balcony earlier that day.

We had a lovely Happy Hour in the little balcony at the front of the hotel.

We split up for dinner with half the gang going to Angelo’s and Bro #3, L and I off to Fenix’s (see link here) new location on Playa Sol.

On the way home, I ran into friends from PEI. We had originally met when we were all staying at Luna D’ Miel a previous year. We promised to catch up further in the upcoming days.

Kath’s quote: “News is like food: it is the cooking and serving that makes it acceptable, not the material itself.”-Rose McCaulay, English writer

Love never fails.

After enduring a tough year and a botched surgery, I spent the time since I had been on the island, healing and dreaming of the my return.

The day proved to be a long and odd one. I had been scheduled to leave Winnipeg via Minneapolis at 6:30 am so of course being a diligent traveler I had arrived at the airport at 4:30 am. In the Delta departure lounge they were asking for volunteers to give up their seats. I went to investigate because I was traveling alone and had no strict agenda for my arrival. I was told that I could fly West Jet direct leaving at 10:30 am and still get in within a half hour of my original arrival time. I was ready to agree when they sweetened the deal by providing me with a $400 US Delta credit. Imagine my delight as I had only paid $400 CDN for the trip initially.

I spent the extra time quite comfortably in the Winnipeg airport watching Netflix and reading. The flight was also pleasant and I touched down at 4 pm. I literally zoomed through the airport but had a bit of a delay with Best Day  because of my flight change. In the end I wasn’t going to complain because I had only paid $24 US for a round trip ticket including the ferry passage.

And finally….I was home again. The sun stayed up long enough for me to catch the sunset just before I disembarked from the ferry.

At the ferry dock I was greeted by Bro #3 and his wife who had already been on the island for a week in addition to Sister #3 and Dona who had arrived earlier that day. Bro #3 and L walked me the short distance to X Bula-Ha. Juan Carlos recognized me from the year previous and escorted me to the double front room which faced east, the street AND THE WATER! I was delighted and quickly unpacked when there was a knock on the door. He realized he had made a mistake. I was in friends R & C’s room and they would be arriving momentarily.

I went out to purchase milk for my morning coffee and cervesas, to be told that I was too late on a Sunday to make a liquor purchase. So I went “home”, popped some popcorn for my supper and somehow got my hands on some red wine. Needless to say it was an early evening.

Kath’s quote: “Home is not a place…it’s a feeling.”-author unknown

Love never fails.

And finally….I was home again. The sun stayed u long enough for me to catch the sunset just before I disembark from the ferry.

On this evening, my last on the island, I was solo as D had to be home before me and had left earlier that day. Friends R & M were still on the island though and they invited me to join them for dinner. We were continuing our circuit of restaurants in the Colonias when I discovered they had never tried Basto Grill.

D and I have been many times. Here are some visits from the Food Musings’ archives:

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

I made my recommendations of favourite dishes and R decided upon the grilled shrimp which was served with fettucine, sauteed veggies and lots and lots of butter! He was very pleased although I thought that his shrimp looked a wee bit over cooked.

M asked our server what he would recommend and without hesitation, he indicated the Enchiladas Suiza! He said that they (the family that owns and operates Basto) were very proud of the dish. M was blown away! She couldn’t get over the composition of the sauce indicating that the fresh and sparkling tomatillos and cilantro produced an absolutely heavenly taste. Two or three times as we were finishing our meal and saying our good-byes, she commented again on the surprise of the sauce and as a result, the entire dish.

Since I had missed out on my traditional feed of chilies relleno at La Lomita on the trip, I absolutely had to have them before my eminent departure. Basto’s were equally good and I savoured each bite to capture the taste in my memory bank for another season.

We also shared a side of fries even though they did not enhance anyone’s dish. They were piping hot, not a bit greasy, with a glistening of salt and then it was my turn to know what heaven will taste like.

Kath’s quote: “What keeps me motivated is not the food itself but all the bonds and memories the food represents.”-Michael Chiarello

Love never fails.

Sister #3 had such high praise for Seso Loco that I wanted to see for myself. We didn’t have any more supper slots left open but we did need a place for the 4 of us to have our last meal together (my husband left the island later that evening).

The open walled space was full of morning sunshine and we had our pick of tables.

The breakfast menu had so many delectable options to choose from.

D selected the Isla Omelet which was chock full of mushrooms, cheese, ham and bacon. What do the islanders do to make their omelets taste so good? Is it the local eggs? Is it the abundance of fillings? Do they cook in butter? Whatever the case, D was well pleased.

We were surprised when R didn’t order the stuffed poblano chile because he had done so at various breakfast spots in the colonias. On this morning he had his eye on the breakfast Burrito. Upon finishing the wrap of cheese, bacon and re-fried beans he declared it to be the best burrito he had enjoyed on the island.

M wanted something on the lighter side and settled upon the banana coconut French toast. The choice was light but pretty sweet, more like having dessert for breakfast.

I was delighted with my decision of Chilaquiles with red sauce. The eggs were perfectly cooked, the tortillas beautifully crispy and the sauce…oh that sauce, no wonder Ses Loco’s pizzas are so popular! I could have done without the raw onion but that is a personal choice. The dusting a Parmesan cheese provided enough extra flavour for me.

We learned at least two things while on the island: Seso Loco’s is a great bet for either breakfast or dinner.

Kath’s quotes: “So in our pride we ordered for breakfast, an omelet, toast and coffee and what has just arrived is a tomato salad with onions, a dish of pickles, a big slice of watermelon and two bottles of cream soda.”-John Steinbeck, while traveling in Russia

Love never fails.