Since we didn’t get a great sleep that first night, I was content to keep snoozing when D got up to watch the sunrise. This is another one of our Isla traditions and we don’t miss many of them. D made his coffee, strolled down to the Malecon and perched himself on the wall looking in the direction of town, not the sea. This was because he was absolutely positive that I would be joining him. I heard the door gently close, I tried to settle for a moment and then sure enough, I whipped off the covers, found my flip flops and jean jacket and was walking down our short street to the Malecon in mere moments. After decades of marriage, he knows me better than I know myself.

It wouldn’t be long before D connected with a bunch of tennis guys and would enjoy his early morning time on the court, but this first day he walked a lap of Centro and the airport strip while I enjoyed my quiet time. The location of our apartment meant that we didn’t have much of a view but in the early morning sunshine, I was content.

A couple of downfalls of the apartment was that it didn’t have a balcony per se, just a path really to get to the stairs. And secondly, it did not have a comfortable chair in the place. But D and I were undaunted. We brought our own hammock, beach chair and umbrella! I could perch here in the sun with my coffee and my thoughts which were all about gratitude. Thankful that we were on the island with family with more on the way. Thankful that we found a little economical place so we could extend our stay to a month. Thankful that Isla is a permanent part of our life.

While it was still relatively cool, we donned our walking shoes to make the trek to Chedraui. I felt so confident about the walk because I had a second knee replaced since I was last on the island. But knees aren’t the only joint that make walking possible. Unfortunately, it was not cool enough. My feet expanded from the heat and I could feel a rubbing on my heel. Sure enough, by the time we made it, my foot was a bloody mess. In fact, I could not pull on those shoes again until we were home in the cold, 1 month later. Note to self: decide in the summer, which shoes to take to the island.

We always enjoy our “stock the kitchen” shop at Chedrui. We feel like locals (except when we go through the cashier). The rumoured climb in prices was very real. We predicted that we paid approximately the same price for our groceries, as we would have back home. And we live in the centre of Canada where all our produce has to be shipped in from Mexico and the southern US! The next time we needed fresh ingredients, we went to the local market in Centro.

Once the groceries were put in their place (there were also no kitchen cupboards, but we managed), we took a fresh torta, slathered it with lime mayo, pulled off a hunk of spicy fried chicken as the filling and enjoyed our lunch. How come everything tastes so amazing on the island?

We decided to walk the beach starting at the place we always pitched our umbrella the year previous. We were in for a shock. The sandy area under the palms was now a permanent beach club space with tables for lunch and chairs and umbrellas as far as the eye could see. I will admit, I was bummed out. But we turned to the right and made our way close to The Mia. Family of K & L were already set up there as well as a number of Isla friends. Boy it felt good to hug again! We continued our stroll back to the apartment to get ready for the rest of the day.

We had followed the story in the months previous of a young Islander in the hospitality business who crashed his motorcycle to avoid a negligent tourist in a golf cart. He had been critically injured and there was a grave concern that he might not survive. A group of us prayed for him regularly and watched his ongoing rehabilitation. That afternoon Tiny Gecko, who supports so many philanthropic events, was holding a fund raising event on David’s behalf. We were happy to see him in the flesh and to contribute a small amount to this event.

From Tiny Gecko, we continued along the Malecon to meet up with long time friends J & B and see their apartment that allows for an even longer stay than us-3 months! They had already been ensconced on the island for a number of weeks and led us to a hidden spot we had never been to before-Chefcito! These were the chicken nachos that we shared as a starter. Their black bean sauce was so amazing that we made quick work of the platter.

J loved her loaded chicken tostados,

B his fish Vera Cruz,

and D his Coconut Fish. When I asked him just now to recount what he remembered, he said “Oh, it was fantastic!”

Under that mass of sauteed onions were two grilled porkchops. I was really pleased with my selection. They were no where near the thickness of my fav double boned pork chop at Fredy’s, but they were carefully prepared so as not to dry out. Little forkfuls were delicious as was the taco I made of the fixins.

Chefcito is a delightful spot on a Salina next to Isla Brewing. That evening there were no mosquitos but there were…roosters! Supposedly they wander over from another yard and are a delight. I must admit, I was glad that I hadn’t ordered the Chicken Tostados. Another lovely aspect of the evening (besides getting caught up with our good friends) were the reasonable prices at Chefcito!

Aw, our first full day. I was still too excited about all the days ahead, to settle into a good sleep.

Kath’s quote: “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the Earth all one’s lifetime.“-Mark Twain

Love never fails.

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