Barra de Navidad

Got up late this morning, again.  Lolled about on the patio, playing Words with Friends, then I make a quick breakfast of tocino de pavo y juevos.

Barra de Navidad as seen from Grand Bay.

The four of us then drove toward Barra de Navidad, a seacoast town of about 4500.  As we neared the town, we veered off and drove down winding roads to Isla Navidad, where there is a huge and lavish resort, Grand Bay.  We stopped and had coffee in the hotel restaurant, sitting on a terrace overlooking the water and the village of barra de Navidad, a short ferry ride away.  We had a car though, so after marveling at the opulence and speculating whether the funds to build the massive resort and its huge golf course on what must be well over 1000 acres may have come from illicit activities, we drove back down the winding roads and to the highway and on into the village.

This is the off-season, so there are few tourists on the narrow cobblestone streets.  We arrived before 10:30.  We parked on a dusty street just a few blocks from the usually tourist-laden waterfront, where in-season there would be dozens of street vendors selling trinkets, hats, fresh oysters in the shell, fruits, and any number of other treasures.  Today, though, there were only a few.

My wife and I walked out onto the jetty that juts into the ocean, taking in the views and the salt air, while my brother and his wife relaxed on a bench by the waterfront.  During the walk from the car to the jetty, the few vendors who were out and about offered us their goods.  A very gregarious man and his colleague who run ferries and fishing tours tried to persuade us that today was perfect for a run the the Grand Bay resort or some dorado fishing; had we been staying overnight in the village, I might have been more inclined to do a bit of fishing, but today we declined.

As we walked back on the jetty toward a stretch of tiny restaurants and markets, we were approached by a woman selling hats.  Earlier, I had rejected the idea of wearing a hat, but the strong sun and rapidly rising temperatures convinced me otherwise.  I bought a wide-brimmed hat with lots of ventilation for 130 Mexican pesos, about $11.  It was a wise buy. Actually, my brother bought it; I agreed to buy lunch in return.

After wondering a bit more, we stopped in a little restaurant with a nice open deck overlooking the water.  Umbrellas offered some protection, but my new hat saved my head from being scorched by the sun.

Lunch started with guacamole, totopos with various salsas, and Pacifico beer for my brother and me, while the women opted for limonadas.  I chose tacos de pescado, while the others dined on various other small-meal dishes.  The place was almost empty except for four guys who appeared to be in the midst of a photo shoot on the deck. They were taking pictures of a fancy red umbrella drink against the backdrop of waves and water.  I thought I heard one of them speaking Portuguese but my brother thought he heard them speaking French.  We speculated about what they were up to, but did not ask.

After an easy drive back to Manzanillo, I alone opted not ta take a nap, deciding, instead, to memorialize today’s experiences.

Later, I will add photos to this post…maybe in an hour, maybe in a week.