Trip Report - Jan 29 thru Feb 9 - Part II

AS promised - Part II

Feb 4th - Day 7
Got up early and our exercise routine needed some extra effort. We went for a run down the road from The Inn at Manzanillo Bay and through Majahua and back. Majahua still has the pueblo dirt road, livestock in front yards, and a fabulous "off the grid" kind of vibe. Probably not for long.... Back to the Inn for breakfast and commenced a walk into Troncones where we met two guys from Orlando who wanted some ideas for dinner. Shared a Margarita with Blair and Chuck and showed them Lo Sereno and the Steakhouse behind Mi Casa Su Casa. From there, Molly and I made a trip to the farmacia and and silver jewelry shopping at Ignacio's. Back at the Inn - Tequila Tuesday night with blues music from Minnesota native Don Scott. It was Tequila Tuesday - enough said....

Day 8
Coffee at the Inn and a very leisurely breakfast. It's beach chairs and books. By afternoon I had enough energy to jog up and down the bay for a number of laps, push-ups, sit-ups, lunges. Felt deserving of a hamburguesa with fries and cerveza. Pool swim and shower and all set for dinner at Lo Sereno. It's a very contempo chill vibe - very nice - check out the longhorn skull on the wall done in resin and beadwork, a beautiful piece of art. The rain storm rolled in and it was splendid to take it all in from the confines of the restaurant - outstanding dinner!

Day 9
Early to rise and Molly and I run laps up and down the beach front. Air is supremely crisp after the night time rain. Lounge chairs and lazy poolside day. Head over to Amor Tropical - the funky laid back chunk of land that works as a restaurant and ideal perch to watch the sun-set. Back at the Inn, we were invited to join Mike and Winn at their table for a few drinks and conversation. We met son and Cal-Poly grad Michael who is now also working at the Inn. Michael will make for an exceptional hotel proprietor!

Day 10
Taxi into Troncones to hit the ATM for pesos and book a surf lesson for the next day with Capitan Mantarraya Adventures. Over to Costa Brava for a beach side lunch - Queso Fundido - get it, don't ask questions. Long walk down the south side of the beach and at the very end we discover Roberto's. Spend the rest of the day there drinking cervezas and mezcal - way fun and we will absolutely be back to Roberto's on every trip.

Day 11
As he promised, Juan Suazo picked us up at 8:00am for the surf lesson and drove us up to Saladita. We had taken a day trip there a few years ago to visit but I have never been able to stand up on a surf board anywhere. On the beach, Juan coaches me through stretching, positioning on the board, cobra move, and the transition to jump and stand correctly with balance. We paddle out and the waves are busy with many world class surfers. Juan coaches me on where to paddle and stay out of the way of others. It's my turn and with a gentle push I make it a grand total of 1.5 seconds before wiping out. Paddle out again - wait, up for 1.5 seconds, wipe out (repeat this exercise for the next hour...) It's a HUGE work out. With equal parts anger and determination, I maintain 15 seconds on the board (it's not pretty, imagine the Wild and Crazy Guys and the Elaine Benes Dance on a surfboard) and then a number of 20 second surf rides. Pure exhilaration and a feeling of wonderment as you glide through the water. I'm totally spent after two hours. We visit with Juan and discover he has multiple Mexican National Surf Champion titles. A truly humble and extremely talented athlete. He's also a credentialed tour guide and has a brilliant knowledge of local history. Take the private lesson for $80usd and have a great day up in Saladita. Rib dinner at the Inn - good night...

Day 12
Up at 8:00am - shower, pack, coffee, and log on for some emails. Snow storm in Minneapolis. Our 1:15pm departure gets multiple delays to what is eventually an 8:40pm departure. Kind of a wasted day but at lease it was not spent in the airport. Had another pizza at Eden and then got to the airport. 18 degrees Fahrenheit in Minneapolis. Hasta Luego Zihuatanejo...maybe like this summer - would really like to try that. One of these times - we're not going back!

One of these times - we're not going back!
That's the dream, isn't it?