mancora
we arrived in mancora at four in the morning and rode a tiny taxi, powered by motorcycle, to our destination, el pirata. the hostel was a sprawling place on top of a dunish hill, constructed entirely out of wood and bamboo, bearing pirate flags. the sand of the courtyard was dotted with jagged flagstones that led to the little cabins. though we had arrived so late, there were still some people sitting in the courtyard and drinking. our room had one full sized bed and a little arched bamboo cabinet. sarongs draped the back windows and a blanket with two tiger cubs covered the door. cass had not been feeling well, but we were still subject to the voices that penetrated the bamboo. i, of course, had my bright orange earplugs and butterfly sleepmask, so slept like a baby. cass had dreams of insects under her skin, a possible product of the ants that marched through our bed. when we woke, it was easier to see the charms of the place, with colorful hammocks swinging from posts throughout the courtyard and a bright open air kitchen-bar, and a circulation of surfers and beach goers heading out for the day. there was also a little puppy the size of my foot, but round as a log with chocolate curls like a poodle. he was insanely cute and i had a great time playing with him as he weighed less than a soda can and had the energy of hummingbird. still, we decided to make a switch in hotels, as cass did not feel well, and it was an expensive place to stay, given the time of year (Fiestas de patrias, etc.). we found a new place, closer to the beach, called arena blanca with a private bathroom, fan, tv, restaurant, market, and pool. after settling in, we ate breakfast under a canopy on the sand with the mancora beach playing out in front of us. we ate a standard menu breakfast of coffee, eggs,and bread, and then set off to shop in a craft lovers paradise. we were finally seeing things we hadn´t seen a thousand times over and fell in love every ten feet with some new piece. cass laughed as my arm filled up with bracelets. by the end of the craft walk, we were hungry again for lunch (i swear, there were a lot of crafts). i had a delicious menu of cebiche (raw white fish with enough limes, onions, and peppers to satisfy grandpa john) served with a purple sliver of a sweet potato like vegetable and a handful of toasted corn kernals. then, rice, fillet of fish, and french fries. incredible! we lazed around on the beach for a bit, watching as prancing horses dashed by in the sand and kids kicked around a soccer ball in the waning light. there was a lot of wind, so we headed back to the hotel, changed, and set out again to have a beer as we watched sunset. i love that here, you could buy two limes for less than 25 cents, and have the guy cut them for you too. we shared our beer and watched the sun dissapear into the fog that is a hallmark of the peruvian coast. strange to think all you beach people in california saw the same sun set a few hours later. afterwards, we set off to find a mexican food place we´d heard about that no longer exists. so we settled for a place that offered quesadillas, however, we´ve learned to ask questions before embarking on a so-called mexican dish. turns out, there are still more questions to ask, like, will the tortilla be made of pizza dough, will it come with basil and cayenne pepper, will the salsa taste like spicy spaghetti sauce? still, very good. afterwards, diet cokes and chocolate and watching the last samurai in subtitles from my bed. it seems as though all we do is eat, and it´s true. it´s very exciting. as the movie drew to it´s exciting close, the music from the fiesta del mar started up with a very repetitive mic check. dos dos, dos dos, uno uno. then, some 80´s music (let´s get physical)and an ear numbing volume. finally, enough bass to raise the dead. as we readied for sleep, i told cass, the good thing about this is i don´t have to go to the trouble of beating my own heart. she said, and with this bed, i don´t have to go to the trouble of cracking my own back. this morning, we enjoyed a break from routine when we eat fruit salad and pancakes, respectively. we´ll stay another night, and hopefully head to ecuador tomorrow…were you all aware that they use the american dollar? i´m simultaneously dreading and anticipating my return to civilization. i´m excited for michelle´s babies, and debbie´s house, and mexican food, and my car and t´s condo, and zack´s house, and my beach, dad´sgraveyard work, and of course, seeing all of you!
Tags: Travel
July 28th, 2005 at 1:22 pm
Wow! I was pleasantly surprised to hear from you so soon… THANKS! I hope Cassidy is feeling better. I have seen pictures of Mancora, and the beaches, palm trees, and gorgeous sunsets make it look like my kind of place. I have read that it is a real surfers’ paradise. It sounds like you had a lot of fun shopping with so many crafts available. I love reading about your adventure, and even your description of the food. It is going to be a difficult adjustment to coming back home….. especially because of the routine of work and the lack of free time, but we’ll be a lot happier to have you home. Oh well, you can start thinking about your next trip. I had no idea that Ecuador used the American dollar. I’m looking forward to reading about your stay there. We love you Darcy! Say hi to Cassidy for me. I am so glad she has been your traveling buddy. Take care! Love, Mom
July 28th, 2005 at 3:40 pm
I was so sorry to hear that Cass wasn’t doing well. I guess you guys have been pretty lucky so far about your health unless you have been keeping quiet. B called this morning and said Art was in the hospital so I called down there and talked to him. I guess there is something wrong besides the breathing but they haven’t said what. The travelers should be home by this weekend. Got calls from both of them. They are not together but both are in CA and near home. The weather is better today so I guess that’s something good. Seems like so many people are having some kind of problem that even a good day is a GOOD change. I’ll be so glad to have you home. I know your job is hard on you but maybe it will be better this year. Let’s hope so. Kathy and Mike flew to visit Michelle today. Hope they have fun. Lu took me to the P.O. yesterday and to the copy place and then she got me and herself a drink from the other Lou’s place. She showed me the Disneyland pictures and they were fun. It had been a long time since she had had time to stay and talk. It was really nice. No other big news. Please hurry home because we sure do miss you. Love and many good wishes - G and G
July 28th, 2005 at 10:07 pm
I’ve enjoyed your BLOG’S. Yes, I survived Disneyland only because I rented a wheelchair and had good pushers. ( Don’t worry, I still had to do a lot of walking. It was about a mile to the gate and then a mile back at night to our hotel. ) It turned out great as we got VIP treatment to a special entrance and on the rides sooner.
I never imagined that there were so many new rides, and things to do. It took us four days and then we missed some. My favorite was “Soaring California”. It was just like being in a glider. When we flew low I raised my feet. ha I also liked the 3-D movies. I’d take off my glasses just to see where the bugs or? were if thet got in my face. I missed the spray the bugs did and the bite on the butt as I was in the w-chair. I guess they have pins in the seats. ha I bet I was the biggest kid there and having as much fun as any of them. It was very crowded and hot. I never saw anyone mean to their kids or ? The only thing I’d recommend was to have people walk to their right. Sometimes it was hard to get any place as kids and people were coming at you.XXXOOOMeemo
July 29th, 2005 at 1:21 am
Maime is here from AZ and Jessica stays at the hospital a lot. Art didn’t come home today and they still haven’t told him anything. Our day turned out to be hot after all and we had thunder and a sprinkle. SO, so much for what I thought was going to be a good day. Got a lot of phone calls to make tomorrow. One to DMV to see why one pink slip is two weeks behind the others. Started the whole proceedure in March. I got an invitation to your Michelle’s shower today. It is really nice that they always invite me to all their family affairs. I appreciate being invited even though I often can’t go. It’s late so I’m out of here. Keep safe and hope Cass is better. Love from your old Granny and “our” special other person, G. When you get home I will show you one of the things I did to help think things would go right for you. xxoo
July 30th, 2005 at 11:45 am
oops. this is a repeat as posted it on one of your old entries. thought i better post it on your most recent or you might not see it..
hola! sorry i haven’t responded in awhile. today is saturday and my first day home so am enjoying - yes enjoying - doing laundry, puttering around the house and yard, catching up on emails and bills, etc. miss everyone in san diego but good to be home too. flew in sunday night after a long delay in phoenix. our plane’s de-icer wasn’t working so they had to get us a new plane. we all got a good laugh over that as it was over 100 in phoenix and high 90s on okc. of course, the de-icer is needed due to altitude temps - freezing at just 15,000 feet. monday it was back to work and gosh, the same thing all week long… ugh! i’m not in shape for that! love my job but a job is a job and i missed my flexible schedule, partying, disneyland, being with family, shopping, etc as usual, we excelled at amusing each other and ourselves without even trying… your trip has sounded great! look forward to hearing more once i see you. i’ve told lots of people the bare bones about our experiences. probably more bones than some wanted… where we went, what we saw and did, but it’s the interactions, conversations, sharing of experiences witih the people you encounter along the way that are the true gems… you will be forever changed by those things more than anything! that’s what i love about traveling the most! ooh, but that beach sounded great too! luv u! aunt t