Wednesday, another day in paradise....sort of

Paradise found

The weather just doesn't get much more perfect.  Blue skies and the sound of the ocean are the first things we see and hear as we greet each new day.  I have forgot what a jacket and sweater are and sunscreen seems to be my body lotion.

We didn't head off to La Lancha for our usual surf and beach day.  Mark did a double session yesterday with surfing in the morning at La Lancha and then an hour or so on the stand up paddle board at the beach across the street from our condo.  He wanted to give his body a chance to rest up.  We spend the morning walking the down town area of Punta Mita (about 3 whole blocks) searching out the scuba diving  shops in the area and making plans for a dive trip tomorrow.  We ended up booking one out of Puerta Vallarta that we found on the internet.  That means an early wake up call at 6:00 am for the drive into Puerta Vallarta.  We are leaving a bit earlier than we probably need to, but we don't know what the morning traffic will like.

We decided to spend today's afternoon at one of my favorite towns, Sayulita.  It is about 15-20 minutes up the road.  It is a bit bigger than Punta Mita, and a whole lot funkier.  The beach there is just as lovely and a lot more full of life with a lot of beach front restaurants, vendors and people from all over.  The downtown area streets are all lined with cobblestone and the ones  branching off further into the neighborhoods are all dirt roads.  Dogs of every shape and size (I can't tell the breed of most of them), wander around or just lay sleeping where they choose.  It was nice to see that most of them did have collars on and looked cared for. 

We walked along the beach and Mark stopped to talk to the guys renting stand up paddle boards all along our walk.  We will probably go back there on Friday so he can paddle board there.  They say it's best in the morning surf.  The restaurants along the beach all have tables and chairs set up just beyond the water's edge, so for the price of breakfast or lunch and a few soft drinks or cocktails, the chair is yours for the day.

When we left the beach and headed up the streets of this sleepy little town, the aromas coming at you from all the different restaurants is incredible. The delicious smell of onions, garlic, spices and more come at you in all directions.  We weren't hungry, but could have easily stopped for something to eat.  We held strong and decided to just stop for an iced coffee at an open aired coffee shop we passed.



And later that night...
 

In Mexico, why is it most of the sidewalks aren't level and steps aren't of the same height? And who builds a 2" high step?  Did they do this just to mess with me?  I hadn't even had a margarita yet and I found the only 2" step in town.  Well rather my big toe found it as I stumbled over it and I think I now have a broken toe.

I am not the type of person who lets something like this ruin my day.  So after we finished our beverages, we walked on.  Me with my toe angled upward to keep my weight off it.  After all, there were all these little shops I hadn't been in yet.