Heneghans Abroad

Corrie, Mary, and Mike are living in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

Friday, May 7, 2010

More Diary from Yelapa


Easter Sunday

I love the buying by the piece here in Yelapa. "Need some diapers? How many you need?" The lady at the little tienda asked me this as she reached into an open bag of Huggies. "How about six?", she said. "One for each day?" This with a straight face. She reached into the bag and pulled out how many I needed--more than 6 for sure--at six pesos a pop. Need some hot dogs? How about four?

We did not go to mass today. No good reason either. This is just the capper on a pretty embarrassing church-going record for us here in Mexico. In our defense, at least for this Yelapa trip, this village doesn't have its own priest and had to import one for the occasion (sound familiar?). 9pm start date sealed the deal that we wouldn't make it.

I think I stated before that most of the restaurants in this little place are only open on certain days, during certain seasons of the year. Sunday's hotspot was 'Pollo Bollo'. Very crowded, but the BBQ ribs made it worth the wait. With Mary and Corrie back at our casa, I'd brought plates with me, and they were more than happy to wrap it up 'para llevar'. Half orders, even, were huge and were the deal of the week at 60 pesos. Magical, unexpected side: mashed potatoes.


Monday, April 5

Probably our best day in Yelapa. First, Mary was just in a stellar mood from start to finish, something that's been lacking. "Mary, don't you understand? We're on vacation in paradise. Get with the program!" Great breakfast at pier-side Cafe Bahia, with yummy pancakes and homemade vanilla syrup. Lulu and Scruffy the dogs underfoot. A tomato-avocado-cheese omelet. Bacon. Coffee and fresh-squeezed OJ. The cherry? Mary stayed in her chair the whole time and ate everything.

The sky was cobalt today and the waves were whitecapping. Really nice time at the beach. Mary hung in the current where the Rio Tuito met the ocean. When she tired of that, she dug in the sand with her new toys. Corrie hunted for the infamous Yelapa pie lady--Lemon custard, banana, and pecan pies in a bowl balanced on her head. Not a wisp of a cloud today. Kids cavorted in the surf and the crazy parasailers brought out the longest rope ever invented and presumably looked down on us and the mountains and smiled.

Butler lost in the final of the NCAA tournament by 2 points. We had a last second change of venue. Teri Jo--our bud from work--had a friend who had offered to let us watch in his house. Seemed like a sweet man. Hours before tipoff he tracked us down at our casa and explained that there could be no game at his place: he forgot to pay his cable bill.

No worries, as he hooked us up with a local taqueria with a TV. Good tacos and a close game. F***ing Duke! Good luck to Gordon Hayward in the NBA next year. Glad Coach Stevens will be on the sidelines for the Bulldogs next season too.

Lastly, just some random comments from our last days of peace and rest:
  • Mary zooming down the narrow alleyways during the Butler game, even stepping inside the glowing doorway of someone's home.
  • Hoards of Mexican kids, many of whom were fascinated with Mary's Curious George sticker book.
  • Great stroll around town, "ballena"(40 oz. beer) in hand, Mary running, Corrie chasing, dogs fleeing.
  • Lots of popcorn on this trip. Made on the stovetop, just like when we were kids.
  • Super delicious shrimp fajitas for a late lunch. Prepared at home, served on our patio, the waning sun there too.
  • Fernando, the proprietor of our property, pointed out manta rays just below our patio. Black with yellow spots, and just hovering among the shallow rocks.
  • Quote from Corrie: "Rural trash is different and somehow more acceptable than non-rural trash." I agree, but I'm not sure why. Plenty of it here.
Let's end on a high note: After ignoring Mary's crying during a nap--"Oh, she'll go back to sleep."--I entered her room to find that not only had she shit the bed, but she had shredded her copy of "If You Give a Moose a Muffin" and wiped her ass with it.

Tough critic.

Love,

Corrie, the Bear, and Mike