Sunday, April 7, 2020
Juan left us this morning, early, to join his family for the eclipse. It will pass right over his sister's house in the mountains! We have today as a free day and after yoga with Laura we meet the rest of the group and go to breakfast as Belesario's. There just happens to be a table for twelve all set up and we figure that Juan's parting gift to us was this reservation! What a thoughtful man he is! Breakfast is delicious and the service is perfect. Everyone gets what they ordered with no hiccups and it's all so tasty!
During breakfast we discuss plans and it seems that everyone wants to go to the lighthouse! The route will take us past the observatorio, where we have tickets for tomorrow's main event. It includes a funicular ride up to the lookout point, breakfast and a discussion of myths associated with the eclipse before the watching begins. Ginger says there are also some birds and other critters to visit and it sounds like a charming place.
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| Clever way to disguise the razor wire! |
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| What a cute momento! |
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| Omelet with spinach and a salad! |
Getting there is quite an uphill climb and it's really good to take a little break while Ginger double-checks our tickets so there aren't a questions tomorrow. Then we hike up hill some more to the base of the actual climb to the lighthouse. You have to get tickets which I guess limits the people who are there at any one time. At this point half of our group decides that discretion is the better part of valor and dying on the ascent to a lighthouse to see ocean and the town is not the way we want to die. I'm in that group!
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| Mezatlan's state |
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| Alex is a musician and choir director, so he's right at home! |
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| The modern city in the background |
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| Oh! You need a ticket to go through that torture! |
Our intrepid six head back into town to look for a lunch spot and finally decide that it's okay to eat pizza. After all, the locals do, too! And we luck into a perfect pizza place, Via Condotti, with an outdoor table that we can reconfigure to seat six. We choose three pizzas for the six of us and finish them down to the last crumb! Just as we're finishing, our other six friends show up and we give them our table. They only order two pizzas - light weights!!
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| Painted on the wall of a school |
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| The cruise ships may go out to sea, chasing the eclipse if the clouds are bad. |
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| Must be an American! |
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| Pizza seasonings |
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| Duckie gets his choice! |
At this point we break into smaller groups and Ginger and I wind up in the market, looking for eclipse t-shirts. It is beyond belief that there isn't eclipse merch everywhere! We spot a shopkeeper wearing one and she says they sold out yesterday but will have more tomorrow! They couldn't have ordered many bacause we've only seen two or three people wearing them. The city does have an open area with a mock up of the eclipse where you can take your own photos and there are a few posters and explanations, but nothing for sale like a drink cup or a coffee cup or a key chain or an "I saw the eclipse" bumper sticker. Nothing! Amazing!
We head for home and since Laura has our only key I go up to Ginger's little apartment to sit for a bit. When Lisa comes home she says that Laura left before her and must be home. I hadn't even checked since the room was dark, but low and behold the door is unlocked and she's on the phone with a friend! We share experiences briefly and I lie down for a quick minute. Next thing I know Karen is calling our names and it's time for sunset and dinner!
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| My aperol spritz comes by "special delivery"! |
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| The tapas is perfect with shrimp, beets, chicken, mushrooms, and salmon! |
Laura isn't hungry after all that pizza and so I wipe my eyes and join the sunset club in the courtyard. On the way Cathy calls Belisario's and makes another reservation. They were so great at breakfast we're going there for dinner! Then it's straight on the maracon (boardwalk along the shore) for sunset. There is a flow of people all heading that way. I guess there is something in human nature that demands this ritual!
Of course Mother Nature put on a colorful display for us and then it's time for dinner at our new favorite restaurant. Everyone puts in their drink orders and then dinner selections and our one waiter does a grand job of delivering everything. And guess who got their dinner first - Helen! Last night hers was last by about half and hour and the night before it never came at all! Valerie comments to me that she's going to start tipping the wait staff at home much better. We're so spoiled that it's good to have our expectations reexamined like this!
Our waiter comments on my hair and says his mother used to to that to her hair and when I say she must have been a fun lady, he says, "You have no idea!" When we're leaving he says "Thank you for allowing me to remember my mom". I'm so very touched!
When I get home Laura is wide awake! Me, not to much. I have to crash after a little while and I think she read a book on her phone. I'm so totally wiped out! These 13,000 and 14,000 step days are really catching up with me! Tomorrow after the eclipse we have the rest of the day to continue exploring and maybe we'll find those commemorative t-shirts!
