Driving the golf cart to the ocean.

Donna & John’s Arrival 2022: Monday, March 21

For me, Donna and John’s arrival is bittersweet. I was excited for them to come down. Donna is terrified of flying. We were all shocked that she decided to make the trek. Coming from the land of ice and snow, we knew that the weather alone would make a nice week for them. That is the sweet part.

The bitter part is that my next round of dental procedures is today and tomorrow. My upcoming bone grafting surgery tomorrow means that I have to eat mushy foods for the next few days. I can turn Donna and John on to great Mexican foods, but I have to just watch them enjoy it.

So, after my root canal (oh fun), we raced to the airport to meet Donna and John’s plane. We needn’t have rushed. Their plane was an hour late and the airline temporarily lost their checked bag. The car we had set up to pick us all up at the airport couldn’t wait around that long. Once American Airlines tracked down their bag, we had to take a taxi back to Bucerias.

But, it was 80º and after unpacking, we all settled in at our comfortable little garden space next to the house. As I stated earlier, Donna is having trouble walking. However, tomorrow morning the golf cart comes. We can then take them all over Bucerias.

By the time we got Donna and John back to the house, it was suppertime. Wanda and I walked to town to track down some pollos asado (rotisserie chicken). Pollo Feliz, on the main drag, was open. It wasn’t rotisserie chicken. It was better - wood-fired grilled chicken. They split the backs of whole chickens so they can evenly grill them. We’ve seen this in Thailand. It is ingenious. And these are farm raised chickens, not factory chickens. They are plump and delicious.

An order of chicken incluces one whole chicken, a stack of freshly made tortillas (made on the spot), salsa, and mexican rice. I bought two orders. One chicken we ate this evening. The other chicken we saved for chicken burittos and chicken soup.

The cook just shoveled in some more huge cherry-red hot charcoal chunks under his grill.

Golf Cart 2022: Tuesday, March 22

At 8 am, we got an email asking when we wanted our golf cart delivered. We agreed upon 9:45 am, and at 9:45 sharp, Banderas Bay Carts showed up with the cart. He gave us a great map of Bucerias and showed us all the tricks on how to access all the areas of town.

We aren’t allowed on highway 200, nor the laterals next to the highway. We can cross the highway at two intersections. For the most part, that isn’t much of a problem.

There is one spot, however, that requires some creativity. A dry riverbed splits the town in half (I assume that it can turn into a torrent during the rainy season). Only the forbidden highway and lateral crosses the riverbed on the ocean side of Hwy 200. Therefore, we have to creep along on a couple of sidewalks; pick our way on one, sort of, drivable stretch of the riverbed; and finally drive up a very steep, very rough cobblestone street to circumvent the bottleneck created by the riverbed. It is an adventure.

Our first order of business was to get Donna some pesos. We had to navigate the bottleneck to reach the ATM. Unfortunately, the ATM was out of pesos. That was a bust. Then we drove to Karen’s Restaurant for breakfast. Even though our last encounter with Karen’s was less than stellar, we were going to give her another shot since it is on the beach and we have had many good meals there before. It turns out that Karen’s is closed on Tuesdays. Jeez, we were striking out everywhere.

But this is Mexico. You learn to roll with the punches, and it makes you a better person if you master your “rolling” technique. Here is where I had to leave our little party and head off to slaughter at the dentist office. Wanda and John took over the driving responsibilities as I caught the bus.

Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! This was a tough surgery. When the Novocaine wore off, I was hurting. Thank goodness, Ibuprofen quickly eased the pain. The group entertained me with stories of all their adventures. Mexico is pretty loose when it comes to street names and street signage, making the map difficult for newbies. They got lost in several back neighborhoods, some very much on the rougher side. Somehow, Wanda found her way to Los Pericos for breakfast and Adrianos for supper. In between they perused the beach. I was jealous.

Banderas Bay Carts delivering our golf cart. Weekly rates are very affordable. Their web site is: banderasbaycarts.com.

Right after being dropped off in our front yard, we loaded up the golf cart and took it for a spin. I assure you, Donna is not flashing gang signs. She is saying “I love you” in sign language. Donna and John’s granddaughter, KK, is deaf. KK loves to sign. The whole family is learning sign language.

Examples of murals and flora on our way to the ATM.

John took over the driving after I went to the dentist.

Breakfast at Los Pericos - eggs benedict (Donna) and pancakes, eggs, and bacon (John).

Supper at Adrianos.

Donna picked quesadillas for her supper.

John loved his streak.

My Turn 2022: Wednesday, March 23

I was feeling quite chipper today and anxious to get out. I figured that riding in the cart with a roof to block out the sun would still be relaxing as per the doctor’s order. We jumped in the cart and cruised.

We had planned a return engagement at the ATM, which was successful. Next, we went to Farmacia Guadalajara to pick up some more inhalers for Kack. Today, they were even cheaper - 650 pesos ($32.50 US) each. Things were shaping up well - our “rolling with the punch” technique was paying dividends.

Right around the corner from the farmacia, we stumbled across a tiny market. It turned out to be a mini La Cruz Arts and Crafts market featuring handcrafted items. In fact, most of the vendors also set up at the La Cruz market.

John found a dapper handmade straw hat that we bargained down to 450 pesos. There were a couple of hats being worked on in varying states of completion. These weren’t Chinese mass-produced hats.

Donna found a vendor selling pure vanilla extract far cheaper than at home. She bought a couple of bottles. She would have purchased jugs of vanilla if she would have had space in her baggage. Ah, now we were on a roll.

Donna is manning the “get-away” vehicle after hitting the bank (lol). This time we did get pesos for Donna.

The Arts and Crafts market that we stumbled upon.

Like in La Cruz, the market featured a terrific jazz band.

The artwork at the market is impressive.

John sporting his hat.

After we picked our way back across the dry riverbed, we ended up near Jeff and Teri’s house. This is Teri’s last day in Mexico this winter. She flies home tomorrow. So, we stopped by to say “hi - goodbye”.

With all that out of the way, it was beach time. We drove to Ocean’s Beach Bar and got a wonderfully breezy table overlooking Playa Bucerias. Ocean’s Restaurant assembles a mean plate of nachos that’s second to none. That, and a large plate of guacamole and chips with plenty of drinks got the party started.

After dinner, we parked ourselves under a beach umbrella on the sandy beach in front of Ocean’s. Wanda and I walked along the surf for a mile or so. John and Donna rested, enjoying the ocean breeze under the shade of the umbrella. What a great day.

On our way to Ocean’s Restaurant, we checked out a colorful resort complex that is off the beaten track - we have wheels now so we can explore more parts of Bucerias.

We snagged a wonderful table at Ocean’s Restaurant - what a view!

Our waiter was quite the “ham”.

That’s a plate of genuine nachos.

Relaxing on the beach after supper.

Dave and Wanda

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