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Buenes Tardes from Matzalan!
What an interesting couple of days this has been! I left Cuilican and went to Matzalan, found a cheap hotel ( a night) and parked. It seemed like as good of a place as any to spend my Thanksgiving. I was feeling a little lonely, being Thanksgiving and all, and having no friends or family here, so I made friends with the local bar tender at the restaurant across the street. Carlos turned out to be a pretty nice guy, and took it upon himself to take his afternoon and show me around town (after, of course, hearing my sob story…). We saw some amazing sights; cliff divers, monuments (one to the Pacifico brewery), many beautiful women, lot’s of beach and lot’s of trinkets for tourists. What I was most impressed with, however, was the old town and town centro – the architecture reminded me a lot more of Greece than Mexico. That, combined with the tropical lush and green vegetation and the mix of tourists, locals, students and artists wondering around, it was amazingly beautiful place.
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Carlos and his wife in Matzalan
I spent my Thanksgiving with Carlos, exploring Matzalan. His wife makes some killer garlic shrimp too!
Carlos is one of those guys who seems to know everybody in the city, and they all had to say hi to him as we were walking. I feel like I met half of the city yesterday! I took pictures of Carlos with his friends, with the intention of emailing them to him, only to find out later that Carlos has no email address. Just when I was starting to think this place is civilized…..
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Dinner Time!
The forementioned shrimp in their splendor and glory!
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Cliff Diver
Amazing stuff, this guy had to wait for the wave to come in otherwise it was not deep enough. Man! Misjudge that one and you got a really bad headache!
We ended our “tour” at his wife’s small restaurant for lunch, which was way off the beaten path. Didn’t look like much from the outside, come to think about it, from the inside either, but man, it was the best garlic shrimp I have ever had! Apparently she had just come from the dock, where she bought the shrimp directly off the boat. We’re talking mere hours from swimming in the Pacific to on my plate! Best shrimp I’ve ever had! We took the bus back to the hotel and restaurant where Carlos works, and that was an interesting experience in itself. I love to “people watch”, and man, let me tell you, the airport has absolutely nothing over a public bus in Mexico! What an experience!
Last night was spent at “Joe’s Oyster Bar”, a tourist trap where they do things like give you two beers when you order one, then charge you enough for two, but tell you that you are getting two because it is “happy hour”. Hmmm….. It is funny how the Mexican culture seems to be like that – I have had absolutely no problems with theft or violence of any sort, not once have I felt threatened or in danger at any point (other than driving here, which I refer to as “combat driving”), however the thing you have to watch out for is “shady deals”, like the hotel clerk who told me it was pesos in English, then offered the same to the Mexican behind me for . I guess I can deal with that – at least you have some part in it if you allow yourself to be taken. Funny how it works though – seems like it is against the cultural values to steal or rob, but if you can “fast talk” your way into the other party agreeing to let you overcharge them, then it is ok. In actuality, once you understand how the game works, it is pretty easy to play. Just argue with it any time you are given a price for something.
OK, all for now. Please keep checking back, as I am working on a way to get some more pictures up on the site. I have been taking a bunch, so it should be interesting.
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