Bob and Jan's Travels: La Penita

What a Great Day! We started off slowly with coffee and toast on our balcony and then ventured over to Rincon de Guayabitos (the neighboring town) for the Monday market. We walked through La Penita which is very old town authentic Mexico and crossed a suspended bridge into Rincon which is very touristy with hotels lining the beach. The walk was a lot longer than we thought (about 30-45minutes - who knows - we don't wear a watch down here - it felt like a long time in the heat). The market was great with everything from touristy stuff to handmade Mexican fare. We did not buy anything as we are waiting for the La Penita market on Thursday which is apparently much larger. We stopped for lunch at Tonitos I (recommended by Patty form Hinde y Jaime) and had fresh fish with cilantro and bacon wrapped cheese stuffed shrimp. We walked along the beach which is beautiful, long and busy and then took a taxi home (30 pesos - about $2.50). We relaxed around the pool for the afternoon and chatted with our neighbours from Alberta and BC.

The Gold Medal game for the World Juniors was on at Hinde y Jaime's so off we went - yup the same restaurant again but why mess with a good thing - it ended up being one of our best night's in Mexico! Patty also had a singer coming in last night - Roberto - and told us that we could watch the game but with no sound so that Roberto could sing. He was excellent, but we felt bad, the crowd was obviously there for the hockey game and would cheer constantly. He eventually just took a long long break and waited for the hockey game to end. Winning gold was a great start to the evening, but the best was yet to come … we became part of the Hinde y Jaime family. It was so busy that Patty called in the reinforcements. We met Jorge (her uncle and Hinde's brother) and his wife and son. Pam (Jaime's daughter) and her daughter were there from St. Louis. Jaime's son and his wife and daughter were there from Hawaii. Christina (Jaime and Hinde's daughter) and her young daughter were there … and Hinde and Jaime were there as well (apparently they do not come to the restaurant often anymore). Jan ended up helping fold napkins. We sat with Jaime for quite awhile - he is 85 years old now and had many stories. He arrived in this area 30 years ago when there was very little except trees and jungle. He and Hinde built a hut on the beach which they lived in for 7 years. They have owned many businesses in the area over the years but his greatest joy was seeing his family all here. This is the Mexico that most rarely see and which makes us love it here so much. By the way, eating and drinking all night (a lot) cost us about $40.