We slept late. 8AM this time. All this quietness and repetition is starting to sound like retirement. A breakfast of oatmeal and instant coffee while reading the morning news also sounds a lot like we are entering out sunset years sooner than we probably should. Add a seniors special dinner to our daily routine along with some aquasize classes and we might be there.
We made it out the door by 10:30, mainly in search of both money and food…both good sources of motivation. A walk down the beach, then diverting back into town because the tide was a little too high to wade through. We wandered a little further up that main road into town and found a couple more grocery stores, two banks, a mini mall and of course a Hard Rock Cafe. This doesn’t seem to be a destination worthy or a Hard Rock franchise restaurant, but for some reason this one does well enough to keep the label in place.
The mini mall was underwhelming. Apparently imported items here are subject to up to a 100% import duty, which then gets passed on to the consumer. Dresses that Melanie might find at home in Walmart for about 20 dollars Canadian seem to retail down here for 35-45USD. Sunscreen i might buy for 8 bucks on sale at home sells for over 20USD in a big grocery store. A mini mart, expect another 30% to be added on. Here buying local is not novelty, it is essential to low cost living.
We found a cafe to have lunch in. Melanie was impressed at the quality of this mini mall food, and I have to say I was too. Considering most everything here seems to be near Canadian or Vancouver prices for dining out, we have become accustomed to now paying more for everything except for accommodation. We could take a taxi tomorrow to Brasilito, which is all of a 60 minute ride away, however the drivers want 60USD for that trip. Shuttles are asking 35USD per person which actually makes the cabs look like a better option. The bus should be the best though and we will take our chances with either the 10 or 11AM bus out of here.
After lunch, back to our place for a pool day. We got the opportunity to chat with a young couple that checked in yesterday. English gal and Hungarian guy, travelling on a budget for a couple months…not sure where they might be going next. Sounds familiar. After almost a couple hours floating in the pool chatting, we parted ways and prepped ourselves for our last night here.
Karaoke night, on Halloween. Melanie scouted out the menu for the place offering the singing tonight and was pumped. She knew exactly what she was going to get. We took our time wandering down, stopping to walk along the beach and enjoy the sunset filled beach with the occasional stray mutt pacing through the wet sand. We made our way up to Coconutz for a happy hour beverage and after ordering drinks…found out they have no food. Apparently after the last big storm they lost their kitchen. Neighboring businesses are happy for the decreased competition and any referrals these guys might offer up, but it meant we were again in search of food.
One drink on an empty stomach lead us to a seafood restaurant close by. We climbed the stairs to the upper level and in this 200 seat restaurant, we were placed right next to the only other couple in the restaurant. Excellent spot overlooking the street, discouraging that no one else was there.
We took our chances on the ceviche. Added to that a shrimp pasta and grilled chicken entrees. All in all, not bad. The ceviche could have used less lime, which is something rarely said by any ceviche eater. The pasta had more fat shrimp than noodles, and the chicken was just right. Only complaint, no room for dessert. We waddled out and back to Coconutz to resume the beverages and mingling with expats.
It seemed half the crowd was there to enjoy the singing, and the other half too cheer on the Dodgers. Random outbursts as homeruns were hit which was a little distracting to the show. Melanie was lucky enough to have almost no competition for the mic tonight. 5 songs over the course of a couple hours, and that is only because the DJ was padding the space between singers just to stretch out the show a little. She puts in a song…and a few minutes later she is up. Ah, something different for these locals to enjoy.
Melanie got a nice little break when this guy got into Stairway to Heaven. This Led Zeppelin fan we had met the night before, drinking in the checkout line at the grocery store. The guy grabbed a six pack, popped out one of the cans, and was drinking it as he walked the aisles…and as he was checking out. This guy told us his abbreviated life story while in line, which included him being born in Florence Italy and being brought up in Toronto. After getting laid off from a steel plant in Hamilton, he moved down here…which now was 29 years ago. He swears he makes the best pizza in town, and if we wanted to come try…we could tomorrow. He made his way to the cashier and attempted to argue that he should get a discount on the beer he had cracked open ‘because it had a hole in the top’. This was a guy that has at least learned some spanish. Everyone else seems to use the excuse that their brains just don’t learn like they used to.
5 songs was enough. The night was dragging on and we have a minor travel day tomorrow. We paid up our bill, said goodbye to the friendly faces and hopped in a cab for our room.
Coco we thank you. Maybe next time we can explore everywhere around you a little more, and see the monkeys