2/26/25 Tacos, Cerveza, and Pseudo Fancy Food.

     I started my day at El Espresso Sayulita with coffee, and a bagel and cream cheese. At home, my morning ritual is to wake up and make coffee. So, I decided to just head right out. I learned early on in my Tavel hobby. When outside of the United States, many places do not except credit or debit cards. A wise traveler always has local currency. Welp, leaving the room before I had completely woke up bit me in the ass. As I got my bill, I discovered I only had 60 Pesos. When the fellow came by, and saw me holding my card, he said “no cards”. Luckily he spoke excellent English. I explained that I had cash back at the room, but was running short. I told the fellow he could hold my card, while I went to retrieve some cash. My room is less than a block away. So, it did not take me long to settle my blunder.

     Back at my lodging, I hung out by the pool. Eventually I was joined by my homies. We chatted, had beers, and took a dip. It has been decided that our pool is colder than the ocean. We decided we should eat some lunch.

     We headed out and found ourselves at Tacos Tal Ivan. I ordered 2 al pastor, 1 chorizo, and 1 mushroom taco. My poor Spanish resulted in my mushroom taco being shrimp. I have come to realize that I am extremely sensitive the flavor that makes seafood taste like fish. Dave is a shrimp eater. So, I asked him if he would please get it off my plate. So, I did not have to smell it. Sometimes at home, I don’t even like to be next to a table in a restaurant that is eating seafood. I realize this is a “me” problem. We all got our food, and really enjoyed it. The tacos were smaller at lunch time, then drunk Tony remembered them. We all ordered a second round of food. I got 2 more Al Pastor.

     After some walking and some beverages. Dave and I left our valuables with Chris, and headed out into the ocean. We swam in the surf for at least 30 minutes. I found myself a few yards away from a surfer. So, I said, “hey brother, how do you know when a wave is a good one.” The fellow told me he was new to surfing, and was not sure himself. He spoke with an accent I recognized. So, I said “Sprechen sie Deutsch?” He replied “Ja, und enen?” In German, I told him only a little. He switched back to English, and asked me where I was from. I told him USA, near Seattle. He knew this was in the state of Washington. Apparently, when he leaves here, he is headed to San Francisco. He is from Stuttgart area. I let him know that I knew this was in the state of Swabia.

     I am writing this on the 27th. It is our last full day here. It is also the first day that I really feel like I am over my cold. I had planned to take in some surfing while I was here. At this point I am not sure if I will.

     Dave noted how sobering swimming was. I agreed, and suggested we fix this. We enjoyed some beverages with chips, and pico de gio. I was drinking the Modelo Negra, and it was hitting the spot.

     Dinner was eaten at a fancy-ish spot Called Sur38 at the bottom of Gringo Hill. The high light was a dish called queso fundido. It was melty cheese with small pieces of a pepperoni type, stick sausage. It gets spooned onto tortillas. It is simple and delicious. We also had some chewy steak, and some gritty salad.

     Our favorite little beach bar is called Bar Tola. We finished the evening drinking there again. Dave excused himself for a bit to take swim. We all made it back to our lodging safely.