Tianguis

We were up early and took the dogs out for a sunrise walk around Los Arroyos. The sun made its appearance over the agricultural fields in front of the development. Lots of birds were out looking for an early meal. Russo, the white compound dog, joined us for part of the walk. He and Koda like to play.

Today is Sunday, the day that Los Arroyos is open to the public. People pay an admission and come to spend the day. There is live music, swimming in the pool, and access to the park like areas to hang out.

The tianguis (weekly street fair) is going on today in Cruz de Huanacaxtle so we got Joaquin to drive us over and drop us off. We are shopping for a good Mayan hammock, but didn’t find any there to our liking but we did find lots of other cool stuff. The tianguis here is mainly a gringo affair and the prices reflect that. There were no real bargains to be found but a decent deal could be struck with a little negotiation.

The most impressive part was the food. All types of cooked meals from jambalaya to Argentine style empanadas to Italian sandwiches were on offer. We ate a couple of empanadas and picked up a bag full to go. There is a French guy who roasts his own local coffee and sells it by the half kilo. We couldn’t resist the smell of the dark roast and picked up a bag. A couple of hip young ladies were selling vegan taco fillings. They had soy chorizo, soy pastor, hibiscus leaves and several other options. We got a carton of the chorizo to take home. Fresh guacamole, strawberries, finger bananas, artisan breads. We filled a few bags.

PJ wanted another blanket to throw on the couch in the casita and I liked a couple of the Talavera pottery things we’d seen while browsing earlier so we went back and haggled a little and bought those and a round tablecloth for the dining table. After that, a couple of small wall decorations rounded out our shopping spree. The fish market featured lots of fresh fish, but I’ll wait until next visit for that.

The fun part was checking out all of the people. Lots of retirees, old hippies and chic locals all mingling with the vendors and townsfolk to create a festive and eclectic atmosphere. A band started playing and people gathered to listen and a few to dance.

We caught a cab back to Los Arroyos. The maids were cleaning the room when we arrived so we put the perishables in the fridge and collected the dogs and sat out in the bamboo grotto in the side yard, a table for six hidden in a circle of tall bamboo trees. We hung out in the shade reading magazines and drinking Monsters until the ladies finished up and we re-entered our clean pad. Put on the new tablecloth and rested for a while.

They had booked a violinist to play over at the pool area, so we decided to see what the Sunday happenings were like. At around 2:00, we walked over and ordered up some lunch and sat on the deck and listened to the young woman play a variety of music. There was a moderate crowd in the restaurant and around the pool. A mix of retired folks, younger couples and a large table of locals out on the island in the middle of the pool where the violinist was set up.

The food was excellent and we enjoyed mixing with the staff and some of the other residents we are getting to know. The food was making me a little lethargic, so we slipped over to the lawn area with the big hammocks and had a little snooze. Quiet evening after with the dogs.