Touring with Shannon and Linda

The dogs were having some kind of issues last night panting and pacing around the room. I slept poorly waking up several times to their rustling around. Nevertheless, I was up early and straightening out the house so it could look as good as it could when my friends Shannon and Linda showed up later in the morning. The power went out around 8:30 and remained offline for most of the day.

After missing the turn a few times, Shannon finally made his way into El Pequeno Paraiso. I went down and greeted them at the car and met Shannon’s lovely girlfriend Linda. Shannon had brought me some items from home that I’d ordered on Amazon and had shipped to his house. Thanks for playing the role of mule for me and hauling my stuff. Much appreciated. 

We went upstairs and sat on the deck catching up on the latest goings on. I gave them a quick tour of the pad and then we decided to head to the beach and have lunch at El Socio. We chose a table at the low end of the palapa being careful not to bump our heads on the beams. We ordered up some shrimp plates and enjoyed the fresh seafood while watching the other tourists swimming in the water and socializing on the beach. We talked a lot about retirement destinations and strategies. Like we used to do all of the time, Linda and Shannon have been studying ‘International Living’ magazine and watching House Hunter International type shows. After lunch, the plan developed to go and have a look at San Pancho and Sayulita.

We piled into their rental car and drove down the 200 to San Francisco. Shannon parked the car on a quiet side street and we walked the few remaining blocks down to the beach. Lots of charming little shops and artsy bistro type eateries. We walked down the beach watching a couple of local kids surfing out front. A vendor came by hawking some colorful beaded sarongs and Linda couldn’t help but bargain with the lady for a brightly patterned wrap.

Being an overcast Monday, there wasn’t really a whole lot going on. We walked back down the main road stopping at the coconut vendor for a couple of cold coconuts. The man deftly chopped them open with his machete and added straws sending us down the street drinking the cold, fresh juice.

We made the short drive down to Sayulita and Shannon easily found us parking down near the trailer park. We walked out to the beach and explored the area. There was a large grassy field with a restaurant and a place to host events. We wandered around a while then walked over to the RV park to have a look at what it had to offer. I’ll definitely bring Lexi over for a day or two just for a little change of scenery. 

We strolled down the street to the town center then went back out onto the sand to take in the beach scene at the hub of activity in Sayulita. There were some gentle little waves with lots of people paddling around trying to catch them. The beach was littered with surf schools and board rentals with quite a few people taking advantage of their services. A lively colorful scene. Lots of hip young people congregating in this trendy little beach town. 

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We sat at a table at a beachfront restaurant and ordered some guacamole and a cold beverage. We relaxed, chatting with each other and a couple of guys from Orange County at the next table. Leisurely way to pass the afternoon in the laid back atmosphere. 

Interesting shops line the streets and we roamed the downtown area peeking into surf shops, spas and a hammock store. While waiting on a street corner near the zocalo, Shannon struck up a conversation with a local who distributes organic snacks. He opened a bag of beet root chips and passed them over to us. We tried to pay him, but he said no. Next thing we know, he’s ripped open a bag of corn churros and then a bag of chili potato chips. We had an impromptu sampling of his complete line of snacks. We thanked him and continued our meandering through the colorful, flag lined lanes. 

Eventually, we came full circle back to the car and made the slow drive behind a train of cars following a heavy truck down the two lane highway. Shannon and Linda dropped me at the tower then returned to Rancho Banderas. I took the dogs out for a walk then ate a piece of chicken and watch the basketball playoffs.