Las Varas

Sunday morning started off calm and quiet. Small waves lapped the shore as the beach began to come awake. Early birds were up strolling the sand as a pair of kayakers were stroking their way out past the marina. A burst of music erupted from the corner store only to quiet back down after a few of his favorite tunes. I sat sipping tea watching the day unfold.

Alan came by with the idea of taking the collectivo into Las Varas to check out the fair and make a run to the bank. I was all in, so we walked to the mini plaza by Chac Mool where the collectivos load up passengers to drive into the medium sized city of Las Varas. We had to wait a while until enough riders arrived to make the trip worth his while. We tried to get a couple who were waiting to kick in an extra buck or two to get the van exclusively but the codos weren’t up to parting with a few pesos. I took the time to fill in for PJ on the lecture circuit and gave a speech in the zocalo.

A couple of more gringos showed up and Gerardo was ready to go. We were dropped a few blocks from the plaza and hiked in to check out the activities. Unfortunately, things don’t really get hopping for the carnival until the evening hours. We had figured Sunday would be an all day affair, but it was pretty quiet. A few games of chance and a man on a buffalo were about the highlight of the plaza.

We wandered the busy shopping lane looking for the right hole in the wall taco shop. A crowd of locals were contentedly slurping on plates of birria at Delgadillo’s so we pulled up plastic chairs and sat down for an flavorful lunch. The town was just starting to wake up and people were trickling into the shopping stalls to browse the wares. Church was getting out and the parishioners added to the throng giving us plenty of people watching opportunities.

I reloaded the wallet at the BBVA and we hit the bricks in search of the ever elusive chicken barbecue. Today we scored. The bros at Pollos Murillo were out grilling up some birds on the street corner barbecue. We even got the buy two 5% discount. 90 pesos for a whole chicken with rice, salad and a baggie of salsa. We shopped a few more veggie stands then found a fish shop with fresh ceviche for three bucks a pound and added that to the bag.

The collectivo going home was stuffed to the gills. I got the shotgun seat while Alan squeezed in with the local crew in the back. Back at Chacala the beach was packed. Our normally tranquil camping area was a full parking lot with people pulling up right next to camp and setting up for the day. Lots of happy noise, laughter and kids everywhere.

After a cooling swim, it was time to sit out on the porch and watch the activity. Lots of grilling and plenty of beer drinking. Not a day to be out on the road in the afternoon. Little Rigoberto was a ball of energy. The four year old was ripping around the camps tossing little tree nuts at people and hopping in hammocks. He took a special liking to my pink flamingo, running around it then stopping to look at it closely. He checked out the solar charger before uprooting the flamingo and heading off. I nabbed him and we put it back in the ground together with me explaining to him how to step down on the little forky thing to secure it in place. We were pals after that.

By the time the sun set, it was almost as if no one had ever been here. A few stragglers stayed behind to catch the sunset but as soon as the star splashed down in the sea, it was calm and peaceful with just the distant thumping of music from the restaurant area. Ceviche for dinner with a side of chicken. Can’t beat it.

These shots are all taken from my chair