Fireworks & a Mexican Fair!

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Despite the heat, Al and I walked a total of nearly 80 blocks today. We wanted to walk out of the hopping tourist zone into the quieter areas and see the end of town, and it was so hot but we managed to go as far as we ever had. We walked back along the ocean; what a workout in the sand. I was trying to be in the ocean as much as I could to keep cool! There are bustling beach clubs up on the northern part of Playa that made me thrilled we were in a much quieter area.

After about 40 blocks we stopped at a beachside bar Coco Maya to enjoy a cold margarita. Our waiter had visited Ottawa in 1990; met a girl from there and when business was down in Cancun due to the Gulf War he hopped a plane to Ottawa. Fantastic guy; he was a wealth of information as to other activities we can do while here.

The day was a lazy languid one overall. A long walk, a wonderful lunch from Wicky's, reading and then at the end of the day we took the kids to a big fair being held here. They've closed many streets to set up rides, games, concession stands and stalls selling all kinds of wares; it's a feast for your eyes. We couldn't drink it up fast enough; so much to see! The food is so different from home. They peel the potatoes before your eyes and then fry your potatoes. They also have homemade potato chips that you add hot sauce on. The girls had handmade crepes with Nutella. Al had a chili tamarind candy apple; very different. They also twirl bananas and pineapple on sticks into caramel sauce. They marinate and grill shrimp on sticks before your very eyes. And they boil fresh corn and then grill it...did I say YUM yet?

There were endless rides, and all for FREE. Bumper cars, the scrambler, carousels, huge inflatables with trampolines...you name it, they had it. The only problem was we got there too early; the fair didn't start till almost 8 PM so after wandering around, we brought the kids home and Al and I went to pick up some groceries. The fair is near Wal-Mart and we hit it just in time for their fireworks. Magical explosions of color filled the air; unlike home where the fireworks pop very loudly, here is much more like the sound of a heavy rain. Al & I so enjoyed walking back through the Mexican fair with all their culture and fabulous displays of pride. We will take the kids back tomorrow night. Al & I treated ourselves to an Italian restaurant that makes handmade gnocchi. All of you know how much I love to cook, take lessons and entertain. One of THE most difficult dishes for me is gnocchi. It is tricky to get both the potato and the flour to meld into a sweet juicy heavenly little pillow dumpling. In our attempts, the last one we made which included butternut squash would rival (ahem) any fine Italian restaurant. Maybe it was just that extra glass of wine while I was cooking?? Anyhow this restaurant did a great job of it, brown butter and sage sauce with fresh parmesan. We will be back to dine at this fine eatery.

We came home to enjoy an episode of the series called "Planet Earth" narrated by Sir Richard Attenborough. Ironically enough we are watching an episode on oceans. You should see this little sea creature called "nautilus". He's the oddest looking thing and considered a living fossil (a mollusk). It also had a brief episode on whale sharks. If all goes well, Al & I will take an adventure of a lifetime and swim with whale sharks on Monday through a guided tour followed by a lagoon tour of Isla Mujeres. The whale sharks migrate to the waters of the Riviera Maya this time of year in order to breed. Don't let the "shark" fool you, while they can grow to 12 meters in length and weigh up to 21 tons they are gentle and docile like whales, and eat only plankton. We are hoping this will be a reality other than just a comment posted on my blog.

Hasta la vista and we'll check in on Saturday. Lots of "fair" pictures below and possibly on two pages!

How's the weather at home? Five more days to go here...sniff sniff...

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