Mega Margarita

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No trip to Cozumel would be complete without a stop to Wet Wendy's for one of their famous moutain-high margaritas, especially on a hot day like today. Wet Wendy's is a little bar / restaurant located downtown in the shopping plaza near the big clock across from the ferry. I'm honestly not sure how they get their ice to pile so high, they must have some kind of fancy blender, it stays frozen a really long time too! Although they offer 42 varieties, Ian opts for the regular lime flavor with salt. I had to quit tequilla drinking years ago, but I did sneak a little taste. Generally we find that margaritas here are served on the rocks as opposed to blended.

After wandering around town for a while, we come across a tiny restaurant on the corner of Calle 7 Norte and 5th Ave, and yes, after being here over six weeks, we are finally learning the names of the streets. We like the north side of town, the streets are very clean and not littered. The restaurant is called La Candela, authentic Mexican, super clean, the cleanest restaurant so far in my opinion. I order a grilled chicken breast with pasta, but when it comes out I'm pretty sure it's pan fried as opposed to grilled, but very tasty in any event. I see they have a grill in the back corner but with only a couple of customers at lunch perhaps that is more of their evening offering. Ian has chicken fajitas. We are served the customary tortilla chips with two kinds of salsa and a bowl of noodle soup. The food here is every bit as good as La Choza and just as authentic, the only difference is that this place is a lot cheaper. Our total bill with two meals, two beers and a lemonade is $20. So far, we both agree La Candela is the best value for our money. The service is impecable, the second we finish our soup, the waiter is right there to take the away the dish or place a dry napkin under our glass. We better not get too used to this, because it isn't like that when we get back home!

We head back towards the Chedraui for some groceries and take a stroll past the municipal police station which is bustling with activity. We see posters of 'wanted' people in the windows. Generally, there is some kind of police presence at all times in Cozumel. Whether the police are in trucks, cars, on scooters or just walking the streets. We like that, it adds to our feeling of safety. Generally, the policia (as they are called here) aren't overly friendly, but we know they are here for our protection so we don't bother them and they don't bother us. Sometimes the military can also be seen searching cars or trucks, especially those coming in off the car ferry.

We take a cab back to the condo then hang around the pool for a while, I try out Ian's flippers. We watch the sunset then eat some leftovers. Tomorrow we are thinking of snorkeling, such a rough life we have down here!

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