Yesterday’s article was so jam-packed I couldn’t fit everything without creating a photo salad. So, a peek from the ride into Celestino.
Arnulfo and Victor, November 11th
Playa Esperanza Resort had a bad week. I had read reviews of a marvelous wedding destination, romantic beachside weekend, a great gem. I simply wanted beach and a desk. My experience of this romantic beach resort was less laden with superlatives. The stairs to the beach were washed out
A fence had collapsed, the kitchen was full of rusty utensils, and, to top it off, some denizens of the night paid me a visit in the bathroom.
I quickly picked up a towel to take a whack at them, and two more flew out, one landing on me and then scurrying down my leg. I turned a blender jar upside down and placed it over the shower drain to stop further incursions.
As bad as the resort was, the housekeeper was excellent. I think I may have been the only guest, and she lavished me with attention. She checked on me every couple of hours. It turns out she also handled beer and snacks, and the next morning she was in the restaurant making my breakfast. She wore a drab dress and kept a towel draped over her head to shield her from the sun. She didn’t smile, but her eyes showed that she cared. Sweet, dressed in dour.
Today I gave the Road Office a break.
Instead, it was Home Office day and I wrote two articles and edited photos, a full day’s work
.
I ordered only one beer from my guest relations manager.
Tecate Light Lager is a 300ml bottle, an ever-more watered-down cousin of Mexico’s original blue-collar Tecate Light. The kombucha of beer at 1.5% alcohol content. Kinder reviewers describe it as a clean, thin, slightly sweet light lager. It’s too pathetic to be called swill; it falls off the bottom of the International Beer Flavor Scale.
Storm clouds churned over the mountains as the sun set in the opposite direction.
At first, dim lightning, with lumbering thunder far in the distance. As the storm approached, the thunder sharpened into crisp, sizzling cracks. Beach thunder sounds different. Another night of heavy rain.
I pulled an old, crumpled snack package from the depths of my roll bag. A bag of seasoned peanuts, a product of the King Nut Company of Mexico. I called it dinner and closed out the night with sleep that came hard, with visions of tomorrow’s muddy roads flashing through my head.
Day 17: Mocorito to Celestino Gazca Villaseñor
My guide stopped, motioned for me to get off the bike, and showed me the secret passage.