April 7, 2007

Playa Santispec, part deux

Del Playa Parking Lot

Last evening’s burger bash was supplemented by a double batch of Margaritas, which served to lift morale a bit. It was an excellent dinner, especially for those of us who have been recently drooling as we passed Burger King or McDonalds on the Mexican byways.

As the sun set on our parking lot playa, a single presto log on a double layer of aluminum foil on the parking lot became our beach bonfire, though we were a good 50 yards from the water. We found that though we could remember tunes to sing, our repertoire was typically limited to the first verse and possibly the chorus. At that point we simply hummed the rest. There was little, if any, Mexican music from the gathered hordes. A very well behaved group of folks at the beach, except for the gringos in the motorhomes. Tonight’s entertainment may include a karaoke machine. Ay, chihuahua!

With the rising sun this morning came hopes of moving closer to the water, as it seemed as though many of our Mexican neighbors occupying desirable beachfront property were leaving. The great exodus failed to materialize, so we are simply staying put. Many of our group have taken a day trip into Mulege, seeking escape from the parking lot. Mulege will come soon enough for us—on Monday. It's time to catch up on reading.

A small correction is due to our Mexican neighbors. Today we spotted a couple of rickety outhouses on our morning stroll, so it is evident that a few of the several hundred folks along the shoreline are not contributing to the skyrocketing coliform count offshore. Mui complimentos. One Mexican gent was spotted walking to a primitive “one-holer” with a shiny white toilet seat—including the lid, wrapped in plastic, tucked under his arm. Now there’s a gent who takes his camping serious. Don’t forget to put that lid down when you are done, Senor.

The ATV road races continue through the parking lot. An occasional breeze provides relief as the thermometer edges above 90.

We are a resilient, positive group now resigned to our current surroundings. But we are not happy about Del Playa Parking Lot. Like the Mexican ice cream man at the beach in Cabo pulling his heavy load through the deep sand, our smiles serve to conceal the grimaces underneath.