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Along the Natchez Trace

Thursday, January 21, 2016

A Trip to La Penita....

While we do walk a lot (according to my pedometer, we've walked over 200 miles in the month or so we've been here), we also like taking the bus or the collectivo (a fleet of vans that run between several small towns in this area) to see other places.  The collectivo is cheaper than hiring a taxi, but it travels a route, which means it's not exactly "express" service.  Also, a van, let's say a 9 passenger van, can hold ...  maybe 15-16 people if you crowd in close.  And, believe me, these vans can be packed like sardines!  We've not taken a taxi anywhere yet...   the bus or the collectivo is more suitable to our (lack of) style.

So... today, we took the collectivo about 10-15 miles up the road to La Penita.  All the towns around us have a market day.  Our (Lo de Marcos) tianguis is Saturday, San Pancho's is Tuesday...  La Penita's is Thursday.  I love our tianguis here, but being a person who does not like crowds, we avoid those towns when their tianguis is going on.

We went to La Penita because there is a bank there.  There is no bank in Lo de Marcos (population 1,000 ....  during tourist season it swells to 3,000)...  With the US Dollar/Mexican Peso value lately, Bill wanted to change a couple of US $20 bills into pesos at a bank...  there's a whole different process for this...  includes showing your passport (or some banks ask for a copy of your passport) as ID... but it's interesting just for the experience.  Also, Bill's pedometer battery was running low and because it's not a standard kind of battery, he thought he'd try to buy one in La Penita.  

Me...  well....  heck...
We'd eaten breakfast around 6:30, so by 9:00 I was ready for lunch.  (Lo de Marcos is the same as Central time in the US...  La Penita is the same as Mountain time - 1 hour behind)....  doesn't matter, we stopped at this restaurant for some nourishment.  I took this photo from our table, which is actually outside on the sidewalk.  

Well now...  of course when I saw " Huevos Divorciados" on the menu... that's what I had to have.
There are 2 eggs, sunnyside up (mine were fried hard), with red chile sauce on one, green sauce on the other.  Truth is, mine weren't very good (what did I expect from a divorce situation?)...  Really, what can you do wrong with an egg?  I'm not going to complain, it was cheap enough (most divorces cost an arm and a leg...  and the kids)...  but I probably won't order this again.

Of course I had to use the banos (bathroom) before we left...  there was a kind of foyer as you left the restaurant area and headed back to the sanitarios....
This little altar was all decorated...  here in Mexico, Our Lady of Guadalupe is highly revered.  It is very common to see shrines dedicated to her everywhere.

We had time (heck, what else do you have in Mexico if you don't have time?) to walk down to the sea wall...
I swear (Bill keeps telling me I have to quit swearing) that that's the same Magnificent Frigate that was perched on top of that palapa the last time we were here.
No excuse for the fuzzy photo...  just me, I guess.

Made it home before noon...  had to go for our River walk...
Only the 2nd iguana we've seen since being here.  This one was kind of small, and very green.  He tried hard to blend in with the green leaves.

We walked on the the sea...  saw 2 shrimp boats WAY out on the water....
So far out that we're really guessing that that's what they were.  But with all that netting apparatus, we're probably right.  They'll be bringing in lots of shrimp in a few days.

 Another "not so clear" photo...  I've been trying to get a shot of this HUGE white butterfly for weeks now.
It's as big as my hand....  and flits around...  in and out of trees, leaves and bushes...  totally oblivious to my efforts to snap a picture of it.  It remains on my list of "must get a clear shot of this" so I'll be out there trying until we leave.

One last photo for the day...
The river is still high...  the outlet to the sea is still clogged up with sand.  While the water continues to creep up closer to the river road, the ducks and shore birds that hang out here are loving it.   I think they are reaping the nutritional benefits along the now flooded shoreline.

The Thursday Hike has been canceled...  not sure what Bill & I will do tomorrow.  But I have no doubt we'll enjoy whatever we do.

That's All For Today!











9 comments:

  1. I SWEAR you'll have a great Thursday. Too bad your divorced eggs were disappointing. The place looks charming and your photo of the dish is wonderful. As for that blurry photo. The new PhotoShop actually has a feature called "sharpen focus"; it's amazing what it enables you to fix!

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  2. Another fun day getting the walking done is wonderful. Your divorced eggs looked interesting I would try it for sure.

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  3. Two hundred plus miles is astounding to this sedentary old fart. Keep on going.

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  4. Thank you again for sharing your life in pictures and words. I look forward to your posting every day. You and Bill get to know the "real" parts of the areas that you visit.

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  5. Glad you are enjoying your walks.
    As for the out of focus pictures. Most Digital Cameras have a multi-point focus and will generally focus on the closest thing in the picture. Change your camera to the Sports setting at which point the camera normally uses only the center focal point giving you clearer pictures especially when it comes to butterflies and flowers.
    Be Safe and Enjoy!

    It's about time.

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  6. Don't think I'll be ordering divorced eggs any time soon.

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  7. Of course you'll enjoy Thursday as both you and Bill don't need to be entertained. You are happy with life's simple pleasures, and that's a great personality trait.

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  8. A shrine on the way to the bathroom??? Did I understand right? Love eggs too...but divorced...I'm not sure.

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  9. Your divorced egg dish looks soggy. Someone's been crying through the ordeal. My favorite split movie is War of the Roses. The Iquana sure hid well. So that photo was blurry? Uh oh, I probably need glasses, looks in focus to me.

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