May 4th (continued)
Hit the beach at 10:15. More seaweed in the water today, which is no surprise considering the relentless drenching the island received the night before. Today, we were politely informed that swimming sans-suit must take place to the left of Coco's beach area. No problem for us, what's a few extra steps? Almost zero wind.
We ordered a bottle of water from the beach boy, and he resigned himself to the fact that would be about it for us. He was friendly and joked with us. We would not normally frequent Coco's for the reasons Carol mentioned, but on an iffy weather day, free chairs is the way to go when possible.
Took a walk down to Club O from Coco's, and there was no seaweed in the water at all there (and very little on shore as well). It looked as if there were more folks at Club O than all the other beachfronts combined. Walked back through a sun shower around 1:00 that eventually turned into a legitimate storm. Back to the room for sandwiches, and hoped it would clear up so we could return.
The storm turned out to be the typical 30 minute gully-washer that we have grown to expect at least once every trip. So back to the beach we went until 4:00. The weather was so pleasant; we hated to leave even then. Said farewell to the couple that shared the area with us yesterday and today. They are leaving tomorrow, and we won’t be coming back there, so I anticipate the c/o section being empty for the next few days.
Running water was still an on again/off again issue, but we both managed showers (Thank you Lord). Would not want to go an entire day without one.
Picked up a pizza at Tap Five; Au Choix (your choice of three items in this case). We window shopped while it was being prepared, and by the time we went back to pay for it, I forgot what it was called. I ventured “La Choix”, and the cashier laughed and asked me to repeat it. I held up three fingers to indicate which pizza, and she said: “No, I want to hear you say it!” She gave me the correct pronunciation and we laughed at my butchering of the phrase. An excellent meal for two for fourteen bucks...you can’t beat that.
Saturday, May 5th
Hit Club Orient by 10:30 a.m. Partly cloudy skies, which I prefer, since the heat is intense when the sun is out. P prefers to sizzle. No seaweed, very little wind...ideal in my book.
We walked the beach in search of our friends, who we were having trouble connecting with, due to limited Wifi and useless cell phones. No sign of them anywhere. We resigned ourselves to the fact that we would probably not see them at all.
At precisely 1:30, a man began urging people to join him at the raft near Papaguyos, offering free beer in return. It was time for “Sinko de Rafto”, and P decided abruptly that we should participate. She had previously announced she would not, feeling it would be akin to playing Twister with naked strangers. But the offer of beer changed her mind, and off we swam to the raft rapidly filling with people. P acted as bartender, handing off beers on a small float to the 25 of us, who managed to submerge the raft around a foot. It was a blast! Great people, and a fine tradition. Wish we had a picture, but no one thought of asking someone on shore to take one.
Around 2:30 we looked up from our chairs to see one of our long-lost friends, who had dared to venture onto the nude beach to find us. He led us back to the others, who were running late that day, explaining our not being able to find them earlier. Drinks in our room and dinner at Paris, Texas ensued. It was great to finally meet up with them. I took driver’s training with one of the guys...that’s how far back we go. Our waitress Mary was adorable and joyfully tolerant of our collective state of mind. We missed any other Cinco de Mayo parties because of this gathering, but it was well worth it. Old friends are the best friends.