Tooosday: Beach at Last

Onward ho……………..to Hortencia’s. Kodi and I had ordered dresses the day before in shades of blues. Nady and Jackie were anxious about dresses made to fit your body type by a woman who just hangs the fabric down your flank. Trust me ladies, the dresses will fit and you will want to order a new outfit everyday that you are here. They trusted and they did.

Hola Mommy!! Hortencia always lights up the place with her golden smile. She was thrilled that I brought more Chicas with me. Business for her has remained steady but with helping her daughters and grandbabies, extra pesos wouldn’t be turned down. I make the introductions of the newest Newbies, stepped back a few paces and watched the fabric fly! Swirls of color all around, the choices were going to be hard to decide upon for a dress. As Nady & Jackie were mystified as to what colors to pick, Kodi and I stepped forward to pay for our dresses then showed Nady & Jackie the beauty of Hortencia’s work. Who knew we would be there for seventy nine minutes. While they were deciding on dress styles, I moved to the side and was glad to see Hortencia’s grandchildren. I stashed in my camera bag lollipops for any of Hortencia’s grandbabies that might be there. Jonathan and his sister accepted the candy with permission and tried to eat them with the wrapper still attached.

Kodi ordered two more dresses, I ordered one more and Nady & Jackie ordered two apiece.Hortencia couldn’t stop smiling. Gracious soul that she is, Hortencia gave us each an ankle bracelet. I was given a green one to match my new dress, Nady, orange to match her swimsuit, Kodi’s was a dark pearl grey to match the dress she was wearing and I believe Jackie’s was red.I paid for my new dress in advance with BIG PESOS! Hortencia went to gather change and I just shook my head and said “For you.” TEARS the size of hubcaps fell from her eyes. If I could have bottled them, I would be rich beyond measure. It’s been ages since I’ve seen tears of gratitude.

Hortencia, Nady KodiNady & Hortencia working her magic

We leave with our moneybags a bit lighter but our hearts full with love. See you tomorrow Mommy. My friends couldn’t believe all those orders would be ready tomorrow. There were other people in the shop as well placing orders. No fear my dears – when Hortencia says they’ll be ready, they will be ready – rain or shine (I ordered dresses last year on a sunny afternoon at 4PM and picked them up in a monsoon the next day at 4PM – Hortencia was there waiting for me to pick up my dresses. What a woman).

We head back to the golf cart, not before perusing the market for T-shirts and tote bags. The same place Kodi and I were yesterday. I didn’t need anything, Kodi picked up a few items, no clue if Nady and Jackie bought anything, my mind was on the little ol’ man that likes to pinch booty’s. He was sitting in his familiar spot, watching the world go by. I want to know his history, most of all his name. I store that thought in my mind and hope to find him here tomorrow, if to get a photo, his name or another pinch.

Gear stowed, we head to the beach. No need to ask which part of the beach they prefer, none of them have seen North Beach so it’s my call. Well, Kodi saw a slice of it between Ixchel Condos and Tarzan’s after sunset…does that count?

Hmmmm…we’re down the street from Buho’s so off we go. I wait patiently to park in front of the castle section of Maria del Mar – that is after a group of very tipsy ladies tried to reverse, go forward, and reverse (seriously, four times) their golf cart out of the thick sand. Mental note: push the cart out of the sand if you are stuck.

Off we go and as soon as my feet touch the sand, the shoes come off. Ahhhhh! (cue music…Memories…light the corners of my mind….)

Nady: Girl! Isn’t that sand hot?

Catz: Blistering!

Jackie: You’re kidding right?

Kodi: Yeah, she’s yanking your chain.

But none of them are taking their shoes off until they notice the beach goers walking around like they’re on cool grass in the shade.

Nady: Punches me in the arm.

Catz: Tee Hee!!

Walking thru Buho’s part of the beach

Nady: Girl, they’ve got swings? I’d fall off that thing after one drink!!

Catz: Mental Note – keep Nady away from swings -

We walk towards Ixchel Condos, not necessarily wanting to park there, but heading that direction. I’m scanning the sea for shallow wading – for me – and shoulder deep for the other swimmers. I ask folks along the way how much they paid for their chair and umbrellas…ranged from $5-8 depending on which area you were on.

Found a nice spot to recline – under a coconut tree behind Maria del Mar. Paid $5 a chair (3 orange &1 blue) which we are to vacate by 5PM. What? Does the beach close at that time or you just want your chairs back? The guys shrugs and moves on. As we set up camp so to speak, you could smell tanning lotions, pretty much it. I turned to Nady and said, “I must start a poll on why people who are not of the dark side of the skin graph want to be dark.” I ‘m married to a “light slice” and the closest answer I can get from him is “because it’s beautiful on your people.” Awwwwwwwww.

I park my orange chair under a tree (next to a row of new palms making their appearance, making sure there were no brown coconuts above me. Jackie asked me why I’m scanning the tops of the trees.

Catz: Instant death if a ripe coconut hits you on your coco!

Nady: Seriously? (She too is scouting the trees)

Kodi: I don’t believe her but I’m not gonna take any chances!

We’re safe where we are – I do notice a few ripe coconuts a few fronds behind Kodi. She inches a few feet forward. Smooth move.

Beer, water, trolls, camera, towels, sunscreen, books and Eight Syllables in four chairs. All is quiet between us for a while as we scope out the reason we came to this island. Sand, surf, sunburns and great company. Lots of young cute guys to ogle at and teensy “bee-ke-knees” on sticks to make my “traditionally built body” wish I still had my 36 year old shape. Hey at 50 I still get a few looks. GOOD LOOKIN’ male gay couple to the left of us, slathering each other in tanning oil. Two older couples walking the speed of land crabs pass by, the guys in socks and sandals, the females in moo-moos. To my right, a guy who was parked in front of me on an orange rubber raft has moved behind me – guess he’s following the shade or wanting a closer view of Jackie!! Find out later, he’s just dipping into our conversations (and checking out Jackie) cuz I see him smile at us every once and a while. Wonder what he wrote in his trip report!!

See the dude on the orange mat? A true Jackie Fan! (photo courtesy of Kodi)

(photo courtesy of Kodi) me and my trolls - good for laughs when folks walked by - such and exhibitionist as my husband would say!

(photo courtesy of Kodi) Bonita on far left working on someone's hair. Trivia - Do you know this part of North Beach?

We all stop our conversations in mid sentence when we see this couple a few feet ahead of us emerge from the sea. As if from a movie script, this goddess of the sea was once a white woman(at least she was a few weeks ago) now as dark as a coffee bean in a bright pineapple yellow thong bikini (covering barely a nipple or her love bump)strolls to her chair – twisting and bending this way and that, pulling her hair up into her hat, making sure everyone in the tri state area sees her. Then she turns her chair towards the sun, parks on her belly and begins roasting her backside, not that it needed anymore basting. Even my ass ain’t that dark!!

Catz: That’s a good looking soon to be skin cancer patient!!

Nady: Damn, I wish I had her shape!

Kodi: I wish I had her tan!

Jackie: Damn!

Let me mention this now - - - there are TONS of vendors out, some with their children in tow. Selling trinkets, shells, clothes, food, more trinkets, wood carvings, baskets, everything but beer, sunscreen and water. I know they must make a living but there is a limit to how many times I can say No Gracias with a smile. Maybe I will bring a sign that says:

“Los vendedores , Gracias por compartir sus artículos, pero no, gracias”.

Translated: Vendors, Thank you for sharing your items but no thank you.

It’s also frustrating that the same ones came by two or three times. We’re just a tourist not a face. Visa Versa it seems. Touché.

Oh My!! I've never seen a red trumpet before! We had already declined a song but I got my eyes full! I love anything with silver in it, on it, sewed into it, etc!!!

I bought a bag of "mix of my choice nuts" consisting of pipitas, spicy peanuts and Japanese peanuts, served in a baggie and a tiny plastic spoon. Five bucks US and mighty tasty. This guy, closest I could come to his name Roberto. He had a time saying our names. He just called me Cat, Nady was Nayee, Jackie was Jackeeeeee and Kodi was Cold Dee.

This young lady came to us three times before we bought anything. She had to be hot in all those clothes. I was sweating for her. How could we pass up that lovely smile? She said she and her children made the key chains (I saw some of the same ones in Cancun later in the week) but didn't want to ruin the moment for all those involved so she proceeded to dump her entire bag into Kodi's chair.
We had a fun time picking out items for friends, family and ourselves. I ended up with a blue gecko and bought a pink pig for Venecia (who couldn't come), purchased some for Nady's children. Kodi bought, I lost count! Jackie I don't know - she's selective in what she purchases.

...disrupted by shopping - we return you now to Those Clad In Yellow...

Her husband, in yellow board shorts (I have bionic hearing- -he is 40, they are from up North, 14 & 16 year old sons, been here two weeks) is wearing a broke down cowboy hat and white shades. He bends over (yum) and pulls from his backpack knee pads, shovel, cardboard and water pails. We’re either gonna see a sex show or some sandcastle building. He stared around for a spot to work then began collecting sand and water. A conversation begins with the couple next to them. Average American married couple, 20 plus years together, from the South, he with the makings of a beer belly, she with a bikini and a body that shouldn’t be in a bikini. I’ve come to the realization that if she can wear that, I can wear that. But I have a bit more pride. I know I’ll never see these folks again in my life but I don’t want to be in their photos with the caption “WTF” under it.

Kodi and Jackie are curious to see the Yellow Chick again so they take a dip in the sea as Nady and I talk about everything and watch the Northern Cowboy begin his sand sculpture. We see a lady braiding hair across from us and I ask Nady if she still wants to get her hair done. She says she can’t afford it. I repeat the question. Do you want to get your hair done? Yes. As soon as she is done over there, we’ll bring her over here and you can scratch another item off your vacation list – (Nady’s List: guac at every meal, hair braided, drinks on the beach, dance with a stranger, two Hortencia dresses) Whooooooooohoooooooooo!!

Now Nady and I take a dip in the ocean, squeal at how cold it was against our skin and amazed that we could walk out a long, long way with the water barely hitting our waists. We sit and let the waves go over our heads and enjoy the moment. We can also see the Yellow Lady’s thong from out here – looks like a piece of yellow yarn against firewood. Slap my hand. On our way back to our seats we have a high regard for how quickly the sand castle came to be. Kodi thinks he’s done it many times because it was a perfect model of a Mayan Temple. Of course you know Kodi went to talk with him and take closer pictures.

Next installment:

Nady's Hair and The Running Purse (still Tooosday!)