Today is pretty much a do nothing day. It is a short port call, noon to 6p, and we’re not up for renting a car or touring, so our plans are to have lunch and just wander through the local market then hop back aboard. We do our normal morning routine, this time adding breakfast (which is the only real complaint we have so far – they are so understaffed in the breakfast dining room and it takes forever to be served – not that we are in a hurry today especially – but it is just frustrating – more so because all the staff are so sweet and nice and we would never take our frustrations out on them), then lolling about waiting for anchorage in the bay.

At the appointed time, we meet in our special tender waiting area, and then are escorted down the crew stairs to the pontoon. We’re on one of the first tenders, which is sort of a challenge, because they are doing repairs to the main pier, so we have to land at an alternate pier about 1/2 a mile away from the main pier. We’ve been told we can walk into town, but there will also be complimentary shuttles the town has arranged to take us to the main section of the seaside promenade. The ship has actually arrived early, and being that we are first off, there is a little bit of confusion and disorganization getting the shuttles because they weren’t expecting us so soon. There are only a couple of 8 passengers vans waiting when we disembark and the guides ask us to line up, but then start forming all sorts of different lines so that all of us on the first tender end up at the end of the line – it gets messy fast! But, on the bright side, they tourist department is handing out lovely straw fans for us to keep cool. That’s a very nice touch!

We debate a bit about walking into town – it’s really not that far, but it is up a treacherous hill and around a curvy road, so in the end we wait for the vans, which come fairly quickly and in volume! There are probably 20 or 30 passenger vans that come roaring up to the pick up point, and after that, the transfer into town goes fairly quickly. We’re dropped at the Archaeological Museum, which may be interesting, but we’re on a lunch mission, so after a quick photo stop at the Zihua letter sign, we’re off down the promenade to La Sirena Gorda – yes, the Fat Mermaid! We are early enough that there aren’t a lot of people there yet, which means we can relax and enjoy the relative peace of an empty promenade and attentive service.

The seafood here is the ticket, and it doesn’t disappoint. Ed gets the octopus tacos (of course!) and I get shrimp and bacon, which are excellent. Washed down with a couple of beers, and it is the perfect lunch.

Now its time to wander. Backtracking toward the museum, we strike off into the main area of town heading to the municipal market. On our way we stop by a grocery store, but they really don’t have a good supply of snacks – or beer – so we keep moving. The municipal market is a bit of a disappointment, but then again, it’s late in the afternoon, so some of the stalls are already closed, and really, what can we buy here? There isn’t anything fresh we can take back on the ship, and we aren’t interested in souvenirs, so, we put it down to our afternoon exercise and head back toward the waterfront.

On the way, we stop at another grocery store with the same results. Interesting food selections here, but nothing that interests us – I mean really, where are the corn nuts? That’s all we’re really after – and they are nowhere to be found. Totally odd!

Continuing on, we run across Brenda’s Bar, a cute little hole in the wall place that is apparently the ex-pat hang out. We plop down at a little table out front for some beers and entertainment – entertainment in the form of eavesdropping on all these ex-pat sailing folks who apparently are living on their boats, and who are having a bit party at an island to say goodbye to one of the guys and….well…you get the drift…it made for an incredibly entertaining hour so so sitting in the shade passing time.

From Brenda’s, it is a quick walk to the museum where we pick up a van that deposits us at the tender dock. Back on board we cool off, hit the gym, enjoy sail away, hit the happy hour, watch the sunset, have dinner, go to the show, hang out with Sherwin and Joel in Spinnakers and call it a great day and good night.