After yesterday's marathon, we decided to take it easy today. Robin cycled up the road in the morning to see how the draining of the lagoon was coming along, and after a while I followed him on my bike. We watched a shore bird fishing at the water's edge. Robin kept saying he could see some little fish, but that the bird was looking the wrong way. He restrained himself from going out to the water and actually pointing out the fish, but I could see he was tempted. The bird managed to get its breakfast anyway.

When we'd had our fill of bird and fishwatching, we got back on our bikes and went to the Loony Bean for a cup of coffee. We shared an excellent banana/nut muffin, as well. Robin went back to the lagoon, and I stayed a while longer, reading a magazine about interior decorating in the northwest, before I cycled back home.

Later in the day, I walked down the beach - but in the opposite direction from our morning treks. I went down to where the para-sailors (Is that the right term?) take off and land, then walked home again.

Shortly after that, Colleen and Wade - whom we met in San Carlos - arrived at the door. They were heading to the beach with their friend Rex, and invited us to join them. A while later, TJ and Kris came home - they had had to go grocery shopping, what with having no food left in the house - and soon there was a party on the beach.

I put my bathing suit on, joined the party for a little while, then went to the water to cool off. The water was a little cooler than I like it, but not bad. I waded out up to my knees, and I was going to leave it at that - when suddenly it occurred to me that it was the first of January, and this was my chance to join the Polar Bear Club. I could form my own branch - the Polar Bear Club of Mazatlan. Yes! So I went right into the water, brave and stalwart soul that I am.

After that, I had had enough sun and socializing for one day, so I retired. I may be brave and stalwart, but I'm no fun at all.

Happy New Year!

It's a long, long way from Sabalos-Cerritos, where we're staying, to the public market downtown. Some days - like today - it's even longer.

Kristin had an appointment to have her hair done in La Zona Dorada at 9 o'clock this morning, and I said I would meet her there at 10:30 so we could go check out the market. Robin decided to come along, so the two of us left here just after 9:30 - lots of time. Well, really lots of time, as it turned out. There was some sort of glitch in the colouring process, so when we got to the salon, Kristin was still being basted and foiled. When we had run an errand and had a cup of coffee, she was still being cooked. We decided to go to Mega (supermarket) and do our shopping. Then R would go home in a taxi, and I would get off at the salon and meet Kristin. Great plan.

Except that the taxi driver who picked us up at Mega seemed really unsure about where we were going, and he took a route that went nowhere near the salon, and altogether I thought it would be best if I just stayed with the taxi (even a little Spanish can be important if your taxi driver is lost). So I did. I rode all the way back to Mar-a-Villas. We sent the driver on his way, and I went out to the road, where I caught a bus back to the Golden Zone. By this time, I had been gone nearly two hours.

I asked Christine, who owns the salon, if she knew where I could find my friend. "Oh, she left a long time ago!" Oy.

I looked around outside, saw no sign of Kris, and had to make a decision. Either she had gone home, or she had gone on to the market. As I had already invested the entire morning in this project, I decided to go on to the market. I located the correct bus, and off I went.I figured Kris would call me if she were really concerned. It turned out that she didn't have her cell with her, and the phone at the salon was not set up to call cell phones. Kris had actually just gone in somewhere to get something to eat.

So off I went to the market. I got about 2/3 of the way there when my phone rang. When I didn't appear (it seemed) Kris had gone home, and now she and TJ were both trying to hook up with me. Where could we meet? I had never even been to the market before.

The Canadians sitting behind me had been talking about going to a restaurant downtown, so I asked them for the name of the restaurant, which was supposedly across the street from the opera house. It was called El Tunel. I agreed to meet TJ and Kris there.

There was further confusion when El Tunel proved to be closed for renovations, but Tom and Rose (my bus neighbours from Calgary)and I settled in at a patio table in front of the restaurant next door, ordered a pizza, and waited for Kris and TJ, who did in fact find us, against all odds. We ordered a second pizza, had an enjoyable lunch, and then the two groups parted ways.

After that, things were much simpler. We went to the market, which was only three blocks away. I managed to find the vendor who sold extensibles - watchbands - and had Robin's broken band replaced. I also found Erin's cazuela. Hers is fancy-schmancy. It has decorations - and a lid.

We caught the Toreo bus home and got here just in time for sunset, but nobody had the energy to walk to the beach. The last I saw of them, TJ and Kris were heading home for a siesta in preparation for tonight's festivities.

Robin and I plan to celebrate the New Year in our traditional fashion - by sleeping through the midnight hour.

So. Happy New Year to all, and to all a Good Night.

I'm late. I'm late. Today got away from me.

Robin and I walked up to Mr. Lionso's, where Robin surprised me by ordering breakfast. What's happening here? Anyway, I made a point of telling the waiter that my husband wanted his poached eggs On Toast, and he appeared to understand. I ordered an omelette. When R's meal arrived, sure enough, his eggs were On Toast, and there was ham on his plate. He was very pleased. I was less than pleased with the fact that I got dry toast instead of tortillas with my omelette, but I hadn't specified, just assumed, and we all know....

R was halfway through his breakfast when I noticed something peculiar about his poached eggs. "Those eggs aren't poached, are they?" "No. Fried." Ah, well. Baby steps.

The plan was that we would all take a cab to a launderette and from there to Mega. Kris and TJ were busy with something else until nearly 2 o'clock this afternoon, and by then R had decided he would prefer not to go out, so the three of us went while Robin stayed home and played on the internets.

I walked out to the road and flagged down one of the open taxis with two benches in the back, so that we could slide all our laundry in. Once we were all on board, we rode to the Zona Dorada (the touristy area downtown), and our driver let us off in front of a laundry. TJ walked half a block and found another laundry that could have our clothes ready by 6 o'clock this evening, rather than tomorrow morning, so we lugged the clothes up there and left them.

TJ had been having a terrible time with his new cell phone, so he went off in search of someone to yell at, and Kristin and I went window shopping. We walked and walked and walked, finally realizing that we were a long way from the "right around here" where we had agreed to stay - so we walked back. We found TJ right across the street from where we had left him. He had seen a sign there advertising cell phones, so had gone in and had his problem solved lickety-split without having to yell at anybody. The place he went was also an internet cafe and a salon and a spa, so he had his hair cut while he was about it. There was a woman from Vancouver there, talking on the phone, and they struck up a conversation. It turned out that they have mutual friends, and she was supposed to be getting in touch with TJ while she was down here. She had his phone number, but hadn't gotten around to calling him yet.

When Kristin and I showed up, TJ told us of his adventure, and we all went to a local bar for a beer. Then we went back to the shop (Christine's), where Kristin and I had our eyebrows shaped. She made an appointment for tomorrow morning to have her hair highlighted, and I made one for Friday to have my hair cut. I find it a little strange that I've come all the way to Mexico to have my hair cut by an Englishwoman, but I'm eager to ask her how she comes to be here.

We still had time before the laundry would be finished, so we went to a restaurant on the beach, where we had tortilla soup and shrimp ceviche and guacamole and chips. From there it was less than a block to the laundry. We picked up our clothes, caught a bus that happened to be going by, and came home in the dark.

So now, TJ and Kris have gone to meet the woman from the salon for drinks, and Robin and I have settled in for the night. My feet hurt.