A Russian Ballet group is in town tonight, and will be performing Romeo and Juliet at the new Teatro Vallarta (completed since Dean and I were here last). We have tickets for the 7pm show -- fun fun!

Here is a pic of Dean standing in front of the new teatro. It is right across the street from the supermarket. (They don't really do zoning so well in Mexico. A hovel can be next to a resort next to a gas station next to a school).

*

K-Rico at Mercados has been our favorite little coffee/pastry place. They also have a gourmet deli, a fresh produce store, and a wine shop. Just a block or so from Molina de Auga.

*

We took a trek up Gringo Gulch to see Casa Kimberly (the two houses connected by a pink bridge, that Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton once shared). It's still in horrible condition and in need of repair. But the walk up the steep stairs was fun.



*

One of the things Dean and I have been enjoying here at Punta Negra is our daily walk along the beach. We usually go in the afternoon, when the bay is in full sun and the tide is out. It's an amazing stretch of beach, about three-quarters of a mile long, and fairly undeveloped. The sand is a blondish-white, with the texture of soft cement where it is wet, and coarse flour where it is dry. There are very few rocks, except the large breakwaters every 300 yards or so. And in the distance to the south is the beautiful coast lithic formations of Los Arcos.

Most days the beach is practically deserted, it is as if we have it to ourselves. Which is amazing. But on the weekends the locals all come out (beaches are public access in Mexico) with tables and blankets and umbrellas and food, and play soccer or volleyball or wade in the surf. It's really fun to see. And they are all very friendly. Some of the boys (and girls) go surfing, some of the men are fishing -- I asked what for and one of them said camarones (shrimp). Very rarely someone is hawking a trinket or a basket or something.

It's become one of our daily rituals here, to walk the beach. And it is endlessly fascinating to see what the night has washed up on shore. One day we found an ugly spiky spotted fish straight out of a Japanese horror flick. Another day we found a pink snake with blue diamonds on its back. And yesterday, Dean found a blue butterfly.

*