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The Sound of Silence

They say that introverts gain energy from reflection and lose energy in social gatherings.  Yeah, that's me.  I like being around people, but it does suck my energy.  This past week, we had a house full of invited guests, and it was great to see everybody.   But when everyone was gone, I found myself breathing a little easier.  One of the things that I really like about our house is the quiet.  We are a long ways from the road and any neighbors.  In the winter, the silence is palpable.   Justin ended up in the hospital yesterday with extreme side back pain.  He told the doctor that he had sprained his oblique muscle.  Nope, the doctor said, pneumonia.  So they set up an IV with antibiotics and opiate pain relievers.  Today, he's already feeling better, but I hope they can figure out what caused the fluid in his lung.   He had pneumonia a few years ago, but it was associated with a bad cold and fever.  This presentation was much different with just the extreme back pain.  Young

Stone Island (Isla de la Piedra)

One of the things about Mazatlan that we've needed to get used to is the constant noise.  We live in a very quiet area in Wisconsin, where the loudest sounds are the mourning doves.  Here, there is the constant drone of traffic and other city sounds.  One of the busiest streets in Mazatlan is the one that is next to the Malecon and sea wall.  That means spending time at the beach means constant background traffic noise, until one learns to filter it out.

One of the ways that people around here escape the noise is a short ferry ride to Stone Island.  All sizes and shapes of boats are used as ferries.  We paid our 35 pesos each (a little less than $2) for a round-trip ticket.  Our boat was a small one.  But the water was calm, and the ride was only about ten minutes.





Upon getting off the boat, the beach is less than a five minute walk.  There are no roads along the beach--just a long stretch of restaurants and bars serving the folks relaxing.  Each place has lawn chairs and tables set out to attract customers.  It's free to sit here, as long as one orders something.  Once seated with a beer or something to eat, you can stay as long as you want.


It’s a tough life.


Julia soaked in the rays, while I read a book on my Kindle.  Then we had lunch.


That was a massive “catch of the day” fried fish sandwich with fries. This was not to be confused with what McDonald’s passes off for a Filet of Fish sandwich, but it cost about the same.  Around 3 p.m., everyone headed back to the boats.  The last ferry back to Mazatlan leaves around 6 p.m. (dark), but it starts to cool off in the late afternoon.

I was back at pickleball this morning, burning off the extra calories.


Comments

MFH said…
OMG! The EFFORT required to stay ahead of the calories makes the life ARDUOUS!

There's *nothing* that compares with fresh fish, is there? Except maybe the cook's added magic.

Suzan, recipient of '92 Aerostar van, called the other day with an invitation to Puerto Peñasco. I begged off after she told of the noise. I left Albuq cuz of the noise, but sitting in one spot also gets boring. Nomads have it all!
John said…
I love the fish here. I had red snapper cerviche on a tostada last night for dinner. $4 sitting on the beach watching the sun go down.

We're already talking about where we might go next year. Mazatlan is a long ways drive from us. Puerto Penasco is on our possibles list, as is San Carlos. But the weather there this year has been much cooler than here. Every day, we've seen upper 70's to around 80 with at least some sun. This is the dry season, so it hasn't rained in the three weeks that we've been here. We've met many Canadians who have been coming here every year for 10-15 years, but we like variety.

The cities of Mexico are noisy, and the smells in the air can be overwhelming--sometimes in good ways but other times in the bad ways that developing countries have. Rot comes in many flavors.
greg said…
Yep. I'm sorry life is so tough. I feel for you.
John said…
We will just have to "gut it out."

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