Ixtapa, Mexico: Day 3

Andi and I had the best time on our third day in Ixtapa.  We started with room service on our hotel room balcony, listening to the ocean waves roar below us and carving out plans for the day ahead. We have been so spoiled with food on this trip. There hasn't been time for either of us to feel hungry because every time we turn around, we're eating something deliciously prepared for us again. For breakfast, Andi ordered the enchiladas again, with fruit and coffee. I tried the chilaquiles (tortilla chips with shredded chicken in red sauce, topped with sour cream, cheese, onion and cilantro). They were a bit more mushy than I'd envisioned, but still tasty.

Our breakfast spread

Chilaquiles

Enchiladas

On this day, we decided to adventure to Ixtapa Island. The pier was a five minute taxi from our hotel and a completely different experience than anything we'd seen in central Ixtapa or Zihautanejo.

Upon first arrival at Ixtapa Island, we saw the usual shops selling t-shirts, magnets and other random crap vacation trinkets which we bypassed right over. Andi had read on Trip Advisor the area was known for pushy salespeople, so he gave me the usual "keep your head down and stay close" pep talk. Luckily, no one really bothered us. We've both been pleasantly surprised how genuine and helpful the local people of the area have been to us on this trip.

As we walked along the road to the dock area to catch our ferry to the island, we passed a chain link fenced-in area with a sign saying "cocodriles en estado natural." I don't speak Spanish, but I gathered enough to determine there were crocodiles in the swamp, just 10 feet away. I was fascinated.

Natural crocodile swamp habitat

Andi had to peel me away from the fence post. I could've watched them wade around for hours.

Alas, the beach was calling our name so we walked down to the ferry boat and paid 80 Pesos (or $6 roundtrip for two tickets). It was one of the traveling situations when we're completely out of our element, crammed in a tiny boat with ten other locals. What do you do, but just roll with it? I sat back and enjoyed the 5 minute ride along the ocean.

Somewhere along the way, a guy named Ismael started chatting with Andi. He works on the island at Playa Coral and took to giving us a quick tour when we arrived. Ismael was the nicest, most hard-working guy. Actually, there's a lot of people we've encountered here that seem this way. Ismael got us set up on Coral Beach, dusting off a few lounge chairs for us and dug a hole in the sand for a big umbrella to shade us.

Andi enjoying the sunshine and relaxation

Ismael brought us a few Coronas and asked if we'd be interested in lunch a bit later from his restaurant. How could we even think about eating again! Yes of course, we said, and asked for his lunch menu suggestions. A few minutes later, Ismael brought out a giant tray showcasing today's fresh catch of red snapper, lobster, shrimp and mackerel. We selected red snapper for lunch and Ismael said the restaurant would prepare it BBQ'd with fresh guacamole and rice on the side.

Andi and I rented snorkels from Ismael for 60 Pesos and spent most of the afternoon alternating between beach reading and swimming in the ocean. The snorkeling on Playa Coral was great - the water was much calmer here than in other parts of Ixtapa and clear blue. Andi was so proud of my snorkel capabilities on this trip because I usually spend the first 10 minutes in the water flailing around, drinking sea water and having a mini panic attack as I acclimate to breathing underwater.

At some point, we decided it was time to eat and placed our lunch order with Ismael. Andi ordered a coconut in the meantime, and we laid around and read some more.

Soon, our lunch was delivered chair-side and both Andi and I were floored with the spread. Our red snapper had been butterflied and grilled to perfection. It was the best meal we've eaten in Mexico.

A while later, we left Playa Coral and headed back to the hotel. Andi ordered churros and ice cream from room service (Really? How can we seriously eat another bite!) and we lounged around our room a bit before dinner.

Andi wanted to watch the sunset along the beach somewhere in Ixtapa, so we cabbed into town. We asked to be dropped off at the marina but turns out, it wasn't the best place to watch the sun go down. As we were walking along the road, a guy and his wife stopped and asked if we wanted a ride into Ixtapa. I was surprised when Andi jumped right into the car (did he even look to see who these people were?) but he said later he'd been reading the book Wild on the beach and it didn't seem like a big deal to hitchhike a ride with these nice people. Ha! Luckily, our escorts Joe and Nancy were very nice folks from Chicago who winter in Ixtapa six months out of the year. They invited us join them for dinner somewhere in Zihautanejo but we politely declined and instead, decided to walk along the beach.

Ixtapa sunset

After sunset, Andi and I hopped in a cab to Rufo's Grill, a cute patio cafe with Christmas lights and a relaxed vibe. The restaurant was full of American tourists and many walking along the streets nearby. We couldn't quite figure out why so many Americans were around this area, but it seems like many of them were snow birds living down in Mexico for the winter. A favorite local joint to have dinner, perhaps? It was somewhat comforting being around familiar people talking about Nebraska and Minnesota anecdotes. At Rufo's, Andi ordered a rib eye steak for dinner, served with roasted zucchini, tomatoes and bell peppers. I had the cheese quesadilla with chips and salsa. We couldn't get over the one-man band playing the electronic keyboard for the restaurant's entertainment. This guy was so, so into his music with head-bobbing and theatrical hand movements along the piano keys. Andi swore at one point he laid his head down and began to play with his cheek. We had to fake a "take a picture of me and my cheesy grin while you actually snap a photograph of the guy behind me" photo to capture the moment.

After dinner, we walked around the neighborhood of Madeira Beach for a bit before heading back to Capella. We had the perfect day in Ixtapa / Zihua: a mixture of adventure and relaxation. Vacation mode has set in and Andi and I have constant smiles, are enjoying lots of laughs and are truly loving our time together.