Sayulita, Mexico: Day 3

Oh, man! I should've made more of an effort to write down the details of our vacation in Sayulita, Mexico last month. I've likely forgotten all the little gems of conversation by now, but recording what I do remember is important to me as time will only erase my memories further.

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Day 3 in Sayulita began the way most mornings did during our trip. Andi, Aden and I woke up with sun around 6:00am as sleepy-head Tory snoozed until around 9:00am. I completed my workout first thing to beat the afternoon heat while Andi and Aden laid in bed and watched a Stinky and Dirty cartoon on the iPad. We'd never seen that show before Andi streamed it on Amazon Prime during our trip, and it quickly became a favorite of Aden's.

Whiskers the Cat eventually made his way into the house as we got rolling for the day. The house cat ate his breakfast in the kitchen and then wandered the house to find Aden wherever he was. I'm not really a cat person so my experience with them is limited, but I was so surprised how affectionate this cat was toward Aden. Whiskers let Aden lay his head on his belly and seemed perfectly content to snuggle.

 
Andi made breakfast for all of us (eggs and a vegetable hash), and we sat outside and enjoyed the warm air. The house we rented for the week had a peaceful view of Sayulita and the rolling hills surrounding it.  One of our favorite features of this house was the huge sliding doors that opened the living room to the patio and pool. It made the house feel like an extension of the outdoors with warm, gentle breezes blowing through constantly.

Later when the housekeeper arrived, we learned the chickens on the property laid a half-dozen eggs every day. She brought us some for our breakfast the next day. I thought this was so neat! I'd love to have fresh eggs outside my doorstep every morning if someone else did the work of caring for the chickens.

After breakfast, we hopped in our golf cart to drive to the beach. The central part of Sayulita was a 10-minute golf cart ride from our rented house, and we all enjoyed the ride down there. A baby horsse not more than a week or two old was in the pasture on the way, so we stopped to watch it for a few minutes. Further down the dirt road, there were a herd of bulls sparring with one another.

Andi and I decided to take the kids to "secret beach" -- a beach we'd discovered during our last visit to Sayulita. We remembered this beach being secluded and much calmer water than the main beach in town. It was also the place Tory tried a coconut for the first time two year prior, and we hoped there would be a stand to buy one again.

This time, "secret beach" wasn't so secret. We approached the sand to find many groups of locals camped out under sun awnings and umbrellas. Andi heard prior to our trip that many Mexicans have vacation during Holy Week (Easter was two days prior) so that made sense. No worries though -- we found a spot on the sand and set up our beach blanket.

 

The four of us played in the sand and the ocean until we were hot and hungry. Most beach-goers around us made an entire day of it by packing picnic lunches, coolers, music, and even bringing potty chairs for kids. We opted for more of a "play and go" style.

After the beach, we cruised into Sayulita's town center for popsicles. Andi promised the kids "ice cream everyday!" during vacation, so we had to make good on his promise. We all decided to try a different flavor than the day before -- Aden and Tory picked "nilla" (vanilla), Andi chose cookies and cream and I got strawberry sorbet. They melted faster than we could eat them in the warm Mexican sun.

  
When we returned to our Sayulita house, Chopina (the housekeeper) was making dinner in the kitchen. We hired her to cook for us several of the nights we visited for something different. Of course we could've cooked our own dinner (and we did several evenings), but it's fun to have a local cook something more authentic. On this night, Chopina made fried chicken, tons of fresh salsas and guacamole, beans and mixed veggies. In hindsight, we probably should have specified more "healthy" options but I have to admit, her fried chicken was really good.

And, who can beat that view! Dining out with kids (our kids, at least) is stressful and not enjoyable. This is a much better way for our family to eat on vacation.

We wrapped up dinner just as the sun began to set on the day. Tory, Aden, Andi and I scurried up to the rooftop patio to watch the sun go down. Tory made a wish as it dropped past the horizon, and it was a "pinch me I'm in paradise" moment of happiness.

More to come of our time in Sayulita ...