January 2014

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Of cowboys and Federales

Wednesday, January 8, 2014 in Mexico, Sayulita | 1 comment

The other day I was getting all righteous about how you can knock back a Negra Modelo or two while hanging at the beach in front of Don Pedro’s in Sayulita. And it’s true. But then there’s the other side of Mexico which is less thrilling—the heavy-handed police and military presence. I mean, you’re kicking back on the beach, waiting for the tamale lady to come by, checking out the surf and all of a sudden a couple of military guys come strolling by carrying some serious firepower.

It seems kind of ridiculous. I mean, what are they looking for? Do they think drug runners are slipping stuff in and out of the beach on their surfboards? And if some serious drug lord did show up out of the blue carrying 50 pounds of coke in his backpack, what are these guys going to do? Start shooting up the beach?

But you look at this photo and the dichotomy of Mexico comes into full focus—soldiers strolling along the beach like lovers just in front of a middle-aged surfer.

photos by David Lansing

photos by David Lansing

And then you walk across the plaza, making sure you don’t get nailed by a teenager zooming his motorbike or ATV down the narrow street, and you look up and…there’s a cowboy riding his horse into the sunset.

So strange, so evocative. And only in Mexico. 

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Beach food

Tuesday, January 7, 2014 in Mexico, Sayulita | 3 comments

One time in California I was sitting on the beach with friends watching the sun set and sipping a really nice New Zealand sauvignon blanc when a beach cop rode up on his 4-wheeler and told us to dump the wine on the sand or he’d give us all citations. Because, you know, we were obviously going to go crazy and start singing out loud or something.

In Mexico, not only is it okay to drink a cerveza or a margarita on the beach, hell, someone will go and get one for you. You don’t even need to bring your own.

photos by David Lansing

photos by David Lansing

In Sayulita, you can rent a chair and an umbrella for less than $5 and then just sit there all day waiting for the food and drinks to come around. My favorite is the tamale lady. She walks the beach with a little styrofoam chest and sells chicken or pork tamales for about a buck each. Man, those tamales are killer. Then you ask a kid to run up to Don Pedro’s and get you a Negro Modelo, and you are set for lunch.

But you can get all kinds of other things to eat and drink on the beach as well. Usually there’s someone slicing up fruit—watermellon, papaya, cantaloupe—that they stuff into big plastic cups. And there are guys walking around selling camerones on a stick or fat tortas stuffed with chicken.

Maybe the most interesting food vendors are the guys selling candy. There’s one guy who walks up and down the beach carrying a white pole studded with red candied apples. They cost 10 pesos or about $.75. Just think how many candied apples he has to sell to make a living. That’s a tough job but even worse, in my opinion, is the guy who pushes a wheelbarrow through the soft sand selling gummy worms and pastel mints, pepitas and chili peanuts. You pick out what you want and he fills a paper cone with the candy or nuts and the whole thing might cost a buck at most. Then you go back to your chair in front of Don Pedro’s and the kid comes over and nods toward your beer bottle and says, “Uno más?” and you say, Sure. Uno más. Knowing no Mexican beach cop is going to come over and tell you to spill your cerveza in the sand.

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