It was my birthday yesterday, and St. Patricks Day, as always. It was a beautiful sunny day as they all have been here in Yelapa. I was preparing the big pot of hot water on the little gas stove in my kitchen, so I could have hot water to wash in, and Aurora my landlady popped her head in the half door of my casa (picture of my pad at the top and picture of Aurora and I near the house) "Oye, Sandra," she said in spanish, "I heard it was your birthday today, so I got you little something." It was a beautiful little fabric bag I had had my eye on for some time. She didn't know this, so it was serendipitous. "Me encanta", I told her. I love it.
Then Veronica, her beautiful daughter popped by, wanting to gab and wish me feliz cumpleanos. It was a good way to start the day and I am honoured to be treated so wonderfully by them. I was invited to breakfast, but had to decline so I could get the 9am boat.
Vallarta was very busy with many Mexican tourists, who are enjoying their easter 2 week holiday.
I did some errands, salsa danced in the street with a handsom stranger, and went for my pedicure. It was my birthday present to myself. Walking down donkey dung covered rock paths and long stretches of sand in flip flops two months has not been kind on my feet.
The boat back at 4pm ish was filled up with people, all packed in with luggage. Even sitting in the middle at the back, I got soaked with sea water, but I talked with and learned a few things from an older american gentleman who had been living off and on in Yelapa for 36 years.
Back to the casita to have a cold shower and look presentable. My friend with whom I had planned to have dinner wasn't home, so I went to the yacht club on my own, passing Rangel who was at a semana santa gathering at the community hall. He gave me a bite of his mexican food to try. I continued on the Yacht Club, feeling a little uncomfortable with the idea of eating dinner by myself. But of course, this is Yelapa. I knew five people there and Don, the Canadian drum maker joined me for an excellent fish and prawn stir fry dinner and two of the biggest margaritas I've seen. He tells me if you use good tequila, you won't get a hangover, so it was Don Julio or nothing. I must say, writing this one day later with 4 hours sleep: He was right.
Then the dancing began and as always, when asked to play salsa, Elena, the owner, chef and dj, did it right away. Gavin, the Coloradian cowboy/writer, spun me around with his new moves he learned at Judiths salsa lessons, and before I knew it, the floor was filled with people. The two girls to whom I had taught a belly dance lesson the other day at Veronica's, showed up and we practiced our moves. They sure didn't need any dance lessons, since they're already Latina dancing demons. Felix, my dinner date eventually did show up apologetically, and as I assumed, had had to work a different shift at the Verana resort where he is a bartender. The thought of leaving here really makes me sad. I'm starting to know so many more people and locals and being able to speak and understand the Yelapan dialect.
At the end of the night, Daniel my sweet Yelapan/Seattle audio technician friend, spun some more tunes and the dancing kept going with a shimmy showdown with the girls and I. When Elena found out it was my birthday, it was more tequila for me and then she wanted to party at the end of her long day. Most everyone else had left. We had a wonderful conversation and connection and she is an amazing and powerfully courageous woman; one more inspiring person I've had the fortune of meeting. Plus she used to be a salsa teacher so with the music blaring, she proceeded to spin me around the floor and then: more tequila and gabbing with Chelo, her hilarious side-kick bartender who decided to bring me the dinner leftovers from earlier that night. I had to finally physically stop her from bringing us more tequila. No mas, no mas!
So much for the fear of being alone on my birthday. After all, this is Yelapa.
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