Began the day by waiting for the laundromat to open: about 30 min. Lady said my laundry would be ready at 3pm. I put everything in the wash except a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. I couldn't go off visiting dressed like that, so I just hung around town.  

First, I needed a haircut: my head is so much cooler now, and lighter, and my wallet is only $4 lighter (including tip)!  



 
 
 
Took some pics of the market area. The entire block is honeycombed with these tiny shops and eateries, hundreds of them all jammed in together.  
There are other blocks, not as large, with dozens of shops on each side of these narrow walkways. One area is almost all cloth goods, even to reupholstering furniture. There are leather workers, drapery and dress makers, etc.

 

 




 
 
And there are a couple of streets that sell mostly fruits and vegetables. A few cooked or raw chicken places here and there.  

 
 
I went and had breakfast at the same place I had dinner last night. Ordered eggs and ham. Got scrambled eggs, thin ham slices cut into one inch squares, rice and beans, and fresh squeezed OJ ($3, juice $1.20).  



Refreshed, I went for a stroll.  

 












 

 
Started about half way through town and took some pics of the walkway going down to the beach.  


 
Then I took some pics of the beachfront. 

 
















 

 
And of some of the side streets leading away from the beach (see below). I like the architecture, and all the shade they've provided.  



  


There is a second statue in the pic (didn't turn out as well as I'd hoped).  





              This is a small bay, but it has its fishing fleet.  



  













 

And people lining up to grab some of the catch of the day.  





 
Followed up by taking pics of some of the streets lined up behind that row of buildings on the beach.  

Then I went to my room and did some research on the internet while waiting for my laundry to be ready.  

As soon as I get my clothes back, I'm heading over to Ixtapa. The Mexican government set this up as a resort area (same thing they did in Cancun). I'm hoping I can find a decent room, cheap, and get an expensive dinner in an air conditioned restaurant.  



All dressed and raring to go!  

 

Caught a bus and was in Ixtapa in less than 30 minutes. Got off as soon as I saw big hotels. The first one I went to is closed for remodeling (can't really tell from the outside). The next one is an all-inclusive. The one after that is private (see the signs in the photo). It's the biggest and nicest one on the beach!  

The couple of hotels open to the general public closed their dining rooms at 5pm (it's 4:50) and reopen for dinner at 7pm.  


 
I kept asking for an air conditioned dining room, and one bellhop said Bogart's had a/c.  
Walked down the road, checked a couple more places ( din rm open at 7, or all-inclusive) until I got to Bogart's. The door was open. I walked in, and after a minute someone came up and informed me that dinner was at 6pm. Things are looking up!  


 
 



I kept walking along, saw this poor place, and after a couple more inquiries, didn't see anymore places close by. So I crossed the road to the 'poor' side. I figured I'd try the couple of hotels I'd seen there. The ones I'd stopped in generally started at $200 a night (though one guy offered me a room for $100. Sorry, that's still out of my budget!  


 
I found myself across from Bogie's, and I'd skipped by the hotel that's right next door: it sits back a little bit, and I was getting hot and tired. So what the heck. It's right next door, and if I can get a drink there, I won't have far to go for dinner.  

 
 

 
 






















 
This place is 90% all-inclusive, but it does take walk-ins. So I headed over to the bar - no one there. Saw a waiter, and he pointed to the outside bar. Really wanted to be inside where it was a little cooler, but I didn't have a choice.  

So I walked by the pools (there's a kiddie pool on each side of the large pool area), walked up to the bar, and got intercepted by a waiter. He said I could sit anywhere and he'd bring me my order. He helped me find the coolest spot. I asked if it was happy hour (he spoke okay english, as most do in these 'tourist traps') and he said 'sure'! So I ordered a rum punch thing called an 'Ixtapa'.  

 
Then I started taking picks of the view.

 

 










 
It's a nice large bay, with a good beach, good surf, good views. 

    
 













 
I finished my second Ixtapa. It was only 5:40 and the sun was beginning to set, so I ordered a Piña Colada.  

Went to town taking sunset pics.  

 















Got to talking to the waiter (an older guy, maybe 50). He said he makes $1/hr, and gets paid about $100 in tips bi-weekly. That's less than $400 per month! And, working in a decent place, he's better off than a lot of people.  

So, while I'm taking pics, he sets another Piña Colada in front of me: I didn't know these were on happy hour too! So here I am, four sheets (drinks) to the wind, for a total of $7.50. The rooms may be expensive, but the booze is certainly priced right! I gave the guy a $10 tip: he was hesitant to take it, thought I was making a mistake!  


 


It's Bogie time!  













 

 
 
Like all high end restaurants, its dark inside (a lot darker than in the pic - my camera is set up to lighten night pictures without using the flash).  

 











 
 
I ordered a glass of house red, and it was chilled. Tasted okay. Asked the waiter what else he had. A couple minutes later he pops up with a glass and a bottle of Chilean merlot, and he let me sample it: it wasn't any better than what he already gave me (maybe being half blitzed affected my taste buds), so I stayed with that. I asked for a glass of the Baja cab with my entree: that was good, even though it seemed high in alcohol.  
 
 
 
Got my entree in good time, cooked perfectly, with veggies, and something else with sticks coming out of it (thought it might be something oriental): it was a baked potato with butter, sour cream and chives already on it. (Still don't know what's up with the sticks.) The 6 oz steak didn't have pepper on it; the cracked pepper was in a brown sauce in a side dish. Okay with me: I ate a piece as is, then dipped the next piece in the sauce. Got the best of both worlds!  

Excellent dinner. Just what I had expected and wanted. At $13.50, it was about 20% higher than what you'd pay at a decent restaurant. Cheap for Bogie's, I'd say. $8 for the two glasses of vino.