Puerto Penasco

Tuesday | 13 February 2007 | Puerto Penasco, Sonora, Mexico:  The weather was very nice. A little windy, but not too bad and there wasn't a cloud in the sky all day. This morning we stayed around the campground, enjoying the gorgeous view out over the ocean and relaxing in the sun. Dad watched an Osprey swoop down and catch fish early this morning. DT and I had to hang around because Larry was coming to repair our fridge. Larry could not repair our fridge. He thinks he needs a part, but will be out of town for a few days. He will return Tuesday. Maybe. Our refrigerator is working just fine on electric power, so there is no rush for this repair.

Camping, Puerto Penasco style: the view from our window

Just after noon, we headed out with Mom and Dad into the Malacon - the waterfront area of Puerto Penasco. Here, Happy Tourists can find shops of all sorts, fresh seafood vendors and an array of delicious restaurants with open-air dining. We chose a sunny table at a second-floor cafe, Señor Amigos, and had a fun time people watching and eating a yummy lunch. Unfortunately, the restaurant allowed vendors inside to pester the diners - most casual cafes do. During our lunch we had offers for jewelry, fresh flowers, a serenade, wood carvings, pottery and sweets. All were declined. Here is a photo of DT's lunch. A beautiful piece of fish - the fisherman are catching flounder and it is on the menu of every restaurant in town. The fish is very firm and nearly a brilliant white. The rest of us had tacos, enchiladas, etc.

Lunch at Señor Amigos

It is always interesting to listen to the sales pitches from the vendors. Best price for you. Almost free. Today Mom and I were treated to That can't be your Mother, she must be your sister - twins! A time share salesman was very disappointed to learn I was married, as he was sure I was his dream woman. He took rejection very well and recovered quickly enough to inquire at the next passer-by if she would marry him. Love is in the air; and apparently constantly for time-share salesmen.

Shopping in Puerto Penasco

After lunch we strolled up the main street in the port area. This area is always interesting. Most of the shops sell the same old stuff -dusty junk, counterfeit purses and tee-shirts with such dirty sayings printed on the front - I can't imagine anyone actually wearing one in public. Silver jewelry is very popular here too, along with recycled glassware, Mexican vanilla and pottery of all sorts. DT did add a bottle opener to our Tacky Bottle Opener Collection - a Mexican guy sleeping under a cactus (wearing a huge sombrero, of course) with a quote from that famous Mexican statesman, Confucius, stamped on the back of the opener. Classic.

The wharf area in Puerto Penasco -
all the shops along the right side are fresh seafood vendors

   
Is that DT or a famous Mexican wrestler?
On the right is the fisherman tribute statue in the town plaza


Ah, isn't this sweet? Our campground is just to the right of the "Rocky Point" across the bay.


Seafood for fish lovers everywhere

After checking out the shops and visiting the new town plaza, we walked back to our car along the opposite side of the street and looked in to a few of the fresh seafood shops to see what was the "catch of the day". The favorite seafood item from the Sea of Cortez are the huge prawns - but today everyone was filleting flounder and flounder were everywhere and cheap. One of the shops had a huge Mako shark - it must have been over one hundred pounds. The tail was gone, the head was gone and the fin was gone... and it looked as if the fish was ready to be turned into steaks at any moment... so we wandered off... and drove back to the RV park.

The view from the campground in the late afternoon -
the point on the far right is where we dined and shopped this afternoon.

Much later, we drove back around the bay to The Lighthouse Restaurant. The upstairs portion of the Lighthouse is a nice little restaurant, with great views out over the town. It is amazing how large "teeny Puerto Penasco" looks from above the city. After dinner, Mom and DT ordered fancy coffee drinks. The waitress prepared the drinks at our table and put on such a show by pouring flaming liquors between two small pitchers.  Sadly the entire production did not photograph well in the darkness, but trust me - it was spectacular. A fun evening.

 
Dinner: The garnish on my Mom's shrimp-stuffed avocado salad.
Tonight it was my turn for a fillet of that flounder.

RV Park: The Reef RV Park at Sandy Beach