A Day at the Beach

By John Chalmers from the April 2016 Edition

The many charms and attractions of the Manzanillo area include nearby beaches along the west coast. They are frequented by locals, vacationers and folks from places inland who come to enjoy the sun, the sand and the surf. In mid March, my wife Linda and I joined six other couples spending winter months near Manzanillo for a day trip to the beach at Cuastecomates. North of Manzanillo on Highway 200, the town is about an hour’s drive from the port city, depending upon your starting point.

The beach of the small town with the long name is at the edge of a sheltered cove lined with restaurants. After parking our vehicles, we settled in at Restaurant El Oso, one of the establishments that offers dining under a palapa, or under umbrellas on the beach. A waiter promptly welcomed us and set out lounge chairs for our use to help us enjoy the view. A new boardwalk along the front of the restaurants makes it easy to stroll along the waterfront and select a location for your visit to sit on the beach, go for a swim, or select a table inside or on the sand.

After staking out our place on the beach, the first item business was to order a bucket of ten cervezas on ice. Added to that for starter snacks were platters of ceviche de pescado and guacamole with taco chips. Then we were set for the afternoon. Some of our group went snorkeling, others were content to watch the pelicans and terns diving like arrows in the sea to catch fresh fish for their lunch.

For our lunch, most ordered a hamburguesa con queso or quesadillas de camarones, both served with tasty papas fritas. More buckets of beer were ordered as needed! Local color was provided by men and women offering a variety of merchandise including necklaces and other jewelry, woven goods, dresses, beach cover-ups and inflatable beach toys, while little boys become merchants early in life by selling chewing gum.

Near the end of our stay, a mariachi band stopped by to provide music at our tables. Song, music and the beautiful costumes of the musicians capped off another perfect day in México. Major construction in rebuilding the streets of Cuastecomates will make that charming town even more appealing when the work is complete.

Mary makes a beachside purchase while Robin studies the merchandise. Bob, Mary and Cindy show off their new bottle holsters, which were immediately put to use! Lower left, Irene is ready to wade out and go snorkeling. She returns at right with Dean and Mary.

Nancy and Dave are on their way to snorkel and brown pelicans are constantly on patrol, diving to catch fish.