Catalina

faint intimation

Undulating line of surfspray,   ropy shimmering pearls To clotted cream kelp scum   on glistening moss. Sun   rock   sea.

millenium sunrise   baby dolphins leaping in the wild at breakfast

Er�ndira, Punta Cabra y Punta Banda

Ensenada fishing port is also a busy cruise terminal & party town. Along Avenida L�pez Mateos, shops offer traditional Mexican art and high-end clothes & jewelry. Parking is a game of chance, but we got lucky and found a spot steps from the marina.
No matter the time of year, I always do a little Christmas shopping in Mexico, such as leather sandals. Huaraches priced at $15 were offered for $12 before I even had a chance to demur. Most pieces of Mexican folk art are churned out by the hundreds, but it's possible to discover an unusual carving or interesting papier-m�ch� mask among the battalions of brightly painted animal figures that line store shelves.
My quest, a hand-painted Christmas decoration called �rbol de la vida (tree of life), was in vain. But we ferreted out a few stocking stuffers and made the mistake of dropping into the first restaurant beyond our hunger pangs. The service lived up to the restaurant's name at La Tortuga (the turtle). The combination dinners were filling & inexpensive but far from exceptional.

Midmorning we left for Rosarito, stopping first at nameless arcade across parking lot from Rosarito Beach Hotel. Next we followed the line of shoppers, as determined as an army of ants, 4 blocks north to a hugely popular outdoor bazaar. When you find something you like, buy it. The bazaar is such a jumble of shops that you might not find the same booth again.
On the outskirts of town at Alex Curios, home of my favorite handicrafts, I pounced on the last �rbol de la vida in the shop. According to the owner, they were made by older artisans who had no one to carry on their craft. Even as I cherished my purchase, I was saddened by the decline of a wonderful folk art.
\ By noon we were back at La Fonda. The cozy half-mile cove below the hotel is bordered by rocks that can be negotiated at low tide. But hurry back; the climb is dangerous, if not impossible, when the tide is high. I found a comfortable spot on the rocks and settled down with my book, looking up now & then as a school of porpoises entertained with high jumps and an occasional hang glider zipped by.
Midafternoon, an adventurous pilot landed his ultralight on the beach not far from a few lazy sunbathers. The only decisions I faced were whether to read on the deck, the patio or the beach, and whether to eat early or late. We had been among the first at breakfast, served outside overlooking the sea under a thatched umbrella while a pair of roosters pecked at the patio for crumbs of banana pancakes with coconut syrup.

La Fonda's owners Sara & Orest Dmytriw closed the original restaurant and reopened last year in what had been the front patio of their home. The new place is spacious & warm, thanks to glowing candles and adobe fire pits, and the food is as good as ever. Meals incl soup, salad and a choice of a dozen or more steaks, chops and seafoods.
Black bean soup, entrees: calamari stuffed with crab for me, sea bass on a bed of fresh spinach for Joy. Conversation bounces from table to table. Mariachis play pleasant, unobtrusive music for dancing or just hanging out. On weekends guests can choose between 2 talented guitarists, one at the hotel and the other at La Palapa, a club nearby. Falling asleep to the wonderfully monotonous music of the tide.

Sunday morning before heading home, make quick stop at a gordita stand I came across years ago in Rosarito. It's a block south of the Rosarito Beach Hotel, on a dirt street that parallels Boulevard Ju�rez. The stand is a nameless operation set up at a stove behind the owner's house. There she prepares the usual street fare every Saturday & Sunday starting at 9 a.m. Go for the gorditas, balls of dough fried golden brown, sliced & filled with meat & sauce.

We left the hotel well before checkout time to beat the rush to the border, missing famous La Fonda Sunday brunch, a feast that can take hours. Our plan to get ahead of the traffic didn't work.

California

[email protected]

� 1997

Page hosted by For Free URL