Out on the town...
Feb. 12th, 2009 07:55 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
alexpgpPuerto Peñasco delivers a serious dose of cognitive dissonance to the customarily habituated American.
Perhaps the most evident sign of this is the apparent utter absence of any kind of zoning restrictions in town, resulting in a patchwork of properties where really nice looking houses abut properties filled with trash or those with tar-paper shacks that could use a whole lot more tar in their architecture. Based solely on appearances, the residents of Tyura-Tam, in Kazakhstan, live better than many folks around here do.
The point of today's excursion was to drive up to a place called Chollo Bay, said to be a community of American expatriates, which is entirely likely, but we didn't dawdle long. People live cheek-by-jowl there, crowded together like termites. To add insult to injury, we couldn't find a decent place to eat lunch.
Upon returning to town, we changed the oil in the Ford and crossed the street to lunch while we waited at a place called - if memory serves - The Black Dog, where Galina struck up a conversation with an expat named Chuck, who restored our faith in Puerto Peñasco, to some extent. The joint is a nice enough restaurant, even if the prices are thoroughly American.
On the way back to the hotel, we drove through an area called Las Conchas, which featured an aquarium that had been recommended to us by the resort's staff. I paid admission to go in; Galina chose to walk on the beach.
Like a lot of things I've seen in my few days here, the aquarium was a crazy mix of properly labeled exhibits and tanks with strange-looking creatures in them and no hint as to what I was looking at. One tank contained several large turtles or tortoises (there was no explanatory sign) who fought for position as they expected me - or someone - to feed them.
A pathetic seal did laps in a small pool enclosed in green chain-link fencing. His mug has got to be the saddest sack I have seen this trip.
I felt genuine pity for this poor animal. I think the photo says it all.
Out last stop during today's excursion was in the downtown area where we drank some refreshment, picked up some flounder and some giant shrimp each roughly the size of Rhode Island, and headed back to the resort. Dinner was intimate, and well-received.
Frankly, I can't wait to get home.
Cheers...
Perhaps the most evident sign of this is the apparent utter absence of any kind of zoning restrictions in town, resulting in a patchwork of properties where really nice looking houses abut properties filled with trash or those with tar-paper shacks that could use a whole lot more tar in their architecture. Based solely on appearances, the residents of Tyura-Tam, in Kazakhstan, live better than many folks around here do.
The point of today's excursion was to drive up to a place called Chollo Bay, said to be a community of American expatriates, which is entirely likely, but we didn't dawdle long. People live cheek-by-jowl there, crowded together like termites. To add insult to injury, we couldn't find a decent place to eat lunch.
Upon returning to town, we changed the oil in the Ford and crossed the street to lunch while we waited at a place called - if memory serves - The Black Dog, where Galina struck up a conversation with an expat named Chuck, who restored our faith in Puerto Peñasco, to some extent. The joint is a nice enough restaurant, even if the prices are thoroughly American.
On the way back to the hotel, we drove through an area called Las Conchas, which featured an aquarium that had been recommended to us by the resort's staff. I paid admission to go in; Galina chose to walk on the beach.
Like a lot of things I've seen in my few days here, the aquarium was a crazy mix of properly labeled exhibits and tanks with strange-looking creatures in them and no hint as to what I was looking at. One tank contained several large turtles or tortoises (there was no explanatory sign) who fought for position as they expected me - or someone - to feed them.
A pathetic seal did laps in a small pool enclosed in green chain-link fencing. His mug has got to be the saddest sack I have seen this trip.
I felt genuine pity for this poor animal. I think the photo says it all.
Out last stop during today's excursion was in the downtown area where we drank some refreshment, picked up some flounder and some giant shrimp each roughly the size of Rhode Island, and headed back to the resort. Dinner was intimate, and well-received.
Frankly, I can't wait to get home.
Cheers...
