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La Placadita

For me to awaken on a deserted beach is about as close to heaven as I can get, the vibrations are perfect, the music of las olas crashing fills my brain, the stars fading away to a golden sunrise, it is peace, it is paz. I pulled into town around dark, and followed my nose, they say the olfactory system has the easiest access to memory, and the smell of fresh tortillas and perfectly prepared carne is something one can never forget, I took a few minutes to breathe, give thanks and organise myself, have a quick sponge bath and just enjoy the stillness of my surroundings.

I popped out of the car bouyed by the promises of tasty delights, there were seven or eight tables on the street, each table holding un grande plato, on the plate was a cornucopia of fixin´s, guacamole, salsa, frijoles, cabbage, limon and chilis, I took a table with a local man named Tony, we spoke of where we lived, and where life was taking us, at the table to my left sat 4 young travelers from Napa valley, they carried a guitar, a shade sructure and very little else and had the glow of a youth being lived to the fullest, young Gods and Goddesses in training... inside the small concrete building a beautiful indio girl rolled the largest corn tortillas I have ever laid eyes on, she never slowed, and rarely stopped laughing ang giggling at the goings on outside, she was a model of efficienct and was obviously enjoying every moment. The owner came and took our order, Carne Asada, or Carne Asada? it came in tacos or by the plate with tortillas, two sizes, el medio, or grande? para mi, medio es perfecto! they meat was perfectly seasoned, the four tortillas would have made a meal solo, I ate slowly, savoring each bite, giving thanks for the simple pleasure of perfectly prepared food.

Before the meal ended I had shared La Mesa with 4 people, speaking only in my broken spanish, we were all able to communicate, andeach of us was the richer for it. this is what I consider the perfect life, a little food, a little conversation, love, light, and laughter. es muy bueno!

Off I roll in search of sand and sleep, the stars are brilliant, the waves sound big, my sleep is that of the dead, I awaken to the sunrise, golden light turns pink, cold fading quickly, I get in the car and look for a spot to bathe, I open both doors of the thing, and wash between them, its a perfect shower, the sand is gone, the smells are fresh, and I eat the sweetest bananas ever, the watermelon from the day before, and a handful of nuts, a press of strong coffee sends me down the road in anticipation of the days ahead...

Comments

Daddyo said…
Aloha,
Great stuff, Love hearing your doing fine,Almost over my cold and went paddling Sunday.
Love Dad
savannah said…
oh my god i found you! i have asked beckey and beth for your e-mail and no respons with it back. i m iss you i hope you are doing well i dont have enough money to read your blogs but my trip is going great joey and i are on the gili island we stayed on gili meno for a week a very small island not motorized bikes only horses that pull people around there was no one there we felt like we were on a deserted island it was amazing . we are taking a 3 day boat trip to Flores . oh ya we are in indonisa now best place we have been yet. and i have becom a certified diver so we are going to go diving on our boat trip at kamodo island . i love you miss you and i dont want to come home
savannah said…
This comment has been removed by the author.
Brenda said…
Dave,
Pee Wee turned me on to your blog. I met you at the Xmas ale party once or twice. I wasn't familiar with blogs. What they were and how they worked so he told me to check it out. It's pretty cool. I think you are a pretty good writer. I'll be looking forward to reading more about your trip and other adventures. Be safe.

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