Day 15 - Agua Verde

Esperanza's tienda, Brenda at left with Esperanza

We had a great day becoming acquainted with Agua Verde. In the morning we went ashore and soon Brenda was speaking with Bonnie from the boat Murray Grey. She introduced us to Francesca, who visits with her husband Ken every year and feels part of the community. Francesca teaches English to the local children. It was she who told us about a second, newer tienda that had been started after our cruising guide had been published. Soon Bonnie, Brenda, and I were in Esperansa's shop surveying what was available. Esperansa had an excellent array of fresh fruit and vegetables, fresh goat cheese, and meat, among other things. We purchase bananas, carrots, some superb goat cheese, and oxtail, with which Brenda was looking forward to making a good stew. I learned from Epseransa that I could get water there on the following day between 7 and 10 AM. I asked her if the water was carted in but she said that in was piped down from the sierra, so we figured that there must be a small dam up there somewhere. We then went by the "restaurant" mentioned in the cruising guide and booked a meal for 6 PM. "Pescado?" asked the woman. Brenda and I agreed that fish was fine.

Cows on beach

We returned to the shore a bit early to do a walkabout around the settlement. We liked the place. Everybody seemed well dressed, happy, and contented. A group of boys was playing soccer on a large concrete pad and as we walked by one of the two churches in town a lady driving an SUV with a child on board gave us a smile and wave. I told Brenda that we may have seen our first genuine Mexican soccer mom.

Town water supply

The "restaurant" turned out to be a disappointment. Brenda and I can both accept simple facilities and simple food, as long as we know that our hosts are doing the best that they can. Unfortunately these people had no conception of how to serve the public. The fried fish meal though simple (with rice, refried beans) was good, though it was served a bit too cold. But the attitude left a lot to be desired. As we finished our meal the proprietor stood over us as though we might run off with the unmatching plates or plastic container in which the salsa had been served. I asked her for the quenta and she stood there thinking of what she could charge us. She stated "ciento quarenta" ,$140, twice, but when she saw my money she changed it to "ciento seisenta", $160. 160 pesos was sort of an OK price, but we just weren't happy with how she handled the whole affair. Brenda described her attitude as "surly". I'm ashamed to say that I had put Brenda through what she described as the worst dining experience in her entire life.
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