Friday, August 24, 2007
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Took five days out of LA life to venture down to Baha. It's amazing when you just spin in a flurry of automobiles at 70 miles an hour San Diego disappears in the exhalation of a sigh, and in a blink you're in Mexico. The roads becomes rougher, the litter of humanity animate and inanimate increases and the terrain is less green,more tired and dusty, like the dreams of those who come to reside in Tiajana. The houses are certainly less salubrious - cement boxes with windows framing the expansive no man's land divide. We cruised on down the coast past the big Jesus (and I mean big), Fox Studios, Rosarito, some hideous new resort towers and lazy town Pueto Nuevo until we came upon our quarry - Mision La Playa and met our rather unimpressed security guard who languidly opened the massive gates - so this is enclave living..built circa 1970's, it's right on the beach in a row of eclectic abodes... Along the dusty road we came upon our holiday house - the most fabulous pink adobe with a courtyard of succulents ranging up the walls and thriving in pots, contrasting deep greens against the pink-painted brick. Then inside and I stood dumbfounded in aesthetic awe... Surely decorated in 1973 I wiggled my toes in the luxury of orange shag rugs, shell encrusted trinkets and hanging mobiles, copper seahorses, sweet birds and a stunning pelican taking pride of place, centre of our Mexican universe facing the beach, shiny in his copper glory ready to take flight and join his compatriots along the shoreline. The decor was all dark wood paneling, deep-red leather bar stools with groovy 70's wrought iron (black) swirling backs, fab dark green chairs around the wood paneled table where all serious drinking, dining, chatting and one lackadaisical attempt at card games happened. Across the room stood a massive stone fireplace that can only be described as 'groovy' with a dark copper sun front and centre. The finishing touches were woolen creative macramé hangings (to die for), tiled surfaces covered everywhere the wood paneling isn't, two long brown plaid couches that we oft snoozed, reclined and slumbered on, fine venetian blinds revealing the dazzling stretch of blue, blue ocean and stained glass light fittings shimmering a hazy vibrant glow through the house... Step out and gasp the sea air like a hungry man... the verandah hangs over slate and concrete pathways lined with more succulents outlining steps leading down to the wide sands of the beach (Playa) and onto the sand before the deep blue shimmer of Senorita Pacifica - hazy with a marine layer smudging the horizon. Mexican kids on horseback, laughing and playing, ambled past, silhouetted against the blue waves where dolphins frolicked and pelicans flew in perfect formation up along the beach to the point a few miles away. They surely were the inspiration for the original Mexican wave! I was, quite simply, in heaven... A few days later I explored the lounge room and opened massive cupboard to find the shrine to Saint Margarita!!! Rows of margarita glasses, candles, tequila bottles and all the the accoutremonts one needs to party with the liquid gold of Mexico including over ten packets of playing cards (best intentions)... Our agenda was as follows: Day One - in a rush to party hard we hurried down to the beach bars, learnt the requisite, rudimentary Spanish to get us by and drank far too may of the 99c margaritas... the night became a blur. I woke having bought a slingshot, a silver ring and a pack of cards and apparently became betrothedto a bra owner who wanted the elusive American life (Ha)! Jeff was sound asleep on the verandah wrapped in towels, Larry's night was completely blank and Gilli was a tad grey around the gills and worse for wear. The crew dined on fish tacos, nachos, beer (for a change) more margaritas and then Claude found the amazing tequila shop with over 1000 different types of this amber heaven.. You see, all the while we were there we supping on tequila we devised many dishes for my tequlia cookbook..damn if it doesn't go with everything! The company was sublime, the wit high and dry, and with some brilliantly accomplished musicians from Australia, Texas and Louisiana in fine form and happy to play the days away. We were completely spoilt...the sun always set to the dulcet slide guitar solos or harp warling tunes. One night a beach bonfire found us hanging with the rest of Danny's crew. the shimmer of firelight, the glow of the faces, the music of our clan. Just swimming in the beloved Pacifica and ambling with sand between the toes were the order of the day.. and simply watching life amble by, while the pelicans and dolphins enjoyed their domain. Each night we Antipodeans stargazed, a tad befuddled at the strange new constellations, yet marveling at their formations while enjoying the lapping cool evening air and brine wafting up from the beach. This was a truly wonderful sojourn and one of the best most chilled holidays I've had in a long while - with a great crew of people - newly wed and lip-locked Melissa & Matt, fun loving and chilled Gilli & Jeff, larrikin Larry from down under, poised Bronnie and the inimitable Claude.... But now it's back into work this week, with a few Crisis Management Courses thrown in for good measure.
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