Once we got to Boca it didn't take us long to settle in at our favorite beach-side restaurant, Boca del Mar.
And The Gang Is All Here
Of course one of our favorite dishes here is the grilled red snapper, as fresh as you can possible get it. And our waiter didn't disappoint us when he brought out a couple for us to choose from.
Fresh Fish, Big Fresh Fish
Of course, because we have no sense, we ordered them both. Well, there were twelve of us, after all. And we also ordered our other favorites, the Mummy Shrimp, the restaurant's specialty, and the Coconut Shrimp. The Mummy Shrimp is a large shrimp wrapped in bacon with some Kahlua based sauce. Both types of shrimp are simply delicious. And I don't usually like shredded coconut, but when it is freshly shredded and roasted it is really very good.
And there are plenty of other options on the menu that also look delicious. One day I am going to try their octopus.
Tom and Bella Examining The Options
It takes close to forty-five minutes for them to grill the fish so that gives us plenty of time to enjoy the buckets of beer that we ordered, and the tortilla chips and salsa that they brought out. Well, Marge doesn't drink beer, she always has to have a drink that matches her outfit.
She Must Spill A Lot
She kind of reminds me of the time I saw Libarace in Las Vegas. One of his spectacular outfits was bright red velvet. He said it was what he always wore when he made his spaghetti sauce.
Our Fish Being Grilled
While our fish was being grilled the Mysterious Chinese Woman, Marie and Bella went exploring and spotted these fellows trying to get their boat off of a sandbar between the mouth of the Boca River and the Bay.
Push, Push, Push
They weren't having much success, but they were in luck, help was on the way.
Hold On Boys, Here I Come
Okay, Put Your Backs To It, Girls
They Couldn't Have Done It Without Us
And then, after working up a hearty appetite rescuing stranded sailors, they got back in time for our fish.
Grilled To Perfection
And It Didn't Take Long To Dig In
Of course we ordered way too much food. That was just one of the fish in the picture above. By the time the second one came out we were all stuffed. And we ordered way too much shrimp as well. No problem, we just packed up the leftovers and had them the next day at a leftover luncheon at the pool. But that post will have to wait.
After we were done eating we took another exciting bus ride home. The Mysterious Chinese Woman and I had somewhere else to go. Our friend Randall was playing at a bar in La Cruz, another little town about as far Puerto Vallarta as Boca, but in the other direction. But we just caught a cab out to his place in the Marina and then Randall's wife Andrea drove us all to the bar.
Britannia
Britannia is obviously a popular watering hole that has a large enclosed courtyard where the music happens. They have a house band of sorts but on Tuesday's it is kind of an open jam session with a lot of different musicians joining in.
Randall On The Electric Mandolin
Randall is a very talented guy because he also stepped in and played the bass guitar when the regular player took a break.
A Jack, Or A Randall, Of All Trades
They did a wide range of songs, but mostly classic rock. And even though I tried to give them a subtle hint, I couldn't get them to do Surfin' Bird.
My Somewhat Subtle Hint
It was a long day, for sure, but a long fun-filled day. You can't ask for more than that. And last night was Puerto Vallarta's answer to the Mardi Gras parade. Not as big as the one in New Orleans, of course, but plenty fun anyway. But more on that tomorrow.
Just A Blurry Preview
I've got a lot of catching up to do on my blog. Been doing so much stuff here that I just don't seem to have time to post about everything. And I have the vague feeling things aren't going to slow down much. My friends Dave and Carol, who I met on our Berlin to Prague river cruise, are showing up in a few hours.
