We arrived on the afternoon of the 20th. Had a stroll around the marina near the hotel. Quite a contrast between temperatures in Canada and here. 

There are signs warning of crocodiles in the harbour.

Here the Christmas trees and baubles are outside and it’s about the same temperature as a Canadian summer.\

There’s a Nativity scene in the hotel garden. The Bambino Jesus doesn’t arrive until the evening of December 24th, so it looks incomplete without him. The three Magi look distinctly shifty, as they’re meant to be in postures of adoration but they’re a couple of metres away from the stable.

We have seen some fascinating birds already. One is a large sea bird with black wings and a long tail and a white breast about the size of a heron, swooping about the harbour. The other is a rather sweet black bird, very glossy plumage, and a very long tail, like an elongated blackbird.

We had our dinner overlooking the marina and fed a hungry cat who came to say hello, or possibly Hola.

The locals are very friendly and pleasant.

21st December
We took the bus into town and wandered about the old town.<
We obviously had to have lunch in this taqueria, with a sign like this. It was delicious, too, and not very expensive.

These colourful steps were outside the hotel just up the road.

I thought these colours were lovely, too.

This was the interior of the cathedral. Very baroque.

Interestingly, the embroidery style of the Indigenous Huichol people looks like a smaller version of the Red River Métis style. Their beadwork is completely different though, and has beads attached to clay or wood to make sculptures (as far as I could tell). The Huichol people seem to be doing alright, as the wealth brought by tourism to this area seems to have benefited them too. At least I hope so.

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