Hot Kino Days

I used to think a swim would be great on a hot day. And I suppose it is. But today was hot and pretty muggy, and the idea of sitting outside for any length of time – even in the shade- was intimidating.

Mornings are delightful in September. People, locals as well a visitors, are out walking even before the sun is up. I sit watching the pre-dawn glimmer of light on the beach and can see dark shadows moving both directions. Walkers, getting in their daily constitutional before the heat of day. All along the beach, motors fire up and soon fishermen are headed out to deep water hoping for a good day’s catch.

Evenings, too, are wonderful. Some walk the beach while others just sit in the sand. The sea comes alive with swimmers and splashers. Children build castles, dig holes, and basically run rampant across the sand and into the waves.

Dogs loll nearby, praying for handouts or a dropped burrito. Adults pause in their swimming or chatter and turn to watch the sun sink behind the far western islands.

And after it is dark, the beach is still full. Swimmers still splash, lovers stroll. Music erupts from nearby cars or from boom boxes. The playa is alive at night as it never is on a hot summer day.

Although it was hot, we headed out around noon to Kino Nuevo for gas and perhaps some beach time. Then we got sidetracked in an area just outside of town where there are wonderful tidal pools, but the tide was in and there were no pools.

Still, we spent a short but lovely time dangling our feet in the water and watching a group of four young men launch their boat. One was so very, very pale skinned that when he pulled off his shirt, I shuddered at the burn he was sure to end up with.

The public beach has wonderful thatch-roofed palapas, but on weekends the beach is packed, even on hots days, by people from Hermosillo escaping even hotter weather.
We opted to skip the crowds and headed for Jorge’s, a place on the far end of Nuevo known for its views, especially of winter sunsets, and its broad patio facing the sea. When we got to Jorge’s, we were informed that the patio was not functioning.

Off to Casa Blanca, just a short way down the road. This restaurant/bar has a wonderful second story deck overlooking the water. When we got to Casa Blanca we were informed that the second floor was closed.

Off to La Palapa, near the public beach. We smiled as we thought about sitting in the shade sipping a chilada. When we got to La Palapa, the outside area once full of little palapas was gone, a new cement block building going up in its place.
OK. We took the hint. Get out of Nuevo and don’t even think about a chilada in the middle of the afternoon.

Back to Viejo, to La Hacienda, where we hoped to find Edgar and have an iced coffee, but with our current string of luck we figured Edgar would be off and they’d be out of ice. Or coffee. Or maybe the blender would be broken. But miracle of miracles, Hector was there, and there were coffee, ice, and a working blender. We were soon installed at a small table next to the 12′ by 12′ shallow pool.

Having been careful to avoid the beach crowds, it was ironic that this tiny pool was crammed with children and beach toys. About eight children zipped in and out of the water. Also in and out went a floating lounger, two little boats, several fancy inner tube-style water toys, and one inflatable shark. There wasn’t one square foot without a child or toy.

Screams, laughter, splashes – we got it all along with our iced coffees. And it was great. We enjoyed seeing the children having so much fun and were impressed by attentive fathers playing with their children.

We enjoyed the coffee, and got to see Edgar for a few minutes. We even stayed cool, thanks in large part to splashes of children jumping into the pool Then, back to La Casita to hang inside with the A/C on to wait for evening when it was cool enough to again be on the beach.