Lunch at the Beach and 'Cheesecake'

We normally eat our main meal around 3 or 4 pm. In order to give Miguel a break from chicken, we go out to eat - maybe twice a week.

We have our favorite here in the colonia - La Bruja, but although the food is delicious, sometimes I want a 'room with a view'.

So yesterday we went to Casa Tik n Xix (formerly Playa Lancheros). The last few times we've been there it's been on a Sunday and the place was packed. Yesterday there were just a couple of other tables with customers, which meant we had our choice of a table right in the sand.

We plopped down under a palm tree. I immediately kicked off my flip-flops and ran my feet through the cool sand. There was a wonderful breeze, a great view, and no reason to hurry. I was struck by how lucky we are, living 5 minutes away from such a wonderful location, and vowed to take the time to enjoy it more often.

Miguel ordered a mixed cocktail. I ordered sopa juliana - tomato-based broth with chicken, peppers, onions, and crispy tortilla strips. We shared an order of guacamole. Everything was delicious, and I was surprised at how tasty the soup was - I will definitely order that again.

There is a guy who walks around the island selling cheesecake and cornbread. As we sat waiting for our meal, Miguel pointed in the distance and said "here comes 'Cheesecake'" (his nickname for the guy). We expected the guy to stop to sell us some cheesecake, but he actually walked right past us, talking to himself and looking into the distance behind us. Either he has bad eyesight or he didn't recognize us without the golf cart. We just shrugged - we've been buying too much of his cheesecake lately anyway.

The relaxed meal made us both drowsy, and any ambition we had to go back home and work evaporated. On the drive back home we were passed by a motorcycle spewing smoke, so much that it choked us. Miguel turned off the main road and headed through the small streets of Colonia Canotal. Who did we encounter right at the corner of the mercado? 'Cheesecake'!

He recognized us right away and stopped to sell us a couple of pieces of his baked goods. Miguel told him he had walked right past us at Lancheros - he told him he was talking to himself, and asked if he had seen us. Nope, he hadn't.

We continued home and then decided to go right back out to buy our lottery tickets so we could then just spend the rest of the evening relaxed at home. We picked up Loco and headed back out - we were home maybe 5 minutes.

First we had to go to the bank, and as we got to the airport strip, there was 'Cheesecake', walking towards town. I have no idea how he got so far in such a short time - I don't think he could have walked it. I did my transaction at the bank and as we headed back out of town, we encountered 'Cheesecake' for a fourth time - now close to the ferry. He is a speedy little guy!

'Cheesecake' doesn't believe in wasting time. If he spots the golf cart parked outside our house, he bellows through the gate "Pan! Pan!!". He gives us 5 seconds to respond, and if there is no answer, he's gone. He has missed more than one sale by moving on before I've had a chance to put down the computer and get to the door.

If you see 'Cheesecake' wandering around, you should give his baked goods a try - they are fresh and delicious. And once 'Cheesecake' knows where you live, he will stop by every time he is out, yelling at your door "Pan!". But don't waste time hollering back, or he'll be gone. And you won't have your cheesecake.