Guayaberas

Today we went down to Playa del Carmen to look for guayaberas for Robert, Zion, my dad, and my parent's friend, Jay. We'd been told that Playa, and specifically a department store called Milano, was the place to get these shirts.

Except that they didn't have a single guayabera at all. One of the guys working there helpfully suggested we try the open air shop across the street, which we did. No dice there either. So we wandered around somewhat aimlessly peering into shops, many of which featured mannequins with porn-star style boobs. They were the most bizarre mannequins I've ever seen, and seeing as how the category of mannequin is already pretty bizarre, that's saying something.

Anyway, we walked on, even stopping a nice local guy out for a walk with his wife and little kids to ask him where he got the guayabera HE was wearing. "Not here", he said, "In the Yucatan". That last bit was odd, since we were all in the Yucatan right then.

Eventually my parents found a shop selling the elusive shirts, and we bought one for all the guys. Zion looks freaking adorable in his! It's a bit big, but he outgrew the last one he had in about two days.



We did a bit more shopping (my dad cleverly suggested we buy some inhalers. We hadn't bought a new one since we'd had grad student insurance, and they were like $10 then. Now they are $50! so the 3 pack for $17 was most welcome), and then split up with my parents so we could get some food in the kids and catch a bus home. We found a great taco cart near a park, and ordered 8 tacos. The woman stared at me as if I'd ordered an entire roast ox for myself, instead of 8 tacos for 4 people. I carried on, and she made us 8 delicious barbacoa and rice tacos, which we sauced up at her homemade salsa bar. We ate them (and almost went back for more), the kids played on the playground equipment and we headed home. Home, where I had a nice pina colada that used up the last of our rum. Good thing we head home soon! And that there's plenty of gin.