Day 10 - Sunday - 2-11-07 Woke refreshed this morning! Rested and happy! My rash has receded to small bumps. Jack has similar bumps across his back. When snorkeling on Isla Ixtapa on Friday his back received extra sun - the rest of the day he had stayed under the palapa. I think it's sun poisoning or a heat rash.

At Casa Cafe this morning it was suggested that I try talcum powder and we picked some up. It has helped with the discomfort. We've kept to the shade during our walks today and I wore long sleeves to keep the direct sun off.

This being our last full day we made a list of what we wanted to get - a plaque for the kitchen that says "Este Rey si Cocina" (The King of the Kitchen) and a couple ceramic ashtrays for Mom Judy's porch. I also came across a cute silver butterfly hair clasp and a pair of abalone and silver earrings. I am DONE shopping now!

Jack has asked me once or twice if I was done shopping for jewelry and I never would give him a solid "yes" - usually just a smile, but now I can. I have accumulated quite a few "memento's" of our honeymoon. The pewter dish will look great on our dinning room table with fruit on it and also can be used for a meat dish during a dinner! We have coffee mugs, the plaque for the wall, ceramic fruit bowls, tee-shirts, dresses and all my new jewelry!

Since this is our last day we decided to stop at Pollo Locos and have their grilled chicken. We have walked past it every day that we have been here. The chicken always smells great on the huge open grill they cook on but we hadn't seen it recommended anywhere so we had gone on to others we felt more sure of. It was delicious! It seems to be kind of like their Kentucky Fried Chicken - the delivery boy loaded up his "delivery box" (a cooler on the back of his motorcycle) several times and made deliveries during our meal.

Two-thirty in the afternoon and it is HOT. I have retreated to the room to sit under the fan and journal. Jack has ventured off- alone again- to find a travel agency we'd been told would call the airport and confirm our flight tomorrow. He returned within 20 minutes with the mission accomplished but not through the travel agency. He never found that place but he made use of one of the shop's we'd noticed where there are several phones on a table and a person to pay for using the phones - that person will also place the call for you. It's well worth the 3 pesos to have a local make the call!

These jaunts in to the streets alone are risk taking exercises for Jack and he is really getting to enjoy them. To bad we are leaving tomorrow. He's really beating down some fears of the unknown and unfamiliar! Breaking free from habitual routine!

Prior to laying down for our siesta Jack's back erupted in water blisters! Reaching back to scratch an itchy spot his hand came away wet! Wiping his back down with a Kleenex was enough for all the blisters to pop and now he is peeling. We haven't done so well staying covered with sun screen - obviously!

My rash was all but gone when we woke up later in the afternoon!

There is a wind and it is cooling everything down nicely. Jack and I plan to have a nice dinner somewhere to celebrate our last evening here. I have enjoyed our time here but am looking forward to going home, seeing Mr. Mike, our mountains and Klamath Lake!

We went to Coconuts for dinner! It was the original hacienda of the owner of the area now called Zihuatanejo and Ixtapa. Completely renovated it is now one of the nicest restaurants in town. The courtyard was lit with little white lights, a fountain gurgled in one corner, Parasol lights hung from the massive tree in the center of the courtyard, there were lush plants everywhere and soft music played in the background. It was very romantic! I was glad I had "dressed up" in a white silky tank top, a purple wrap around skirt and left my hair down! (I've had it up most of the time we've been here).

Jack had his first Carne Asada and I had one of my favorites, Chile Riano. This one was stuffed with cheese and shrimp. Mmm, wonderful! We had salads before the main meal and dessert and coffee afterwards. Lingering as long as we could in the moment. Very aware this would be our last evening in warm air among tropical trees. Our waiter took a snapshot of us there but it does not do the evening justice.

We walked the Paseo de Pescador, weaving our way through the Sunday crowd at the Zacola. Someone in a white suit was singing on the stage and he sounded very smooth. I think he was a celebrity. The crowd was especially large and since neither Jack or I are fond of crowds we quickly made our way through and continued on to the municipal pier to gaze out over Zihuatanejo Bay. The pier is dimly lighted and mostly populated with locals this evening. Jack was uncomfortable lingering there very long but I wanted to let the view sink in to my mind ~ to remember on cold winter nights at home.

The shore of the bay is lit with almost a continuous string of lights - even on Playa Los Gatos. Homes I assume. Sailboat silhouettes, with their single lights high on their masts marking their location, rock slightly. For once there is not a cruise ship blocking the view of the bay opening out into the Pacific Ocean. Moonlight shines bright enough to see shadows of the bluffs marking the entrance to the ocean. Music, softened by the distance, drifts across the water. The air is warm and soft on my bare skin. Jack's fingers intertwined with mine. This is happiness. I kept us there a few minutes and then I gave way to Jack's urging that we go. We made our way back down the streets that have become familiar. This has been a wonderful honeymoon!