By late morning Salinas beckoned for a little exploring and stretching of legs. The local marina has a dinghy dock that we tied up to and from there we wandered up and down the streets with no real purpose in mind other than to find lunch.
It's Sunday so the town was alive with families looking for a place to play by or on the water. Bahia de Rincon is huge but the little town is nestled just along one side and behind the mangrove ponds where we anchored yesterday. Even the public beach is surrounded by mangroves and people had almost tunneled into them looking for shady nooks and crannies to stake out their spot for the day.
In town the streets are hot and dry. We came across this little group of horses along the wayside but had seen evidence of them all throughout the town. It didn't really matter where you stepped though because anything left in the street (from horses, dogs, birds) dries to dust pretty quickly. All very earthy.
We wandered away from the bay and eventually came to a big highway which we crossed and then found the local box mall replete with a very modern (and cool) Walgreen's. For those not familiar, this is a big pharmacy/convenience store like Shopper's Drugmart in Canada. We picked up a cold drink to keep us going.
The area near the Walgreen's really had nothing going for it so we made our way back towards the water where we picked up the Ruta Gastronomica. Apparently people come from all over Puerto Rico for the food in Salinas, in particular the seafood. Years ago a local cook came up with a red sauce that they use as a dip, called Mojo, and apparently it is still a draw. There are lots of little restaurants to choose from and we found one near the bay. We ordered a sampler platter and two cold beers and settled in to enjoy the view over the water. The food wasn't fabulous and all of it deep fried, but to be fair we didn't pick an entree so we'll keep trying. The cold beer was much appreciated.
One revelation (we're learning) is that all Medalla beer is "light" - just like Coors Light. So long as it's cold that's just fine.
Walking further along the streets we would come across homes with the most glorious gardens. We also saw homes with pens of cocks for fighting, which is still legal here. Didn't see any of the fights though. There also appears to be a roaring trade in providing space for boat storage, since most people who come here for the boating use power boats and don't leave them in the water all week when they are on not here.
Driving up and down the street with radio blaring at a near deafening pitch takes creativity. This guy took the cake by building out his cooler to hold large speakers that he mounted in the back of his golf cart.
Peace and quiet for the evening back in the anchorage. This is the yacht club by night with the restaurant all lit up and the lights glowing out over the water.
On to Ponce tomorrow...
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