Silvia and I thought it would be a good idea to enjoy our Sunday at the beach by going out and at one of the restaurants at the Board Walk (Malecon), Progreso. I've never really had a bad experience with Malecon restaurants because I've learned to keep it simple. I went to the Flamingo Restaurant, a very popular place with the locals and Mexicans in general. I've had good fish and shrimps meals in the past.I noticed a few changes in the menu, the main one being the menu is now in 2 languages, English and Spanish, and they added a few gringo meals like the traditional club sandwich. Oh well, this time I decided the push the envelope and not keep it simple. So i went for their oysters. The menu described them as "Cooked in the oven, au gratin with bacon bits". Well, here comes my plate and I see no gratin, but I was not surprised at all. It was the standard melted white manchego cheese the Mexicans use in so many of their receipt, even many Pizza places think this cheese can replace Mozarella. Second, they take used shells and insert 4 to 5 very small oysters in them. Oh well, they were not bad, for about 10 bucks.
I decided I would wash the oysters with a Gin Tonic. I already had a few Cheladas before my meal and I was kind of saturated with lemon. The Tonic water was flat and the Gin was a cheap brand (Oso Negro). The last Tonic drink they had must have come from a gringo in a cruise ship back in February! So no surprise there, Gin is really not a popular liquor in Mexico, so it’s to be expected in a small town restaurant. I had more luck with Vodka, they had popular, good brands and the “agua mineral” was fresh and carbonated. To cut it short, a 10% tip “propina” was included in the bill.
Coming back to Merida
I think this was perhaps a record day in the number of "reténes" (road blocks) i've ever seen on the roads of Yucatan. It's Vacation Time for the Mexicans here. So, I've went through about 5 of them coming back from progreso. One police officer asked if I had alcoholic beverages. Well I told him the thruth, I had a few drinks and waited a few hours before leaving the place. Ok, “esta bien” and we were free. Hey! No "mordida" I thought to myself.. A corruption free check-up! That’s refreshing. My girlfriend doesn’t have the same luck when she’s not with me. Who knows, perhaps there’s a “mordida free” rule in place for tourism? They are only “authorized” to harass the poors, and locals only. BMW, please let them go, they might have contacts! On the other hand, I can understand the importance of road blocks, there are certainly way too many people driving drunk on Sundays in Yucatan in general. You have to drive very defensively. Believe me, you don’t want to crash in Yucatan.. I will talk about that in another one of my blogs..
Anyway, If you go to the Malecon, Progreso, keep it simple. Fish or shrimps, and for drinks, rum and coke, screwdrivers or beer and enjoy your day.
