Early morning visitors

This morning, as I jog into the rising sun, I notice a man out in front of the now unlocked bathroom, stamping on tin cans. I come up behind him, calling out ‘hola’ so as to not startle him. He smiles and waves ‘hola’ as if he knew I was there all along.

I jog down the dirt road behind the restaurants to extend my run to 30 minutes, and another man, his back turned to me, is working on his nets. He nods and greets me without startling.

On my way back, I large heavy man dressed in office finery has opened the fence into a yard and is peering inside, hands on hips, back to me. I think, okay a city folk, and greet him. He smiles and waves again as if he knew I was coming.

I get back to my truck, make coffee, and take out my bike from the way back without too much difficulty. One of the men I’ve greeted, has walked down to my end of the beach and is kind of making a circle from one side of the road to the other. He is singing a tune. He must know I’m one of those estadounidense who might startle.

He invite him over & he tells me he’s the one crushing cans at the other end of the beach, in case I forgot him. He tells me he gets 20 pesos a kilometer for cans, which doesn't seem like much to me but I don't say so. We talk about how there's no deposit or refund for glass bottles and how bad that is for the beach, the animals, and the children.

We talk the usual that I think/hope I’m getting better at, how beautiful, how peaceful, no violence, traveling sola, no esposo, don’t want one, San Francisco, Venezuela, Jesus, Xan.

He tells me he has a restaurant by the bathrooms and to come eat.. I point to my truck and me and say mi concina, mi comida. He smiles knowingly and tells me this weekend, there will be lots of people here.

Oh joy. Maybe I’m head early to San Ignacios, that seems to be on a river inland.

As I’m clumsily remembering my bike riding abilities, another man rides up on his bike. Another Jesus. Creative baby naming hasn’t reached Mexico yet.

He tells me – I think – there is a museum for tortugas down the beach, where I walked the other day, and he works there. He says I should come in the afternoon and he’ll show me around. I readily agree and off he goes.

I’m going to study my Spanish and then ride my bike into La Cruz so I can post.