Laguna Manialtepec and Playa Carizalillo

On Monday we decided to check out Laguna Manialtepece, a lagoon bordered by mangroves, just 15 minutes away. According to my guidebook, it is home to hundreds of species of birds and one can rent kayaks to get an up close and personal look.

We headed over in the late afternoon, figuring we’d have better luck seeing animals as the day cooled down. We stopped at a place that advertised kayak rentals and boat excursions. The boat excursion was ridiculously expensive, so we went with our original plan of kayaking.

Unfortunately, there were only three single kayaks. Upon closer inspection, only one had a regular paddle, the other two had an oar. And the seats were missing, resulting in a very wet bottom and discomfort in the thighs. The girls and I paddled around for a few minutes, but then decided to watch the activity from shore.

Thankfully, the restaurant portion of this spot had great seafood and it was nice to be in a slightly different location. Rafael made friends with the proprietor’s three-year-old daughter so that was fun. And by the time we left, we did see quite a few different bird species.

We made it back to the hotel in time to see one of the most stunning sunsets I’ve ever seen. Spectacular!

Tuesday we went to another beach in Puerto Escondido – Playa Carizalillo. This little cove was gorgeous, definitely the prettiest beach we’ve been to, in a place full of beautiful beaches. When we arrived, the water was relatively calm, and we enjoyed some great swimming. I also saw lots of fish (although not as many as at Playa Manzanillo last week) and sea urchins, which I hadn’t seen before.

The rocks were home to all kinds of little shellfish, as well as blue crabs, which are only a few inches long. It is a lot of fun to watch them scurry around and jump from rock to rock.

After returning to the hotel in the late afternoon, we played Marco Polo in the pool. Although some of us have been playing throughout our stay here, this is the first time we’ve all played, thanks to Rafael’s newfound ability to make it around the pool!

In other news, we are back in possession of Peace Bear. Our new friends decided they wouldn’t be able to pass her along soon enough, so they returned her. The search is on for a new family.