I remember that day fondly. It was one of those unforgettable moments we always have as a family, but it was also one of the first days we were running out of money. We were in Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca, Mexico. Isn’t that place beautiful?
We were on the bus, and from the window we could see the ocean in the distance. We were so excited! We wanted to get off, but we still didn’t know where the entrance to the beach was. So we didn’t get off right away, but first we looked for a place to stay. We didn’t have any plans; we just had a small tent and a lot of other things.
We were lucky. We found a small ranch with a horse, other animals, fruit trees—mostly mango trees—and a business that apparently sold wood. The man who looked after it was very nice and let us stay there for a night. We set up our tent in a space between the trees and left our things safe.
After that, my husband decided it was time to take us to the beach. Karol was happy because he’d already bought her an inflatable unicorn life preserver just for that. We walked down the road, heading back toward the ocean. We didn’t care about the sun or the tiredness. We were so excited
And when we arrived… it was so beautiful. The beach was alive with life. There were so many beautiful Mexican women in bikinis, whole families enjoying themselves, men eating seafood, and the delicious smells of the restaurants by the sand. We didn’t have money to eat there, but we didn’t need to. The ocean was there, right in front of us, for the first time.
Afterward, we returned to the ranch, very hungry. We didn’t have much, but we ate the last of the snacks and a bunch of freshly fallen mangoes. And then the gossipy horse happened… he came up and stuck his big head into the tent, trying to steal our mangoes and snacks. Karol pulled him out by the ropes he was carrying. We laughed so hard.
It was a very simple day, but for me it was beautiful. One of those days that feels so grand because of all it means.
After that occasion, my husband took us to other beaches together, such as Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico, and Playa Bagdad in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico.
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