Tiny Adventures in Puerto Penasco, Mexico

My husband and I call Puerto Penasco (Rocky Point), Mexico our happy place. One day soon, we hope to own a small condo there as part of our retirement plan. We have visited the Sea of Cortez a few times a year, for the past decade or so. So, when our fifteen year anniversary popped up this August, we decided to make another trip down to “Arizona’s Beach” to celebrate this milestone together.

Rocky Point feels like our second home. When we visit, we have our routines…our favorite places to go…our favorite things to eat. It is absolutely lovely and comfortable, but after a decade, it is a bit routine. I don’t want this magical, special place to be routine, so before we left, I told my husband, we need to enact the Tiny Adventure Plan! We need to try at least one new place…or one new thing each time we visit. We cannot let our happy place get boring. My husband is a creature of habit, but it was our anniversary…so… he agreed!

I’m happy to report we tried several new eateries this past trip. We met some friends at JJs Cantina (a staple of the community), but a place we’ve never been (and what a great view of the bay!). We tried Garufa Steakhouse for our anniversary dinner, which served Argentinian food (our first try)…and a free desert brought out to a perfectly timed Ed Sheeran romantic song. At our resort we decided to try the bone marrow taco appetizer. In my mind, I expected tiny tacos with crunchies on top. What appeared, were 2 huge bones, split in half, with bone marrow oozing down the middle. The bones were served with corn tortillas and assorted vegetables. We had no idea how to eat these bones, but we guessed, scrapped the bone marrow out, spread it on the tortillas and added the vegetables. The flavor was excellent, but the texture… a bit gelatinous. But, hey, we had fun trying these new restaurants and new foods and it gave a bit of pizazz and freshness to our trip.

We were on a roll trying new foods, so I suggested we try a new activity too. My step-son recently visited Rocky Point and had a great time at a paint and sip party. His group painted, sea side, while enjoying some sweet, beachy beverages. I suggested this to my husband, and again…it was our anniversary, so he agreed! We signed up for our paint party and I imagined myself by the sea, hair blowing in the wind, sea salt on my lips, painting away with the dolphins jumping in the background. Nope. That didn’t happen.

Our host decided to have a last minute venue change. We ended up in the middle of town, in a tiny tea house. Picture English tea cottage, complete with hundreds of tea cups and pots on display. Flowered wall paper. Tiered cookie trays. You know…a tea and crumpets type place. We walked in to the tiny tea shop, in our flip flops and soggy swimsuits. My husband looked at me and his jaw tightened. I just have to say it. It was not his cup of tea. I just said, “hey, it’s a tiny adventure!”

We spent 3 hours of our beach vacation in this tiny tea house. We had mimosas…and tea of course…and tiny little sandwiches…and cookies…oh and pie too (all for $15). And, what did I paint, a tea cup of course! (My husband chose a tile). As we snacked, the 2 of us chatted with our painting host and before leaving, we met the owner of the tea house. She was an older woman, perhaps 75. We learned her mother had collected tea sets and had always enjoyed tea. The owner always dreamed of opening a tea shop, and she finally had, only a few months previously.

All I could think was, this sweet tea lady is the epitome of the tiny adventure plan! She took all the tiny steps necessary to meet her goal…and she did it at age 75. Starting new adventures in her golden years. LOVE IT!

Try those new foods. Paint those tea cups and keep up the tiny adventures friends!

Ps. I asked my husband to write a guest blog with all of his adventure recommendations for Rocky Point. I felt like it would be cheating for me to write about them, because I want to write about new adventures. But, he has so much good information, I want to share it. Perhaps you will find a new tiny adventure in Rocky Point for yourself. His guest post will be up soon. Enjoy!