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As we continue with our family vacation in Mexico, we were driving to downtown Puerto Peñasco (Rocky Point), a small town of Sonora, Mexico as we mentioned before on my previous post Going South of the Border and Mexico Vacation 
Some of the people in my group needed some groceries, snacks, water, limes, beers, liquor and all the necessary stuff like those mentioned above, We also exchanged some local currency that is trading round it up to 10 mexican pesos for 1 us dollar. As we stop to the only market in town. I was expecting to see something like a farmers market but the town has a well supplied indoor market with air conditioned (like Ralph’s supermarket) with everything you need, local and US imports.

 If you are traveling with children, make sure you always have a good supply of water and have them protected from the sun and heat. 
 After getting our supplies we headed to a place called “el Malecon” this is a tourist area and you will find the typical Mexican artesanies like clay pots, several items made of leather, and other memorabilia. There are plenty of places to shop and restaurant to visit for some of your favorite seafood meal.
Riding a Jet Ski
We rented two jet ski and that was something exiting for my two teenagers, My 13 years old daughter was so excited to ride the jet ski for the first time and she was so surprise of how easy it was to learn to ride the jet ski, It only took a few minutes of instruction of how to start it, turn it off, accelerate and maneuvers, never take off your life jacket and others safety precautions. Of course I was riding with her just in case she got into trouble.
After a few minutes my kids where speeding in their jet ski for more fun in the water.

The Banana Boat
Another fun thing we did was riding a yellow inflatable rubber boat called “the Banana”. There are two inflated cylinder in each side of the boat and people claim as a horse ride position and in the center there is a flat area where small kids can ride. Everybody must wear a life jacket. The Banana is towed by a boat and what make this fun is that as the boat speed up the banana boat has a bumpy ride with the waves and you have to hold on yourself good or soon you will end up in the water like some of us did.
Other fun thing you can do here are: You can rent a boat to take you to deep water fishing or diving, Paragliding, go around the coast on a party atmosphere ship ride and other water activities.
After all the activities we did, made everybody hungry, so the locals recommend us two restaurants that were located in top of a hill with a beautiful view of the bay.
Restaurants
As we drove the unpaved road to the top of the hill we reached the restaurants one was called the Lighthouse and the other La casa del Capitan, that day we visit the Lighthouse, They have a good selection of Mexican style plates and we try some delicious combination of fish tacos, shrimps, scallops, and fish.  And while you are eating you can enjoy a live band playing jazz music. Get your camera ready because both restaurants have a beautiful panoramic view of the whole area.
The next day we came back to visit the other restaurant La Casa del Capitan and the two restaurants have a good selection of Mexican plates and seafood plates, Mexican style as well. They have some mariachi live music as well but you have to pay them some amount for each song they play at your table. This is optional; you don’t have to call them to play at your table but after a few loaded Margaritas or shot of tequilas you probably are in a happier mood and you might change your mind.

Surfing Competition
Want to see how the experts do it? Come to Manhattan Beach this weekend.

The South Bay cities will have a surfing and other beach activities from Friday August 1st through Sunday 3rd. California’s  South bay cities of Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, Redondo Beach and the Los Angeles department of beaches will be having beach-summer-activities for locals and visitors as well. A series of competitions, championships and others activities will be taking place in some of the cities mentioned above. Plenty of food, music and entertainment for the family.

Calendar of Activities
Friday August 1st
 at 7:00pm  LA County Lifeguard Championships-At Torrance Beach
Saturday, August 2nd
6:45 am International Bodysurfing Championship at Manhattan Beach Pier
7:00 am Surfing Championships at Hermosa Beach Pier
7:00 am Sand Soccer Challenge
8:00 a.m Two-Mile Beach Run — Hermosa Beach Pier
9:00 a.m Volleyball Tournament — Manhattan Beach Pier
7:00 p.m. So Calif. Lifeguard Championships Events — Torrance Beach
Sunday, August 3
7:30 a.m Pier-to-Pier Paddleboard Championship — Manhattan Beach
8:00 a.m. Sand Soccer - Torrance Beach
9:00 a.m. Volleyball Tournament — Manhattan Beach Pier
9:00 a.m. Pier-To-Pier Swim — Hermosa Pier to Manhattan Pier
10:00 a.m. Lifeguard Dory Race — Hermosa Pier
1:00 p.m. South Bay Youth Swims and Paddles — Hermosa Beach Pier.

 Fun and activities in our GreatSunnyBeaches of Southern California

Coming back from the end of the pier we pass through various people, some of them are casual fisherman, others are entertainers that come to the pier to try to make a living as singers, dancer, clowns, painters, sculpture makers or artist that can make a portrait of you on pencil or colors, right in front of your eyes. That reminds me of the movie Titanic (1997 movie). Some parts were filmed in Playas de Rosarito, Baja California, Mexico.

The story is about a forbidden love. Jack Dawson and Rose DeWitt Bukater (played by Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet) Jack is a pennyless artist, who earn some money doing drawing or portrait of people. He is so afortunate that he get to do a pencil drawing of Rose (Kate Winslet) wearing absolutly nothing but a blue diamond necklace called “The Heart of the Ocean”. Hey! some guys are sooo lucky!. I can only draw stick woman/men but I am willing to take that job too.

During the movie he talks with Rose of his plans to go around the world and perhaps come to Santa Monica Pier and do some drawings to earn a living, like some of the people who frequent the pier. Don’t be looking for someone who barely resemble DiCaprio because in real life you will not find nobody here that look like him. In the other hand, who knows? anything is possible.
You will probably stop to see or admire the skills of these people, some of them are brilliant other need a lot of improvement, but here, you are the one who decide to whom give your attention or completely ignore them and continue your walk through out the pier.

We have reached the end of Santa Monica’s Pier. If you want to continue you need a boat or been a good swimmer.  You are standing at the end edge of United States on the West coast side.

And while you are standing here looking at the immense ocean in front of you, let me give you a tip for you to enjoy life. “Just open your arms, close your eyes, lift your chin and take a deep breath, feeling the ocean breeze in your face and feel good about yourself”.  That’s it, nothing complicated, try it, it might works for you.
The above exercise will work better if you include some “gratitude thought about what you have in life, and what life have given to you” and also make a promise to yourself to “search for happiness and love for you and the one you love”.
At the end of the pier is a restaurant where you can have an ocean view while you are eating. Also the US coast guard and the Santa Monica’s police have a post right here to keep the area safe for all visitant. Through out the pier you will also find some people fishing, so the end of the pier is a very popular place for recreational fishing.
Here at this very spot, where you are standing is where Forrest Gump (A brilliant movie about life, played by one of my favorite actor, the talented Tom Hanks) arrived from running through out United States until he reached the end of the West Coast.
Guess what he did once he reached this point after a long and difficult jogging through out United States?.
Well ? He applied his wise “no-sense philosophy” (sometimes turn out to be the best choice in life) and decide that he want to turn around and run again until he reached the East Coast!.
When you go back from the end of the pier, and right in the middle of the pier, you can also stop in the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company Restaurant (a successful business that Forrest Gump and his friend created without even wanted to be successful) The restaurant is owned by the film company that produced the film. The theme restaurant is based on the movie but the shrimps are real and delicious.
I hope you have enjoyed this post and please come back for more fun stuff. You can also visit us at GreatSunnyBeaches.com where you can find something you might like.