A journey through the bizarre

Breakfast at our hotel is not that great, so this morning we decide to eat out. We're visiting Ripley's Believe it or Not so we walk in that general direction to find breakfast. Eggs Benedict for me - delicious. And we arrive at Ripley's just as it opens.
Alex is a big fan of Ripley's TV show so he's pretty excited. The exhibits range from relics collected on Ripley's extensive travels to freaks of nature and, well, just freaks. Alex finds it all very fascinating.

It doesn't take the whole morning, though, and with 90 minutes until we're due to pick up our hire car, we stop for a game of Pirate-themed adventure golf, at the most impressive course I've ever seen, complete with waterfalls and caribbean soundtrack.

Arriving at the rental office Alex admires the huge pick-ups outside - imagine his surprise when we're asked if we'd mind upgrading to one. It's a beast, and I shudder to think of its fuel consumption, but at least the first tank of gas is free, so it's only the planet that has to pay the price. Driving it the couple of hundred yards to our hotel is a bit nerve-wracking but that will soon wear off. Alex goes straight in the pool - it's very hot - and we laze around until well past lunchtime, still digesting our massive breakfast. Eventually we order a pizza, which is the only thing that seems to be more expensive here than at home.

This afternoon we drove back to a store opposite Ripleys to buy a suitcase, to allow us to spread our luggage more evenly between bags on the way home. Alex also got a T-shirt that is printed in black only when indoors but develops a coloured pattern when exposed to sunlight - amazing!

A real find for dinner tonight - Cafe Tu Tu Tango, set up like a Spanish artist's co-operative with an eclectic menu served in portions a little larger than tapas and designed for sharing. We enjoyed chicken flautas, carne adovado and alligator bites, accompanied by an excellent Argentinian Malbec. The bohemian staff were offhandedly attentive and genuinely proud of the food, which we found suited us better than the normal waiting style here. There were artists in residence and paintings for sale, one of which I was admiring when the artist came over and let us know that he does 10 minute portraits for tips, so we had Alex drawn, which kept him occupied while we enjoyed the last of the wine.