South Padre Island: Day 2

Vacationing is the best time to try new things! We have dedicated today to trying new places. Yesterday was our day to relax and have some fun in the sun. And trust me, we did! We felt somewhat awkward at first because we were some of the few people actually going out into the waves and swimming while everyone else was either just playing the sand or wading out only slightly. But, we didn't let that stop us! Swimming out in the waves and diving under some of the bigger ones is my favorite part of the ocean. We went out into the ocean around 3, so we're assuming we just missed the crowd of people wanting to actually swim since when we just went walking along the shore only a few hours earlier there were tons of people out in the water.

We started out our day of adventure by going to try a different local coffee shop and somewhere we've never been before for lunch. The coffee shop mentioned was World Flavor. Reviews boasted great service and Starbucks-worthy coffee. I cannot comment on either of those because by the time we found this hole-in-the-wall shop there was a group of very creepy looking men out front so we backed right back out and decided just to go to lunch. For lunch we wanted to try out a restaurant on the pier, the restaurant was Palm Street Pier. The location wasn't very great and we could not figure out if they were still open for business at first. They did, however, have great parking. Most of the places here on the island have very limited parking or parallel parking. Palm Street Pier had an actual parking lot. I guess that's an advantage to being located off the main street. I will tell you that we did not end up eating there, however. We went into the only entrance and were wondering if it was the right way to go in. The entrance was crowded with junk and was filthy. There was literally no one else there except for a couple employees wiping tables and counters down. This would not have been so weird to us if we had got there right at opening time, but it was after. Again, we turned right around before they saw us and went elsewhere. Since our adventuring was not getting us anywhere we decided to go to a place I have been before: Dirty Al's at Pelican Station.

This location is right over the bridge in Port Isabel. It has great parking also and is not difficult to get to. If I had anything negative to say about this location is the fact that it is rather expensive. However, that can be expected of a seafood restaurant. Especially since their fish is fresh and locally caught. Being a more fancy place to eat than most on the island one would expect a wait and for it to be rather busy during the lunch hour. But we got right in and it was not extremely busy. The service was great, our orders were taken quickly and the food arrived quickly also. I have to say, Dirty Al's is one of my favorite places to eat in Port Isabel.

After eating we were quite tired from being so full so we decided to go back to the same cafe as yesterday and get some coffee to go. Afterward, we got right back to our adventures! We visited Sea Turtle Inc. They are a nonprofit organization that rescues and rehabilitates sea turtles and then releases them back into the ocean if they are up for it. Some of them are unable to return to the ocean if they are too injured. For example one of the turtles had a birth defect and was missing a fin, and therefore, could not swim very well. So, it was giving a comfortable and large tank to live in with another turtle that had lost fins. Sea Turtle Inc. thrives off of donations and their gift shop, so we made sure to stop by and check out the merchandise! (Any excuse to shop, right?)

After relaxing in our hotel room for a bit we went swimming in the ocean. This time there were more people out, so we didn't feel as weird. The waves were excellent and we had a ton of fun. For dinner, we went to Senor Donkey, a local Mexican restaurant, and bar. We split a combo fajita dinner and I am sad to say we were not impressed. The meat was dry and the tortillas were the size of my palm and seemed as if they had been made earlier that morning and then rolled up and left to cool, so they had become stiff. Their drinks, on the other hand, were superb. My sister had a Pina Colada and I had a Mango Chamoy. I liked mine, it was fruity and tart. My sister's drink was awesome! We plan on going back tomorrow night for Pina Coladas. (Woot woot!)

To end our day, we walked off our food babies while collecting seashells. We totally ended up becoming distracted by the water though and spent most of the time wading up to our knees. We have another day of adventure waiting for us tomorrow as we go on the Dolphin Watch Eco Tour and check out a local tattoo shop! (No worries to any family reading this, I have not yet been able to corrupt my sister into getting a tattoo, sadly. She's considering an ear piercing.) It's been forever since my last tattoo, so I'm looking forward to it! And my readers can look forward to more reviews!

Thanks for reading and see you next time!