The unexpected is profound. No comparisons, no build-up, no presuppositions, it can simply be. And in that simplicity is the impact. We can truly experience all the details for what they are; ordinary. We arrived in Sayulita at noon and by late afternoon made our first steps into town and onto the main beach. I heard the din of dispersed and disparate conversations, a tuba and drums accompanied by other brass instruments play something that belonged in a parade but made so much sense to be on the beach, I saw umbrella after umbrella, tourists and locals intermixed, I felt the energy; enthused but orderly, I smelled delicious flavor after delicious flavor and I experienced the complexity and layers of this culture in this simple setting of a day at the beach. In this moment I wasn’t overwhelmed, I was captivated, instantly falling in love with this town. This feeling would further deepen with each day we spent in Sayulita; the friendly locals, the respectful tourists, the fresh food, the rustic and the chic, a sleepy surf town turned Mexican tourist destination struggling to hold onto its identity while accommodating the eager throngs. I recognize this place is far past discovery but to us it was all new. We will never be able to shake our identity as tourists because, we are. But I like to pretend, just for a few moments and days, that I’m experiencing the authentic, the ordinary.