Last Week in Mexico

Last week we did the unthinkable. We took a vacation from our vacation. The idea evolved as a way to celebrate my 68th birthday on November 28th. A friend mentioned about this place in Cuyutlan on the Pacific Ocean near Manzanillo, where she had just stayed with a friend for 3 days. They loved the place, and the owner was only asking 550 pesos a night which translates to about $44. What a deal! Who could resist?  The man who owned it also ran a B and B establishment in nearby Ajijic and since like so many of these expats he failed to answer his emails (due to too much free time sprawled around some swimming pool, or having way too much fun at some restaurant/bar with the other expats) we decided to drop by in person and book our own little holiday on the beach. Steve, the owner, turned out to be a youngish (meaning anything under 68) Irish fellow of casual and likeable countenance, who took our deposit and then emailed us the directions to our own little casita in the sun and surf.

As you can see, it was a small unit, but perfectly outfitted with comfortable bed, complete kitchen, sitting area, satellite TV and best of all things, a very nice lap pool. Since the climate on the coast is considerably hotter and more humid than where we are on the lake, the pool was a wonderful way to stay cool during the day. The unit also came air conditioned which we (especially Molly) really appreciated at night.

The unit sat directly on the beach with its own access through the security fence. In true Mexican fashion, this security fence was cleverly constructed of ordinary white plastic sewer pipe, set into a low stone wall and filled with concrete...it made us secure, but at the same time left us some view of the palms just outside, and the beach beyond.

From here we watched local men throwing nets into the surf for fish, and later we saw sharks cruising through the same surf along the same beach doing the exact same thing for the exact same reasons. Thankfully none of them intersected at the same time.

The village of Cuyutlan was well positioned from which to visit several beautiful sights on the Costa Allegre. Just 30 minutes away on the free road, was the large port city of Manzanillo, not only a major commercial centre but also the location of many very high end hotels perched on a huge vertical rock at the northern end of the crescent beach. The most famous is probably Las Hades, the pure white structures forming the backdrop for the movie "Ten" with Dudley Moore and, oh yes! Bo Derek!! Now how could anyone forget her!!!

Although I liked Manzanillo, the small town girl in me wanted to go further up the coast to check out the smaller spots I knew were favoured by western Canadians for their winter playground. As we entered Melaque I knew I was in the right place when I saw every other license plate was either from Alberta or BC. Then even better, and just 5 km away around the bay, was the charming village of Barra de Navidad...so far my ultimate spot for a Mexican beach experience.

I think Barra would meet anyone's expectations of what a Mexican beach village ought to look like. And for me, the absence of any large resort hotels just enhanced that positive first impression.

The three day holiday went by in a happy blur of self indulgence, between the lap pool, sea food restaurants, a few explorative road trips and a lot of sitting and gazing at the ocean.

On the way home, as usual there were a lot of interesting sights on the cuota (toll road) to keep us alert and amused, like this.... Bimbo is a national Mexican brand of bread, by the way...

And this. Unfortunately, there are limits to my ability to capture roadside sights as they flash by but here is a portion of a load of equipment for a Mexican circus..

And under every overpass, a colourful collection of fruit stalls..

Vast panoramas of jungle and coconut plantations...

Odd things sharing the road with us....

And even a steam-venting volcano or two...

It all made for an easy 2 hour climb home, from beach to lake, from the lush, green humid tropics, to the cooler but arid central plateau, from zero elevation to 5300 feet. Mexico has the most diverse environment of any place in North America and this was just one small slice of it. I hope you enjoyed the trip..