Rissask Report to Manzanillo Area- One Week in Tenacatita Bay, and One Week in Barra

[Rissask]

Hola!

I was fortunate enough to have spent an entire FOUR WEEKS in Mexico this winter.


In late November I headed to Playa del Carmen with my niece Stephanie where we stayed in the north end of town in a condo at the Royal Palms. We had a great time.

A link to that trip report can be found HERE.

This trip (January 23rd to February 7th) was with my husband Don (yeah, I decided he could come along this time ) and was to be a lot more relaxing with a few fishing trips thrown in for good measure. We really enjoy discovering new parts of coastal Mexico, and we both LOVE the Pacific coast , so this year we chose to head back to the Manzanillo area.

We have been there before once, back in around 2003 or so, and had stayed at the Las Hadas, a VERY fancy 5 star AI resort closer to the city. We were really not that impressed at the time with Manzanillo. The city is a large, dirty port city (largest port in Mexico) and not at all geared towards tourism, just south of the city is Santiago Peninsula where the AIs are. We like to get away from the resort and explore and the area just was not that nice or interesting, we thought.

But this time we were headed north of the airport to Tenacatita Bay which has supposedly the nicest beaches in the area, and then for the second week the very popular and funky surf town of Barra de Navidad.

We were going to be staying at the three star Blue Bay Los Angeles Locos the first week, and then moving the second week to a condo in Barra. (We had a feeling the second week was going to be the best, and we were right . But we got a super deal on the hotel that included airfare, so we save a bunch of money doing it that way!)

I am going to copy the current trend of reserving space so the whole report is the first 1-2 pages and easier to read. So give me a few minutes to do that!

[Rissask]

Our flight was on a Saturday at 10:30, which was great.

What was not so great was that it was a 6 and a half hour boring drive away from our home in Martensville Saskatchewan- in Calgary, Alberta.

My father and his GF live there though, and we hadn't made it out to visit at xmas like we usually do, so we drove there Friday, leaving here at noon, and we had a nice family dinner and gift exchange that night. My oh-so-trendy Daddy gave me this. A supercool Lululemon Remix hoody!

Who knew a 70 year old guy could be so hip!


We got up around 7 Saturday morning and headed to the airport. We arrived at the empty West Jet counter about 9:30 and strolled right on up..."Are you Margaret?" she asks me.

A bit jolted, I stammer, "Uh, yes, how did you know?"

"Well, you are the last two to check in!" she tells me, brightly.

WTF? "It is on time, not early right? It is TWO HOURS before flight time!"

"I know, she says (rolling her eyes) some people are anal, especially charters!!"

We had a good laugh and she got our boarding passes. Unfortunately since we were so 'late' checking in (whatever!) and the plane was 100% full, we didn't get seats together.

But whoo hoo! I got aisle number one, baby. Lots of leg room.

Too bad for Donnie baby, he got aisle 22- middle seat. Tough luck. Being the gentleman that he is, he never whined to switch with me one bit.

Well, actually he did try to pull the 'But I am the one who needs a new hip!!" crap, but that doesn't work with me. I am a good wife, but I wasn't born yesterday.

Dad and his GF Flo and the two of us went to Montana's for an overpriced and bland breakfast, then the two of them left and we boarded the plane. The flight was uneventful except for the two crazy ladies I sat with (I have a pic of them later). They were best friends and headed to the same resort we would be at the first week, for two weeks. They seemed normal enough on the plane before they had any alcohol in them but...well, more on that later.

We landed on the runway which is a mere 50 feet along the beach/ocean (freaky!) and headed into the C&I area. It sucked because I was first in line and since Don was at the back, I had to stand there to the side and wait for him. Oh well. Have to wait at some point, somewhere!

In short, got through, grabbed the bags, got in line again, pressed green (haven't pressed red once yet!) and went out to get our shuttle van to the hotel. The vast majority of the plane was heading south to the other, nicer AI hotels near the city of Manzanillo whereas 5 couples (3 other married couples in addition to us and the crazy ladies) were heading north to the Blue Bay. (By this time it was about 5:30 and still light out.)

Colima and this part of Jalisco is very fertile, lots of coconut palm plantations (pretty much the whole area is covered in coconut palms in fact, which is very nice and gives it such a lovely tropical feel!) and fields of bananas, and papaya trees, and mangos and vegetables, etc. etc. All the produce we saw in the stores looked amazing and fresh, which would be a nice bonus for long stays.

Here are some pics from the ride to the hotel to show the fields...this was the view for the whole drive....





They cover the bananas with newspaper and then plastic bags to protect from pests and also help them ripen faster.







It was about a 45 minute drive, and not bad, although the driver was being a typical crazy, speeding, scary driver- which I have to say is much easier to take when it is on the FLAT Mayan Riviera side and not the twisting moutain road side- and holy CRAP it is a steep, bumpy, winding, SCARY road in from the highway to the hotel! All cobblestoned 3 kms of it.


That night when we arrived it was almost dark so I had to wait until the next day to take pics.


You will notice a haze in many pictures- this is not pollution, although some may be due to smoke as we did see them burning some fields- it is mostly humidity haze. There is also two huge active volcanoes not that far away near the capital of Colima, Colima City. Sometimes this causes ash and stuff to fall in the area, but we didn't see any of that. Typically it would be hazy until around 9 or so then it would burn off and be blue skies and sunny and HOT and humid the rest of the day. The whole two weeks was like this, around 28- 32 C every day (about 85-90 F). Like Huatulco, they rarely get any rain at all from November to May/June usually. This area seemed a lot greener though than Huatulco which is very dry- I prefer the less humid climate of Huatulco, personally.

The hotel was a fairly basic three star on a great beach. It had some good points and some bad. In our opinions, the good far outweighed the bad, but for many people who are used to more luxurious AIs, it might not. It was clean, the staff were great, the food was fine and the drinks plentiful, the landscaping was gorgeous, and the pool was large and clean and there was a swim up bar- all of that is good enough for me.





The negatives were that they didn't appear to be keeping up with maintenance in some areas; chipped and missing tiles, rooms that were sorely in need of maintenance and new decor, nicer towels, etc. If they would spend a couple million in the right areas, it would be a lot better. But for the price it was very good value. We spent just under a thousand each for a week AI and just got two week airfare- from here that is a good deal, and we saw it for a couple hundred less just before we left- $548 plus tax from Calgary- a steal.

The beach was the best beach we have ever stayed on. It was wide and long and our hotel was the only thing on it. Beautiful soft fine sand (grey/gold, not white, but still nice), clear, warm water, (82 degrees Fahrenheit!!) and a very gradual slope. Gentle rollers but just strong enough to boogie board.

Don reading his books....Cussler, most likely...




my toesies





love those Pacific coast sunsets, too- although, the sun actually set over the hills here at this resort as we were pretty much facing straight south!



This pic was taken walking from one end of the bay where the hotel is, to the other end where there are several richie-rich sailboats and yachts, and a river running into the ocean.



this is the area where the turtle eggs are incubating.




a look back at the hotel...




and the river...

going out to the ocean




and inland....




brown pelicans and a blue heron....





and it rose over the hills on the other side, then, natch






You can see in this picture there is two flags flying- a danger flag (warning of non-existent undertows and strong surf) and one warning of 'malagua' or sea lice or jellyfish...also non-existent and I believe they just fly whatever they feel like? I thought it was odd they had a flag to warn of 'mantarraya'...aren't they harmless?





The beach bar (horrible hamburgers, all filler! The only really 'terrible' food though that we had all week. The fries were edible.)




These front junior suite rooms facing the ocean were a LOT nicer. $25 each per day to upgrade to one of them. Larger bathroom with a tub, king size bed, HUGE balcony. Would be well worth it to do that. We had already broken the budget with our fairly pricey condo though for the second week in Barra, that we did not do the upgrade.





another good option there is there is to upgrade for $40 a night per person to the Punta Serena, which you can see at the top of the hill in this picture. A lot more swanky rooms, an infinity pool and two hot tubs perched right on the cliffs, with the added 'bonus' of a private clothing optional beach. (IF you think that is a bonus...not for me, thanks!)









Three mornings we took the kayaks out into the bay over to the far end of the bay to these rocks and Don fished while I paddled around looking down at the fish and just enjoying the ocean.




One time we split up on the way back and he saw 4 dolphins around these boats, the lucky bastard. (Lots of boats anchor in the bay as it is so calm.)

Don caught a few smaller reef fish from the kayaks, and just released them. He was aiming for a red snapper for some hoichilanga dish for lunch, no luck.




nice boat! (Pic was taken the Monday morning when we went fishing.)









the view from the ocean back to the hotel:







Don also saw humpback whales when we were fishing, a mama and her baby, - but I was too slow to get my nose out of my book and missed them! I did get to see turtles and dolphins though.



Looking at the photos now it seems so dark and gloomy, and cloudy, when I don't recall a single day with clouds, to speak of- I think because I did take a few of these at dusk and sunrise....I also find it is hard to explain but pics don't always do the Pacific coast ocean justice. It always looks murkier and the sand darker in photos- oh well!

[Rissask]

and just WHAT is that HISSING at us on the balcony?


good question!


When we got to our room that first night, we had our welcome cocktails in hand and were starving, so we just wanted to do a quick-and-dirty unpack, and then go down to eat.

Now, one of the first things Don always does when arriving in any hotel room in a tropical climate, is head out to stand on the balcony and breathe in that salt laden air and check out our ocean view...from this hotel it was more of a partial ocean and partial tennis court view, and quite a teeny balcony...but I digress.


So he is standing out there and I am quickly throwing suits and undies in drawers....I start hearing this odd, low hissing noise ....uh oh, what is that ....nope, nothing in the room, it is coming from outside...

I come out onto the balcony and it is louder.....


I turn around and there is a window to the left and about three feet lower than the balcony....there is a file box leaning against the window, it appears to be some sort of office.

And seemingly suspended in mid-air in front of and below this window...


is only god knows what.

It is pale in colour, and wavers back and forth, and is hissing very loudly. Sort of round in shape and I can almost make out what looks likes one set of eyes.

I lean closer...and it hisses louder. Okay, bad idea. no lean-in, no poking with a stick, good grief, let's get the hell out of here and leave whatever it is alone.


So we did.


any guesses??



okay I am back!






So went and had supper that first night and skipped out on the entertainment.

We usually skip the evening shows at AIs, I am sorry but I am not a fan.

I know they work hard and I am sure some of them are talented , but it just isn't our bag watching pseudo Vegas shows, or people doing bandito yells for cheap tequila shots or bursting balloons by bouncing on their partners laps, or seeing who can cheer the loudest, the Americans or the Canadians or the Mexicans....being that about 80% of the people were from Guadalajara at this hotel I knew which group would win that contest anyway.



I am glad we are both on the same page in that respect at least, we would slink off shortly after eating and go walk on the beach, or have a drink with a fellow snotty entertainment-hating couple in the lobby , or just head up to the room and read or watch a movie.


Now, THAT said, one night we were late to dinner and did have to sit through part of a show. I will include this pic of the guys' frilly flamenco shirts as my jaw dropped when I saw them in these.... I haven't seen one of those since...since...well, I don't know when I have ever seen men in shirts like this! Can you say 'flaming'?








Anyway...back to the hissing.


All evening we had continued to ponder what sort of evil demon was outside our balcony....we awoke fairly early and as soon as it was light I quietly opened the balcony sliding door and sidled out to sneak a peek....and saw.....


these 4 fugly creatures from the depths of hell!






Baby owls! So ugly they were almost cute. Except for the constant hissing of course as soon as they spotted one of us. Which even my low soothing shhhhhh-ing didn't help.

We rarely went on the balcony after that and later in the week we caught mama there once.





Not sure what kind of owl this is- anyone an owl expert? sort of odd she would leave them on a ledge 4 stories in the air without a nest or anything. How many hotels would just leave them there too? We never told, hopefully the next guests didn't either.




One morning I was extra quiet and actually caught her feeling them some sort of dead bird or mouse (it had fur or feathers, not sure). No pics of that since I didn't want to spook her in the middle of feeding time.

other wildlife...


There was a laguna (half empty and dried up now but full in the rainy season) behind the hotel and the river was lined with mangroves. There were crocs and lots of crabs in there (silly husband was afraid of the crocs and when we kayaked down the river one day, he insisted on turning back before we got too deep into the jungle....the big chicken).

A couple we met there who were on their fourth or so trip here, told us there were almost tame coatimundis who beg for food at the restaurant up at the Punta Serena too. I was sad we never got to see those.


Also there were tons of pelicans, seagulls, blue herons, some sort of white cranes, and once morning just at sunrise (and without my camera) we saw a big flock of flamingos flying overhead, they must roost farther back in the lagoon. They were pink as could be, so there must be loads of brine shrimp in there.

Tenacatita bay is primo green sea turtle territory, so they have turtle nesting/conservation program in place at the hotel. One night we went down the beach at around sunset to see a bucketfull released....they had hatched out earlier in the day and been sitting in a bucket waiting for this....







We each got one to hold in our hand to release....





Then the guy in charge drew a line in the sand and we all set them down...immediately they start scrambling toward the ocean as fast as their little flippers could move them.




closer and closer to the water they got (and some stupid people got far too close to them, when the waves washed in they were stepping all over the place, not waiting to make sure they wouldn't step on a turtle ....grrrrr).





Can you almost hear George Michael in your head...'Freedom.....freedom...!!"



Apparently only three out of 100 turtles will end up making it to adulthood. We chased away the seagulls and pipers who were eyeing up the procession like it was a buffet as best we could, and darkness was falling fast, so I hope they got as fair a shake as possible. Maybe one day the fishermen there will realize they are endangered and stop (illegally) fishing for them...hopefully it won't be too late.

One last little guy flailing his way to the sea.....

[Rissask]

More Information about the 'Costa Alegre'


The Costa Alegre is the Pacific coast area from Puerto Vallarta/Bay of Banderas down south to the city of Manzanillo. It means 'the happy coast'.

From that site:

The Costa Alegre is a remote and pristine paradise located in the southern area of pacific coastal Mexico between Manzanillo and Puerto Vallarta. The Costa Alegre comprises a ninety-five kilometre stretch of coast between Cihuatlán and Playa Quemaro. At 20° north latitude the Costa Alegre experiences climate similar to Hawaii or Jamaica, making it an ideal winter vacation destination.


'Costa Alegre' translated to English means the "Happy Coast", and is a tropical paradise from November through April, when there is little or no rain. It is know for its enchanting sunsets, warm deserted beaches, seclusion and serenity.


Modest beach towns are popular week-end and Mexican National holiday getaways for Mexicans from Guadalajara, Colima, and even Mexico City. Although the area is as yet largely unknown as a major tourist destination, a few Canadian and U.S. visitors arrive here each winter.


Costa Alegre is an Ecological Tourist attraction which caters to just about any budget, from youth hostels, small family owned bungalows and hotels, to luxury special class resorts, the Costa Alegre offers something for everyone.


Many visitors to the Costa Alegre find that the days slip away with alarming rapidity in spite of the apparent lack of scheduled activities. By the time you stroll the beach, do a bit of sunbathing, sip a margarita at sundown and dine under the moonlight, another day will have slipped away. You will feel like you're in a paradise.

All quite true.



The vast majority of our fellow travellers were Mexican, both at the hotel and in Barra de Navidad, and other towns and beaches we went to on day trips in the area.



We have found this to be true in most Pacific coast resort areas, other than the Los Cabos area which is predominantly Americans. And PV and Ixtapa have more gringos.



But Zihuantanejo, Huatulco, and this entire Costa Alegre area seems to be about 80% Mexicans on average. Out of the remaining 20%, about 17% were Canadians, the other 3% were either American or European, most American. (I think we met just one couple from Europe, they were from Holland.)

We really like this as it gives us ample opportunity to practice our Spanish and chat with nationals, and we feel more like we are actually in a foreign country.

In Cuba Don really hated that all of our fellow travellers were either Europeans or Canadians; it annoyed him (me too, but less so) that the Cubans weren't 'allowed' at the hotels in their own country, let alone have money to travel. That is one of the main reasons he says he won't return to Cuba (although this is slowly changing and now they can stay at hotels there- a step in the right direction).

And BOY can Guadalajarans PARTY! On both weekends at this first hotel, huge busloads of people showed up and disgorged families and couples ready to party. They were a rowdy bunch, but a lot of fun to watch. Like the fellow who was tequila shots with a bunch of Albertans at the swim up bar one day.....he got louder and louder with each shot...at one point he was teaching us some songs in Spanish and we in turn were teaching him some English ones.
Finally his poor girlfriend had to help him out of the pool (he slipped off the ladder and fell back in a couple times ) then she helped him up the stairs to bed amid our cheers! The next day he was a bit sheepish and FAR quieter.



And what about the poor dude who 'won' the beer drinking contest in the lobby one night...only to spew it all back up as soon as they pronounced him the winner...ahhhh, good times, good times. (We were pretty glad we missed that sight...also glad to have missed the 8 foot long boa who slithered out of the grate and across the lawn right by the pool one afternoon...about 6 inches around at least we heard...eek!)



The area has a wide range of accomodation too. From 300 peso per night basic rooms in Barra, to the mid range places we stayed, and then to places like the #1 hotel in Mexico (according to the Travel Channel) the Grand Bay resort at Barra (pics to come later) and also this place, the super luxury El Tamarindo resort that was across the bay from our hotel.




Check out the video on the link- that golf course looked amazing. Ranked #2 best course in Mexico. And to think- the rooms are a mere $565 a night! And the Presidential Villa is only $3500 a night- a steal of a deal! All subject to another 17% interest and 105 'service charge', don't forget. Yikes. We heard a few people speculating about where the money for this place came from...no comment.





I don't have anything else for what this post was to be reserved for...





except this lovely photo of my hubbie with MY hat on and his plate out!







isn't he the CUTEST thing ever?

[Rissask]

Monday morning we went out deep sea fishing. Don had booked two fishing trips a couple months before the trip through a woman we met through TA who was the Barra de Navidad expert.

He loves to fish, here at home we have a 16' Lund with a 90, and if he is not golfing in the spring/fall/summer, we are off to some northern lake to go fishing. I go along and fish a little, but mostly read....and later, cook. But NO filleting, thanks!

The captain was a young guy named Miguel (with another helper dude, very quiet guy) who had lived for ten years in Vegas, so his English was great, and we had a nice visit with him....good thing because the fishing sucked. We had no luck until near the end of the trip when we caught a 15 pound dorado (mahi-mahi, or dolphinfish).



They are one of the most prolific and fast growing fish, so we always keep them as opposed to catch and release, to eat. Plus they are dang tasty! Along with tuna it is my favourite fish.

Seeing all the long liners out in the bay really was depressing.
We saw about 4 different long lines set in the bay by the area's commercial fishermen.



Long lining has been partially or mostly banned in some areas, like Los Cabos, to protect from overfishing endangered species and bycatch, and we have never seen them in Huatulco or around Zihuatanejo (which has a thriving sportfishing business) but here they were everywhere and it was a bit depressing. At least they are only allowed to do it Monday- Friday. Especially when we saw the dorado that was caught on one hook, he was jumping about 6 feet in the air, over and over and over....so sad.

Also- there was a sea turtle caught on one. We couldn't free it (if they came along, which they did later, and saw us messing with their lines, who knows what they would do).

I suggested we free him and Miguel looked terrified....so we left him ....Miguel assured us they check the lines every three hours. I sure hope so.

At one point one of our trolling lines snagged in their line, and a boat zoomed up with three guys in yellow slickers...they shouted at Miguel who had the gaff and was calmly untangling us....he calmed them down soon enough but they sure looked serious. So things are not too peachy by appearances between the long liners and the sportfishers. (This was later confirmed by Nan.)

I bet they kept that green sea turtle.

They often kill them and eat them because they are many who still believe they improve male potency and also the eggs are a delicacy.I hope they let him go (it is illegal to keep them but the often do anyway, Miguel said.)


Miguel filleted the dorado and we took it to the chef at the hotel restaurant right after we got back. We invited the two wild women I had sat with on the plane on the way down to join us, and it was great- garlic butter and Veracruz style- yummy!


oh, I almost forgot- here is what else we caught!



A pelican!


It was kind of funny actually. it happened early in the day.

He didn't have the hook in him, just the line was wrapped around him somehow....so Miguel carefully and gently 'reeled him in'....he stayed so nice and calm!





and here he is, safe and sound, swimming away.



It was cute, a bunch of his buddies all gathered around to watch.




Here is the swanky hotel I talk about later in the report with Jesus, the El Tamarindo. These are the buildings that were built not to spec and will fall down with the next big earthquake, apparently. Or so someone has said. Who knows. Note the morning humidity haze, it's about 8 AM here.





We hate to be 'trapped' at a resort, and this place was by far the most remote we had ever stayed at. The nearest town was La Manzanilla and it was a 300 peso cab ride away, ONE WAY....yikes.


In part because they have their own 'Blue Bay taxi' service at the hotel so they have guests over a barrel somewhat, you don't have a choice but to take their taxis...but also I imagine because they are very slow, so they DO have to make a living (each cabbie might only get a couple calls a day) and also the roads are so bumpy and rough that the cars must have to get constant repairs and maintenance.

Tuesday morning we decided to take a hike and see if we could find this supposed little gem of a hotel called Coconuts by the Sea in the area of the next bay over called Boca de Iguanas.


According to Google Earth, which we had pored over before the trip, it wasn't too far from the hotel main road in.





We made the mistake of starting too late in the day and the walk was HOT. But we took a couple water bottles with us and tried to stay in the shade as much as possible.

This was the view at the top of the hill.



There was a little restaurant there and we stopped and bought some more water and sat and enjoyed the view of the bay.










After that we carried on and after another 40 minutes or so of walking up and down hills, we arrived at the sign for Coconuts and a dirt path down a steep road...oddly enough, this was the RIGHT road, as it turned out ....




We took the other one without the chain and ended up at someone's private house, the 'No' road was the right one...went back and went down it, then...and saw this...





inland...




the pool



All those coconut palms!





They were collecting them too. (See the guy up in the tree?)



There was a bar/restaurant there and then a few building with suites. We had a beer at the bar and the guy said to feel free to use the pool, since it was so slow. We ended up spending a couple of hours there and having a snack too. Very nice place.





We noticed this cave with an altar/memorial inside...




And down the beach a bit was a trailer park. Nice, with all the palm trees!







And a great beach- some people were surfing and boogie boarding, others swimming. It was VERY quiet, at the hotel we only say about 4 guests around.

This is in the far northwest end of that bay, all the way down at the other end is La Manzanilla, where we were headed to to meet my GF Krista Friday.



DAY TRIP TO TENACATITA

On Thursday, we had a hankering to head to one of the few good snorkel spots in the area, Playa Mora at Tenacatita. Tenacatita is a small town of sorts, with a string of rustic palapa restaurants and cheap hotels. Nice atmosphere.








And by 'rustic' I don't mean fake Mexican contrived-rustic with $200 a night hotels, I mean actual rustic with 200 peso a night hotels.

and since this area is so fertile, the fruits and vegetables we saw were all amazing, fresh and colourful. Lucky locals! Possibly there are dairies nearby too because all the milk in stores was 'real milk'.








You had to go over this steep hill to get to spit of land where the snorkel beach is (Playa Mora), with a nice beach also on the other side.







There was about a dozen smaller motor homes and trailers parked there and we got to chatting with a nice guy and his wife from Abbotsford, BC. Now, I gotta say, I cannot imagine sitting there in a trailer in the blazing sun on that beach for months on end....no sewer, no electric, no water! Not for me. But for a day trip it was a cool place.



The beach sand was coral and black volcanic sand mixed...salt and pepper...cool.







We snorkeled for about an hour together (it was so quiet and our buddy was right there, so we went together and just left our stuff on the beach). We saw tons of different fish, and SO many needlefish....it was needlefish heaven!

Nothing big, sadly. And the coral was not in great shape. But it was decent snorkeling for the Pacific coast, and very good visibility.


The beach reminded us a LOT of Playa Coral on Isla Ixtapa, if anyone has been there. Except the trailers were where the restaurants are there, and the snorkeling was better here.


We saw this young guy, early twenties maybe, with two other girls (his sister and his GF, two are in the top pic of the beach), and talked to them...lo and behold, where are they from? Saskatoon. Too funny, small world. They were staying in Barra and assured us we would love it there.

We climbed the hill to get the view, which was spectacular. You can see how there is beach on both sides?





This huge cactus was just so ....so.... huge!



and this one looked a bit pornographic to me.




It sure would be a lot nicer in the rainy season in this area. Since they get little to aboslutely ZERO rain on this side, especially from here and down, things get so brown and dry.

Some rocky islands (island rocks? just rocks?)







After another snorkel, we had had enough sun so we went back into town for lunch. We went to a place called Chitos, it was recommended to us. We had shrimp ceviche and shrimp tacos, both very good. Beers were 15 pesos each (as they were pretty much everywhere).




the beach at Tenacatita was quite nice too, lots of people there, sunbathing and swimming.


The guy cracked us up. He was American, we think. He had two canaries in this cage (Sol y Luz) and a box of 'fortunes'. You pay him, whatever you like (we gave him 20 pesos each) and he lets one of the canaries out and they 'peck out' a single fortune.

So enterprising!




The restaurant also had a resident parrot. It had his own table but I saw a woman who looked like regular go over and get him and take him back to her table and let him hop around. After she returned him, I did the same.



Then I put him down on our table. He ate a chip and then did the cutest thing. He hopped over to my water bottle and started chewing on the cap! So I removed it and filled it with water and he drank four capfuls! "I'm thirsty!" They should teach him to SAY that, maybe.





Whew, enough for today.

[Rissask]

On Friday, our last full day at the AI before we were heading to Barra de Navidad, we had planned to go visit my GF Krista in the nearby town of La Manzanilla. Her mom has lived there for the winters for about ten years and recently built a new house which I was eager to see.

Krista is from around Nelson, BC. She, along with her boyfriend Nate and her brother Nathan (to keep them straight) and his two kids and their Bug (Bostom terrier/pug cross), had flown from Spokane to Puerto Vallarta on Wednesday. They stayed overnight in PV then got up early and rented a car, then drove down Highway 200 to La Manzanilla. It is a 3-4 hour drive.

We grabbed a hotel cab (300 pesos) to La Manzanillo, it was about 20 minutes away or so. The town is about a 60/40 mix of Mexicans and gringos, a nice mix. It is a typical, small Mexican fishing village of about 1000 people with a great beach. A few vacation rentals available, and about 5 hotels maybe. Nice and quiet.

We arrived and wandered down the beach taking it in...then we went one block back to where the businesses are, and bought a phone card and found a phone to call Krista at her mom's.


Her mom answered and said that Krista was down at the weekly market at the zocalo, but she would send Nathan down the hill to meet us. We told him where we would be and what we were wearing, and shortly he and his 4 year old son Corbin showed up.

We wandered around the square, no Krista and Nate, so he figured maybe Nate, who is a fishing fanatic like Don, may be at the beach fishing, so we made our way there.

Sure enough, there they were, Nate our waist deep in the ocean fishing and Krista standing on the beach watching, somehow we had missed them and walked right by.



Here are some photos of the town.














Corbin and Nate...





Don soon went out and joined Nate surf fishing with an extra rod...





And so Krista and I left them there for some male bonding and went up to see her mom's house.

On the walk up the hill...




The house is a two story with a huge master bedroom and a den on the second level, and a great room on the main, and there is a little one bedroom casita in the back yard. Nathan and his son were sleeping in a tent in the garden.






There is a rooftop tiled patio but it's not finished yet. This was the view. You could glimpse the ocean.





and Krista (cool tat, huh!) coming back down from the roof...




The side garden with the papaya tree, over to the right...




and outdoor palapa roofed sitting area, the BBQ is here....





the casita outside...





and inside...




Linda climbing the back stairs to the house:




and inside....there is Nathan's bug playing with Krista's mom's pup...








The house is a work in progress. They still need to paint inside and outside. Another year and it should be all done!




After the tour and a visit, Krista and I headed back to the beach to the men.

They had had enough fishing and were pitted in at a beachfront restaurant having beers. We moved to a different one later for lunch and Corbin went in swimming....such a water baby he was, apparently they can hardly drag him from the ocean at the end of the day.





a rare break with his daddy...






and then right back in the ocean...




Nate and Krista...







After lunch we headed over to see La Manzanilla`s most famous attraction- the huge crocodiles in the mangrove lined river that run through the town. And I mean huge. One was at 12 feet long and maybe 3 and a half feet thick. HUGE.


They were too quick and I could not get a decent picture, but check out how close tourists can get to them, HERE. Watch where you are stepping and swimming!


Allow me to assure you all -that we were NOT that stupid. We stayed over at the part that was surrounded by chain link fencing. Nathan brought some fish remnants from the previous days catch and dangled it over the fence for them to lunge at. That was fun.




Here is something else interesting....photos of the mild tsunami they had in 1995, where the water drained partway out of the bay.


http://la-manzanilla.blogspot.com/



Overall, the town is a great spot for a totally relaxing and unfussy beach vacation.



We left around mid-afternoon to head back to the hotel to get cleaned up and go for our last dinner before moving day!

[Rissask]

Saturday February 7th dawned sunny and hot as usual.

We were excited to be getting out of our 'AI prison' and moving locations to Barra de Navidad today. And just in time it looked like it, because after a quiet 5 or so days, the big buses from Guadalajara were unloading families at the hotel entrance as we were leaving- this was Constitution Day long weekend and apparently the hotel was fully booked for that (it was only about 20% all week and was fairly quiet).

We had mostly packed the evening before so that morning we got up early again and headed out for one last 2 hour long kayak across the bay. This was the morning a couple from Oregon who had one of the anchored sailboats in the bay zipped over to where Don was fishing in their Zodiac and quizzed him on what he was catching and what lures he was using (barred pargo, mostly). After our kayak we went for breakfast then back to the room to shower and cart our luggage down to the lobby.

We called for a cab and checked out (I love getting those tacky bracelets cut off!) and then exchanged e-mails with a few people we had met and hung out with, who were sadly waiting for their shuttle back to the airport (poor people who had to leave after one measly week! We love our two week trips, one week is never long enough).

We arrived in Barra de Navidad about 2:00 and headed straight to the Casa de Marco condo, the cab diver knew where it was located luckily; right on the main road into town and the next block after the ETN bus station. Nan was in the office but our unit was still being cleaned, so we left our luggage in the unit and headed out to check out the town.

Our first impressions were that it was a nice, typical west coast resort town- but far too crowded. The first two days had the excess of people crammed into the town due to the long weekend and we really didn't start to love it until it cleared out and got really quiet, around Tuesday. it is a fairly small town so you really notice it on the streets when it is a high holiday season....I imagine it would be awfully crowded at Semana Santa and Christmas (I guess you can say the same for everywhere, really!).


Some pics from around town. Keep in mind these were taken after the crowds left!

I think this shopkeeper meant to say 'LOWEST prices allowed by law'?




Cute chihuahua...




Don streetwalking...





lonely chair....



and it's poorer relative...







This wonderful tree was in front of a 2 story bar that we daydreamed about buying, to the right with the railing in the first pic...





We had a late lunch here



one of several in a row of restaurants that are right on the lagoon side so you have a view of the water taxis coming and going from the Grand Bay hotel,



and across to a sandbar lined with palapa restuarants and beach umbrellas.






There is also some on this side of the lagoon too...




That hotel is a bit incongruous in the setting of the town, but more about that later.

There was also a few smaller boat launches on this calm lagoon side....




We shared a pollo molcajete for lunch, very good, and then thought we had better head back for a swim in the pool and get settled into the condo.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molcajete



The pool area was lovely, with a waterfall that covered the street noise from 9-6.




and some tables with shade...




We snagged a 2 bedroom unit as in the early planning stages there was another couple coming with us. As it turned out, Nate and Krista and Nathan came to stay a night so it worked out well and she only charged us the one bedroom charge anyway.

The master bedroom.



and the spare.



Kitchen.



bathroom (had a big walk-in shower)



and Don in the living area with balcony:




teeny slice of ocean view...




and this groovy pine tree, spotted from the balcony...




After an hour or so by the pool we got settled and then went in search of provisions. The town is too small for a Mega or other large grocery so we found a couple of markets nearby (we just bought milk, coffee, fruit, bread, jam, butter and yoghurt) and also a laundry to drop a bag of clothes. Found a taco stand and had a cheap supper and hit the hay. The condo had about 4 English movie channels which was nice- and two TVs too, one in the bedroom. It is set up perfectly for a long term stay.


Loads more pictures from around the town still to come!

[Rissask]

Photos of Barra de Navidad

[Rissask]

Like I said, until around Tuesday it was super noisy and crowded in town, and we were unsure how much we really like it; after it cleared out and was nice and uncrowded we enjoyed the town far more. We would totally return to Barra for a short vacation or a long term stay again.

There is a total of 8 units at the Case de Marco, in three 3-story buildings. The one we were in had the office, a large room with a kitchenette/free coffee, three computers with Internet and a Vonage phone to call home for free for guests' use , and also a laundry room. The pool area and computer room and some units also have wireless. It is really ideal for long term stays and most of the other couples there were there for about a month, and therefore were all gringos.

Front of the building with the office, we were on the top floor. This street was a main and quite busy street, if we stayed here again we would get a unit in one of the other buildings.





There was one couple from Ottawa, one from BC, one from Chicago, one from California and one wonderful older couple we talked to a lot, and went out with a couple times who were rice farmers from Lousiana, Leland and Cynthia. I loved his accent and he had a good laugh at me when I told him I had a GF from near Lafayette and I tried to pronounce her last name- Tappy, I now know how to say it! I would blush when he called me 'Chere'. One of his ancestors was the doctor who removed the bullet from Huey Long. Not much of a claim to fame since Huey died anyway, but still interesting!





We had every intention that week to go on a bus ride tour to Colima City (the capital of Colima) and see one of the oldest colonial cities in Mexico and some museums, and also the twin active volcanoes (we saw from the plane flying into ZLO) but we got lazy and didn't go.


Basically our week was spent reading, sunning, swimming, fishing (Don went two more times) and eating and just plain old relaxing -that was about it. And I am not going to lie, it was great.

The weather was typical Pacific coast weather- perfect, sunny and hot every single day with just a nice light breeze. I think there was one day out of 14 where it was bordering 'windy', that was it.

More photos from around the town.

I am not sure how well you can see from the photos but the beach was quite steep. But it was so much fun to swim in the ocean. Because it was steep, you would walk out to around mid-thigh on me, then the gentle undertow would suck you out about 15 feet- BOOM- just like than in an instant, yet gently! Then the wave would push you back until you found yourself in a foot of water again. It sounds scary but it isn't at all. I would do that while Don was fishing, over and over, for about an hour, and I think I only once got caught by a rogue wave and ended up sputtering a bit. It was like gently body surfing, and really fun!

It was all sandy bottom here, no rocks or coral, so no snorkeling unfortunately. We did snorkel over by the marina one day and saw a decent amount of fish.

This was how dead the main beach was all week after the crowds left on Monday...













the malecon














They are building a new seawall on the lagoon side:







The point at the marina exit









Don jumped to help a local whose hook had gotten tangled in the rocks below. He got up about 4 mornings at sunrise to go fishing in this spot. He said he was the only gringo but after two morning they warmed up to him. He caught a large Jack Crevalle one day and gave it to a buddy.





This tent was there all week. The pot and patchouli smells wafting from it were intense. The towns has a decent surf wave off the end of the walkway in the typhoon season so there were a lot of young surfer/hippy types around.

Check out those ribbons. They probably did naked midnight dances to try and stir a wave up, to no avail. We saw several sad eyed kids sitting there on the malecon glumly staring out to sea every day.







Nice clear water



a bait fisherman with a net








A monument commemorating 400 years as a town - 1564-1964.



a little cutie playing...




Piper Lover Blues Bar- went here one night to listen to a blues band from Oregon. They were not bad at all. And 15 peso beers, good deal. Guinness was....a lot more.

We were the youngest people in the bar, though. It was all older white folks. Pretty funny.





We went to this bar one night when our friends came from La Manzanilla, Rocktavios.



Now that bar, we were the only gringos. Except for the singer who turned out to be from Nelson, BC- the same town my friends were from. Small world evidence again. The guys played some pool and we listened to the singer who turned out to be quite good.

That was the night Don and I left fairly early becuase the guys were getting up at 6 to go deep sea fishing. We left about 12:30. I heard Krista and Nate come in around 3 I think. And her brother Nathan stumbled in about 4 AM.

This was him on the boat the next morning.



They were totally skunked on that trip, not one fish! And so they were NOT happy when Krista and I met them around 1 for lunch.

But at least Nathan had a better hand gesture this time....





In case you are wondering if I am aware of it, yes I know this camera sucks. My brand new but cheap Fijifilm Finepix. The ability to review pics froze while on the trip and we have to return it.

We thought this apron was pretty funny...





The crew went back to La Manzanilla and we were sad to see them go...it is nice to have people to hang with on vacation. But we are used to travelling alone and we do it quite happily, too, we are fairly well matched in that regard anyway.


More random 'around town' pics. As you can see, no traces of McDonalds or Starbuck, for those of you who like your Mexico towns purely Mexican.






there were a few surf schools...doing a slow business this time of year I am sure.















The downtown church where on our first night in town we saw a 'quinze anos' (spelling?) ceremony. Her dress was FANCY!!

AND from where every sunrise and sunset they set off bottle rockets and fireworks all week for Constitution Day! Yikes. I thought it was gunfire the first morning. Too much news-watching.









My favourite licuados lady




There were lots of bars that billed themselves as good bars to watch the sunset from...



I thought this sign was so hilarious I just HAD to take a picture :





We went up to the #1 place in town twice to see the sunset - the rooftop sunset bar at the Alondra.











I had to laugh a bit when everyone clapped and cheered right after....did they expect something else?



The views of Barra from the roof (it is the highest building in town, three whole stories!).








On Fridays there is a market in the zocalo, like most Mexican towns have on differing days of the week.






I saw a funny thing happen when we were strolling through here. You know those colourful woven bracelets with your name on them? This one young man had a placard full of those, and while we were standing there looking over the rest of his wares- a stray dog walked by, lifted his leg, and peed all over L through 0!

So much for Auntie Nettie getting a bracelet this year. I had to stifle my laugh guiltily at the look on the poor guy's face. Sheer defeat.

[Rissask]

FOOD, FOOD, FOOD!!


The food at the hotel the first week was typical 3 star AI buffet fare. Actually about the same I would say as the five star we stayed at in Cuba last winter. The area is very fertile and so there was plenty of fresh fruits and veggies at the hotel buffet, so we pigged out on those.

As we usually find at AIs, the breakfast was the best meal of the day, and we had many an omelette and huevos rancheros at the omelette bar.


Since the guests were mostly Mexican, the buffet food was mainly Mexican specialities. Lots of nopales, lots of menudo, lots of tacos al pastor and the like. And the BEST hot chocolate at the breakfast buffet- rich and thick with cinammon- yummy! I mixed mine with coffee every morning.

There was one a la carte and each room got one dinner up there per week. Since it was very slow, we actually went up there twice, with another couple- we both just made the reservation for four instead of two when we went the day before to book it. The food was actually really good there- one night I had filet mignon with pepper sauce and the other time BBQ ribs.

In Barra, there was several very good restaurants, about 3/4 were authentic Mexican and the other quarter were a variety of non-Mexican, Italian, Canadian, French, etc.


One of our favourites was Bananas at the Hotel Barra de Navidad, I think it is run by Canadians, and it featured good old North American fare- my favourite was the cream cheese stuffed French toast.

Another favourite we went to two evening was Ambar di Mare, run by a French Canadian couple. Italian and French food, amazingly good.

Not a very good picture here, but this was the (wood oven baked) Hawaiian pizza and French onion soup at Ambar.





The other night we went there I had the spaghetti carbonara and it was wonderful. And Don had some other kind of pasta with chicken and mushrooms that was really good too.

Another place we went to twice was called Seamaster. Very good food. I had teriyaki chicken one night in a hollowed pineapple and Don had a rack and half of BBQ ribs that he couldn't even finish- for 120 pesos each.




Great value here, and tasty. Once again, 15 peso beers.

and of course most of the time we went to the local places. Lindo's made great huaraches! This is a pollo one and a chorizo one. yummy!!



Also went back to a place called Paty's twice for the chorizo queso fundido. BEST.FUNDIDO.EVER! Dripping with oil. To die for! (Literally, of clogged arteries.) Sorry, no picture.


Gave chilaquiles another try. Nope. Still don't like them!

[Rissask]

Walking to Villa Obregon/San Patricio/Melaque.



We decided one day we would get up at a decent hour (as in, before 8) and walk to the three villages at the opposite end of the bay, Villa Obregon, San Patricio, and Melaque (collectively known as Melaque). Barra has around 5000 people, I think these three have around 8000 inhabitants together.


It is also a resort town, like Barra- but much more spread out and consisting of a trailer park at the far end and villas and hotels and motels geared towards more long term stays. Apparently many call it 'Little Canada' and after wandering around and seeing all the Canadian license plates we could see why.

The beach is very steep in this bay, flattening out somewhat in the corner by Melaque, but it made for a good workout hiking along at a slant. It took us about a half hour to walk to the outskirts of Villa Obregon, and we maybe saw about three other couples on the way, and the beach was deserted. We walked about 9-ish so before it got too hot, then we took a cab home later (I think it was 40 pesos).


Just setting off, looking back toward Barra...






You used to see these old style Beetles everywhere, now they becoming more and more rare.



Cute sign on someone's gate who is not missing winter at home!



A group of people had stopped to watch these guys building a palapa roof two stories up.... Mexican safety regulations in action.



Cute talavera frog planters!










I had to laugh at this old Saskatchewan farm plate on this bike... lots of Sask folks in Melaque.



And this mermaid looked to be copied from an Archie comic- it's Veronica Lodge's face!





We made our way down to the beach, in the corner there were a lot of boats anchored, and tons of pelicans around.









These folks took their Zodiac into shore for lunch.





We thought we should have a bite too, and this place looked nice.



We thought it was music playing until we realized these guys were playing! Peruvian/Guatemalan pipe music, they were very good.



After paying, and tipping the band, we wandered down the beach...



There were two hotels in prime beachfront locations which had been destroyed in an earthquake over a decade ago. Too bad, they were quite the eyesore. But I imagine, very expensive to clean up.





There was this building on top of this rocky cliff, used to be a restaurant but closed now....possibly more earthquake damage...it looks kind of precarious perched up there.






Yet another trailer park in the corner...again, with mostly Mexican and Western Canadian plates.






Overall, our impression of Melaque was not that positive. It is hard to get a good and accurate 'feel' for a place in a couple short hours, though. Possibly it would be great for a long term stay, and certainly cheap and with good weather and good produce available. We just didn't get a good vibe from it, like we did Barra and have for other places (granted, with the initial crowds, it took a couple days for that feeling from Barra too!).

We wandered around downtown a bit then found the area where the taxis parked and headed back to Barra! another day over....

[Rissask]

When we were in Melaque and wandering around the streets we came across this couple selling some cold drink from their cart.



We have no idea what it was.


They didn't speak much English and all I caught was 'masa'. I wondered if it was atole de leche but there was no milk in it, he said! Just some masa mixture that looked like caramel and then she sqeezed a lime into it....





and then he poured it back and forth with some ice to cool it down...



and then proudly presented it to me...



It cost a whole 10 pesos for the large cup. I took a swig... it was awful.

Not an overly strong taste, mostly just lime- but the thick texture made me want to gag. Don tried it and didn't like it either.



But we both smiled and gave them the thumbs up while walking away. As soon as we got around the corner we looked for a garbage can to throw it away.

But at least Stewie can't get mad at me- I tried it!

[Rissask]

On the Thursday morning of the second week we decided to go across to Isla Navidad on the water taxi to tour the Grand Bay Hotel, have brunch and also we wanted to check out the little village of Colmilla too.

http://www.tomzap.com/granbay.html

I will just post the pictures in order of taking...







The pool had about 4 levels and a slide...















big pine!



The marina had a few nice boats..







The entrance to the golf clubhouse where we had brunch...











The grounds are swanky and extensive but we were able to wander around without problems. We got a ride in a shuttle through the front nine to the clubhouse and then after eating we walked back by a small village called Colmilla (overlooking the lagoon) back to the main water taxi pier.

It was HOT again today (like every day was!) and we were pooped after walking back up this road down to the village.



There was a couple of small restaurants down there but no elusive second water taxi pier like we had read there was somewhere along this lagoon bank. Wrong road, we guessed, or maybe the boats only run during busy times. So then we walked back up, passing this little yard with rooster along the way...




and halfway up we saw the shuttle bus zipping past on the main road! Damn. Oh well, we stopped and bought some water and slogged onward.

We arrived back at the main dock area





and had a few minutes wait so I snapped a few more pictures...







and then saw this boat tossing out their bait for the gulls and pelicans...




And shortly back to Barra and that, was that. It was interesting to see how the other half lives. Seriously, it was a very nice hotel but nothing really more fancy than some other 5 stars we have seen.

After this day we only had a couple more days before we were due to return to the cold Saskatchewan winter.

[Rissask]

Okay, I lied.

I really, really, REALLY wanted to take surfing lessons this trip.

But there was no surf.

We did see these two overly optimistic guys headed down the beach one day....






yeah, good luck to them, we thought.

There is a nice break apparently, off the jetty and to the right. During the hurricane season it gets to be a fairly good wave. And one day there was three people surfing a smaller version of it, but this was the only surf we saw all week.

We did see a young Mexican boy skimboarding one day, that looks like fun and he was really talented.

Looks like I am going to have to try to get Don to return to Sayulita or go to Hawaii to scratch off my bucket list surfing dream. sigh

Here is Don surf FISHING, if that is any consolation. He did manage to catch a couple of puffers doing this.

Sol, can you see how steep the beach is?

[Rissask]

Saturday came far too quickly, and it was our day to fly home.

On Friday we were strolling down by the fish market and where the water taxis and fishing pangas depart, when we saw two guys shaking the hand of a captain and then they walked by us and said to my husband very loudly, (totally apropos of nothing!) "This is the guy! This is the guy you want to fish with!"

uh oh.

Of course Don asks him what they caught....two sailfish and two dorado....don't tell him that, I think to myself! Sailfish is one of the last species he wants to catch yet.

Naturally he wanders off and starts talking to the captain and they make a date to go fishing....the next morning at 6 AM, price $225 USD.

They are going 22 miles out to where the sailfish are running. (Yes, in a 21 foot panga with one motor, business as usual. He DID have a cell phone and GPS. )

Um, our flight leaves at 5:15, you know. Oh yeah, he knows. If I don't show up by 3, he tells me, just take a cab to the airport and leave my passport and ticket with Nan in the office. Just in case the engine conks out and we are a long time getting rescued. Sure, okay, no problem, I could leave and go back to Canada without you- riiight.

But I assured him that is what I would do and gave him my blessing. because I am a GOOD wife, and that is what GOOD WIVES do. So he tells me.

And at 6 the next morning, off he went.

This was how misty it was that morning! The foggiest morning by far.



This is Julio on the boat.



and this is the one fish they caught.



Another dorado, albeit bigger than the other one. Big whoop. Fishing is expensive- he spent about $600 for two measly dorado this trip. This is why he does not make one peep about my clothes and hair budget!

He showed up at the condo around 12:30, just as I was getting out of the shower. I had spent the morning by the pool, packing up, window shopping, and having one last licuado and chocolate croissant downtown for breakfast.

When he tore into the condo he informed me that the dorado is being cooked up down near the lagoon at a restaurant and we had to get back there ASAP- so he quickly showered and we dashed back down there. They had cooked it up in garlic butter and my favourite Veracruz style- it was great, like dorado usually is, and a nice last meal before leaving Barra. Don and Julio had become fast friends and they exchanged e-mail addresses, with Don promising to send him this picture for his album.

We ate and went back to get our baggage and on the way stopped and ordered a cab. Dragged out suitcase downstairs, said good-bye to nan and other guests, exchanged some e-mails and jumped in our cab....that was an adventure in itself as the cab looked fine, but had some troubles obviously, as he never went over 70 Km the whole trip back to the airport! it should have been a half hour ride but it took about 45 minutes.

Lots of time to gaze out the window at the passing towns and coconut plantations ...





Soon enough we were on our way back to Saskatoon from Calgary and this was the scenery...





Not much snow there! that was still in Alberta....this was closer to home...









Things we would miss....the food, the people, the sun and heat. The live music at the local bars (we saw three different bands perform while there for one week, not bad for a small town!).


I would sure miss lying on my 60 peso yellow raft in the sun in the pool....(although I would NOT miss the 'fun' of climbing onto it. Good thing we were usually alone by the pool, that would have been embarassing.)



and the sunsets of course.....




And just the wonderful tastes, sights, smells, and sounds that is Mexico for us. Adios, Mehico, for another year (or so)!