Archive for the Nayarit Category
Posted on March 26, 2010 by angela
To me, the most amazing thing about this adventure is the true kindness of complete strangers. We’ve met so many incredible people along our journey and this week was as good as any. More new friends in Guayabitos.
I stopped Sam on the street on Saturday afternoon because she was carrying some Volkswagen promo stuff, and I was desperate to get information about the show. Thankfully, she spoke English and was able to give us some basic information about the show, with the helpful caution…’if they say 5pm, it will most likely be about 7.’
We later met her partner Mark, who makes custom dune buggies at Buggies del Barrio in La Penita, the town just north of Guayabitas. Very cool folks, and Mark even offered to help us tune up Red Beard, an offer we eagerly took.
Brian and Carole stopped by Red Beard at the show and heard our story. They offered us a camping spot at their ‘Little Rig’ RV park that night, another offer we couldn’t pass up, especially as we were meeting Mark for the tune up just a mile away in the morning.
Little did we know what a beautiful and serene place they have. They are pretty much closed for the season and Semana Santos is coming up. We had the place to ourselves! The snowbird season is essentially over and the beaches have been returned to the Mexicans.
Brian and Carole live on Vancouver Island 6 months a year as required to be covered by the Canadian health insurance. The other 6 months (maybe longer shhh!) they have their own piece of paradise here on the Pacific coast. They share their land with up to 6 small campers and they even reserve the best beach-side spot for small wanderers like us. I don’t think they have a website, but if you are in the area we highly recommend Little Rig RV Park #1!
As much as we’d like to have lingered, we had a date with Sam and Mark to tune up Red Beard. We really tested Mark’s goodwill as he spent 2 hours in the blazing sun trying to figure out our ongoing issues. In the end, there were new plug wires, new plugs, the electronic ignition was back in, and the carb was tweaked some more. We just replaced the wires and plugs last week, but we’ll give it a go. In the end, Red Beard was running much better. Thanks Mark! I’m a little worried about Jason’s new found love of dune buggies though.
We decided to test the bus out by heading up into the mountains to Laguna Santa Maria del Oro, a volcanic crater lake in a beautiful mountain setting. It was described in our guidebook as idyllic and it didn’t disappoint.
The bus climbed the mountains well, but now stalls when we press the brake. It’s always something.
We camped at a little park right on the lake and again we were the only people around. There are a few small restaurants on the lake and they were all empty too. The most surprising thing? Jason sharing his whole fried fish with Bode (head and all,) and Bode saying “give me some more of that good stuff!”
Posted on March 25, 2010 by jason
Sunday morning we packed up the bus and headed over to the show. The main street to the town square was closed and we took a detour and started following all the other VWs. They must know where to go.
By the time we got close, we realized we were in line to register and we couldn’t really turn around. Oh well, at least we would get a good place to park and a T-shirt, we thought. And, it’s a good thing we washed the bus.
We were directed through big crowds right into the center of the town square. We did get a good parking spot next to all the other buses, but it was clear that there was no way we were leaving until it was all completely over. Oh well. A good excuse to test out the solar-powered fridge (it worked great!)
The show was fun. There were more Safaris (Things) than I have ever seen in one place and they were all in stellar condition. Of course, tons and tons of Vochos (Bugs) of all variations. Massive sound systems was a common theme. Lot’s of custom cars, a swap meet and tons of VW lovers everywhere. There was no discriminating here and there were plenty of water-cooled VW’s too. If you wanted to show off your customized Jetta, there was a place for you too.
One guy (Juan) drove his water-cooled VW taxi 10 hours from Mexico City and entered it in the show. A regular taxi – not a show car fake taxi – just a taxi that he drives every day. If there was a category for it, I hope he won.
There weren’t too many trailer queens (there were some) and it was mostly just regular folks showing off their cars. This was their one car that they drive every day and love. It makes for a different atmosphere and probably more fun than a bunch of guys obsessing over obscure VW manufacturing minutia or trying to keep people from leaving fingerprints on their show car. Of course, there was probably some of that too, but it was all in Spanish.
We just hung out all day and met some great folks and made more contacts in Mexico. We managed to communicate with just about everyone, but we really need to learn more Spanish. We were also interviewed for a Guadalajara TV show. If anyone sees it on TV or finds it online, please let us know. The minute the interview ended, I couldn’t remember anything I said. I hope it wasn’t too bad.
Late in the afternoon, we were still hanging around and talking to some folks when someone came running up to us. “You won! You won! Go! Go! Go!” There was a guy talking on the P.A. the whole time, but we couldn’t understand any of it. Not knowing what to do (and having everything we own in the car) we asked the people we just met to watch our stuff and ran up to the gazebo. On the way, I passed Alfredo from PV who was on his was to find us too.
First place for Westfalia!
Another guy we met, Juan (another Juan,) leaned over and told me to stick around a while longer. A bit later I thought I heard my name again and something about driving all over the Americas. I looked around dumbfounded and was waved up on stage again.
First place in “Especial!”
I couldn’t really understand what the special category was, but I’m guessing it was for driving the farthest to get to the show or craziest trip or something like that.
I’ve been fortunate enough to win a few awards for miscellaneous forgettable things over the years, but never… never have I gotten to pose with scantily-clad women after receiving an award.
I will remember this one for a long time!
Posted on March 24, 2010 by jason
We continued to back-track and headed north to Rincon de Guayabitos. Aside from hearing good things about the town, we’d been told my multiple people that we had to go to the big VW show.
Guayabitos is a pretty cool place and not your normal gringo vacation destination. It’s a normal Mexican vacation destination. That’s what makes it so cool. It’s built up for tourism, but mostly for weekenders from Guadalajara and other inland cities. Each weekend they come from all over Mexico and take the place over. During the week, you’ve got it to yourself.
We found a beach-side hotel that let us camp in their parking lot and use their facilities. This place was oozing with old-school charm and long-faded grandeur. We were camped just a few steps from a tranquil pool and a few more steps to a completely packed beach. Starting on Friday afternoon and throughout the weekend, the beach was absolutely filled to capacity and everyone was having a good time.
There were still tons of vendors on the beach, but this time they were selling practical necessities instead of the PV tourist junk. Coco frio? Si si. Fish on a stick? Bueno. Giant blow-up floaty things? Bode wanted one, but maybe next time.
By the time Saturday afternoon rolled around, we were done with the beach and went a few blocks into town to check out the festivities. We heard the show started at 5 pm. At 5, we heard that 5 really meant 8 and that it was just a big cruise and street party.
By early evening, most every block had vintage VW’s parked up and down it and people were all over the streets. There was a wedding that afternoon and I had to wonder if the bride was aware of her timing. No word on whether or not she left in a VW limo, but I doubt it. It was a big production with a huge reception on the beach that night with multiple bands, a Jumbotron(?) and fireworks. If you’re interested, the bridesmaids wore orange and red.
We wandered the streets and talked to all sorts of nice folks and found out that the actual show started at 9 am Sunday morning. We figured that really meant 11.
The streets kept getting packed and the cruise started. I don’t know if it’s a regular Saturday night thing or not, but all sorts of other custom cars showed up too. Low-riders with hydraulics and neon and such. Most people seemed to stick to the sidewalks and cheered when a VW drove by and jeered when any non-VW drove by. It was pretty funny and all good-spirited.
Later, the burn outs and testosterone-stroking started and we took it as our cue to leave. It was about 9 pm that night, and we could tell things might start to get out of hand. Safety wasn’t really an issue so much as just not wanting to be around so many people that had been drinking in the sun all day. There are only so many things we’re ready to explain to a four year old.
We learned all sorts of other stuff that night.
If you drive a dune buggy or any sort of vehicle with large tires, you absolutely MUST park with one tire over the curb. This is essential to promote your coolness.
Those bikini girls you see in car magazines draped all over the cars? They seem to be walking around for hire. They have a handler and everything. We have no idea what it costs, but Angela was the first to suggest we should hire them for some photos with Red Beard. We didn’t.
You can comfortably fit 7 guys in a VW Thing (Safari.)
You think a VW bug is small? You can make it WAY smaller.
Posted on March 23, 2010 by angela
Because locating our package and hitting the Mega took most of the day, we headed just out of PV and back into Sayulita for the night. We found a campsite next to the beach and parked near 3 other VW buses. Two had been there for 4 months, one of them just a week.
Everyone was a surfer and everyone had little kids. Surfing 2 or 3 sets a day and raising the fam in a beach-side campground. Quite a life. Of course, these folks were from… Canada. They were all just a few weeks from heading back and resuming their normal lives. They will all be back next winter.
The sites were just back from the beach in the jungle. Every night you could hear the strangest noises coming from the place – mostly birds but I’m not sure what else. You could also hear the chorus of dogs. Then, there was the insomniac rooster that started up at 4am.
Jason installed the solar panel and Red Beard has gone green. He had no drill or electricity, but was able to put mounting holes in the pop-top with a screwdriver and lots of patience. He went to the local hardware store for some bolts and washers and they had four of them – total. And they were rusty. We bought them. By afternoon, it was mounted on the bus and he took extra pleasure in using the solar panel to charge the battery to run the soldering iron to wire it up.
Problem was, by the time he completely finished installing it, it was late afternoon and the 2nd battery died soon after. No cold fridge tonight either.
On three occasions, someone walked by and commented on the color of our bus. “Duuuude, that’s soooo red! That color is amaaaazing, I’ve never seen anything sooooo red!” I don’t think we’ve had anyone specifically comment on the extreme redness of our bus, but it’s consummate colorfulness got three people’s attention today. They have the good stuff here in Sayulita.
We pretty much stuck to the beach and campsite this time. We took Bode out boogie boarding, which he loves. He squealed and laughed the whole way. He’d yell “My wave! My wave!” before riding in and yelling “Cowabunga!” After a good tumble, he’d pop up and yell “Wipe Out!” and flash a hang-loose sign.
The waves were breaking in waist-deep water (ours), so Jason would get him on a wave and I’d have to catch him. Usually no problem, but several times he was a little far from me and I’d just jump on the board with him to slow it down.
I think we have a surfer in the making, if only he’d get that swimming thing down pat. By the way, if anyone has any suggestions on teaching a kid to swim, let me know. He kicks, he flails arms, he sinks. He doesn’t seem to mind, he loves the water…he’s just not getting the concept of staying on top of it.
We headed out the next day and visited the very quiet town of San Francisco, just north of Sayulita. Horses parked on the streets, very few tourists and a beautiful beach. We might come back here some day, but we had to get moving on to Guayabitos to meet some folks and go see some vochos.
Posted on March 15, 2010 by angela
We’ve heard great things about Sayulita and wanted to go with Julie. So, we put her in the car and drove north for the afternoon. The road heads up into the mountains and was pretty slow going. You are pretty much guaranteed to get stuck behind a long line of trucks and buses at some point. As usual, we weren’t in a hurry.
Sayulita is a cool little town with a laid-back California vibe. As Julie said, “Everyone here looks like my brother.” In other words, there are lots of Duuuuuudes. Surfers, beach bums and Rasta drum circle guys mixed with the wealthy vacationers and gringos who have been buying up the place. Many of the shops on the main drag were run by gringos for gringos – jewelry stores, art shops, etc. There were perfect English speakers everywhere, and the storefronts were a lot nicer than what we’d experienced in other towns this size. Despite the gringo-ization, there were still plenty of mom and pop shops and the town still had a pretty cool atmosphere.
The beach was pretty nice too – lots of people and lots of beach front restaurants. There were surf breaks for beginners and intermediate surfers and Jason and I checked them out a bit. We’re on vacation this week, so no surfing today 
We also checked out the campsites in case we return.
Coincidentally, this place has the highest number of VW buses per-capita that we’ve seen so far in Mexico. That includes Baja. We also saw our new all-time favorite bumper sticker.
We settled in at a small protected area with some tide pools filled with kids and hung out for a while. After we soaked up enough atmosphere, food and cervezas, we headed back to Puerto Vallarta with a brief stop at one of the many roadside rotisserie chicken stands on the way home. Tough day.
Posted on March 9, 2010 by angela
Every guidebook mentions them. Phrases like “a great campground, but usually empty because of the horrible jejenes.”
My idea was to go to this town and beach but to get out before sunset. We didn’t make it, and Jason is not so scared of biting insects. He doesn’t have my track record.
San Blas is a beautiful beach town with some amazing history, great surf and nice people. It would be on the resort town list if not for the nasty bugs. In most towns around here, these buggers are around before and after sunset, but no longer. Here, they come out at 4, and it isn’t safe outside until 9am.
Why do people come and stay here? Then again, we grew up in Texas with giant mosquitoes. You can get used to anything.
I guess my real question is why I’m covered in bites despite trying to stay in the bus all night. Jason has only a few despite being out several hours around sunset and early this morning, and Bode has none. These voracious flesh eaters left only small marks on our bodies, but they have itched for days.
These guys were having trouble with their VW bug, so we tried to help. But in true bug fashion, once we got there, the car suddenly started and ran just fine. They thanked us profusely and gave us some insect repellent.
We headed further south and found a cool town at Playa Chacala. Muy bueno…but we had to move on. Jason wanted to stay. There is nowhere to camp, but you can generally park and camp outside the restaurants if you buy something. Everyone here is very cool and it is a neat little village crammed into just a few blocks on the beach.
Instead, we went and found an RV park with hot water, laundry and the works. Tough choice. It was absolutely packed full of Canadians and it was “hamburger night” too, so our complete lack of food wasn’t a problem. And, we got to do the macarena with the Geritol crowd. We thought we were sacrificing the cool happening beach town of Chacala for a quiet night’s rest here, but these folks partied late into the night. Watch out for hamburger night in La Penita.
Posted on March 8, 2010 by angela
We heard about this small island village off the coast and we set off to find a boat to get to it. Legend has it that the man-made island city of Mexcaltitan, was Aztlan, the ancient home of the Aztecs. The birthplace of the Aztec civilization. This island is also known as the Mexican Venice when it’s streets flood each year.
We traveled several hours and came in from the north. The last 5 miles or so were down a dirt road with big construction trucks in search of the boat launch. After a while we came upon a bunch of wooden boxes across the road. A guy stops us, tells us this is the end of the road and that we can take a boat from here for 70 pesos. Well, that’s about the price we’d heard, but it didn’t feel right to us. There was no boat launch and the guy looked sketchy. Mostly, we were just afraid to leave the bus behind with him. As we pulled out to turn around, a Mexican family jumped out of their very nice SUV and got in the boat. We started to reconsider, but decided that if something happened to the bus we’d feel very dumb not to trust our instincts. Besides, he just put some boxes across the road.
We decide to try to reach Mexcaltitan from the other side. So, we drove south and an hour and a half later we got to Santiago Ixcuintla. This town had a hotel, a beautiful town square and a large market. It was getting late, so this was the perfect stop for the night.
The best thing is that there are no other tourists, so we got to experience a real Mexican town. No one here seems to care about or pander to a gringo walking around. A nice change from the big tourist mecca of Mazatlan.
The square was hopping on this Friday night and there were lots of kids out and about. We stopped by the Mexican market the next morning for some fruit, pastries and a cheap toy to keep Bode entertained for the day.
Then, we tried Mexicaltitan from the south and had much better luck. A paved road, an obvious boat launch, and water taxis.
Shrimp are the big deal here, and they are drying out on the streets as you walk by. Jason got some shrimp tamales for 7 pesos each and chowed down. Inside, they still had the shell on. He said they were good, but a bit weird. Bode and I passed.
Besides that, there isn’t much to do. It’s a very small town, Jason and I took turns walking around because Bode was having so much fun at the town square. I tossed a football (American) around with a local boy, while another played cars with Bode.
An interesting day of just doing whatever… and it included a boat ride. Nice. We headed back to the mainland and back to our safely parked bus. On to San Blas.
