Camino Real Manzanillo Hotel

... after searching for the parts for a while we decided it was cheaper and better to have Josh fly back to the states and get em. Today is Saturday, May 9th and were still waiting. I think I'm gonna go inland and see some ruins, maybe go to Pascuales after. Manzanillo's not a bad place to be stuck at all, made some friends, and hopefully these jellyfish will go away soon so we can get in the water.

I love Barra de Navidad, it reminded me a lot of home. After a short trip from Tenacatita we arrived in Barra, we passed the jetty entrance and headed toward the lagoon where we would anchor for the next several days. The locals were collecting shellfish from Pangas all over the lagoon entrance and had divers in the water with an ...

... I got some surf in and Helen did a whole lot of relaxing. Our room was literally on the sand. We occasionally had high winds due to a local weather phenomena that happens that time of year. We were only here two full days in this quaint little town but it was long enough for Helen to kick my butt in some pool and take a nap at a table in a bar where we were watching a band. She even forgot I bought her flowers. Some good deeds never go unpunished.

... the local banda - the free beer just kept on coming, with a new one lined up before the last one was done! Not only that, the old guy next to me didn't drink, so he kept passing his over - they don't take no for an answer at these events! Then the couple opposite start getting me beers when they sent the kids to get theirs - nice people, local schoolteacher & his architect wife. There was also going to be a charro (rodeo) after but it wasn't starting until 6pm by which ...

... that borders right on the beach similar to what is found in Rincon de Guayabitos. This would be a great place to park for the winter. There is also an impression that accommodations are cheaper here in Melaque than they are in Barra de Navidad. As one walks north along the beach the hotels and accommodations seems to be of a relatively modest category. The most promising seems to be a resort complex that looms large further down the beach. If ...

... starkly contrasting choice of beaches. On the west side of the malecon is the start of a 4.5 kilometre beach that extends all the way along the Bay of Navidad to the town of Melaque. (next blog). It is a beautiful sandy beach in Barra de Navidad that nevertheless has two disadvantages - it is relatively narrow and steep. The narrow part would present a problem during the holiday season when there would be a lot of people vying for a spot in the ...

... bustle of Puerto Vallarta it was great to be in a pleasant small town (5,000 inhabitants) away from the hordes of tourists and the inherent commercialism. Yes, of course there is commercialism in Barra de Navidad as well since tourism has to be the biggest industry in town. Nevertheless the message about the beauty of this cute beach town does not seem to have gotten out yet to foreign tourists ...

... because he has been going to Mexico for quite a number of years. His words "you have to go to Melaque and Barra de Navidad if you go anywhere along the coast" were music to our ears because they were pointing us in a new direction. Come to think of it, a unique way to explore Mexico would be to talk extensively to the "locals" and based on these conversations plan your route. That would break the mould of looking at guidebooks ...

... ts parfois... Nous prenons cela au second degré le plus possible et avons de gros fous-rires parfois, on a l'impression d'avoir 5 ans c'est amusant! L'avantage c'est que la plage est immense et que je peux être seule lorsque les événements dépassent les bornes. Je ne sais pas quand j'aurai á nouveau un contact avec la civilisation, dites-vous que tout va bien en dépit d'anicroches parfois pesantes, á bientôt.

... they do on a normal Tuesday afternoon. We make a few odd turns and wonder how the heck to get back onto the main road. A friendly local man notices our confusion and points us in the right direction. "Centro?" he asks and points thataway. "Gracias," we reply with the wave of our hands as we head off in that direction. Back on track, we walk a little more, trying to avoid breathing the stench of dead, rotting flesh. Not fish like some of the ...