Hi Everyone.
We are back from our 65-day adventure through Mexico, and boy, do we have stories to tell and memories to share.
We arrived at the Guadalajara airport on the 27th of December in time to celebrate the holidays Mexican style.
Our flight arrived at 8:30pm so not much happened this evening other than get settled in for a week before we do a house-sit for a friend for 3 weeks, more about that to come.
This trip, we left the RV at home as the rumors of road disrepair had us concerned about the amount of damage we would incur, whether we wanted to or not. As it turned out, most of the roads are driveable with care.
The speed bumps or Topas as they are called can be extreme
Many of the roads are made up of cobblestone and make for a rough ride on any vehicle.
One of our favorite breakfast restaurants was La Taramita.
This time of year it is cool in the mornings and again at night, so sweaters are a requirement.
On another dinner outing we traveled with friends to Rangers BBQ in El Salto Mexico.
This place was right out of a Texas movie.
Great food and the atmosphere was awesome, each table had a bag of peanuts no extra charge and you could just drop your shells on the floor,,,,CRAZY!!
Our hosts/friends for the 1st week of our adventure were John & Cindy, along with Trudy (John’s mom) and the pups Kira, Twitch and the newest addition, Lucy, a local rescue that is very nervous about new people until she gets to know you.
Next up was a trip to town in search of margarita mix, but I was treated to an unexpected video opportunity.
A ride through the town square before the New Year’s event.
Did you notice how people are dressed?
Hoodies, downfill jackets and even a parka were spotted in Mexico, believe it or not.!!
In this town called Ixtlahuacán de los Membrillos, at this time of year, temperatures can drop to as low as 5 degrees Celsius at night, and during the day it is a comfortable 20-25 degrees Celsius.
Great comfort food is available locally at Petros Pizza.
Another nice thing about this area is the wonderful restaurants, most of which are Mexican with American flair. It is not unusual to hear old-time rock and roll music as background music.
The purpose of our visit was to care for 2 loveable dogs named Winnie and Lalu for 3 weeks, 3 full weeks in the sun of Mexico.
A husky in Mexico??? yup and he loves the heat, but has a frustration issue.
During our time sitting with the doggos, we had the opportunity to venture about town.
A favourite eatery would have most people turning away at first glance however, this place is a true gem.
A newcomer to the region is Viollca cafe/pizzaria
Some really good pizza came out of these ovens.
A good friend invited us to a musical event at the old train station in Chapala
There is a garden next door that is truly glorious.
A free concert at the old train station in Chapala
after the concert we took a quick walk to a local roadside eatery
Yup, that’s a dirt floor, and the food was deliciously authentic.
A short drive from here is the Aijjic malecon ( boardwalk), and it was packed with people as a wine and chocolate festival was happening, and thanks to our friend Julie, we got to experience the event firsthand.
There was everything from eats to drinks and even some local mural art.
Our next stop was for a stroll through a cute little town called San Antonio.
Next up, Guadalajara via public transit, what an experience and alot of walking around town.
The day was filled with wonderful sights and sounds, leather craftsmen, vendors of all kinds and even some churches to say nothing about the security presence.
The best BBQ in Aijjic can be found at Amadore La Humador
All the meats are smoked right in front of you and done by the owner to ensure a constant level of quality.
Now’s the time to move on.
Off we went to Los Ayala a small fishing village about 5 hours drive from Ixtlahuacán_de_los_Membrillos.
This place is a diamond in the rough, small yet very vibrant in culture .
We stayed at a hotel that was for the most part a real mexican style location.
The rooms were very rough and dirty, lacking common amenities like a coffee maker or proper cooking utensils. The water from the tap is not potable, so one needs to purchase a jug of water from management. The pool was dirty, and over the whole week of our stay never cleaned.
The beds (yes, 3 of them ) were a mattress on a slab of raised concrete, and you could sleep 6 people to a room.
On the upside, there was a restaurant in the so-called lobby (more street side really) where you can have a delicious cup of coffee and a full-on American breakfast or daily special.
The beach was small but alive with children and others playing in the water.
Next up is Sayulita, about 30 minutes up the road and where our hosts had to head back home, leaving us to explore on our own.
Sayulita is a vibrant, bohemian surf town on Mexico’s Pacific coast in Riviera Nayarit, known for its laid-back, hippie-chic atmosphere, colourful streets, and sandy beaches. Popular with surfers and digital nomads, it offers a lively, walkable center, boutique shops, and intense, vibrant art from the local Huichol indigenous community.
This time our hotel was much more modern, with all the amenities, even a coffee maker and toaster.
This place was wonderful and clean, though the swimming pool was just cold enough to keep you out of the water, but it was cleaned daily.
There was plenty to do here, a vibrant beach and town full of interesting shops, restaurants and bars to keep you entertained.
One of our favourite places to spend an evening was the Sayulita Sandbar; they had it all. good food, great staff and entertainment nightly, we actually took part in a corn hole tournament one night.
The beach was beautiful and not crowed during the weekdays but the weekends it came alive with everything from vendors,surfers (young and old), musicians.
The main beaches in Sayulita are generally swimmable, with recent water quality monitoring confirming they are safe for recreation. However, the ocean can have strong shorebreak and riptides. The northern end of the main beach is often calmer for swimming, and cleaner water is found further out, such as at Playa Los Muertos.
look closely, the trees are alive,,,iguanas everywhere.
Roaming around town was full of intriguing things and places to eat.
The local mural art was amazing, and the smells were delicious.
After a week’s stay here in Sayulita, we are off to Bucerias for a 2-week rest in an all-inclusive hotel, the Grand Decameron.
This was our first time in Bucerias, and we must say it is a city and nowhere near as interesting as the smaller villages we have been visiting.
Bucerias is located only a few kilometres outside of Puerto Vallarta.
The hotel was a nice break from our adventures in the smaller villages, as it was an all-inclusive, so cooking and no cleaning the room.
The food was mostly buffet style and a wide selection could be had.
There were à la carte restaurants available if you were lucky enough to get a reservation. People start lining up at the registration desk as early as 6.30 am to make reservations for that night’s dinner, and it happens every morning.
Poolside and beach lounge chairs were extremely hard to get as guests would place belongings on them as early as 6 am, even though they are not permitted to do so.
The hotel would advise guests not to, but did nothing to enforce the rule.
The staff were awesome, friendly and always willing to assist with language challenges.
The beach was beautiful with soft sand and went on forever.
There were even a couple of beachside restaurants.
Each night, there was some sort of entertainment going on.
The wildlife was not only onstage, some could be found on the hotel grounds and hallways.
The end of our adventure came all too soon, but the sights out our airplane window at sunset were spectacular.
