Day 0 of this trip started with an early wake up in Seattle, and a 4+ hour flight to Puerto Vallarta. After clearing immigration and the red light system at customs (we got green, so we're 2 of 2 this year in smuggling stuff across international borders), the big challenge awaited . . . could we find the guy that Amy thought she might have arranged to pick us up at the airport? The taxi company never verified anything, so we didn't know what to expect. As it turns out, Fidel was waiting with a big sign for Curtis and an ice chest with beer in the back of his suburban.
Sayulita is about 30ish miles north of the PV airport, we stopped at the super mercado, both Curtis and Amy secretly hoped for chaos in the store, so Jared would get a proper feel for being in a new country. Success on one front, it was certainly a new experience . . .this super mercado was something you might expect to see in West Berlin, bright lights, fancy music, and a selection that would rival any grocery store in the States. Chaos was no where to be found.
Fidel safely delivered us to our door step and the owners greeted us with smiles and got us settled into our new digs.
We had the penthouse area, all open air, with two beds, a kitchen and nice area to hang out in and observe the jungle canopy. Thankfully, the owners pointed one of these guys out to us, otherwise, it would have been quite a shock to look out at the jungle and see one of these staring back at you from 15 feet away.
We made it to Don Pedro's on the beach in time for the second quarter of the big game, a packed house with cold beers and ample HD screens, oh, and the Pacific Ocean about 100 feet away.
We awoke for our first day, or rather, one of us (CW) awoke, the other two of us had been up for some time. Between the birds, dogs, roosters and other critters, it was sleep depriving loud in our little abode amongst the trees.
The main reason to come to Sayulita is the weather and the beach . . . upper 70's on both fronts. After a quick exploratory mission, Wilson deemed these waves suitable for his vast skills.
There he is, the ultimate Land Shark. Jared looked on in amusement, and could barely contain his laughter when Wilson started to explain the ins and outs of surfing. What's the old saying . . . "Those that can't, teach."
A funny thing happened on this Monday in Mexico, the Old Man actually surfed. He never strayed far from the "little kids" waves, but he did manage to stand up and ride those waves. Meanwhile, Jared had his first ocean experience. After testing the power of the waves, he deemed himself ready for a boogie board.
The only serious injury of the day happened in town when Amy slipped and fell while negotiating one of the several construction sites. Apparently, Sayulita has been named one of ten "Magic Cities" in Mexico, and with that honor, a town gets all new roads, curbs, and sidewalks. One must be careful when walking. In reality, that's about the only dangerous thing about this part of Mexico.
In the afternoon, we ventured overland to La Playa Muerte, the beach of the dead . . .a scary place, nope, a nice secluded beach adjacent to a cemetery.
Our bungalow is oriented with great views of the jungle and the town, Jared snuck a look out the back side and found this.
With the sun beyond the western horizon, it was now time for our new favorite pastime . . . taco shopping. We've been grazing from taco stand to taco stand. Jared and Amy found this place during halftime of the Super Bowl and promised to return with The Old Man.
The guy in the green shirt is wearing an Expos hat, Wilson loses his bet on whether or not he's the only guy in Mexico with that kind of hat. Lalo took this picture, and what a treat it was to meet him. We garnered excellent local knowledge and he even managed to engage Jared in conversation of getting a job.
After our first round of tacos, it was out and about for a wild and crazy night on the town.
And of course, the obligatory, "It's legal for me to order and drink a beer here" photo. If any grandparents are reading this, that is a root beer.
No comments:
Post a Comment