Posted by whalerho | Posted in Uncategorized | Posted on 03-03-2009
Boca de Iguanas (BdI) is an ecologically-progressive resort community along the “Costalegre” in the state of Jalisco. Surrounded by jungle vegetation and strikingly beautiful, this bay is amazing with its fine sand beaches and gentle waves. BdI was my very favorite beach thus far in Mexico. It was so peaceful and when you see the pictures, you too will understand its beauty.
When we walked over the little makeshift bridge to the beach, we saw a sign that read, (in Spanish) “Watch out for the crocodiles!” We looked just behind the sign and there, sitting peacefully on a log, was a crocodile. They weren’t kidding! The kids were so excited and even us adults were happy to claim we had seen a wild crocodile a mere 10 feet for us!
BdI has a small resort on the beach which is beautiful, simple and luxurious. We ate at their airy little outdoor restaurant, upstairs under a big palapa. Because we had lunch at the resort, we were able to use their lovely pool and sit under their beach umbrellas. What a feeling of simple pleasure and relaxation. We can’t wait to come to this beach again!
Posted by whalerho | Posted in Uncategorized | Posted on 10-02-2009
After we finished school at noon, we all took off for the much touted “Tenacatita Beach”, about 30 minutes north of Melaque. We arrived to find a beautiful beach full of little restaurants in the sand. The cove was smaller than Melaque’s and the beach was very calm. Out in the distance were mountains which added to the calmness of the water. Andrew and Helen took off snorkeling while Ken went off to fish. The girls went running into the warm blue water and I sat, IPOD and book in hand, under a huge palapa, just taking in the beautiful view. When Andrew and Helen returned from their snorkeling expedition, they were full of stories of rays, colorful fish and coral. I went for a walk which turned out to be my favorite beach walk so far. I couldn’t help taking pictures of the amazing scenery. I found this beach to be much more peaceful than Melaque as there were few houses and just as few people.
On our way back, we stopped at a distillery for “Raicilla”, an alcohol naturally derived from the heart of the agave plant. We learned so much about the simple, almost caveman-like process and then visited the lovely “tasting room”. Oh boy, does this drink punch a wallop!! You get a little buzz from a mere sip!! We bought a bottle of the concoction (US$30) and we plan to have a lot of fun finding recipes for it!
All in all, a day well spent! We can’t wait to return to this paradise on the bay.
Posted by whalerho | Posted in Uncategorized | Posted on 07-02-2009
Barra de Navidad is a 15 minute walk along the beach from Melaque. It is a more upscale town than Melaque due to its proximity to the “Grand Bay Hotel”. Check out the hotel’s website at: http://islanavidad.com.mx/ It trumps any hotel I have visited so far in my life. We took a small panga book to the dock of the hotel and then walked along the paths around the hotel. The marina is home to million dollar yachts and security was evident.
We toured the lobby (over the top with the marble and fresh flowers) and then the kids decided it was time to hit the pool. The pool was actually a series of pools joined by beautiful waterfalls and small slides through little tunnels. It was the most beautiful pool I have ever seen and the kids were anxious to jump in! Just as the kids were preparing to get in the pool, we were greeted by a man who resembled someone from the Love Boat show. He told us it would cost US$20 per person to use the pool. What?? Are you kidding me? We decided to save the $180 (the off season price to stay at the hotel for the night) and take the panga boat back to Barra Navidad for lunch. Happy we made such a wise financial decision, we had a wonderful lunch on the beach which included a few cervecas!
The beach at Barra de Navidad is geared towards surfing and Andrew was anxious to give the waves a ride! He jumped on the $50 surf board Ken bought in California (gotta love Craig’s list) and took off. Not long after being in the water, he stepped on what might have been coral and got a nice size gash in his big toe and was marooned the rest of the day. Poor guy!
After a couple hours of hanging out on the beach, we went into the heart of the town for the 2nd annual Chili Cook Off! YUMMY!! There were about 20 different chili chefs, all vying for our attention! We also had some great salsa, chili dogs, margaritas and more cervecas! Boy, sure does seem like we eat and drink alot! Admittedly, we do enjoy the food and beverages of Mexico!
Andrew entered a raffle for a small kayak so Ken and Andrew stayed at the Cook Off, awaiting the results. After they found out they were losers, Ken and Andrew decided to ease their pain and go out for a “Taco Crawl.” This is such a guy thing! They went to three different vendors, having two tacos at each place. The big rule was that you had to try different meats and you were allowed to repeat. They had a couple tacos of unknown origin (don’t even want to think of what it was) and came back, stomachs full to the brim!
Fun day in the sun!
Posted by whalerho | Posted in Uncategorized | Posted on 06-02-2009
After a big city stop in Puerto Vallarta, we were looking forward to our next destination in the sleepy beach town of Melaque. Whenever we told people we were heading to Melaque, they exclaimed, “Oh Melaque. You will love it!” Our drive was 120 miles but took more than 5 hours as we could only go about 35 MPH along the curvy mountain roads. It was tricky maneuvering our big rig through the tight cobblestone and dirt streets of Melaque but we managed! We reached Melaque in time to hook up and relax for lunch.
The best thing about Melaque is its location. We have a wonderful beach in back of us and a huge lagoon in front of us. We are on a peninsula of sorts and it is heaven. The lagoon is home to many crocodile and lots of iguana. In the near distance are groves of coconut and palm trees and in the far distance are mountains. Andrew and Ken went fishing and caught a “jack crevalle” (never heard of the guy) and we enjoyed it for dinner.
When we arrived, Andrew’s 13th birthday was the following day so we were preparing quickly for his emergence into teenage-dom. (YIKES!) Many of his requests for this special day included food (he is such a foodie!) and we had a fun hamburger BBQ on the beach with our Canadian friends too. When in Mexico, it is absolutely imperative you have a pinata for any celebration (at least that’s what everyone told us) so we felt obliged to follow the suggestion. In the late afternoon, we took the big honking pinata to the pool area, loaded it with candy (much of which turned out to be quite strange tasting), put a blindfold on the birthday boy and let him go for it. Roch held onto the heavy thing and kept it moving, just to keep Andrew on his toes. Finally, he hit it just right and the candy flowed. A little Mexican girl ran over and started helping herself. It was pretty funny!
For Andrew’s special b’day dinner, our family went to the “Salamander” which is an outdoor restaurant in the middle of a tree filled courtyard. The tall trees were lite up by small white lights and we were serenaded by two Mexican musicians. The kids and I even did a bit of dancing to the melodic music. Our dinners were superb and Andrew’s special b’day dessert (candle and all) was quite special.
The RV Park ( Laguna Del Tule ) is walking distance to the town of Melaque. There are many wonderful little restaurants and a lot of great street side taco and tamale vendors. There is a little store just outside our RV park that has almost everything you could need in a pinch, including french bread made daily. We’ve made it a habit of getting a few rolls first thing in the morning for breakfast. The shopkeeper also make tacos every few nights. At about 7PM, people come to the street outside our RV park, glass of wine in hand, and enjoy her homemade tacos. We plan to do this one night soon!
That’s it for now. . .Ken is making appetizers of pablamo peppers, plantain bananas and melted cheese to celebrate the end of our school week!! Adios!
Posted by whalerho | Posted in Uncategorized | Posted on 29-01-2009
We finally arrived at Tacho’s RV park in Puerto Vallarta. Tachos is in the HEART of PV which makes the city very accessible. The RV park was packed. We parked on a concrete slap, side by side with our Canadian friends and we had four big Class As facing us from both sides. Cozy!! They did have an awesome pool and we could walk to Wal mart and Sams Club so I suppose that’s a plus!
The next day, we drove into Puerto Vallarta. What a city! It was packed with tourists and many were of a different orientation. (Get my hint?) We loved the cathedral! We walked along the Isle Rio Cuale in the morning before all the shops opened and then again when it was a buzz with activity. We strolled along the Malecon (beach front walking path) and had a wonderful lunch. It was really fun and we were exhausted when we got back. On our way back to the RV park, an older man stepped off the curb RIGHT IN FRONT OF OUR VAN. I still can’t believe we didn’t hit the dude! Ken has such good reflexes. If someone had been in the lane next to us, it would not have been pretty. Just another day in Mexico!!
Posted by whalerho | Posted in Uncategorized | Posted on 25-01-2009
After sadly waving good bye to our friends at Celestino, we departed for our next destination Puerto Vallarta. I have heard so much about this wonderful city and I was so excited to get to finally see it. We made very good time and stopped for lunch at a Pemex parking lot – Mexico’s government owned gasoline stations. They are all very clean and well patrolled.
We reached a town along route 200 at about 12:30 and were told by a police man we might encounter a delay ahead on route 200. He suggested we consider going BACK and taking the route to Puerto Vallarta via San Blas. This option didn’t sound so great as it was an hour and a half back to the road to San Blas. So, we trudged forward optimistically. Our Canadian friends, Helen and Roch, were following us and there was NO shoulder. Ken made his way along a sharp curve and the van tire caught and started to flip, bringing our RV over to an angle as well. He was able to right both the van and RV as we veered far into oncoming traffic. Thank GOD no vehicle was coming and he was able to get us back straight and on our way. Meanwhile, Helene and Roch saw the whole thing and were quite sure we would flip. Instead, they flipped out and then had to calm themselves down. Must have looked quite scary from behind!
We ventured forth awaiting this “delay” which we finally encountered at KM 35 -the way we measure all routes in Mexico is by kilometer markings. We saw a back up of about 20 vehicles up ahead so Ken decided to park in a large dirt pull out and Roch followed. Ken and Roch walked up to the start of the delay and were told by a police man that a tanker flipped over and the road would be closed for another 1 to 2 hours. No problem, we think, because if we left by 4:30, we would still travel the curvy road up ahead in the light of day. Well, we kept checking as MORE and MORE cars, RVs, trucks etc kept piling up on the road. At 4:30, the police man said it would be another ONE to TWO hours. Just tell us the TRUTH buddy!! We decided it was not safe to take off that night so we decided to CAMP along the side of the road in the DARK. Another RV joined us, from Austria no less! We decided to make the best of the situation and pulled our chairs out, drank beers and margaritas and watched the kids dance to the Macarana!! It was hilarious! FINALLY, at 8PM, a police man with a loud speaker drove down the hill, behind it a tow truck with the big tanker truck attached. Then the traffic started moving, everyone except for us. We weren’t about to take off for the dangerous road ahead in the pitch darkness of night. So, there we camped. Us and the two other RVs. You can imagine how LONG the night was as we heard many odd sounds all night and wondered the origin. Most of the time it was the cows nearby but you never knew!!
We woke up at 6AM (the adults really didn’t sleep) and we were greeted by a man on a horse. A shoe in for Juan Valdez and it appeared he was bringing us coffee. Not really but he sure did look like Juan!! We took off after the huge fog lifted, once again hoping to reach our next destination, Puerto Vallarta.
Posted by whalerho | Posted in Uncategorized | Posted on 24-01-2009
We stayed at Celestino RV park for five weeks and really got to know a great group of people. Never have we visited a friendlier RV park and we doubt we will ever again. It was unique and special. The people we met will remain in our hearts forever and we hope to see them again one day on the road! We also plan to see some on them en route to Alaska this summer!
Our last night in Celestino included dinner out at a Chinese restaurant in La Cruz with much of the group we have camped alongside for the 35 days which included the holiday season. (By the way, Chinese food in Mexico is quite good!) It was wonderful to chat with the people we have grown so fond of during our stay. It was also quite emotional as we REALLY like this group and we will miss them terribly!! We departed the next morning at 7AM en route for Puerto Vallarta, while our friends waved us a final farewell. Very sweet!
Posted by whalerho | Posted in Uncategorized | Posted on 17-01-2009
While our RV park was in the boonies (much to our delight), the town of La Cruz was just a 15 minute drive and had everything we needed. We made frequent trips to “MZ” (the market in town) and loaded up on huge papayas, bananas, tomatoes, fresh tortillas and other staples. We found the best way to buy milk is to get it boxed in the dry section of the store. We made the mistake of buying cold “fresh” milk one day and not checking the expiration date. It was SIX weeks past due and, while it surprisingly did not smell sour, it tasted awful according to my taste tester Nikki.
Our favorite lunch joint was “Cocina Economica Stefany”. (Economical kitchen of Stefany). It was fantastic and oh so cheap. We all ate for a mere $11 and enjoyed every bite of our short ribs and tostadas. Mexico is full of these little economical eateries and they are all touted as being very yummy with wonderful Mexican moms cooking in the colorful small kitchens.
Posted by whalerho | Posted in Uncategorized | Posted on 15-01-2009
Celestino is a very small town and an interesting one to explore on bike. The town is home to a small church, an elementary school, a high school, lots of small one room stores selling basic necessities and two fun seafood restaurants. We brought home ceviche from one of the restaurants and it was absolutely delicious as were the fresh coconuts.
After a month in Celestino, our Canadian friends joined us and we all couldn’t have been be happier. They are a great family and we are so pleased to have them join us in Mexico. We spent many evenings watching the sunset with them as well as watching the kids swim and boggy board.
Not far down the road from our campground was a holistic health resort. The folks from campground visited the restaurant one afternoon for a vegetarian lunch. We also met the family who owned the resort. We found out they had three children who were home schooled. They had two young boys (Manuel and William) and a nine year old girl, Sarah, who spoke English quite well. Our kids really enjoyed playing with this wonderful bunch and we enjoyed talking with the parents, Teresita and John. Later in the week, the couple invited us to dinner by campfire. It was a wonderful evening which also included watching the waves glow with the florescent “red tide” effects. Beautiful!
Posted by whalerho | Posted in Uncategorized | Posted on 13-01-2009
We ventured up the mountains one morning and visited the wonderful town of San Ignacio. We feel in love with the narrow cobblestone streets, the cathedral and the town plaza. It was a hot day and we found a small little restaurant to have a yummy lunch of the local cuisine. So many furry and endearing dogs and cats roam the streets of Mexico. I haven’t seen one yet that I wouldn’t like to take home with us. We decided to take a picture of each of our furry friends and include them in our upcoming “doggies and kitty cats of Mexico” section. Keep an eye out of it!
![Andrew \"Nemo\" Miura](https://miura-adventure.com/wp-content/gallery/tenacatita/tenacatita-47_.jpg "Andrew \\"Nemo\\" Miura")
![Look at all the \"dingies\"](https://miura-adventure.com/wp-content/gallery/barra/barra-25_.jpg "Look at all the \\"dingies\\"")
![\"Laxing\" on the beach](https://miura-adventure.com/wp-content/gallery/barra/barra-19_.jpg "\\"Laxing\\" on the beach")
![Andrew\'s birthday dinner at the \"Salamander\"](https://miura-adventure.com/wp-content/gallery/melaque/melaque-102_.jpg "Andrew\'s birthday dinner at the \\"Salamander\\"")
