March 20 – 24: Passing through and beyond P.V. (Puerto Vallarta)

March 20: In early morning (8am), we left the beaches north of P.V.  We drove along the ocean south of P.V to a short road east off the coastal highway… basically beyond any tourist destination.  This unique stop was recommended to us by Denis and Renee from Quebec.   We camped by a federal dam that was guarded by a government officer.   The dam was at the end of a very large lake that had many small islands.  The officer was kind enough to allow us to stay there for one night. 

That afternoon, we went on an adventure and walked down the road along the lake to a small family restaurant. We wanted to ask about a guided fishing

 

 

 

 

 

trip.  It was a very comical experience trying to communicate our request as the family spoke very little English and we spoke very little Spanish.   It was definitely one of many moments we’ve had when we have wished we’d taken Spanish lessons prior to coming to Mexico.   This always becomes more evident as we venture into small villages or towns.  Our little translation dictionary was almost thrown into the lake as it didn’t help us much.  Sign language, charades  and a similar version of pictionary eventually helped us understand each other.  Both families laughed constantly.  Oh, the joy of communicating in laughter.

In the end, the family at this restaurant was very kind as their 20 year old son, Carlos, was able to take us on a 2 hour boat/fishing trip around the lake.  The lake was high as some parts of the islands trees were in water.    We did see some farm animals but no fish.  As much as we tried, we did caught “nada”, nothing, zilch!!!  I guess fish do not bite in the middle of the afternoon with the hot sun beating down and inexperienced fisherman are tossing their lures.  Fortunately, Maria, Carlos’ mother cooked us up the catch of the day and we ate it with tortillas, vegetables and of course a few  Corona’s.    The family was very kind as it will be a moment to remember. 

It was a quiet night for sleeping as we were alone along the damn. Trae woke Carrie up in the middle of the night and showed her the stars from his window.  Carrie says she has never seen so many as they filled the sky from horizon to horizon.  Why Trae is up in the middle of the night viewing stars is a wonder in itself. 

March 21: The following morning we drove to a little magical place, called Tenacatita.  CLICK ON PHOTO! We drove onto the beach to camp along this very small peninsula just steps away from town.  This place is absolutely paradise  as you are able to view both the sunrise and sunset from your campsite! The area is free camping on a point with 3 large hills and massive rocks in the ocean.  SIDE NOTE: Liz, we did meet Chewy & Tequilla and offered $100 pesos for our stay.  He obliged, but we did not seem him again. Seems that the RV season is winding down. 

As for paradise, one side of the beach faces east, from where you can watch the sunrise and the other side faces west where you can watch the amazingly beautiful sunsets.   There is a small coral reef just off the east facing beach where we tried snorkelling, but unfortunately the waves were unusually big.  This caused the water to be murky so we could only see a few small fish.  Of course, paradise also comes with stingrays and scorpions but fortunately we did not meet any.  We had 2 neighbouring gringos who both have been camping every year on the same beach for over 20 years.  They told us that a month ago the beach was filled with over 20 R.Vers. They both were a wealth of knowledge and were very kind. At first we planned on staying for 1 night, but ended up staying for 3 nights.   We would of liked to stay longer, however we needed to empty our trailer waste water and recharge the trailer batteries.   We tried our solar panel for the first time, but had a problem. 

 

Our days here seem to flow by quickly as we spent the days touring,    hiking, snorkelling and Trevor biking.  The area is a location that is hard to beat for beauty and serenity.     It’s hard to believe a developer hasn’t built it up…..yet. 

March 24: From Tenacatita we travelled down the road just 30km, to Melaque.    This is a larger beach destination, popular with R.Vers and Mexican tourists.  After 4 nights of dry camping in Tenacatita, our holding tanks were literally bursting as we drove down the highway (too much information).  Slightly comical but mostly utterly disgusting.  We were glad that we didn’t have to go far to hook up to the facilities at the next R.V. park.  The one we chose is called La Playa R.V. which is right on the beach and also right downtown.  The beach area is popular with boogie boarders as the waves are large and crash in hard to the shore.  We all enjoyed watching them as the sun set.  

For dinner, we went out into the streets of Melaque and enjoyed eating at a Taco stand.  For the family, we had 5 quesadillas, 3 chicken tacos, 3 beverages for a total cost of 88 pesos (about $7 cdn)! We then toured downtown as it truly comes alive.  A small circus was set up with street vendors.   Mexican music was being played loudly as you tried to hear the town church bells ringing above the Mariachi CD.   

We will leave again tomorrow morning as we drive off to Colima.  This area has two large volcanoes that we hope to explore.  We will keep you posted.