So there we were sitting around minding our own business when Kelly and Cheryl called up wanting to know if we would like to go on a driving adventure northwards. After a milisecond to consider it we said "yes!" and an hour later we were all packed up and out the door. The plan today is to head northwards along the coast and check out a number of deserted beaches north of Tenacatita, which is the last 'developed' beach between here and Punta Perula 1.5 hours north of here. I have a particular remembrance of Tenacatita, as it has a gorgeous calm beach where I got slam-dunked by a rogue wave 8 years ago and lost my glasses, causing me to imitate Mr. Mole for the next week until we got back to Canada. But I digress.
The first road we try is 9 km of slow rough road into a marvelous beach. At least we think it's a marvelous beach; it's now gated at about 4 km. Bummer, these things happen. The next beach is on a road leading into a little community called Arroyo Seco (dry stream) which is really quiet and pretty. Happily, there is a brand new powerline going into the community, as well as a shiny new paved road! Unhappily, the two groups don't appear to have been talking to each other much.
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| Wait. What? |
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| Remember the kids' ride at Super Valu? This is the Arroyo Seco version at the zocalo. |
Then the road carries on for about 1 km to a long beach with ca. 10 houses on it. If you walk north of the houses, however, there is a beautiful secluded beach with sea caves at the northern end. We make the trek to the caves, but it turns out the tide is just a WEE bit too high, and common sense dictates that we don't smash ourselves against the rocks in the heavy surf trying to get there. Oh well! It's all beautiful anyways.
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| Just another deserted beach in Mexico. |
Then it's off to check out the numerous other beaches on the way north, and it turns out that every single one of them is gated! Hmmmmn. Kelly and Cheryl are definitely disappointed as they wanted to show us a bunch of cool places, but we're having a great time anyway as riding in the back of an open jeep through the coastal jungle at 28 degrees is a bit of all right for us Canadians.
Eventually we get to Punta Perula, and Deb and I just happen to have good friends staying there so we decide to try to find them. Punta Perula is a small town on a stunning beach which is 90% long-stay Motor Home People. If you don't have an rv, there's basically no place to stay. We pull in at the first of about 40 rv parks, walk up to the first people we see, and it's our friends Rich and Evelyn from Genelle! They are parked beside a huge palapa right beside the beach, and have the place to themselves.
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| Steve and Deb with our good friends Rich and Evelyn |
Everyone has a marvelous 2-hour chatter whilst fighting off the heat and malaria with the local brews, and then it's time to wend our way home. 90 minutes later we're back at the villa, and it's definitely time for a cooling dip in the pool and Happy Hour; the end of another perfect day.
