11-12 Two months on the Road - La Manzanilla
Sweat drips from our eyes and elbows 20 minutes after getting on the bike.
One day we race the traffic over the cobblestones through Puerto Vallarta -
then climb up, out and over coastal jungle mountains to Boca de Tomatlan.
This little village serves Puerto Vallarta tourists with water taxis to
Yalapa and other water attractions. Art spied a couple of inner tubes and
we borrowed them from the Mexican family, walked up river and floated down.
New bruises on my behind. I couldn´t get myself up quick enough as we ran
the rapids!
We arranged for the strangest accommodation since beginning this
journey: a room shared with ¨raquel¨a very elderly lady in a wheel chair
who presided regally over a never ending flow of visitors. The room was
AUWFUL and $25 p/n besides!! We supplied all of our own bedding and bath
supplies because everything was filthy! So glad to get up with the stray
cat who got into our room during the night and leave the next morning.
The climb was 28K (17M) of UP! Lush, gorgeous and exhilarating. After
3.5 hours we called it quits in a little Mexican pueblo where we hung out at
the hotel pool ($30 p7n) and wandered into the town of Tuito for some of the
best pork tacos on earth.
99K (61M) downhill into Punta Perula in about the same 3.5 hours it
took for the 28K the day before! We sailed!! Punta Perula is not on any
maps we have. We found a trailer park because of a cue sheet given to us by
an RV´r in Mazatlan. Tomorrow we ended in a place that was not on the map,
either: La Manzanilla.
The riding since Puerto Vallarta has been absolutely beautiful! We
climbed through jungle foliage - tillansias and bromeliads blooming in the
trees, vines, some flowering, clamoring over everything. We climbed into
ranch land, up into pine trees and then down into back bays and agricultural
valleys! Palms dot the scenery, along with a large cacti or two - Amazing!
We ended up here in La Manzanilla because we were worn out, looking for
a coke )Art) and Gatorade (Judee) and a few minutes off the bike. We are
both exhausted, sore, and hungry. Art´s ribs are so sore from the fall her
isn´t sleeping. My back and hips are in pain from the fall, my butt from
the rapids and from the biking. We are both pretty skinny and are thinking
we haven´t been eating enough.
After a night in the hotel, we joined a lady and her young son for
breakfast and her sister rides up on her bike.. She lives here fro the
winter. We learn the Norma (the sister) knows of a room with kitchen and
bath available for a week ($90) and takes us up the 100 stairs to gawk in
awe at the most spectacular view of the little town and cove below! We take
it!
The masseuse comes in the morning to give Judee a massage on the palapa
covered deck with the bird´s eye view of the beach and jungle covered hills
enveloping us. The only drawback is hauling all the beer and groceries up
the 100 stairs!! Small price to pay for this tiny bit of paradise.
11-17 photos
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Wires - bad hair day in Puerta Vallerta |
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Judee on Malcon |
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Art & Judee in Puerto Vallarta
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11-24 Happy Thanksgiving. We are smiling as we sit and read, looking out
over the gorgeous bay, mountains, rocks, islands, fishing boats and a
wonderful breeze to temper the hot 2pm-4pm siesta time of relaxing.
This morning we took off to explore the town on foot....viewing all the
new houses being built and had a chance to visit the house below ours. A
Canadian (Greg and his wife, Pam) have a beautiful home: all ceramic tile,
palapa roofs in places, open to the outdoors everywhere, with paintings on
the walls done by a local artist, the walls drenched in bright colors of
pinks, oranges, blues and purples with wood accents.
11-25 Seen today: Crocodiles, Iguana, Cotamundi with two babies, huge
termite nests in trees, yellow and block bird, woodpeckers, hummingbirds,
parrots, San Blas Jays (amazing teal-backs) and 1,000 butterflies (all at
one time).
11-26 Saturday. Our big sea adventure...we are going sea kayaking and
snorkeling in the bay. We start with learning kayaking skills, how to
adjust our life vests, get in and out of the tandem kayak with a foot
activated rudder, how to paddle and to launch and land the boat in waves so
we won´t capsize. Another couple joined us with Paco (biologist) and
Santiago as our guides. The trip out, Judee and I had to coordinate our
efforts and use our newly taught skills to reach the first set of off-shore
rocks to view brown footed boobies, pelicans and frigit birds. Three miles
paddle we land on the beach where we get into our wet suits and snorkeling
gear and swim 150 yards out to the reef. What an experience! Schools of
fish, neon blue, yellow, black, brown spotted and rainbowed. We would float
over the reef and dive to explore the canyon walls of corals bright purple,
yellow, pink and green sea forms. It was a dream come true for me - even
with my near sighted vision I could enjoy all the activityy. Paco the
biologist told us of the land management plan they are working on to share
with the powers that be to help them decide how to guide the development of
this wonderful coastal area. Even with the wet suits we got cold and numb
within about an hour, so we swam back to the beach for hot coffee and banana
muffins and slices of fresh pineapple. What a taste treat and warmer upper
it was! The tip out was very calm; the trip home we had rollers and swells
and small waves to land in. I was a little spooked about beaching but we
did fine ...all in all, a very outstanding experience!
