Puerto Vallarta South
Saturday, 07 November 2009 20:54
While I was packing up to head out of Puerto Vallarta, I realized that somewhere along the way, I had lost my Mexican travel guide. That is the second book I've lost! Why can't I keep track of them? Before I lost the guide, I had picked my next destination, Tenacatiata. It's a small beach town a little over 100 miles south of PV. This is what Mexico is all about!
Relaxing at Tenacatita
Why did I spend two days in PV? Not that it is all bad, as I did meet some more x-pats and we talked about living in PV. But it was a sea of humanity. I'd rather wake up to this scene!
Tenacatita Beach Scene
Tenacatita Beach
My ride to Tenacatiata was uneventful. The scenery is a big change from earlier in the trip...
Road to Tenacatita
So, I jumped in the ocean, had a beer or two, took a shower (which didn’t help as I started sweating again minutes later) and decided to make a modification on the Beast.
I noticed that the current position of auxiliary fog light switch allowed my tankbag to hit it sometimes while riding and shut it off. Normally, this was not a problem, as in the US I didn’t feel compelled to have full luminosity when riding. However, here in Mexico (and I’m sure further south) I will need light! When I inspected the switch, I found that the small tool set I keep near the top of my “bike” pannier was not going to be enough. I needed my full kit. The problem was, it was packed at the bottom of the pannier.
Bike Pannier
I had almost decided that I’d postpone the repositioning until something else needed to be looked at, but then I remembered I could to this:
Bike Kit Opened
Orignionally, I considered not using the liners, as I think you can pack more efficiently without them, but now I’m glad I did. The liners saved me from unpacking everything just to get to the bottom.
My home for the night:
Tenacatita Hotel
That night, the beach was stunning, There was no one around, the town had gone to sleep and I had the place to myself
Tenacatita at Night
Met another x-pat in the morning who had been living in the area for 20 something years. He had been through South America, so we talked about it for a while. As I finished packing, he wished me luck and told me that the roads get worse the farther south you go. I set my sights for a place called Playa Azul, just north of Ixtapa. Without my guide book and no internet, I had to hope for the best! After working my way through Manzanillo, I found a place at La Brisa (about 75 miles short of Ixtapa) to spend the night. There is so much to see here that I am not making the miles I expected to.
Hotel Brisas Verano
There is only one other guest at the hotel, so I had the place pretty much to myself. I did have to share the beach with these guys though:
I’ve adopted an end-of-the-day routine that goes like this: first, find a place that looks safe for the bike and then check the price; after settling on a hotel, jump into the shower, change into something comfortable, and rinse out riding gear; then set out to find a beer and something to eat.
Drying the Riding Gear
Man, it's hot and humid down here! When I was growing up, I was taught that heading to the sauna at least once a week was healthy. You know, it helps to let the pores open up a bit or something. I guess I must be one healthy guy down here... with all this sweating in full riding gear. My parent's would be proud! The heat starts early in the morning and hangs around into the night. I’d thought I was the only one having trouble with it until I learned from a local that this is one of the hottest Novembers he could remember.
Next stop, Zihuatanejo!