DeutschMexico/Los Mochis Active vacation 2005
11-22 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.
November 24-26 Mexico/Manzanillo Active vacation >
<
November 17 Mexico/Puerto Vallarta Active vacation 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.
