Here is what one of our recent guests wrote in an article about the “‘one of the best places to stay in the Mexican Riviera!’
http://www.therooster.ca/
Photo by John Early
Photo Op with the Virgin
I promised to let you know if anything interesting happens, and something happened today. Chrissi took me to the Virgin of Guadalupe Festival in the Cabo Corrientes county seat, El Tuito. It’s about an hour’s drive south from Puerto Vallarta, up the mountain and into the jungle. Here there were very few tourists. The Americanos we saw were mostly folks who live in Yelapa. El Tuito is famous for raicilla, the local mescal moonshine. I don’t think it is part of the Virgin of Gradalupe Festival, but at a certain time of the year there is a sophisticated event in El Tuito called “The rush for the raicilla”:
This event begins on a Saturday when men crowd into town and begin upending bottles raicilla around mid-day, without even bothering to sit down. For a given individual, this cannot last too long, so the fallen are continually replaced by fresh arrivals all weekend.
Caminando por la calle en El Tuito
If this happened today, we arrived too late. Also, we left too early for the parade, which Chrissi tells me features representatives from all the towns and villages in the county, as well as dancers and the occasional caballero. The streets are lined with vendors, but, for the most part, they are not selling items like fancy jewelry, trendy art or souvenirs. Instead, we saw vendors selling pots and pans, everyday clothing, inexpensive toys for children and school supplies. It seems to be a local festival for locals. It’s warm and sunny here. I am actually sitting by the pool, though not basking in the sun. But it’s a step in the right direction.
Nalu, Yelapa dog
Another pod of dolphins blessed us today in the cove. It was also a day of many Yelapa dogs, though I got no pictures. Yelapa dogs, in my experience, are a little different from other Mexican dogs I have encountered. They seem to be more friendly, and less wary of people. Maybe there is a friendlier attitude toward dogs by residents of Yelapa; maybe it is the infusion of Canadians and folks from the United States who “ooo” and “coo” over dogs and want to pet them. Or maybe, in this rather isolated location, it is a characteristic that has developed over the years. Dogs and cats are cared for here; there is a veterinarian in town, Pamela Rojas and often volunteers come here to help care for the domestic animal population. Dogs run free in Yelapa but I have never encountered a mean or dangerous one. Playa dogs are famous for making tourists feel special and loved – all for some tasty food scraps. There are many tales of remarkable Yelapa dogs. This one, for instance.
Manzano, the apple of our eye.
Maybe the dog of greatest legendary fame (though not for begging) was Nanu, who belonged to Isabel Jordan. Often Nanu would greet us when we first got off the panga at Playa Isabel, treat us like old friends while we were in Yelapa, and then be there to see us off with a howl of regret, when we left. There are quite a number of “famous” Yelapa dogs, the one I am most acquainted with being an extraordinary ridgeback by the name of Manzano, since our daughter Sarah and her partner Carlos adopted him. Manzano is legendary for his sophisticated, subtle gigolo talents. He is the only dog I know of who has been stolen more than once by those who just could not live without him. How he was recovered by stealth is another story best not told by me. If you have been to Yelapa and have a dog story I would love to hear it.
Good night from this place of quiet calm,
Steve
I woke up at 5:30 Thursday morning feeling peaceful and rested. Went down to the kitchen and made salsa Mexicana while I was waiting for the coffee to brew. It’s so quiet at this hour. The ocean is calm this morning. Gentle waves often mean a beautiful, clear day. Coffee mug in hand, I waited for the sun as I continued reading No Boundary
It was a busy day of cleaning palapas, getting ready for new guests arriving. I made two jaunts into the pueblo for supplies, which gave me the opportunity to enjoy the amazing views along the pathway. I was aware that there is the large view – the ocean, the jungle, the sky; but there are also many small views – plants growing from seemingly impossible places out of the rocks, a tiny two-inch humming bird feeding from a flower, crabs scurrying across the rocks – tiny dramas being played out everywhere.
Colorful sights today included not only many varieties of flowers, but dozens of clotheslines burdened with laundry, drying in the sun.
Animal sightings: besides the tiny humming bird, Chrissi spotted a pod of dolphins in the cove this morning, and the pelicans were in excellent form, displaying themselves on the bows of fishing boats and congregating on rock formations like old men on park benches, passing the time. Often we see pelicans in “squadrons,” flying in formation so close to the water that the tips of their wings actually skim the waves from time to time. The typical feeding pattern of these brown pelicans is to dive into the water from great heights to scoop up unsuspecting fish. It’s quite a spectacular sight. But with so many fishing boats nearby, our pelicans get lazy, just waiting for a free lunch from the fishermen.
More beautiful weather promised for tomorrow – sunny and in the 80s. What a way to spend January!
Steve
At 2:00 am the torrential rain stopped suddenly, which startled me awake. The music of Yelapa changed from rain on the roof to waves breaking on the beach. It wasn’t hard to go back to sleep.
Getting up early is a tradition for Chrissi and me in Yelapa. Sitting with our coffee and watching the sun come up is one of the quiet pleasures of this place. It’s lovely this morning, seeing the sun return after days of rain.
Whenever I come to Yelapa in the winter the first thing that strikes me is color. Being accustomed to bare trees and gray skies back home it is astonishing to be overwhelmed with lush green everywhere, as if I were inside a terrarium. What would be house plants where we come from, grow wild and huge here. The hue of the ocean changes hourly, from pink at dawn to pale blue to azure to indigo, and back again as evening comes. Chrissi is working busily, preparing for our guests. Warm rains returned in the afternoon. Our guests (a very sweet family) arrived before the rain and seem to be delighted with the place. They have rented all of El Jardin Retreat Center for a family reunion.
As I listen to the rain on the roof (yes, it came back for a while) and look across the cove at the mist-covered hills, the idea of a nap sounds inviting. Mom used to say, “If you have a lot to do it’s a good idea to get your nap out of the way first.” I’m heeding her wisdom this afternoon as I do most afternoons in Yelapa. Our hanging bed faces the cove and the main beach, about a mile away. Moored white boats dot the shoreline. A man is trying his luck fishing off the rocks. All this I can see from my bed as I drift off.
Animal sightings recently include a small boa who must have wiggled his way down from the jungle – which is our back yard, really. Last night I heard the slap of mantas leaping out of the water, for the fun of it, I like to think. It is whale season, but I haven’t seen any of these great creatures yet. Our partner Ann, who left Yelapa last week, had a close encounter with a whale on her return panga trip to Puerto Vallarta. So far we’ve had to content ourselves with the many birds, such as frigates, gulls, parrots and the ever-present pelicans, along with our two domestic cats, Blossom and Lola.
We may get thunder storms this evening! Always a great show.
Steve & Chrissi
We awoke to steady rain. It absolutely never rains here in January! We managed to find heavy plastic bags, protected all the food from the moisture, and drove the 15 miles of very bad road to the village of Boca de Tomatlan, where the road ends. We hired our Continue reading Rainy New Year’s Day trip to Yelapa
Chrissi and I are sitting on the patio of the Suites La Siesta in Puerto Vallarta, where we got a room for the night, since our condo has been booked for about ten months. New Year’s Eve is a pretty big holiday in these parts. We’re way up on a hill east of town, and our patio faces the ocean with the Zona Romantica in the foreground. Quite a nice place, and probably the last room in Puerto Vallarta on New Year’s Eve.
The trip was uneventful, though departing at six a.m. and going to Seattle first is not ideal. Once we arrived in PV we immediately went to Costco because we’re cooking for a family reunion in Yelapa all this week. It’s odd how Costco here has many of the same things, yet stuff you count on them carrying at home they have never heard of here. No cheddar cheese; no frozen spinach; no big bags of avocados. So we had to go to two or three stores to get our shopping list filled. After trying to find our hotel with no success we asked a motorcycle cop where it was and he gave us a police escort! Good thing, too! We never would have found this place. Traffic was crazy, since it was New Year’s Eve. No parking anywhere. Since our two-star hotel is at the top of a very steep hill we had to say a few prayers to make the grade. Finally, we checked into our “suite.”
I wanted to treat Chrissi to a special night out on the town so we went to the penthouse of the hotel to their fancy restaurant, which had a special menu for New Year’s Eve – about $150 USD per plate! We hobnobbed with the beautiful people, enjoyed the fabulous view and then we left because who can afford $300 for dinner?
So then we walked down to the malecon (boardwalk along the ocean) where all the regular people hang out. There were thousands of people meandering along. Parents with small children, many young people dressed to the nines, venders here and there selling lighted, blinking hair bows and tiaras for the kids, cotton candy, noisemakers, and of course drinks and food. We tried in vain to find a nice little café where we could have guacamole and a beer. So we walked WAY up the hill and enjoyed the view and the sounds of folks partying away. The fireworks were pretty nice, and only lasted about an hour. The music and partying stopped promptly at 6:00 a.m., but we slept like babies anyway.
