We left Mazatlan the day after Christmas for a leg of our travels we'd been looking forward to. We would finally be leaving the Hwy. 15 corridor and for the remainder of our southbound route will follow close to the coast on Mexico's Hwy. 200. Just as Hwy. 1 runs along the US West Coast, this two-lane highway twists and winds it way south along 1,300 miles of rugged coastline from the city of Tepic to the Guatamalan border. We will only be going about 525 miles to Zihuatanejo...this time. We were headed for a campground about one hour north of Puerto Vallarta but decided to interupt the six-hour drive with a two-night stay at Playa Amor. Our main reason for choosing this stop is its proximity to San Blas, a small town we'd loved during our 2000 visit. This is the town that inspired Longfellow's poem "The Bells of San Blas".
Here's a link to the poem:
The 20-site Playa Amor campground, is very nice, perched on a small bluff. We'd read in our camping guide to beware of parking too close to the bluff because of erotion but upon arrival we discovered the owner has reinforced the bluff with a very attractive seawall with large boulders at its base to take the brunt of the ocean waves. The sandy beach is hidden at high tide as the water laps at the seawall. The campground is at the south end of a little village called Aticama. Once settled, we drove back to a little restaurant for lunch; another great deal: 2 full shrimp meals and drinks for less than $15.
Shrimp Diablo--Spicy and Yummy!!!
Because of the huge estuary system located near San Blas, the area is known for "no-see-ums", very small biting nats. Luckily we had very little problem, especially if we were inside at sunset. We spent most of a day in San Blas and like most small Mexican towns, the plaza is the heart of all activities. John had been looking for a barber shop when we noticed a sign in the center of the plaza advertising free haircuts. The stylist was using an electric razor on the patrons and there were several people waiting when we passed by. We didn't have the scooter with us so decided to only explore the few blocks around the plaza. We found a taco stand for a delicious lunch and sat on a shady corner just to people watch. When we arrived back to the central plaza we enjoyed an ice cream cone and John decided to get a haircut. He explained to her he wanted the same existing style just shorter but he got a little nervous when she came toward him with the electric razor. As John puts it: "Last time I got my haircut like this was when I was in the Army: high and tight." He's not thrilled with the cut but I think he looks great! (Look for a picture of John's new "do" in the next chapter.) The free haircuts were part of a public relations campaign by a local politician to thank people for voting for him. Even though we obviously are not voters here, after the hair cut we were asked to sign our name in a notebook, including where we lived. Ahh, politics....We "tipped" her $50 pesos and we on our way...
San Blas has a population of about 15,000 so its public market is not huge. Most public markets are like indoor swapmeets--kind of dark with isles of small booths selling various goods but here was unusual in that it was very light and bright inside with a large food service counter in the center. Very colorful!
During the holidays, Christmas/New Years and Easter especially, many Mexican families come to the coast for vacations. Tent camping is very popular and there are lots of small hotels everywhere. I had a fun time playing with a 7-year-old Mexican girl named Naomi at the campground. She was greatly entertained by throwing the Frisbee for Gracie, she giggled with amazment as Gracie kept bringing it back to her. I had a hard time understanding her Spanish but we did manage to exchange small conversation and I gave her a box of Crayolas and a coloring book.
Click here for more pictures of San Blas:
http://picasaweb.google.com/dealegria1961/GoingToAndTouringSanBlas#
Click here for pictures of the Amor campground:
http://picasaweb.google.com/dealegria1961/PlayaAmorCampground#
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