Busy Week at the RV Park

Here's some photos from our big fish fry and our chili cookoff. Plus, a bonus photo of Northie serving chili to Leon Russell.

And last, but not least.....Chacala

This was our last overnight stop on the Guadalajara whirlwind tour. We did all of our sight seeking, all of our shopping, all of our hiking, all of our "touristy" hard work at the front end of our road trip. That is why this sleepy, charming little beach town was such a treat for our bodies, our minds and our souls. We arrived in time for breakfast on the beach and after checking into our hotel, we had lunch on the beach. We spent the afternoon laying around on the beach until we had a beautiful happy hour and dinner.....on the beach. You can tell by the photos that the beach was pretty inviting.

The whole town was as long as the beach - an easy stroll from one end to the other. We found a great cafe that served up a wonderful desert one night and the best lil breakfast before leaving in the morning.

Chacala is tied for first place in my mind and in my heart for highlights of the road trip. It was just what I was needing after the big city, the city buses, the city noises, the city air, the city EVERYTHING. Off the beaten path, but it is on our list for another visit.

Last thoughts about the Guadalajara road trip. They say one picture is worth a thousand words, and we have so many beautiful photos that we've been sharing with you. Thanks to Hal. But there are a few images that were not captured and that are worth sharing anyway. For example: on the way back home, the pot holes in the road were not filled in - instead, they were outlined in white paint so you could see them coming up. This made me laugh every time I saw one. I also wish I had a photo of the little elder who greeted us when we got off the bus in Guadalajara for the first time. And then, the grandpa and the kid - singing and playing the guitar on the bus ride from Guadalajara to Teuchitlan. Dolphins and whales in Puerto Vallarta. Bicycles on the streets in Guadalajara waiting for the light to change. The best barrista spanish teacher in Guadalajara.

Puerto Vallarta!

The road trip from Guadalajara (5,000 ft) to Puerto Vallarta (sea level) was so beautiful. Going through the mountains is always inspiring, but this time it really captured my heart. We made a bit of a detour to Sayulita - a little surfing town we loved so much from 2 years ago. We got to have some lovely beach time there. And revisit some of our favorite places (this is the town where we snuck into a hotel to watch the inauguration of Obama).

But the big highlight for me was being back in Puerto Vallarta - this is tied for first place BEST of the whole road trip. We actually stopped at the RV park where we lived for 6 weeks in 2009. We visited with our friends Sharon and Stefan and then, checked into a sweet hotel right around the corner from the RV park.

We spent the BEST evening downtown - we started by finding the perfect little beach bar (our feet in the sand!) and having the best tequila (take THAT Tequila!) while we watched dolphins/whales, sunset, moon above us and danced to that great reggae beat. We had dinner at our favorite restaurant in the city (Magna! Magna!) and had a sweet time wandering the streets - checking out the street artists, musicians and listening to all the music.

I had forgotten how openly gay Puerto Vallarta was and it was sweet seeing those guys checking out my man! The city was so ..... alive! It was a shocking comparison to Mazatlan that is suffering so much from the lack of tourists that it looks like a ghost town.

We loved our two days in Puerto Vallarta. It was fun and we can't wait to get back there. We actually started to think about spending maybe a couple of weeks there next time. It was really a great vacation from our vacation.

Teuchitlan - a rare gem indeed

The little town of Teuchitlan is on the other side of the volcano from Tequila. Almost a 2 hour bus ride from Guadalajara through sugar cane and agave country. It is the home of an amazing archeological site (Guachimontones) - a complex of round step pyramids that were just uncovered about 20 years ago. This place was so beautiful and gentle and serene. The big challenge for me was the hike from the plaza to the site. Hot, sunny day and a steep, steep climb. Fortunately, kind people took pity and gave me rides. Humbling. And so endearing...

The view coming into town was breathtaking - a lake on one side and the volcano on the other. It was so obvious why these people chose to build here. The museum and English video were helpful to us before we headed up. Lots of artifacts. Lots of obsidian. Beautiful views. Peaceful.

The Pueblo of Tequila

If you are a fan of tequila or looking for some good experiences drinking tequila, there is nothing for you here.

However, if you are into charming, beautiful, quiet little towns at the foot of extinct volcanoes, where the streets are paved in obsidian, you would probably really enjoy a visit here. And yes, there is a wonderful museum that gives you some nice insights into the history of tequila.

But no fun tequila drinking was to be found anywhere by these two thirsty tourists. The closest we came to THAT, was finding a store that had a snappy bottle of Alacran Tequila (Scorpion!). But, they couldn't give us any samples and it wasn't for sale anywhere in the town. Go figure. We did come home with some ace obsidian souvenirs, however. More rocks to add to our already heavy luggage.

We did drive by miles and miles of beautiful agave fields. And its worth mentioning that volcano one more time. It was magnificent.