Traveling to Mexico Again in 2008
Driving Mexico 200 in the Jeep to visit Puerto Vallarta, Tepic and nearby towns
During the week we stayed in Lo de Marcos at that magnificent RV park we, as usual, managed to keep busy. We visited Puerto Vallarta a couple of times. One day we drove back up Mexico200 to revisit Tepic. Another day we visited the little town of San Francisco or as they call it San Panchito. And just before we left we visited La Peñita and Rincon de Guayabitos to check out the RV parks there.
We continued the drive south on MX200 to get to Puerto Vallarta, it continued to be twisty and turny, uphill and downhill.
Puerto Vallarta was kind of a disappointment to both of us. It is very “Gringoized” for lack of a better word. From Bucerías south it looks like any beach community in the states. Once into PV we passed a Home Depot, the airport, Wal*Mart, Sam’s Club, Officer Depot, Costco, and every fast food place available at home. You can’t see the beach for all the big all inclusive hotels behind walls lining it. Before we got too far into town we stopped and checked out the RV park just up the street from Wal*Mart. Glad we are staying where we are as this park and the parks in Bucerías were all full to capacity. Guess if you plan on coming down this way in the winter you better make sure you have reservations first.
We finally arrived at the older part of PV. Where the cobblestone streets met the waterfront. We found underground parking and walked around some. That was interesting. The first time we were there no cruise ships were in so it wasn’t really crowded, the second time two big ships were in. Lots of people were out and about. One side of the street is all shops, restaurants and bars. Sell everything from expensive jewelry to t-shirts with nasty sayings on them. Also a couple of places sold the Huichol Indian bead work. It is so beautiful. Just watching them do it wears you out. Each bead is placed one by one into wax to make the designs. Passed by a Hard Rock Café so I had to go in and buy my T-Shirt. Then we ate at a really pretty restaurant upstairs open and looking over the water. Again we were remembered when in Mexico eat Mexican food, not American. Both of us ordered hamburgers - enough to - say not again. The view was great. Right across the street were several big sand sculptures that had been built. There were two young men in shorts that were getting buckets of water from the sea dumping the water into a container that they carried on their backs. Then they would pump the container building up enough pressure that they could use a hose attachment to spray the water over the sculptures to keep them damp so they wouldn’t break apart. I’d never thought about that part of it. We were also across from a series of big metal chair type sculptures. Everyone who went by had to stop and take their pictures sitting in one or the other of them. Figure there must be pictures of those chairs all over the world now.
We stood and watched a painter painting a Spanish dancing woman for a while, he had several lined up for sale.
We continued the drive south on MX200 to get to Puerto Vallarta, it continued to be twisty and turny, uphill and downhill.
Puerto Vallarta was kind of a disappointment to both of us. It is very “Gringoized” for lack of a better word. From Bucerías south it looks like any beach community in the states. Once into PV we passed a Home Depot, the airport, Wal*Mart, Sam’s Club, Officer Depot, Costco, and every fast food place available at home. You can’t see the beach for all the big all inclusive hotels behind walls lining it. Before we got too far into town we stopped and checked out the RV park just up the street from Wal*Mart. Glad we are staying where we are as this park and the parks in Bucerías were all full to capacity. Guess if you plan on coming down this way in the winter you better make sure you have reservations first.
We finally arrived at the older part of PV. Where the cobblestone streets met the waterfront. We found underground parking and walked around some. That was interesting. The first time we were there no cruise ships were in so it wasn’t really crowded, the second time two big ships were in. Lots of people were out and about. One side of the street is all shops, restaurants and bars. Sell everything from expensive jewelry to t-shirts with nasty sayings on them. Also a couple of places sold the Huichol Indian bead work. It is so beautiful. Just watching them do it wears you out. Each bead is placed one by one into wax to make the designs. Passed by a Hard Rock Café so I had to go in and buy my T-Shirt. Then we ate at a really pretty restaurant upstairs open and looking over the water. Again we were remembered when in Mexico eat Mexican food, not American. Both of us ordered hamburgers - enough to - say not again. The view was great. Right across the street were several big sand sculptures that had been built. There were two young men in shorts that were getting buckets of water from the sea dumping the water into a container that they carried on their backs. Then they would pump the container building up enough pressure that they could use a hose attachment to spray the water over the sculptures to keep them damp so they wouldn’t break apart. I’d never thought about that part of it. We were also across from a series of big metal chair type sculptures. Everyone who went by had to stop and take their pictures sitting in one or the other of them. Figure there must be pictures of those chairs all over the world now.
We stood and watched a painter painting a Spanish dancing woman for a while, he had several lined up for sale.
For some photos of Puerto Vallarta Click Here
As I think I mentioned we drove back up to Tepic one day just to look around. It’s another city we have stayed in in the past. One the way we met many Trucks piled high with sugar care on their way to the processing plant in Tepic. Don’t like to be behind them as the cane blows off as they move.
Right at the entrance to the city the road is under construction. We went past the RV park we stayed in last time we were here - Los Piños. We had read that they had built a strip mall in front of it and put in an arch that would make it difficult to get into with a bigger motorhome. Stopped and looked it over. Bill says he wouldn’t have any problems getting into it with the Alfa.
Continued on towards downtown and ran into more construction. Only this time we got lost. Thank goodness we were in the car. Don’t know if there weren’t detour signs or if we just missed them. I do know we ended up in a lot of dead end streets until we found a couple of nice young men on a motorbike that offered to lead us to downtown. So we followed them up hills, down little streets and around corners until we could see the big church in the main plaza. As we followed them I checked out the signs on the back of the busses and taxies a couple were - “Maneje a la defensive” and “ Maneje con precaucion” - Drive defensively and drive with caucion - good advice on these streets. Parked and walked around a bit. The main plaza hasn’t changed much. The shoe shiners were out in force. The balloon and candy sales men were there doing a brisk business. The Huichol Indians weren’t. Last time we were here several of them were in the main plaza selling beading and embroidery. We did see a few walking around in their colorful clothing. The area in front of the church had pots of colorful flowers surrounding it. Just down the street the coffin store was still there and the Hotel Don Juan they were working on a couple of years ago is finished and beautiful outside. We also by accident found a magnificent department store. At least a city block big and two stories. All the expensive name brands in there. Right outside sat an older woman with her table selling peanuts in bags and as she waited for sales she worked on a piece of embroidery. We didn’t stay too long and again got lost in the construction on the way out. But with the help of Gypsy we made it back to the main road without outside help and just a few HONKS behind us.
Right at the entrance to the city the road is under construction. We went past the RV park we stayed in last time we were here - Los Piños. We had read that they had built a strip mall in front of it and put in an arch that would make it difficult to get into with a bigger motorhome. Stopped and looked it over. Bill says he wouldn’t have any problems getting into it with the Alfa.
Continued on towards downtown and ran into more construction. Only this time we got lost. Thank goodness we were in the car. Don’t know if there weren’t detour signs or if we just missed them. I do know we ended up in a lot of dead end streets until we found a couple of nice young men on a motorbike that offered to lead us to downtown. So we followed them up hills, down little streets and around corners until we could see the big church in the main plaza. As we followed them I checked out the signs on the back of the busses and taxies a couple were - “Maneje a la defensive” and “ Maneje con precaucion” - Drive defensively and drive with caucion - good advice on these streets. Parked and walked around a bit. The main plaza hasn’t changed much. The shoe shiners were out in force. The balloon and candy sales men were there doing a brisk business. The Huichol Indians weren’t. Last time we were here several of them were in the main plaza selling beading and embroidery. We did see a few walking around in their colorful clothing. The area in front of the church had pots of colorful flowers surrounding it. Just down the street the coffin store was still there and the Hotel Don Juan they were working on a couple of years ago is finished and beautiful outside. We also by accident found a magnificent department store. At least a city block big and two stories. All the expensive name brands in there. Right outside sat an older woman with her table selling peanuts in bags and as she waited for sales she worked on a piece of embroidery. We didn’t stay too long and again got lost in the construction on the way out. But with the help of Gypsy we made it back to the main road without outside help and just a few HONKS behind us.
Tepic
A few photos from Tepic and Xalisco Click Here
We also visited San Francisco a small village just down the road some. It was fun to drive through. Found a Surf Shop right out of Malibu. Also the inevitable color houses, soccer fields and lush plants. The fence or wall around the elementary school had really neat mosaic designs on it. Dogs and chickens crossing the streets. Also in one of the plazas there were a couple of big rubber trees. The first we’ve seen this trip. One had a sign on it in Spanish that translated to “I am a rubber tree. I am the guardian of San Panchito.” Not quite so many Gringos there.
We went to La Peñita and Guayabitos just to check out the RV parks. Again I’m glad we ended up where we did. The one in La Peñata was completely full and didn’t look like it would be very easy to get into. Small spaces off of small roads. All back in. Kind of sitting up on a hill with a path leading down to the ocean. Guayabitos was a bigger town with several RV Parks. They too were all full. Didn’t go in and drive around any but the spaces looked cramped.
We went to La Peñita and Guayabitos just to check out the RV parks. Again I’m glad we ended up where we did. The one in La Peñata was completely full and didn’t look like it would be very easy to get into. Small spaces off of small roads. All back in. Kind of sitting up on a hill with a path leading down to the ocean. Guayabitos was a bigger town with several RV Parks. They too were all full. Didn’t go in and drive around any but the spaces looked cramped.
La Peñita, Guayabitos and San Francisco
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Puerto Vallarta is a long narrow city. Especially the older part. Only a couple of blocks right at the water line are flat land the rest is UP hill. There is a lot of beautiful vegetation though. All types of palms - the tall stately ones and the short fan ones. There are banana plants, bougainvillea of every color growing up the sides of buildings and covering whole roofs. Bird of Paradise and Hibiscus plants as big as houses. The buildings are usually not more than three or four stories with lots of iron work balconies. Most of the balconies had some sort of flower pots on them. One thing that surprised me - most of the buildings along the main street and water front area were white any color on them coming from trim around the doors and windows and the dark tile roofs. Very different from other towns we’ve been in. But I guess each place has its own personality and Puerto Vallarta doesn’t know what it wants to be yet. Stay Mexican or become Gringo?
Walked quite a ways down the street to find the beautiful church I could see rising above the buildings. Found it and its plaza. It’s the Templo de Guadalupe. The part that interested me enough to find it is the top of it. It is topped by a crown that is supposed to be a replica of the crown worn by Maximilian’s wife Charlotte.
Mainly we just people watched. The parasailers, the big yachts that slowly moved back and forth in the harbor. The tourists in and out of the shops speaking in a babble of languages. The vendors carrying their wares in two buckets suspended from a rod that rested across their shoulders. The tiny Indian women in their bright colored dresses their babies carried in shawls wrapped around their body. The little children selling “chicklets” with their big brown eyes and bare feet.
It was interesting to see the buildings built up the hills and the narrow streets going up to them. Wonder what it is like going up them in the rain?
Mainly we just people watched. The parasailers, the big yachts that slowly moved back and forth in the harbor. The tourists in and out of the shops speaking in a babble of languages. The vendors carrying their wares in two buckets suspended from a rod that rested across their shoulders. The tiny Indian women in their bright colored dresses their babies carried in shawls wrapped around their body. The little children selling “chicklets” with their big brown eyes and bare feet.
It was interesting to see the buildings built up the hills and the narrow streets going up to them. Wonder what it is like going up them in the rain?