Puerto Vallarta to Playa Azul

It's been a really crazy week for me trying to deal with situations back home. Maybe I'll blog about them another time. For now, here's a couple of quick updates from the early part of last week.

After leaving Tepic late in the day, I knew I would not make it all the way to Puerto Vallarta, but I was also sure there would be lots of places to stay along the way. 

I found myself breaking Rule #1 (again) -- Don't Ride At Night. To make matters worse I find I'm stuck behind a bus that's belching thick black smoke. I know that carbon monoxide is odourless and tasteless, but it was obviously inside this toxic sludge I had to breathe.

The problem was -- do I stay behind the bus and suck fumes, or pass the truck and deal with the darkness beyond. You see, on this moonless night, out in the middle of the Mexican countryside, my feeble little headlight could hardly cut it.

The thought went through my head that if I stay behind the truck, the fumes could actually make me pass out, and any accident I have would look like "rider error", or I just fell asleep.

So I passed him the very next chance I could get.

Big mistake. BIG, BIG mistake!

The night was so dark it swallowed my headlight in an instant. To keep from driving beyond my beams, I slowed to about 35 km/h. For the next 10 minutes I was intently focussed on not running into something, or myself off the winding road through these pitch dark hills. Somehow though, even at that slow pace, I still managed to leave the bus far behind. Maybe he broke down, or pulled off at a road I couldn't even see.

I told myself I'd pull over at the next flat spot. That turned out to be a bus stop, cut out of a large landing on the right side of the road, in a space big enough to fit about 2 large transport trucks.

As I pulled over, I saw bodies scampering to the side to get out the glare of my lights. I guess I scared the people who were waiting for the bus. I turned off my bike to wait for the bus, and when the headlight went out, it once again pitch black.

I waited in the dark, silently, with the dozen or so people, who I knew were only steps from me, but I could not see...

I swore then and there NO MORE DRIVING AT NIGHT!

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I made it into the seaside town without too many more incidents. And am glad to announce the fumes did not kill me. I spent the night at the Cactus Creek Hotel. At dinner in the taqueria next door, the owner informed me that the town was practically invaded by Canadians every winter.

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In the morning, I went out to see what the seaside had to offer...

Beach breakfast

The restauranteurs

It's worth the ride to Mexico!

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Not sure exactly where it happened, but I have definitely crossed into a tropical zone now.

That means t-shirts at night, sleeping with just a sheet (if that!), and three showers a day to keep the stink down to a minimum.

My plan was to start early and ride all the way from Tecomán to Acapulco today. After 5 hours, I had only reached the half-way point, and still needed to stop for lunch. I called it quits for today's tide at Playa Azul.

It's a tiny little beach town, as you'd expect from the name. Riding down the main street right to the beach, I'm greeted by a young tout who's trying to get me into the big resort-style hotels along the beach. Their room rates are a little too rich for my blood, so he ends up leading me to a small guest house, buried deep in one of the neighbourhoods. There's no way I would have found this place on my own. 

They want only $200 pesos for the night. The place is clean and tidy, with secure parking out front. And as we walk into the inner courtyard, lo and behold, a swimming pool! Ha! 

A nice touch, though I will not be using it.

Then I spy a young girl (young woman actually, one of the co-owners of the house, along with her husband) doing laundry by hand. What catches my eye, is her resemblance to a young version of my courtesy-cousin, Natalie. 

I decide to see if she can try her hand at my jacket. I had tried washing it myself back in Los Angeles, but with nothing approaching success.

This woman is boss! 

No Internet access in the house (and not a single wifi signal anywhere on the street!) tonight, so I'll send some quality time writing Hot Wax code off-line.

The television is playing what looks like the State funeral for the recently slain ex-Governor of the State of Colima.

Bebo and parents

First stop is to wash off today's dirt - which included about 3 kms of actual dirt road. These Mexicans have an interesting way of road-building. It seems to be "let's completely remove the old road, strip the path down to the bedrock, if possible, before we start thinking about building the replacement"

I head off to the restaurant to grab lunch, and make change to tip the tout. As meagre as it is, the full $200 pesos should go to Bibo, and his Ma and Pa.