A walking tour of the pueblo of La Manzanilla

Maya meets the La Manzanilla express
Originally uploaded by Brite light photos.

LA MANZANILLA, Jalisco, Mexico - We took a walking tour around downtown La Manzanilla and the area to the south across an arroyo Thursday, stopping briefly to say hello to a beautiful horse tied in front of a house near Martine's Restaurant.

The horse - and the motorcycle - are great examples of the two worlds here. We have traditional Mexican restaurants alongside Americanized eateries, dirt-floor, one-story houses next to McMansions and horses parked next to Hummers.

Several weeks ago a Washington Post reporter was in town and went back to D.C. to write one of those stories that Chambers of Commerce love and local residents hate. Here's the link to reprint:

La Manzanilla

And there is talk of paving the roads, at least in downtown.

Madre Mia!

Part of the tour was to get a second look at a new (to this area) use of steel frames to build homes. The advantage to using steel is that the main frame of the house can go up very fast compared to traditional concrete block construction.

Even the outside walls of the surrounding courtyard use the steel as a frame with concrete eventually sprayed over the top.


Steel wall frames


Steel stairs (looking down)

From the roof of this under-construction casa, we had a commanding view of the city, with the newer houses popping up all over the place. Most of the homes build two stories and then cap them with a palapa top. The views are spectacular and whatever breezes blow, you can feel them up there.

With the humidity hovering at probably 90 percent the past few days, those breezes are muy importante.


Rooftop view


One new house

And although the town has really emptied - most holiday tourists heading home - there are new arrivals daily.


All cooled off

Just another day in paradise, for most of us

Dustin - before heading home
Originally uploaded by Brite light photos.

LA MANZANILLA, Jalisco, Mexico - We spent another day chasing about the beach here, but had to say farewell to sons Dylan and Dustin who left today, their respective vacations over.

Dylan flew out on Alaska Airlines and headed back to Berkeley and his new job in the financial world. Dustin drove out this evening and back to a herd of anxious customers in Puerto Vallarta who want their boats fixed.

I caught this shot of Dustin, sitting in front of our palapa, an hour or so before he barreled out to do the four-hour drive.


Dan and Lorraine surf in

Early today Dan and Lorraine Olsen from Zephryus motored across the bay to anchor in front of our rented quarters to spend the day on the beach with us. They did a near textbook surf landing coming in (above) barely getting their legs wet at all when they jumped out and pulled the boat up.

Later in the afternoon, when Sylvia, Lorraine and Beth Tucker drove Dylan south to the Manzanillo Airport (one hour south of here), Dan got involved in a little pickup game of Frisbee with three young Mexican lads on the beach.

It was a little unclear if they wanted Dan to play catch with them - or if they just wanted to borrow the casa's Frisbee. Dan was up to the task, however and showed them some of that great Sonoma State University Frisbee technique he learned there as a undergraduate.

It requires being able to throw skillfully with one hand, the other firmly clasping a beer. He proved today he hasn't lost his touch for either, since college.


Dan teaches a Frisbee lesson to his new amigos

The number of people visiting the La Manzanilla beach is dwindling rapidly as the holidays get further and further behind. But new people are arriving every day, too.


New arrival catches some rays

A tour of Admiralty Beach from south to north

TENACATITA, Jalisco, Mexico - We took a drive Tuesday along Admiralty Beach, going all the way to the north end where a lagoon bursts through the sand during the rainy season and closes up with ocean sand in the dry months.


Joe and his beach tour group

Joe Santana, of Santana Realty and the original Palapa Joe of La Manzanilla, drove us around back roads and across sand dunes to show us this remote - for now - stretch of beach.

The lagoon is especially interesting for anyone who likes to fish or is interested in birds and wildlife.

From our vantage point in the photo at the top, we watched fish jumping every minute or so and looking out at the ocean, watched a whale spouting about a mile offshore.

Amazing!

Also amazing was Joe telling us that there are some cocodrilos in that end of the lagoon.

The entire area is slated to become part of an eco-tourism project, intertwined with housing. As long as it isn't intertwined with cocodrilos, I suppose.


Far end of Admiralty Beach


House on the hill above the lagoon

We spent most the afternoon on the Tenacatita Bay side of the town, right near where Admiral Fox has laid claim to where she wants to retire. We watched dogs running up and down the beach having a great time and there were schools of fish around a reef nicknamed "The Aquarium" because of the clear water and color sea life.

One rather large, gray colored bit of sea life brushed against me while I snorkeled, prompting me to return to the safety of the palapa.


He thinks it's his beach


Tenacatita Beach visitor on a stroll

Scooping out the good stuff to make ceviche

Scooping out the good stuff
Originally uploaded by Brite light photos.

LA MANZANILLA, Jalisco, Mexico - The day was all about food, exercise, more food, more exercise, more...

You get the point.

But an early highlight was having Javier, who takes care of the casa here (and us) give Beth Tucker a lesson in making ceviche. He made a huge bowl of it for our welcoming margarita party last night when Beth, Mel and their daughter Maya arrived from Flagstaff, Arizona.

Today, Beth asked Javier to show her how to make it - from the beginning.

The beginning was scraping the meat out of a dozen small Sierra before doing anything else and it was amazing to watch Javier work with a spoon, and so quickly. Beth got quite good by the end and more ceviche is in our futures.


Beth and Javier prepare the fish

But the day also included a looooong kayak trip with the three Tuckers and Dustin and Dylan. The Admiral and I stayed behind but waved goodbye as the interepid explorers headed out across the bay towards an ultra-exclusive club called El Tamarindo. The rumor is you need about $3 million to join.

To join.

If I hadn't misplaced my pen, my app would be going Fed Ex right away. Oh, and I don't have a Fed Ex envelope either. Darn.

At the start of the kayak voyage, Dylan had a slight mishap during a practice beach landing, captured in the three photos following this.


Dylan slides down the front of the wave


Dylan upside down in the wave


Dylan up for another shot

The fellow standing on shore in the first two frames is Mel Tucker, who is shown below leaving on the kayak journey alongside his daughter Maya. Mel took his own share of spills today, but not when the camera was handy.


Maya and Mel head out

Tomorrow's adventure should be a good one - a day trip to the town of Tenacatita (site of Admiralty Beach) where we will be snorkeling, eating non-Javier manufactured ceviche and likely checking the place out for possible longer-term residency.

But that's tomorrow.


Today's gratuitous bikini photo