Category Archives: Tourist Sites in Mexico

October 11, 2016 · 7:00 am

Claudia’s San Pancho Marine Turtle Adventure–Exploring Puerto Vallarta

I felt lighter walking because I didn’t have to haul my bothersome suitcase in order to explore the place. The first thing I did was take a good look at the sea, so blue and distant. I also wanted to try and see if I could understand the significance of the enormous monument placed at the beginning of the seawall path.

While I was looking at all this, I saw a small path of rocks on the beach in the sand. I decided to walk along the rocks instead of the seawall. I picked up some rocks, only enough so that their weight wouldn’t tire me. This wasn’t the best idea I’d ever had. I could have left my chosen rocks and returned to pick them up so as not to carry them the whole time, however, my emotion betrayed my reasoning. Although I didn’t really feel the weight because for every rock that I picked up, I also picked up all the trash in that area. It was a sad and disagreeable sight. I hope people are more conscientious about the trash on the beach and in the sea. I don’t understand why it seems like so much work to them to throw the bottles in the trash can. There were many there.

At the end of the pier, there were many beautiful stores, bars, discos, jewelry stores, and restaurants of every style and theme imaginable. There was a jewelry store that looked like a mine with mining cars, stones, and quartz. There was a jungle-themed bar with various fiber and glass animals and cages for people. I could only image the type of dancers that frequented this place, however, at the moment there was a child inside the cage. His dad was taking pictures. I decided to take advantage of the situation and asked the man to take a picture of me too. I didn’t take many pictures of these places because really I enjoyed only looking at them and I felt that taking out my camera would distract me and steal much of my limited time. I walked a lot and photographed various statues. My favorites were the mermaid and Triton statues. It broke my heart to see poor Triton without an arm. There was a seahorse and some chairs that resembled strange sea creatures around the stature.

I arrived at the Playa Los Muertos (The Dead Beach). It was a shame that I didn’t arrive from the gay side. I discovered that the beach was divided into two parts thanks to two friends that I will talk about a little later. I met up with Mr. Willi, an artist that has spent 26 years carving wood to create his beautiful marionettes. I have never seen any marionettes so well made as his. The typical marionettes that I had seen were made from cloth with the head, hands, and feet made of plastic. However, these intrigued me so much that I couldn’t resist buying a beautiful Pinocchio. I asked Mr. Wili to teach me how to move it. If you are interested in acquiring one of his magnificent creations, you can find him in front of the pier, in front of the condominiums “Molina de Agua.” His phone number is (322)125-2461 and he can do special requests as well.

After I explored part of the pier, I finally paid attention to my stomach and arrived at a restaurant “Cuates y Cuetes” that has been around since 1993. They offer mainly seafood but also have hamburgers, sandwiches, and grilled meat. It’s not very expensive and I left feeling well satisfied because the meal portions were a good size.

I ordered a seafood dish, a mix of fish and shrimp, that came with a good quantity of crackers and tortilla chips. To go with my meal, I ordered a drink called Red Sky, beer with lime, salt, and tomato juice.

Here I met Mrs. Irma, the cashier at the restaurant, and the head waiter Jacinto who has very friendly while attending me. If you have the urge to have a good conversation about the stories of Puerto Vallarta, he is who you should speak with. It was he who told me about the coconut oil, some small seeds that were found on the beach that resemble exactly small coconuts a little bitter than a nut. He told me that the seeds came from upper parts and were carried down to the beaches by the rains. He said that before they were collected for their oil which was sold on the beaches as suncream, but this custom has been lost. The restaurant is on Francisca Rodríguez #101 Col. Emiliano Zapata. The email is cuatesycuetes@gmail.com and the phone number is (322)223-2724. You can find almost everything on the pier, food, banks, souvenir shops, etc.
Getting around by bus is easy. The routes are marked by color and signs on the front of the bus. After my little walk through Puerto Vallarta, I finally started my journey to Nayarit and arrived in San Pancho that night.

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Me sentía más ligera para andar porque ya no tenía que cargar mi molesta maleta para explorar el lugar; lo primero que hice fue echar un ojo al mar tan azul y lejano, también ver y tratar de entender el significado del enorme monumento que había en el comienzo del camino del malecón.
Mientras observaba vi que había un pequeño tramo de piedras en la playa en lugar de arena, decidí caminar por las piedras en lugar de arriba del malecón. Tomé sólo las suficientes piedras para no cargar mucho peso y cansarme, no fue muy inteligente de mi parte haber hecho eso; pude haber dejado mis piedras seleccionadas y después volver por ellas para no cargarlas durante todo mi camino. Jeje la emoción traiciona mi razonamiento, pero hasta eso que no sentí el peso porque por cada piedra que tomaba levantaba una basura del lugar, fue algo triste y desagradable ver al comienzo, ojalá la gente tome más conciencia de la basura en las playas y el mar, no sé porque les cuesta trabajo tirarlos a los botes de basura, ¡Había muchos ahí!
En fin, todo el camino en el malecón había hermosas tiendas, bares, antros, joyerías y restaurantes de todos los estilos y temáticas. Había una joyería que parecía una mina y había vagones mineros, piedras, cuarzos. Un bar/antro con temática de la selva; tenía varios animales de fibra de vidrio y jaulas para personas, me imagino para las bailarinas que ambientan el lugar, pero en ese momento era un niño quien estaba dentro de una y su papá le sacaba fotos, aproveche para hacer lo mismo y pedirle el favor de tomarme una foto igual. No tomé muchas fotos de esos lugares porque realmente disfrutaba de sólo verlos y sentía que sacar la cámara me distraía y robaba mucho de mi tiempo limitado. Caminé mucho y fotografíe varias estatuas, mis favoritas fueron la Sirena y el Tritón; se me partió el alma ver sin brazo al pobre del Tritón, el famoso caballito del Mar y unas sillas de extrañas criaturas marinas.
Llegué hasta “Playa Los Muertos” fue una lástima fue no llegué hasta el lado gay, descubrí que se dividía en dos partes gracias a dos amigos con los que hablé más adelante; pero en el camino encontré al Señor Willi, un Artesano que lleva 26 años tallando madera para crear hermosas marionetas. Nunca había visto unas tan bien elaboradas como las suyas, las más comunes que he visto son los de tela con cabeza, manos y pies de plástico. Pero éstos me cautivaron tanto por su trabajo, que no pude resistirme a comprarle un hermoso Pinocho y le pedí al Señor Willi que me enseñara cómo manejarlo. Si están interesados en adquirir una de sus maravillas, él se encuentra en el Malecón frente a los condominios de “Molino de Agua” su número es: (322) 125 24 61, también elabora pedidos especiales.
Después de explorar parte del Malecón, por fin le hice caso a mi estómago y llegué al Restaurante “Cuates y Cuetes” que existe desde 1993. Ofrecen principalmente platillos del mar, pero también tiene hamburguesas, sándwiches y carnes asadas. No es muy costoso y te deja satisfecho porque son buenas porciones de comida la que viene en el platillo; mi orden fue un ceviche mixto (pescado y camarón) acompañado de una buena cantidad de galletas y totopos y para acompañar, una bebida llamada “cielo rojo”, cerveza con limón, sal y clamato. Ahí conocí a la Señora Irma, quien es la cajera del restaurante y al capitán de meseros Jacinto quien fue muy amable en atender mis órdenes. Si tienen muchas ganas de tener una buena conversación de historias de Puerto Vallarta él es el indicado, fue él quien me contó sobre el “coco de aceite”; unas pequeñas semillas que encontré en la playa y que precisamente parecía pequeños cocos del tamaño un poco más grande que una nuez. Me contó que son semillas que provienen de las partes altas y son arrastradas a las playas por las lluvias; antes se recolectaban para sacar su aceite y venderlo en las playas como bronceador, pero esa costumbre ya casi se perdió. La dirección es Francisca Rodríguez #101 Col. Emiliano Zapata. cuatesycuetes@gmail.com y teléfonos (322) 223 27 24, se dirige con Paco (Fco. Castro Gonzalez). Se puede encontrar casi de todo en el Malecón, comida, bancos, recuerdos, etc.
Andar en micros o autobuses es fácil de ubicar sus rutas por los colores de cada micro y los letreros en la parte de enfrente. Después de mi pequeño paseo por Puerto Vallarta por fin tomé rumbo hacia Nayarit y llegué a San Pancho por la noche.

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disclosure

Claudia’s San Pancho Marine Turtle Adventure–The Journey There

While I enjoy sharing my adventures and disasters in Mexico, I never really thought of myself as adventure inspiring. In fact, I recently received an unsubscribe request that said I was boring. Whatever! So when I was given this story and I’m mentioned as the catalyst for the adventure, well, to say that I was surprised would be an understatement.

For the next 5 days, I will be sharing your Claudia‘s adventure volunteering at the marine turtle nursery in San Pancho, Nayarit. I’ve translated her escapades for my English language readers adding in a few of my own comments here and there. Spanish literate readers can find her unedited story following the English version. I hope you enjoy her adventure in Mexico as much as I did!

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My trip to San Pancho to save the marine turtles

Well, to begin, if it weren’t for C. (that’s me) I would not have been inspired to even make a trip alone. She has been motivating me for 2 years to do some of the many things that I have wanted to do. Thanks C. for your encouragement and patience with me. (You’re welcome Claudia!)

Well, for starters it was hard for me to deal with my family about this solo trip mostly due to the fears they have about the insecurity here in Mexico. They are always watching the news reports about rape and trafficking in women in other states, which fills their heads with fear. They don’t have much confidence in me and often consider me scatterbrained. You can just imagine the drama that this trip caused at my house. (She came to see me in tears on a few occasions, so opposed were her parents to this trip.)

Since the moment I got on the bus from Moroleon to Morelia, I was nervous. I couldn’t believe that finally, I was traveling alone. I arrived at the bus terminal in Morelia to get the connection that goes directly to Puerto Vallarta. I got on the bus and I felt nostalgic. A small tear ran down my cheek as the bus left the terminal and I saw my father becoming more distant. This feeling disappeared once we left the terminal and changed into one of euphoria and happiness. I felt so free, sitting in the seat, watching the streets of Morelia pass by, distancing myself from the city and watching how the landscape changed as the bus continued on its route.

Before getting on the bus, I had collected some inspiring music and made an album called “Adventure” to listen to precisely at this moment, which I did. I put on my headphones and hit play to feel the full range of emotions this adventure had inspired.

I listened to Owl city’s To the Sky and Galaxies, Justin Timberlake’s Can’t stop the Feeling, Coldplay’s A Sky Full of Stars, the New Radicals’ You Only Get What You Give, E.L.O.’s All Over the World, Smooth Gravity’s Best Day of my Life, among others. If you like, I’ll give you the complete list so that you can hear and be motivated to make your own inspirational playlist. (That’s ok Claudia. I’m sure it’s a wonderful playlist.)

(After reading that, this scene from Zootopia came to mind.)

After that, I slept peacefully, the likes of which I had never slept before. We arrived in Guadalajara to let those off who had this stop as their final destination. My seat companion, who had been female up until now, became a thin, young man whose appearance, the quantity of medicines he carried in a small cooler, and the cane in his hand, led me to think he was ill. The vocabulary he used to talk on his phone made me feel so uneasy that I kept my hand on the pocket knife I carried just in case. I wasn’t able to sleep well. In any case, I dozed off a bit but woke when we arrived. (A knife, really? Well, better safe than sorry I suppose.)

I arrived at the bus terminal in Puerto Vallarta at 6:30 am. I was supposed to meet Miriam at The Holistic Center at 9 am. I thought it was a well-known place and maybe someone could give me directions but I was surprised to find that no one I asked knew where it was. This worried me because it was too early to call Miriam and ask for directions so I decided to wait for a decent hour to call. However, when I called, she didn’t answer my calls or my messages. I started to feel anxious since by now it was 8:50 and the battery on my cell was about to run out.

Another thing bothering me was the strange man watching me. Every time I moved, he moved too. I had my hand on my knife again but then I remembered that I was at the bus station, surrounded by people, so was safe enough. Eventually, I realized he was only trying to annoy me. He had his suitcase up on the chairs in the waiting area and finally left.

I approached a young man that set up tours to ask for directions. He was very nice and helped me look up the address. “Venezuela Street is between the hotels Pescador and marlin, near Malecon. Take the white and blue bus. It should have the sign “Centro” on it.”

I thanked him quickly for his help and went to grab a taxi. (But he told you to take the bus!) The taxi driver didn’t know where the street was. He had to ask a fellow taxi driver. In order to see if the taxi driver was trustworthy, I tried to break the ice and see if I could earn his sympathy, so I began with questions about the price of gasoline and his work. Then I changed the topic to that of the teachers and their protests until we finally became friends and he gave me his name, Heriberto. He had the same name as an old and dear friend from Moroleon, and in some way, I felt that was a good sign that everything would be ok. (Because someone with the same name as a friend wouldn’t kidnap you?)

We made numerous turns looking for the address, stopping to ask various people, but no one seemed to know. There were moments that I was afraid because some of the places seemed far from downtown and more so because I had called and sent several messages to Miriam without a response. Finally, a traffic cop was able to tell us where to find it. We continued and had to stop yet again to ask a young lady who called her mother to give us some clues as to what to look for. It was up ahead in front of Woolworth’s, but the sign was small and we would have to pay attention so as not to miss it.

Finally, I saw the sign and we stopped. I got out of the taxi and went up some steps to enter the office under the sign. I saw a woman seated at a desk and knocked. She opened the door. She was wearing a long turquoise skirt and white loose blouse, hippie style like the way Miriam dressed. I asked for Miriam. The woman admitted that she knew Miriam but she didn’t know who I was or what I wanted. I asked her if I could leave my suitcases with her until Miriam finished work.

She said “No, Miriam didn’t tell me anything and she doesn’t work here. She’s much further away. But don’t worry. The good thing is that I know her and you arrived here. How is it you arrived here?”

I replied, “Well, I don’t know. I only asked people and here I am.”

She continued, “Goodness. That’s curious. How fortunate (literally God directed coincidence) that you arrived here.”

She was very nice and we talked a little. She allowed me to leave my suitcases there until 5 pm so I could sightsee along the seawall. When I left her office, I checked my phone and saw that I had messages and missed calls from Miriam. I called her back. She apologized for not giving me the address and remarked how amazing it was that I found one of her friends seemingly at random.

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Mi viaje de tortugas marinas a San Pancho

Bueno para empezar, si no fuera por C. no me habría animado siquiera a hacer un viaje yo sola. Ella ha estado motivándome por 2 años a realizar algo de las muchas cosas que he querido hacer y de las que le he contado. Gracias C. por tus ánimos y la paciencia conmigo.

Bueno, para empezar fue muy pesado lidiar con mi familia sobre realizar este viaje yo sola, por los miedos que tienen sobre la inseguridad del país y de que siempre se saturan la cabeza viendo noticias de la televisión acerca de violaciones, trata de mujeres en otros estados y por la razón de que no confían mucho en mi por ser despistada, así que ya se imaginarán el show que se armó.

Ahora, desde que entré al Autobús de Moroleón a Morelia, ya sentía los nervios de la emoción de que aún no creía que estaba por fin realizando un viaje yo sola. Al estar ya en la central de Morelia para ir directo a Puerto Vallarta y al entrar al autobús listo para caminar, sentí nostalgia y una pequeña lagrimita corrió por mi mejilla al ver alejarse el autobús de la central y ver a mi papá a lo lejos. Pero esa sensación desapareció una vez que salimos de la central y cambió a un estado de euforia y felicidad. Me sentía tan libre estar sentada en el sillón viendo pasar las calles de Morelia; alejarnos de ella y viendo cómo cambiaban los paisajes conforme avanzaba el autobús. Antes de subir al autobús guardé música que me inspira y creé un álbum llamado “Aventura” para escucharla precisamente en ese momento y eso hice, tomé mis audífonos y le di play a mi lista para sentirme aún más plena.

Entre las canciones que escuché fueron: Owl city-To the Sky y Galaxies, Justin Timberlake-Can´t stop the feeling!, Coldplay- A sky full of stars, New Radicals- You only get what you give, Elo- All over the world, Smooth Gravity- Best day of my life (Lounge tribute) entre otros que si quieren les dejo la lista para que las escuchen igual y se motivan para crear su propia lista también.

Después de eso, dormí tan tranquila y en paz como nunca antes. Al llegar a Guadalajara para hacer la parada para quienes tenía que llegar a ese destino; mi compañera se transformó en compañero, un joven adulto, delgado y enfermo por su apariencia y la cantidad de medicinas que cargaba en su pequeña hielera y el bastón en su mano. No me daba mucha confianza por el vocabulario que usaba al hablar por teléfono. Incluso guarde a la mano la navaja que llevaba conmigo por si acaso. Jeje. Ya no pude dormir, pero ya estábamos llegando cuando desperté de mi media siesta.

Llegué a la central de Puerto Vallarta y eran las 6:30 am. La única referencia que tenía del lugar dónde me vería con Miriam era “El centro Holístico” a las 9:00 am. Pensaba que era un lugar conocido y que tal vez alguien podría darme dirección si preguntaba pero para mi sorpresa nadie sabía siquiera lo que era. Eso me preocupó bastante porque era muy pronto como para marcarle a Miriam y pedir dirección, así que decidí esperar a que fuera una hora decente en la que ella ya estuviera despierta para preguntarle; sin embargo pasado el tiempo de espera, no respondía mis mensajes ni llamadas. Ya desesperada por hacer algo porque ya faltaban unos 10 minutos para las 9:00 y mis baterías de celular estaban por agotarse.

Otra frustración que tenía es que había un hombre extraño vigilándome, cada vez que cambiaba de lugar también lo hacía y no dejaba de verme, tenía nuevamente lista mi navaja pero recordé que estaba en la central y no dejaría de haber gente en el lugar, así que estaba segura; hasta que finalmente me di cuenta que sólo estaba enfadado y tenía su propia maleta en las sillas de espera y se fue, jeje.

Finalmente ya cercano a las 9:00 me acerqué a preguntar a un joven que programaba tours y muy amablemente me ayudo a buscar una dirección. “Calle Venezuela; entre los hoteles Pescador y Marlín, cerca del Malecón, toma el camión blanco con azul debe tener el letrero de *Centro* “

Agradecí su ayuda y rápidamente salí por taxi y para colmo el taxista no sabía dónde quedaba la calle hasta que un compañero suyo le dijo por dónde estaba fue que partimos al fin de la central. Para ver si era confiable el taxista, quise romper el hielo y ver si me ganaba la simpatía del taxista, empecé con preguntas acerca del precio de la gasolina y sobre su trabajo, después se cambió el tema sobre los maestros y su lucha hasta que finalmente hicimos amistad y me dio su nombre: Heriberto, jeje qué simpático que se llamara como un viejo y querido amigo de Moroleón, de cierta manera sentí como buena señal de que todo estaba bien. Dimos tantas vueltas buscando el dichoso lugar sin dar con él, preguntamos a varias personas y nadie sabía nada; hubo momentos en los que sentía miedo por algunos lugares que parecían estar lejanos del centro y más porque había mando mensajes y marcado varias veces al teléfono de Miriam sin ninguna contestación, hasta que más adelante había un tipo tránsito y por fin nos dijo por dónde podíamos encontrar el dichoso lugar, continuamos y nos detuvimos a preguntar nuevamente a una joven que llamó a su mamá para que nos diera pista de que estábamos cerca, más adelante en el edificio de “Wool Worth” dijo, pero nos advirtió que el letrero era pequeño así que debíamos poner atención.

Y por fin vi el letrero y paramos. Bajé del taxi y subí por unas escaleras para llegar a la oficina donde estaba el letrero, vi una mujer sentada en un escritorio y toque la puerta. Abrió la puerta, observé estaba vestida con falda larga color azul Turquesa y blusa Blanca holgada, tipo hippie o del estilo que usa Miriam y le pregunté por ella, acertó que la conocía, pero tenía duda de quién era y que quería. Nuevamente pregunté si sabía que iba a dejarle mis maletas mientras ella se desocupaba de trabajar.

“No, no me dijo nada y ella no trabaja aquí, es mucho más lejos. Pero no te preocupes, lo bueno es que la conozco y llegaste conmigo. ¿Por cierto cómo llegaste hasta aquí?- Pues no sé, sólo preguntando a la gente.- ¡Vaya! Qué curioso, de verdad tenías que llegar aquí, qué genial Diosicidencia.” Ella fue muy amable conmigo y platicamos un poco y me permitió dejar las maletas hasta las 5:00 pm para poder turistear por el malecón. Cuando salí de su oficina, revisé mi celular y ya tenía mensajes y llamadas perdidas de Miriam y nuevamente me marcó disculpándose por no darme una dirección y también quedar asombrada por cómo había dado con una muy amiga suya al azar.

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Fogatas, tapetes and San Miguel Arcangel –Bonfires, sawdust and Michael the Archangel

Uriangato, the neighboring town that also believes itself to be a city, has an incredible community festival in September to honor their patron saint, Michael the Archangel. It begins on September 19 and is followed by 8 days of activities, finishing with an event called La Octava Noche on September 29.

From September 19 to September 28, each household lights a small bonfire with ocote wood (a type of pine native to Mexico) in front of their homes each night. These fires are called candiles literally translated as lightings as they are said to light the path of San Miguel Arcangel during this novena (9 prayer days).

I have to say that the first time I witnessed this event, I was startled. It’s quite a sight, fire after fire, street after street. Of course, it’s origin is prehispanic.

From what I understand, this local tradition was associated with the god Curicaueri, whose name in Purepecha means great fire, and who was credited with the foundation of the state of Michoacan. (Uriangato is a mere hop, skip and jump from the present day border of Michoacan.) Curicaueri was considered the oldest of the gods and was honored by the lighting of bonfires with ocote wood. Some of this long ago origin remains in the form of indigenous dancers that perform during the events.

There are peregrinaciones (pilgrimages) over several days usually in the form of parades made up of local civic groups. The parade route takes the pilgrims to the Parroquia de San Miguel Arcángel, the main Catholic church in Uriangato.

The other major event associated with this festival is the creation of tapetes, floor mats. These are labourously created with colored sawdust, seeds, and flowers along the roads in Uriangato. They usually take the form of a variety of Catholic images and are tread upon by the passage of the image of Michael the Archangel on October 6, known as La Octava Noche (the 8th prayer day in the novena). The tapete tradition is said to have begun in 1966 and each year becomes more and more elaborate.

The custom to take out the image of San Miguel and walk through the town at night, in a similar fashion to El Senor de Esquipulas in Moroleon, began after the Spanish conquest. It seems that only the Independence War and the Cristero War kept the procession from well, proceeding. It starts and ends, naturally enough, at La Parroquia de San Miguel Arcángel and covers an area about 5 km long.

The image is carried by different groups of volunteers with rest and prayer stations found along the route. This year, the image has been covered in protective glass, which better protects the 50 ornate vestments from the elements.

Here are some of the outfits.