Well, we are in Sayulita and have been for a number of days. The roosters crow, the big dogs woof, and the little dogs yip. Frequently a motorcycle roars by or an old truck back fires in front of our house. I can hear a washing machine or dryer going in someone’s courtyard on most days. And let’s not forget the ever-present chaaaa ch ch chaaa of the traditional Mexican tunes that emanate from the houses down the street.
We live in a very Mexican neighbourhood although it is very hard to imagine finding one in this village that is overrun by tourists. The expats rule the place, spilling out of the bars and restaurants. The place has changed a lot since I first started visiting Wes and Bridgit here ten or more years ago and even more so for them. “The Ranch” where they live along with Tessa (their daughter) and her kids is further away from town is quieter but more houses are being built there as well.
We arrived on Sunday afternoon to the bus station on Revolucion Road and because of our suitcases, guitar, and backpack we thought we would catch a taxi or an Uber to our place even though it was pretty close. Well Uber did not exist and the taxi would be between 100 and 150 pesos so we set our directions into google maps and set out. Immediately we were down some dusty road and definitely lost. Three young men assured us that we could continue on and we did. But something was lost in the translation and we ended up dragging our suitcases along the dry but very sandy riverbed. I wanted to sit down and laugh but the drag from my suitcase in the 5 inches of gravelly sand took too much effort so I could not expend any extra energy on a chuckle. Eventually we climbed out of the river bed to find a “nice” road following the curve of the river. Duh! By nice, I mean dusty, lots of garbage, lazy dogs lying mid road and no clear street signs to direct us. Thank goodness for google maps. (I remember wandering for hours in little Portuguese towns with Ana trying to find our hostels or hotels, unable to communicate, and only outdated or missing street signs and vague gestures by passersby to help us find the hotel that we had walked by at least five times.) That being said, we found our accommodations. Whew, we were not used to the heat. Down at the coast the temperatures are definitely much hotter. The only thing Rudy needed was a cold beer but after that was procured from the corner tienda he needed to do an inventory of what the amenities. (Did I mention how happy he was with the kitchen utensil supply, both the variety and quantity, in our San Miguel place?) Anyway, the long and short of it was that this place did not meet some housekeeping standards. No place to hang clothes, no place in the bathroom for toiletries, and some kitchen necessities were missing. We did manage to do some rearranging but the next day would require some shopping at a housewares tienda for more knives and a kettle.
For supper we made our way to the main part of town near the plaza where I had shrimp tacos. Yummmm. I think I will eat those every day until we leave this place. So despite the trials and tribulations of the day we were soothed by our delicious supper.