On The Road South

We left Aticama on Saturday morning around 8:30 – got in Lo de Marcos around noon – only a 60 some mile drive. Most of the way it was a good road and a very pretty drive. Through lots of – for lack of a better word – jungle.


Tree tunnels, multi colored flowered trees, morning glory vines of all colors over the bushes.

Coming around one corner we found a big truck with guys on top cutting the growth back.

Every once in a while we’d catch a glimpse of the ocean.


Passed people in the middle of nowhere standing by the side of the road waiting for the buses.

Went by this guy – guess he is another one of the guys who sprays? things? for things?

Lots of fruit stands

and this one place that sold BIG slingshots – see the woman walking. What would you want to shoot that took that big of a slingshot. I think I’d run from it instead of shooting it and taking the chance of pissing it off.

The only bad stretch of road was going through a couple of little towns right before joining with the main road MX200.

Here is a lady setting up to sell breakfasts and just beyond her are watermelons waiting to be sold.

And this stand is selling white beans by the bag.

Once on 200 it was smooth sailing to Lo de Marcos.
More later on the campgrounds here.

Last days in Aticama - San Blas

Still trying to catch up – Post 3 today - Our last couple of days in Aticama we just messed around the area. Went into San Blas to walk around. This time we found the Municipal Building and discovered these murals – depicting the Huichol.

The figures are bigger than life size

Also went back to Central Market to buy some produce, milk and eggs. Bill wanted to make buñuelos – kind of a fritter thing with apples and bananas. Yum. (No pictures ate them too fast.) The milk came in little cartons that can be kept on the shelf and not refrigerated. The eggs were not in a carton – but the grocer very nicely made a carton for them so we could get them home in one piece.
One day we went to a farmer’s market in another town south of there. Not much to see – mostly toys, clothes and kitchen items for sale. Only one produce stand but we got some good tomatoes. Then we saw these guys – so cute. So colorful.

The same place also had baby bunnies and ducks and little turtles like we used to be able to buy in the U.S. years ago.
Couldn’t resist taking pictures of these flowers. The flowers here are so pretty and so many different kinds.

And this is a yaka tree – look closely and you can see the fruit right next to the trunk.

Coming back through Aticama we stopped to watch the children perform in the Plaza.


These little ones were too small to dance but they dressed up.
And that’s about it for the San Blas/Aticama area.
Headed towards Lo de Marcos about 60 miles south. That’s where we are now.

Looking for the Coffee Plantations

Hum – a lot of the Canadians are already heading north – surly it isn’t warm there yet. It’s sure not in Indiana. But it is opening some spots in the RV Parks here along the ocean.
Back to our time in Aticama.
I overhead some people talking about a road up the hills through the coffee plantations. Thought it would be a neat trip so talked The Driver into going. First off I wasn’t sure of the directions – Just “past La Palma.” Okay there’s the road to La Palma right off the San Blas highway – goes in the right direction. “Turn here.” Passed a “warehouse for bananas being loaded into trucks.
Then through La Palma. Saw this gasoline station there.
The jugs on the wall are full of gas.
And then the guy on the motorbike delivering fresh tortillas.They are in the cooler on the back.
Lots of horse traffic on the road - maybe we should have paid attention to that.
Road was fine until we got to the town of La Bajada.
Then it got kind of narrow.

Just two tracks of cement in cobblestone. Maybe we should have had a clue when we saw these guys -

the local pick up truck.
Then the road got narrower

Stopped at the edge of town and asked it that road lead up the mountain to the coffee plantations. “Si, Si - adalante para arriba.” Yes, Yes, straight ahead up the hill. Okay – The Driver looked at me and told me they said keep going.
No more cement - just stones.
Well the road began to go alright – go away. The further we went the less road there was.
Finally when we saw all the guys with the machetes out in the trees ( they were chopping bananas) we decided we’d gone far enough. By then the road was just two tracks with tall grass between and low trees that were scraping Willie’s roof – did not look like this road was used much. Or at all.
Turned around and went back to RV. I think I should have asked directions – ‘cause there is no way the people I heard talking drove that road.
Took a couple of pictures of the jaibas [crabs] on the rocks in front of the campground and called it a day.
Wow my second post for today – maybe I’ll get caught up. Right now we’re getting ready to drive into Puerta Vallarta again.