Saturday January 21, 2012
Sorry I have been so slow to update the blog but you know I have just been so busy! I will point out that I give full marks to all my fellow bloggers for the time and effort they put into their blogs. I know how much time it takes!
So what happened for the rest of the week? Well, not too much. I was still not feeling 100% from the La Tourista and having to deal with the muscle problems that have been plaguing me. Tolerable now.
We spent the rest of the week eating eggs for breakfast although we did manage to coax one Senora in a restaurant next to Tlaquepaque into making us some delicious hotcakes but she didn’t show much enthusiasm! The other restaurant next to us on the other side was hit and miss as they never seemed to have any regular business hours. I know this is Mexico but they are from Colorado and must realize that if you want business you have to be open if you want people to spend their money. It is the same hit or miss restaurant hours as the Queen Charlotte Islands off the coast of northern B.C.!
We ate our evening meals (no lunches) at the restaurants along the street….sometimes at Saul’s where his wife ViVi took great care of us and sometimes….at the new Pizza, pasta place that has just been opened by some English (England) people. All good.
Afternoons were spent by me at the pool and then off to the beach at the south end for some swimming. The water is warm 78F and swimming was good. The swimming beach is right in front of La Parota where we hope to stay. At this point we have decided to haul the rig south at the end of the month and spend February in Los de Marcos. This will give us more of an idea of what we want in future years.
Tlaquepaque was it’s usual noisy self over the last few days and although we got rid of the school kids on Saturday another bunch returned on Tuesday night. Out with those wax earplugs again! I will say that this bunch was older and they had them very well organized with lots to do so they were not nearly as loud as the last bunch. In the end the really loud ones were the gringos who stayed up late at the palapa drinking, playing darts and yelling. Grow up guys!
We decided to head home Thursday and not continue any farther south on the bike this time. With me being sick and the fact that Los de Marcos looks good for a first RV stop heading south we will leave it at that for now.
We hit the road early 7:30am on the way back to Mazatlan and our route through Las Varas, Compostela, Xalisco, Tepic and then back on the free road home. We ate a quick breakfast of yogurt and a Mexican bun before we left and decided to stop for lunch along the way.
The ride up the hill from Las Varas to Compostela is windy, steep and slow on the motorcycle. It would be the same with the RV. There are few places for people to pass and they just have to wait for the slow traffic that is ahead of them. From Compostela to Xalisco the small town south of Tepic it was again windy, steep and slow but there was no overhanging brush to damage the rig.
Cane fields just south of Xalisco.
Just south of Xalisco this peak is in the distance. Possibly Cerro Alto at 2,240 meters as it is the highest peak in the area.
We stopped at the Pemex just south of Xalisco for fuel and a short rest. As we travelled north through the actual town of Xalisco we noted that the streets are wide enough for the rig to pass. Some people take the toll road south towards Guadalajara and then back to Compostela to avoid Xalisco and the windy road from Tepic to Compostela. Didn’t seem to be a problem but we haven’t taken our rig on it yet! We did note that you have to be very careful to stay in the left lane at the north end of Xalisco so that you won’t miss the obscure left turn sign that puts you on the Libramiento ring road towards Mazatlan as you leave town. If you miss it you are going downtown! No Bueno. At the north end of Tepic you have a choice of the free road or the toll road. Free road for the motorcycle….toll road for the rig. The motorcycle can easily pass slow moving traffic and needs fuel along the way while the rig can’t pass and needs less fuel stops.
The road leaving Tepic is downhill for a very long way and goes on for about 25 miles. A long grind for the RV heading south up the hill. From that point on it was flat and we made our lunch stop at El Mil just north of Rosamoranda where we had eaten on our way south. While Eric was fueling up the Mexican at the pump made motions that he wanted to buy Big Red! Eric said “No…my wife won’t let me!” Everyone had a good laugh and Eric gave him 10 pesos for handing him the nozzle so he could fuel up. “No fuel drips on the hot motorcycle engine!”
We both had a delicious Mexican lunch…..me fried chicken with salad, French fries and beans….Eric….had two quesadillas (homemade tortillas) with beans and two drinks for 120 pesos or $9.60. Cheap and yummy. Back on the road and a good ride back to the park. The free road is in great shape and you can easily do 70 but would be unable to pass with an RV.
Coming into Esquinapa. Much easier going north on the free road rather than south.
Church in the centre of Esquinapa.
We made a “rest your bum break” at Rosario and then home. We were back in the park safe and sound by 3:30pm and happy to be home. Chico was really happy to see us and it wasn’t just the motorcycle….I think he really likes us now….must be the cheese treats.
Everyone was happy to see us back safe and sound and we were happy to be back.
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