Lighthawk
Weekend warrior
We love our camper, but sometimes it's a better use of time to jump on a flight to a different latitude. We have friends with a house in Yelapa and were determined to use the opportunity to visit this small village south of PV, accessible only by boat.
We planned to move lightly, between planes, buses and water taxis. So carry on luggage was all we brought. You don't need a lot of clothes down south, but I did pack about ten pounds of camera gear.
There's always a dichotomy between the tourist price and the right price for services or goods. For us it started at the airport, after we debarked. A taxi to Los Muertos pier would cost us $40usd, but the local bus cost us 65 pesos each (about sixty cents). As we waited for our bus, friendly locals helped us catch the right one.
Catching the water taxi in PV. The pier is being rebuilt, so they back the boat against the shore and you jump in from the sand, wading a bit into the surf.

Afternoons are can be windy here.


Some local fishermen dumped some bait, creating a feedy frenzy amoung the Brown Pelicans



The pelicans and the Magnificent Frigatebird were our constant companions along the coast.

This guy makes his living paddling an old dugout for the touristas

I wonder how old that boat is?

The boat ride south to Yelapa runs 250 pesos each and is a fine ride along the coast. We passed Mismaloya, Los Arcos (rocks with nesting blue-footed boobies), Boca de Tomatlan, and Playa de las Animas. Until you pass Boca, the coast is dominated by beautiful and often ugly multi-story condos and villas. The main highway 200 turns inland at Boca and the beaches and rocky shore are left in the natural state with jungle right down to the crashing surf.
I recommend watching Night of the Iguana (1964) with Richard Burton, Debra Kerr and Ava Gardner to get the flavor of the coast. We just watched it after returning, and Burton does an excellent job. Written by Tennessee Williams, and directed by John Huston; it's a classic. There was no road to Mismaloya when they shot the film, so everything was brought in by boat.
Next episode: Palapa in Yelapa

We planned to move lightly, between planes, buses and water taxis. So carry on luggage was all we brought. You don't need a lot of clothes down south, but I did pack about ten pounds of camera gear.
There's always a dichotomy between the tourist price and the right price for services or goods. For us it started at the airport, after we debarked. A taxi to Los Muertos pier would cost us $40usd, but the local bus cost us 65 pesos each (about sixty cents). As we waited for our bus, friendly locals helped us catch the right one.
Catching the water taxi in PV. The pier is being rebuilt, so they back the boat against the shore and you jump in from the sand, wading a bit into the surf.

Afternoons are can be windy here.


Some local fishermen dumped some bait, creating a feedy frenzy amoung the Brown Pelicans



The pelicans and the Magnificent Frigatebird were our constant companions along the coast.

This guy makes his living paddling an old dugout for the touristas

I wonder how old that boat is?

The boat ride south to Yelapa runs 250 pesos each and is a fine ride along the coast. We passed Mismaloya, Los Arcos (rocks with nesting blue-footed boobies), Boca de Tomatlan, and Playa de las Animas. Until you pass Boca, the coast is dominated by beautiful and often ugly multi-story condos and villas. The main highway 200 turns inland at Boca and the beaches and rocky shore are left in the natural state with jungle right down to the crashing surf.
I recommend watching Night of the Iguana (1964) with Richard Burton, Debra Kerr and Ava Gardner to get the flavor of the coast. We just watched it after returning, and Burton does an excellent job. Written by Tennessee Williams, and directed by John Huston; it's a classic. There was no road to Mismaloya when they shot the film, so everything was brought in by boat.
Next episode: Palapa in Yelapa
