| May 11, 2003 After spending a most delightful two weeks at Paradise Village Marina in Nuevo Vallarta, just north of Puerto Vallarta in Banderas Bay, we set sail around 8 p.m. on Wednesday, April 16, for Chamela Bay � about 100 miles south � one of many stops along the Mexican Riviera. The Mexican Riviera (also referred to as the Gold Coast) stretches from Banderas Bay down to Acapulco where mile after mile lay stretches of long, beautiful, sandy beaches � often one after another. We had a lovely full moon sail down to Chamela, but unfortunately the seas were very sloppy, especially around Cabo Corrientes. We were able to sail most of the way, putting down the anchor around 2 p.m. on Thursday, April 17, off the village of Punta Perula in the northern section of Chamela Bay. The week before and after Easter is a big holiday period in Mexico, and so many of the anchorages and beaches that we visited during this time were full of Mexicans enjoying their vacation. This ended up being an added bonus for us as we were able to experience their fun and enjoyment first hand. When we arrived in Chamela, there was definitely a festive atmosphere on the beach with a mariachi band playing and loads of families enjoying the beach and eating at the many small palapa restaurants lining the waterfront. Unfortunately, this anchorage � and most of the anchorages along this coast � are exposed to the Pacific Ocean and thus experience lots of surge at times. The majority of these anchorages, therefore, do not rate high on our list of �peaceful� anchorages. In Chamela Bay, we were unable to go ashore until Saturday, two days after we arrived, due to too much surf. Plus, on Friday, strong winds came straight into the bay from the southwest (never even mentioned on our daily weather report). All we could do was ride the waves until the seas and winds subsided that evening. We felt like we were on a continual rocking horse. There was no other anchorage in the bay to which we could easily escape. Finally on Saturday, April 19, we did make it to shore and what a most fun and enjoyable afternoon we had. We have many fond memories from our time ashore. Most of the people on vacation in Punta Perula were middle class. Many were camping. We enjoyed eating at a couple of the palapa restaurants. Ceviche, either fish or shrimp, was the most popular dish served. Often, families lingered a long time at the palapas. Some brought their own food and mixed with what they bought at the restaurant. A few people played cards at the palapas while others in their party enjoyed the beach. This tying up of tables would be unheard of in the United States as restaurant owners would want to free up spaces for paying customers. But, this didn�t seem to matter here. All was very laid-back with the local restaurant owners. While we were ashore, small mariachi bands, mostly consisting of three in the band, would go up and down the beach playing at the different palapas. An ice cream bike, with the same sound as our ice cream truck, would play its tune as it moved through the sand looking for customers. Local pangas (small open boats, 18 to 24 feet long, powered by an outboard) would take customers for banana boat rides. Popular with the Mexican female vacationers was to have their hair braided in lots of small braids. Local vendors would bring their many hair style pictures along with them so that the customer could choose the right style. Also popular with the women were the necklaces and bracelets that the vendors were selling. On Easter Sunday, April 20, we left Chamela at 9:15 a.m. planning to head south to Careyes, about 10 miles down the road. Unfortunately conditions weren�t right in Careyes as the winds decided to come directly from the southeast at 20 knots (once again never mentioned on our weather report that morning), and thus this anchorage was untenable in those winds. So, we continued on down the coast, motoring into the wind, to the next anchorage at Tenacatita Bay, 18 miles further down the road. We finally anchored at 3:15 p.m. |
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| Palapa Beach Restaurants |
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