Sneaking Out II 2022: Monday 2/21 | |
Lazy Lo De Marcos is a new town for us to explore. | |
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OK, I overdid it today. It was so nice to get out yesterday that I convinced myself that a road trip to Lo de Marcos would be fine. We had never been to Marcos, the town just north of San Pancho. It is tiny. A long relaxing bus ride and a short slow walk around town shouldn’t be too taxing, right?
Sayulita is crazy-crowded and abuzz with activity. San Pancho, just a few miles north of Sayulita, is much less crowded and slower. Lo de Marcos, another few miles north, travels in another time dimension. The pace is so slow, it runs backwards. We bumped into one ex-pat that has lived in Marcos for 6 years, who begged us, “if you like Lo de Marcos, don’t tell anyone.” (Oops, I just told all of you. Sorry.) They love the lack of tourism. Marcos isn’t a destination. It’s just a small authentic Mexican community.
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Like San Pancho, the bus dropped us off on the highway on the outskirts of town. There are lots of these highway vendors along the highway wherever there is a little town. | |
On the walk into town from the highway, there are lots of shops that line the main road into the downtown. | |
At some point the shops along the main street morph into the downtown proper. | |
Golf carts are the predominant form of transportation. | |
Like all Mexican towns, there are plenty of murals. | |
My rough translation: For sale, fillets and ground camaron (shrimp) for ceviche (a Mexican dish made from cured raw fish). Sounds lovely. (Karen, I need a little help here.) | |
Downtown has one nice hotel with lots of character. | |
This had to be the only sports bar in town. Hockey was playing on the TVs. There must be some Canadians around. | |
I overheard the artist telling another passerby that he just took it upon himself to start making these sitting statutes. He reported that one or two people gave him some grief, but mostly nobody cared. | |
The main plaza is a pleasant spot to relax. This building marks the center of the plaza. | |
Loncheria Lupita, one of the nicest looking restaurants in town. | |
There are no fancy mansions, no Miami-style hotels or condos, no upscale restaurants. The only nod to tourism are the half dozen small RV parks. RV’ing isn’t a big thing down here. Maybe it is more prevalent closer to the US border. The few RVs in this part of Mexico probably end up in Marcos. Even then, the RV parks are half-full at best. Some were a little funky, but one stood out. It had a small modern recreational building and a swimming pool. Most of the RV parks were along one street. | |
Pretty Sunset Trailer park is a small RV park. Each stall is separated by a tall hedge. | |
The RV park with the club house and pool. | |
A swamp separated two RV parks. | |
These remarkable lilly pads and flowers were growing in a cement decorative pool. The pads were almost as nice as the blossoms. | |
The beach at Marcos lives up to the Riviera Nayarit standard. It is a gorgeous kilometer-long half-moon of golden sand. The surf was moderate with the occasional big rouge wave. I’m not allowed to go swimming, but I did a little wading. | |
As you enter the beach area several beach bars and restaurants greet you. The sign says: Do not enter with pets, food, drinks. | |
Looking from one arm of the bay to the other arm in the distance. | |
Of course, the nicest houses hug the beach. Yet these homes are not of the same caliber as even San Pancho, and certainly do not come close to the mansions in Sayulita. | |
As I said, Yamaha outboards dominate Mexico and the Caribbean. | |
Another look across the bay. | |
These birds are expert dive bombers. Their whole lives appear to be circling in the air looking for fish. Once spotted it pounces from the air. I saw one small bird trying to take the fish out of a bigger Pelican’s bill. The fish flipped up in the air for a microsecond. That brief second of freedom didn’t last. The Pelican, in one graceful movement, pushed the little bird out of the way and recaught the fish. Wow! Great divers and acrobats. | |
In the morning, I got a delicous fruit plate at a nice restaurant. It was perfect with small pieces of papaya, strawberry, blueberry, musk melon, banana, pears, apples, and yogurt on the side. All were at their peak ripeness. Later, Wanda ordered a plate of fish tacos and a margarita at a beach restaurant - how cruel! I could just watch and sip on my bottled water. | |
I gobbled down the fruit so fast that I forgot to take a photo. Too bad, the fruit bowl was artfully laid out and beautiful. | |
Wanda stopped for fish tacos and a margarita. | |
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I forgot to turn on Gaya to record the length of our walk, but it must have been five miles. Yesterday, I did record our distance when we went to the Sunday market. We logged in a tad over 4 miles. This felt longer. I was beat, and I got way more sun than I was supposed to. I will take it easier tomorrow. In the next couple of days Wanda’s will have her final dentist appointment, and I will have a progress checkup.
Wednesday Update: At my dental progress checkup this afternoon, I found out that everything is healing properly, however, more slowly than expected. Instead of getting my stitches removed today, I have to wait until Monday. I didn’t mention my adventures on Sunday and Monday. Oops. So, I am going to lay back for a few days.
Congratulations to Wanda. She is completed. Her bridges, crowns, and implants look wonderful. Just as important, her previously deteriorating jaw bone has stabilized and is healthy.
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