Once, Twice, but probably not Thrice

Back in 2006 I visited Acapulco with my girlfriends Nettie & Kelsey after studying Spanish in Cuernavaca, Mexico and since Ben and I are working our way down the coast, naturally we made a stop there too. A glitzy Hollywood getaway back in the 50’s, Acapulco just may have the most natural beauty of any of Mexico’s resort destinations. The perfectly curved, white sand, blue water bay is lined with hi-rise hotels that when lit up at night look like the Las Vegas strip. Having seen it’s better days, Acapulco really isn’t very popular with Americans anymore, but is definitely worth a visit if you happen to be nearby.

Acapulco Bay

During my last trip here we went on a snorkel trip with this random guy hocking things on the beach. It turns out he wasn’t so random and he in-fact is infamous on Hornitos Beach in Acapulco. King Coco is what they call him and you can pick him out by his huge hat (that has King Coco written on the front) and his mouthful of silver teeth. The snorkel trip turned out to be really fun and only $20. Ben and I just happen to be staying at the Crown Plaza, just a few hotels down from the place I stayed in a few years back, and while we were walking down the beach you’ll never guess who we came across – King Coco himself. It seems that his prices have gone up with inflation, but he’s still out there pimping massages, hair braids, dive/snorkel trips and anything else one might need to make their trip memorable (if you catch my drift). Well since I am a return customer and all, the King was willing to cut me a deal (2006 prices in this 2009 market) so we decided to spend our 1 and only full day in Acapulco with an old “friend”.

Ben looking a bit bored on the snorkel trip

Turns out though old Coco has become a thief over the years. Our “snorkel” trip ended up being full of beginning scuba divers – and when I say beginning, I mean people who paid to “scuba” but still needed to learn how to swim. So we bobbed around in the water a bit, seeing only a handful of fish and then caught a water taxi back to the marina where I promptly hunted down Coco and gave him a tongue lashing – in Spanish (that is the part I’m most proud of)!

Beware of this jerk on the beach - he's in disguise here without his usual hat!

The other most noteworthy part of Acapulco is watching the clavadistas (cliff divers) at La Quebrada. About 10 speedo-clad young guys (the eldest is maybe 20 years old) free climb a cliff that is about 75 feet high and dive into the crashing waves below. It’s been a regular occurrence since 1934 and is breathtaking each time you see it. They must think that all the gear we wear to climb in the US is idiotic!

Sunset at La Quebrada

this is where they dive from!


La Quebrada Acapulco from Krista on Vimeo.

These feet were made for walking

And that’s just what they’ve been doing. When we’re not glued to the seats of our car, our feet are out walking. We’ve walked high and low around every coastal Mexican town between Tijuana and Acapulco.

Before we left home I was distraught over which shoes would come and which little darlings I had to leave behind (after my husband, shoes & bags are my second love). Wrestling between the practicalities of walking on cobblestone roads for the next year and my never ending need to participate in love for the fashion world, I think I may have left with 7 pairs in my bag. Mostly practical footwear, like tennis shoes, hiking boots and Chacos (ewe, I hate how they look), I did find room for some ballet flats (they don’t take up much room) and my beloved Frye boots (they will be my main accessory in the cooler months). Of course I also threw in a pair of flip-flops and have another pair waiting in the bag we left in Xela. Well, little did I know that after our first night in the desert, my feet would never again see those closed-toe shoes on this trip! I’ve been hoofing (and showering) all over Mexico in my comfy Havaianas and it’s a good thing because my bunion and I weren’t getting along very well before we left Denver.

Now for the first time in my life I have something that I have always wanted, something that I have always been secretly jealous of when I see them on other people – foot tan lines! Yes that’s right, this fair-skinned, freckle-covered, girl has a sandal tan on my tootsies and I couldn’t be more pleased. It may not be obvious to you, but it’s there! I guess when you wear the same shoes for a month it’s bound to happen, but I don’t care how I got it as long as it stays!

I swear it's more obvious in person!

Now these feet need to get a pedi. Even Ben has commented on the nastiness of his own feet. I’m trying to talk him into a day of indulgence with massages and pedicures, but I don’t see that happening any time soon Oh, and if you were noticing my black toe-nail, Ben kicked it off accidently the day after I took this photo (I’ve had it ever since I dropped a can of bathroom cleaner on my foot back in September. I’m hoping my tan lines distract from the nubbin of a nail I’m left with.

Z-what?

Last winter Frontier Airlines ran this add for their new service to Ixtapa/Zihuatenajo Mexico. Nearby our apartment on Colfax there was a billboard that read “Z-what?” and we quickly latched onto the joke and have been using it ever since. So here we are in Z-what-tenajo, a few frown lines later, smiling again.

Once we arrived in Zihuatenajo we lucked into a great, quiet, little RV Park (while trying to following directions to another) called Villas Los Arcos, owned by David & Nancy, snowbirds from Idaho. Tucked in behind their property (which also includes a few villas they rent), the RV park is just steps from their beautiful swimming pool. When we rang the bell a relative, Don (who happens to have the only other RV here) welcomed us in. Only a block from the best beach in Zihuatenajo (Playa La Ropa), our first day we joined the masses on the sand (by Monday they had cleared out). For Easter we ventured over to Ixtapa to explore that area on (what else?) bicycle – a tandem bicycle to be exact.

a tandem ride in Ixtapa from Krista on Vimeo.

Before pulling out of Zihua we also went deep sea fishing with a local captain, David. The water was calm and the ocean breeze made for a nice day at sea. We got to see dolphins, sea turtles and a few manta rays in their natural habitat. While we didn't catch any big ones (but David was pretty sure we got a bite from a Marlin) we did catch a whole bunch of little tuna, that David cooked up for us when we got back on shore. In between reeling in my catch, I took to napping on board the boat. I've come down with la gripa (common cold) and the rocking of the boat mixed with my Sudafed made my feel really drowsy.

it didn't take long for me to get some bites

veteran fisherman Ben wasn't as lucky at first

the perfect place for napping

the end result - tuna ceviche

If you're thinking about a trip to this part of Mexico we think you should give Zihua a try. Smaller and less expensive than Ixtapa with it's Las Vegas feeling resorts, Zihuatenajo has a peaceful feeling that we have really enjoyed. If you're looking for a smaller hotel, David and Nancy's villas are in a great location. Ask for the "bird's nest" if you've always wanted to shower, sleep and cook in an open air palapa. I'm already planning my return trip to stay up there!

Villas Los Arcos

the beautiful pool at Villas Los Arcos

Betseyville

For a cool $5,500 (in low season) you can 7 of your best gal pals can check into Betseyville, a boutique private villa in Barra de Potosí (20 minutes south of Zihautenajo), owned by designer Betsey Johnson.

If this bungalow style getaway isn't your thing, then maybe you'd enjoy the more upscale Villa Betsey, a glamorous, secluded Italian Rivera-esque Villa.

Life doesn't get much more fabulous than having your own boutique resort(s) in Mexico!

PS: You can reach me at kristalengacher@gmail.com if you want to invite me along!

Driving la costa bonita

Although it might seem like we had a miserable 2 days getting ourselves down the Michoacán coast due to all the busy beach towns, really the drive itself was quite nice. We spent several winding down the beautiful, untouched Michoacán coastline taking in the stunning views. This area could quite possibly be the most beautiful part of Mexico. The cliffs and rocky stretches of shoreline reminded us a bit of the Napali Coast in Kauai, Hawaii. We really do hope we get to experience it (and it's solitude) again sometime in the future.

Michoacán coast

Get a feel for what our drive was like!
(Do you think we were getting a little bored?)


Untitled from Krista on Vimeo.

Spring Break or Semana Santa?

semana santa beach from Krista on Vimeo.

This whole Semana Santa thing is quite interesting to us outsiders. We understand the importance of the Easter holiday and love the idea of spending quality family time, but we’re beginning to wonder “Is Semana Santa just an excuse for an extended Spring Break?”. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the holiday, Mexican schools give their students a 2 week break and during this time it is a tradition for families to vacation on the coast. Even though the beautiful coastline goes on for miles and miles, when everyone floods out of the cities inland, there isn’t even 1 square inch of sand that doesn’t have a tent popped up on it!

Everywhere we turn, families, friends and teens are crowding the beaches, popping up tents, cooking up delicious smelling food…..and celebrating with lots of alcohol to boot! We know Jesus had wine at his table, but did he have tequila too?


Forgive us for our bad attitudes, please. We hadn’t planned on the celebration getting this rowdy. Nowhere in Lonely Planet did they mention that we should veer inland for 2 weeks during our coastal drive through Mexico, though we quickly learned from seasoned snowbirds, that is exactly what we should do. While we did end up skimming over a few many of the small towns and out-of-the-way beaches we had hoped to boondock on, we have luckily found refuge in Zihuatenajo, but not before spending 2 miserable nights sleeping in parking lots!

keep in mind that they say these beaches are usually almost deserted!

Puerto Vallarta in a nut seashell

Because of the craziness of this past week, when we drove into Puerto Vallarta Wednesday afternoon we knew it was going to be short lived. Really quite large and busy, PV is more of a city than a nice beach town. It does have charm with it’s cobblestone streets and meandering malecón, but not enough to help us stay, knowing that there were possibilities of small, quaint beach towns further south.

With ridiculously difficult directions to both of the RV parks, we gave that up and headed straight for Hotel Emperador (Lonely Planet’s author’s choice) – that was after first calling to see if they had availability. In a nice part of town (the Gay/Romantic area, the guy at the front desk told us), Hotel Emperador was good enough for a night, but would certainly not recommended by us.

We spent our night navigating the malecón, dining with water front views, and shopping for new trunks for my too skinny husband. The next day we spent a few hours taking in Old Vallarta, but didn’t find it nearly as charming as Old Mazatlán. Before we had even been there for 24 hours we were saying good-bye and not feeling too sad about it.

Sipping mojitos at La Bodeguita del Medio

Voladores de Papantla

Ben's firey dinner

the malecón at night