Hi again and welcome to OnVallartaTime!
This last week has been one of transition, as Peggy and I settle back into being on our own again. We have been cooking more, going out less, and generally moving at a slower pace. We are also facing up to the fact that we are down to our last weeks here, and planning what activities we want to do before the dreaded day of departure, Feb. 28th.
As alluded to in the last post, friends of Eve were visiting the small town of Yelapa last week, Jim and his wife Jan. They invited Eve, Peggy and me to come to visit them in this small town south of PV. Jim and Jan have been coming to Yelapa for vacations for the last ten years, about the same length of time as Peggy and I have been coming to Puerto Vallarta. Jim is the leader of the Love Choir from Sebastopol, California, and this year 35 members of the choir accompanied Jim and Jan to Yelapa.
Yelapa (Yeh-lah’-pa) is the farthest south along the coast we will get on this trip to PV. It’s a town of 1500 in the high season, and unless you want to chance the unimproved dirt road or hike in is only accessible by boat. “Yelapa” means “Meeting Place” in the Nahuatl language, most likely referring to the fact that two rivers meet the sea here. The rivers are the Yelapa and the El Tuito, last seen in this blog as it flowed past the shamans’ cave. Both rivers have spectacular falls above the village. Originally home to a few fishermen and their families, the place was “discovered” in the ‘60s by musicians and artists, and became more or less a hippie community. The town still has a counterculture vibe, with many yoga and spiritual retreats alongside more traditional tourist fare.
The three of us caught the 10:00 AM water taxi from the Los Muertos Pier, very close to where we live. It’s a pretty big boat, accommodating 20 passengers, with a canopy to provide a little shade. The fare is 225 Pesos (about $18 US) round trip. We all gathered on the pier, and stepped down a ladder one by one onto the boat, not an easy task when it’s moving up and down in the waves. Then we settled in for the 25 km., 40-minute ride to Yelapa. “Settled in” is a bit inaccurate – the boat, with two powerful outboards, really gets up on plane and moves fast. It’s all you can do just to hold on as the bow smacks the waves, sending spray down the sides of the boat and bouncing the passengers up and down in their seats, rattling their teeth.
Getting ready to board the water taxi to Yelapa
Eve in the wind. As I told you, the boat moves fast!
The photographer at work
Coming into Yelapa
Once in Yelapa, the water taxi makes at least three stops, depending on what the passengers want. There’s a northern dock near hotels and other accommodations, a stop on the beach to unload more of the passengers, and then the final stop at the dock south of the river mouth, known as the pueblo (town) dock. We had arranged to meet our hosts, Jim and Jan, at the pueblo dockside.
Entering Yelapa, getting ready to let passengers off at the north pier
Jan and Jim, our hosts
As is usual in these seaside towns, steep mountains rise right behind the shore. Yelapa is built clinging to the mountainsides. There are no roads and no cars, just footpaths that are wide enough for walkers, horses and burros, and the occasional ATV. Peggy and I were surprised at the amount of hilly hiking we found ourselves doing, walking up and down miles of uneven paths. First, we stopped at a charming little café for brunch, then walked south on the path to “The Point,” where there are views of Yelapa from the south. Then we retraced our steps and climbed up into the hills, making our way across two small rivers on bridges until we came to where Jim, Jan and the choir were staying, Los Naranjos.
Jim welcoming us to our brunch spot.
Peggy and I on the trail to The Point
Nearing The Point
Near The Point — another form of transportation
View of the town from The Point
Yelapa town scene
Peggy on the trail
View of the lower part of town from the trail
Along the trail through town
Stairway to a residence
Jim, Peggy, me and Eve at the entrance to Los Naranjos (orange trees), where the Love Choir folks are staying
Nearing the common area at Los Naranjos. The grounds are beautifully landscaped.
Jim, or “Mister Music” as the Yelapa townfolk call him, in the Los Naranjos common area palapa
Jim, Peggy and Eve, and some of the Love Choir in the common area palapa
One of the palapas on the Los Naranjos property
An open air bathroom on the property. To flush, you fill the pitcher from the basin and pour it into the toilet bowl.
Jan and Jim’s private hilltop palapa. Note the mosquito netting on the beds. The jungle views from here are incredible.
Jungle view from Jan and Jim’s palapa. That’s an amazing tree with red, peeling bark on the right.
Another view from the palapa. There’s a small waterfall in the background that lulls them to sleep.
The choir had several concerts scheduled, including the evening of the day we visited, but we weren’t able to attend because we had to leave early to catch the last water taxi back to PV at 5:00. If you miss it, that’s it, you spend the night.
Waiting for the water taxi back to Puerto Vallarta at the pueblo dock.
Nearing Puerto Vallarta on the water taxi. That’s Los Muertos Pier on the left.
View of Los Muertos Beach as we left the pier.
Relaxing and watching the sunset by the pier after a long day
Well, folks, that’s it for OnVallartaTime this week. Yesterday, Peggy and I booked a tour to the State of Jalisco capital city of Guadalajara for Feb. 14-16. That should be interesting! Meanwhile, I’d like to show you some sights around Puerto Vallarta in the next post. Until then!