El Volcan

After seeing yesterday what fish can be caught right from the shore, I was up early and over by the rocks seeing if I could duplicate Alan’s success from yesterday. I tried from the far south end of the beach then hiked around to give it a go in the small cove next to the marina. It seems I wasn’t the only one who saw Alan walking down the beach with his fish yesterday, because other gringos were out now fishing in the same spot where he landed the robalo. The conditions just didn’t favor fishing this morning, so it was back to the RV for breakfast and reading my book.

El Rey Mysterio

Someone had told Alan about the volcanic crater that sits up on the mountain at the south end of town, so he came by to see if I was up for hiking up there. Sounds good to me. I busted out my new hiking boots to give them some more breaking in and we headed down the trail that goes past the Mar de Jada then up into the jungle.

The track varied from graded road to tiny foot paths leading up through the trees. As we climbed, we passed a few clearing where we could see the bay getting smaller in the distance with the mountains showing behind them and the small extent of the town boundaries.

Hey, There’s Wilson

At the very top, we were on a crest with views to both north and south for great distances. The volcano’s crater was grown in with water plants but the outline was clear and it was an awesome reminder of the past volcanic origins of the area. To the south the mountains hiding Puerto Vallarta lined the coast while the tall mountains to the south marked the beginnings of the Sierra Madre. The vistas were well worth the hike.

Back at camp, I ate a few ceviches tostadas then went for a swim. That was how the afternoon played out, reading, a swim, reading, a paddle around the bay. A few people moved on and about five new campers pulled in. Space is getting tight and rigs are starting to fill in open spaces people were getting used to enjoying. An older couple from Idaho replaced Yve on my right and three vans squeezed in on the open area to the left of Alan. I waited around to watch the sunset then trudged into Acela’s to eat a couple of tacos. A drunken local who’d learned some English when living in Oakland for a spell sat down and appointed himself my new best friend. Eddie bent my ear for a bit as I quickly munched my dinner trying to get me to into the first in Las Varas again. I made a quick exit and grabbed some more dog food to bring home to the pooch.