Thursday, February 2, 2012

Sayulita - sleepy no longer

A Beach Band, drummer is only about six years old
Sayulita, a town to the North of PV has been a favourite of ours for years. With a reputation of being more laid-back than than the City it has always attracted those looking for peace and quiet. Well folks it is no longer peaceful or quiet, in the original sense. The masses have invaded and now the people looking for p&q are moving further North - San Francisco et al.

However enough of the original charm still exists, mainly due to the smallness of the Town. The streets are now being filled in with  shops and cafes. Hotels appear to be of the Mexican style so the younger crowd prevails. The main attraction is still the surf. Sayulita is recognised as the second-best surfing beach in Mexico, Puerto Escondido is the best. Sandy decided to surf. Hiring a board is cheap and easy, sign the waiver, grab a board and head off into the briny. The rest of us sat down in the sun and waited for the intrepid surfer to get ashore. As usual the waiting place was with drinks at a table on the beach. One  of the reasons for this is that only patrons of the bars are allowed to use their wasrooms, rather a redundant position - have to buy drinks just to use the washroom - definitely only renting the beer.

A word of thanks to the person on the internet who gave us the best tip of the travels - always book the rental car online. When I took the car back, I asked "how much would this rental have cost if I walked through the door?" "Seventy five dollars Senor" As I completed the credit card slip for half of that it felt pretty good. 

Vendors waiting for customers
Stopping in Bucerias, the place that was sleepier before Sayulita was awarded the monicker, we browsed around the flea market, all the while feeling sorry for the vendors who were fighting with a decreasing number of tourists. "Business is bad this year, Senor."

One sight that we will never see in Ontario is the Voter Registration Van. This van will park itself in small towns and register voters. There are upcoming elections and naturally a complete registration list is the backbone of a vibrant democracy. These vans do a good job - MPAC should take notice.

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