Southern Exposure

Tuesday, December 2

We decided to have a leisurely morning in Caleta De Campos before moving on to Barra el Potosi which was the beach town we were really looking forward to based on the description from the book. We had breakfast in town and tried for the first time a traditional Mexican drink called Licuado – its a refreshing blend of milk, juice and ice, which is really yummy. We’ll definitely be blending those at home.

The ride to Barra el Potosi was beautiful, as we were riding along stretches of remote white sand beaches tucked away behind strips of lush vegetation, but still visible from the main road. Once in a while we would spot empty palapas (beach huts made with palm tree branches) on the beach and there would be random restaurants sprinkled along the highway, but for the most part the beaches were completely untouched and uninhabited. We thought that if we could get on a piece of property like this now, we could be millionaires ten years from now.

At one point out of the corner of an eye we spotted a couple of whales in the water not far from the beach. At this time of year, the whales swim from Alaska to the South, so we were very excited to have this brief encounter.

We reached Barra el Potosi around 4 pm, and started looking for a place to stay. The first B & B we stopped at was owned by a British couple who used to live in Oregon. The price of $85 was too steep for us so we moved on to the only hotel in the area, which also didn’t have anything appropriate to offer for the price. After trying a few other places with unreasonable prices we were ready to give up. At the last minute Matt noticed a hand written sign for some cabiñas right on the beach, which worked out great for us.

We hit the beach right away (at this point we were a bit disappointed with ourselves for starting the day so late), splashed in the ocean, built a sand castle, watched the sunset and went back to get ready for dinner. Before going out, we heard a nock on the door and were visited by a woman who saw our bikes outside and decided to say hello, because she was also from the Seattle area and a graduate of the University of Washington, like me (I have a UW sticker on one of my boxes). Karen invited us to stop by her house later that night.

We happily accepted the invitation, and on the way to dinner visited Karen and Dick’s beautifully built and decorated beach house where we were treated to cold beers, enjoyed hearing their stories, and got on some local gossip. As expected, there is a sizable community of Americans and Canadians who own homes in the area, which is gradually growing from a small fishing village into a vacation destination. Karen and Dick live in Kingston, WA, and have been coming to Barra el Potosi for the last 16 years, finding it to be a perfect balance between a small town with a tight community and naturally preserved beaches without being too overdeveloped. Last year they bought the property and build their home here, and now split their time between Washington and their beach paradise. It was definitely an inspirational meeting for us, seeing that living one’s (ocean beach paradise) dream is very much possible.

Karen also explained to us why so many houses are unfinished. If they had left a few pieces of rebar sticking out of their roof, the building would be considered incomplete for property tax purposes. Many houses are incomplete for lack of funds, others as a tax dodge.

Karen also shared with us another fun tidbit – this section of Costa Alegre was nicknamed Costa Floja – the lazy coast. The beaches here are so beautiful, the weather so temperate, and food so abundant that it’s easy for people to do just enough to get by. It’s not too hard to see why no one here is in a hurry.

We got a recommendation for a restaurant in town, but the enchiladas we ordered for dinner tasted as good (or bad) as the ones we get from the Trader Joe’s frozen section back home. May be the cook was off duty that night.

We went to bed anticipating to get up early the next day as we were heading off to Acapulco, a city that held a certain mystique for both of us, and were were eager to dive into the big city life after almost a month of small town living.