In Sayulita

We are now into the last week of this trip. We have been in Sayulita since last Saturday and we are heading for Mazatlan Sunday morning. Then onto the ferry and back to the Baja on Monday. Our flight home is out of San Jose del Cabo on Wednesday.

Both Linda and I have been taking Spanish classes in the morning and I have been getting together with another teacher for an hour in the afternoon. I think we are making progress but sometimes it is hard to tell. If nothing else, it is good exercise for the brain. Also it gives us a chance to meet some locals and develop a better understanding of the area. Fernie and Sayulita have a lot in common. For example, both are seasonal tourist towns. Both have over inflated property values that have helped push prices beyond the affordability of the local population.

Yesterday we visited the town a few miles to the north. Its name is San Francisco but it is commonly known as San Pancho. (Pancho is an abbreviation of Francisco, as is Paco) It is possible to walk to San Pancho along the beach, with a couple of forays along jungle trails over some higher ground. The problem is that you have to pass through private property and sometimes this can be a issue, so we decided to take the bike instead.

We were quite surprised by San Pancho. We expected something smaller but although not quite as large as Sayulita it is a well developed town, in some ways nicer than Sayulita. Nearly all the roads are attractive cobble stone, clean, nice stores and restaurants. Sayulita, on the other hand, has a mix of street surfaces, from concrete to cobble stones to dirt. The September storm caused significant damage in Sayulita, particulary in proximity to the river. The construction on a new bridge and the associated equipment, constuction materials, piles of dirt etc. are not very attractive. Hopefully, by next seasons much of this should be completed and it will be more esthetically pleasing.

San Pancho has a beautiful long, wide beach but unfortunately the swimming is dangerous and there is no surfing area for beginners. This is where Sayulita has the tourism advantage. The surfing and boogy boarding are very good at Sayulita. The south end of the beach is shallow with smaller waves.




Sayulita beach looking North



Horses, dogs, and people share the beach