Saturday, December 22, 2012

Playa Chacala, One the Best Kept Secrets in Mexico

Wednesday we had coffee in Las Varas, and the town was quiet that morning.  They were probably recovering from all the Virgen de Guadalupe partying the night before!  We saw the local meat store,
and the fish vendor on the street.
I liked the prehispanic symbol I saw for the dentist on one of the shop windows.

We decided to stay in the town for one more night and just take the short drive to the local beach of Chacala for the afternoon.  Of course we say cowboys on the road along the way.

After the experience with the no-see-ums in San Blas, we were a little bit reluctant to spend time in Nayarit at the beach, but we were in a for a big surprise!  The little beach town of Chacala is quaint and beautiful, and nary a mosquito in sight.
A very international beach, along with the local Mexican population there are also many Americans and Europeans living there, and they are very proud of their beach, which is one of a handful of certified clean beaches in Mexico.  They consider their beach the best kept secret in Mexico!
The water is warm, calm and clear, and the town is very family oriented.
We were chatting with one of the local people from the US who decided to build their retirement home there, and she was telling us that the people out on the sailboat in this picture had stopped by Chacala for the day, and were still there three weeks later!  I guess they were charmed by the place, too.
There were vendors selling lots of beautiful crafts, and I especially love the beaded work of the Huichol people, who live in the neighboring mountains here.  Their work is steeped in symbolism and tradition.
There were colorful and artistic cafes, this one owned by a former Californian.
And Eduardo even ran into a fellow vendor that he knew from Venice beach in Los Angeles, who is now living in the area!
We were thoroughly delighted with our time in Chacala, and went back to Las Varas for the night, to recharge our energy and get ready for our continuing journey through the beach towns of Naryarit.

xo Linda

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