3/1/25 PV and the Saturday Market!
Due to piss poor planning. Last PV trip, I missed out on the Saturday Market. This trip, I will get to visit it twice!
The day started with coffee. You see, this AirBnB is booked right next door to the cute lil’ Hotel Posada de Roger. Where I stayed last trip. That was no accident. There is a craft brewery one block way. Dave booked this little 2 bedroom, one bath condo for us. We have similar priorities, hence why we make good travel buddies. Coffee! Right across the street is a little cafe. I wondered over, and got a coffee first thing. I have been to this cafe, but it was not the one in my memory. I sipped my coffee, and did my morning writing until 9:00am. At nine, the Saturday market opened! I wandered the market, and found breakfast. I had one lamb, and one beef empanadas. They had a creamy habanero sauce as a condiment. That sounded like my speed. The nice fellow warmed up the empanadas on a griddle. I found a spot to sit, and stuffed my face. I could tell the empanadas were deep fried, by the blistering of the pastry. I would call it a soft pie type pasty. However, it was soft like a tortilla. Definitely not as flakey as my pie pastry, but it had a little layering. That habanero sauce finished them nicely. With out it, they would have been as simple as an English Meat Pie. I am not sure what the form of the Habanero was, that was incorporated into the sauce, but the sauce seemed to me mayonnaise based.
I explored the market a bit. Then, around the corner from my lodging, I found my favorite old coffee spot. It is called B of Bros Coffee. Back in the condo, I worked on my writing until Dave woke up.
Back at the market Dave had a strong recommendation for lunch. Mixiote Machetes. Mixiote are different types of braised meat. It is something I need to take a deep dive down a rabbit hole on. When I get home. I believe traditionally it was braised in clay pots near a fire. However, I bet the crock pot or the enameled cast irons would also work great. A machete is an elongated tortilla. It is stuffed like a quesadilla, and looks a bit like the long knife it shares a name with. You pick your meat, your veg, maybe add some Oaxaca cheese. Some folks finish them with pickled red onions, fresh cilantro, or salsa. I got mine with stewed mushrooms, chicken, and cheese. I topped each half with a different salsa. I shot some Youtube content at the market, and I intend to compile it into a video once I get home.
Down by the beach, we started walking away from the water. The further east you go, and you get less tourist and more locals. A mix of both Gringos and Mexicanos. The damn-est thing happened. Soon, we were sitting next to a river sipping Victoria. We explored some more, then headed back to the pier to buy our water taxi tickets for the morning. Dave had a basketball game he wanted to watch. So, we found a cool sports bar called All access. Cool Gringo John, and his hot wife. I am not into watching sports, but I am into chicken wings, and hot waitresses. There was a pare of sister here that are quite a treat to look at. One is married to the gringo owner. I am not sure how it happened, but I know it is Dave’s fault. Soon, we were having a tequila and Raicilla tasting. Raicilla is to tequila, as moon-shine is to whiskey. The one here was smokey, and at 170 proof, it would make your eyes open. The bar lady got a good chuckle out of my reaction. I am good at throwing back low octane beers all night, but I am very reserved when it comes to fucking with the distilled spirits. We had one full pour of tequila we ordered, and two 1/3 pour samples. They like to hand out samples here.
We finished the night at Monzon chatting up a cute, witty, young lady bartend named Kenya, like the country. This girl was good at the banter, and was a lot of fun to chat with.
3/2/2025 We are Headed Back to Yelapa!
We were instructed to be down at the pier at 9:30am, but the water taxi schedule said the first boat did not leave until 11:00am. We got there about 9:35. The lady took half our ticket, and told us the boat would leave at 10. Ten minutes later she told us there would be a delay util 10:30, and we could go sit in the shade. We went and found a couple bagel. A photo time stamp has us on the water, beer in hand at 10:33am. Ernie (Ernesto) is the man that talks to you. He is very charming. After instructing you to keep your hands out of the water (it splashed the person behind you) He advises you of how long the trip is, and offers, even encourages beers. The “pilot” is at the back of the boat, and a man (Ernie) stands on the bow. He spots for whales and debris in the water. On this trip, Ernie was training a younger fellow. We did have to slow the boat for a bit, as we encountered some whales. I did not put my eyes on them, but some folks in the front of the boat got to see them. It is a strange life Dave, and I live. In a world where we are smarter than everyone else. We were the only 2 fellows on the boat who had coozies for our beers. On this day the water was quite smooth. I made arrangements for an early check-in. We were at my spacious condo at 11:30am. I after dropping our gear. I headed out for provisions (16 oz cans of Victoria Cervasa, and a 1.5L water). Dave located his condo. Then we rendezvous at mi casa. We cracked cans and made a plan. I had food on my mind, but it was not critical. Dave was not there yet. We took our cans of Victoria for a walk. Before long we were at the town water fall. There is a fellow down there who sells Raicilla, joints, and beer. We got a Raicilla, poured from a plastic jug. Soon, we had fresh Pacificos. Before long our boat group showed up. The day trippers got dropped at the beach. We got taken to the south pier. We chatted up Ernie, Denis and Casandra.
We headed down to the beach to a spot called Coco Tiki. I got some chips and guac. It came with onions, and Dave damn near gagged on it. I got to eat the whole thing. With the beers going down like French prize fighters. It was a good thing. We got a free shot of tequila with our boat ride at this bar. They gave us a second one before we left.
We ate at Manguito’s, Queso Fondito and Guac. Then walked back to La Cabanita’s and ate again. I had a Quesadilla. The stairs for my Apartment are directly across from La Cabanita’s
3/3/2025 Dave’s Birthday
Down by the water is a little spot called Cafe Bahia. It is both close to where I like to stay, and has an outstanding view. Last year, I ate there twice, but decided it took too long to settle my tab. I have since learned; you must be both strategic and assertive to settle a tab here in Mexico. It is a bit like European culture in that way.
I ordered coffee, and a +ham, +bacon breakfast burrito, sin huevos. I took in the view. Today was garbage day, and the pier was pilled with bags of trash, ready for pickup. I exchangede text messages with my brother Bobbo. I sent him video clips of the salsa. I was feeling extraex introspective, and introverted on this morning. After I ate, I took my time getting back to my condo, and enjoyed the views.
At the condo, I got my hygiene back up to first world standards and was joined by Dave at lunch time. Lunch was at a spot called Gloria’s. It was mediocre. We both had skirt steak fajedas. They slice the steak with the grain. This is some ammeter bullshit. The flavor was good, but the chew was not. It would pull right out of your tortilla. Sad, limp, Böner. Do not recommend.
We spend most of the day downing beverages at the beach. At some point Dave subtly pointed out the lady next to him. She was probably 50-something, and in a bra, and see through lace panties. She had a butterfly tattoo above her “yah-yah”. She was what we call a MILF. Her skin was nice, and her butt was sufficiently shapely, and plump. We soon found ourselves in conversation with her. Her name is Tracy and she is here with her husband Deven. They came down from Saskatchewan, and were just here for the day. Tracey said she did not think to bring a bathing suite with her from PV. Since, she would never see any of these people again. She just stripped down to her skivvies, and laid out in the sun. Good on you Ms. Tracy. I like you style, ma’am.
After the beach we changed into dry clothes, and then took our beers for a walk in search of Guac. We entered Tacos Y Mas through the rear entrance. (That’s right!) We sat at a table near the front. We ordered Guac, and I got just one Al Pastor Taco. As I recall, the taco game here at Tacos Y Mas is of a high level.
Dave wanted to have his birthday dinner at a Taqueria Los Abuelos. I had one arrachera Taco and an arrachera quesadilla. Dave got a taco, a quesadilla and a stuffed, and fried pepper. I rate this place as just OK, but I would be willing to give them another try.
3/4/25 Yelapa Waterfall
In this town there are 2 waterfalls. One is right in town, and this time of year, it is quite small. It is typically called Cascada de Yelapa. It is the waterfall most folks talk about. The other one is a couple of miles outside of town. It is a fairly easy hike, with a somewhat technical rock scramble at the end. The signage is minimal, but Dave and I found it last trip. Google maps calls this waterfall “Yelapa Waterfall”.
Dave joined me for breakfast down at my favorite Cafe Bahia. I really like the view of the ocean down here, and one of the waitresses has a great ass. I considered a bagel, but with the excellent hot sauces. I decided I needed something to pare with them. I got the same breakfast burrito I got yesterday; +ham, +bacon, sin huevos. Dave got the classic Huevos Rancheros. Simple food, that meats expectations.
I stopped by the grocery on my way back to my condo for a 4 pack of provisions. I brought my hygiene up to “Bohemian” standards, and then packed a day pack. We made our way through town, and out along the road/trail. There are no cars here. Just ATVs, horses, donkeys and mules. You have to cross the river twice on this trail. It is a short distance between the 2 crossings, and it is best practice to just bare foot it between them. My go-to footwear is hiking boots. Dave is a slide on sandal guy. I would not want to do this hike in sandals. Dave has done it in sandals twice, and that fucker just turned 51.
When we got to the waterfall, we met an old, white bearded man named Paul. Dave apologized for interrupting his solitude? Paul told is it was no problem. He said he had the falls to himself on most days. There is a nice pool at the bottom of the falls. Dave and I went for a swim. The cool water felt very refreshing after the hike in the 80ºF weather. After our dip, I dug a couple 16 oz cans of Victoria from my pack. “The America Bag, Premium Thermal Bag” I brought from home did a pretty good job of keeping them cold. It is just a simple mylar bag that claims it will keep things frozen for 3 hours. It and a beach towel will keep 2 cans of beer cold for 1 hour.
After our beers it was time for another swim. I packed swim fins, a snorkle and water mask. So, I geared up to see what there was to see in the water. The answer is not much, just a few tiny river fish. It was a good swim, but we were out of beer. We did not take many pictures of this hike, because we did it last year. We did take the token “waterfall selfie”.
Back on the trail it did not take us long to make it to a place called Jungle Garden. Google Maps lists it as a “social club”. To Dave and I, it is a restaurant that has Guacamole and beer. It is an interesting spot. Apparently you can camp there. Dave was still good from breakfast. So, I got to have onions in my Guac. We each drank a Pacifico, and ordered a second before closing the tab. We moved ourselves to some lounge chairs that they have out in front of the compound, next to the river. We made a stop at Manguito’s. Dave got Aguachile, and I got beer. This used to be my favorite restaurant in town. For hygiene reasons, we are on the outs. They have hand wash stations for the staff. However, when I came out of the pissour on our first day. I found the sink out of commission. I used lime juice as hand Sani.
Dave stopped by the Bano as we arrived at Coco-Tiki. We are now regulars. Miss Bella is a friendly and fun Mexican lady. She is aged somewhere between Dave and me. Roberto is the other server, and they have seen us a lot. Roberto greeted me with his arms spread wide. I don’t know if Mexico is the kind of culture where folks hug each other, but ole Magnus is a bro hugger, and a lady embracer. He embraced Roberto, and then greated Bella with a handshake-to-bro-hug.
I have a goal, of consuming a rum cocktail out of a coconut. I have spotted folks drinking out of nuts here. So, I asked miss Bella about it. She told me it is called a Coco-Loco. It is the coconut liquid, mixed with Gin, tequila and Vodka. (But no rum) Dave, and I each ordered one. Bella asked if we wanted it garnished with a flower? Hell yeah we do! Of course, we got a good selfie of this ridiculousness. When it arrived, it did not taste very boozy. Instead it was quite sweet. After I finished sucking down my nut. I switched back to Pacifico, and skipped my free shot of Tequila. There was a lot of of debris in the ocean today. Bella says it washes out of the rivers, and would most likely go out with the tide. It was mostly wood, and jungle floor type decayed tree bits. However, it was combined with a green algae skuzz. I have leaned the hard way to keep that skuzz out of my hair.
Dinner was a taco feast at Tacos Y Mas! After our drinks arrived. Ole white bearded Paul from the waterfall showed up. He stopped by our table for a chat. He lives here 6 months a year, and is originally from Onterio Canada. I believe 6 months is the longest you can stay here without a visa. I have pissed my life away doing this beer bull-shit. It has provided me with an interesting life, but I have done a pour job of preparing myself for retirement. Nothing that resembles a retirement has ever actually materialized from my brewing efforts. I do have a small house I have invested in, and my cousin Jamika has helped me with a Roth IRA. I suspect I will be living my elder years like Paul. (Probably over sharing)
During our chats. I asked Paul about land routes out of the village. He confirmed my suspicions. There are ATV and Horse trails out of here to other villages. He recommended a cemetery hike, and we will be doing that today. We reckon this will be a 2x each Cervaza hike. I left my GPS at home, and Dave’s satellite connections on his fancier iPhone don’t work here.
It was nice knowing y’all….
I got 2x Al Pastor, 1x Chicken, 1x Steak and a Al Pastor Quesadilla. Dave got the Toco Sampler. It was one each; Al Pastor, Shrimp, Fish, Chicken, and steak. He also got a shrimp Quesadilla. I reckon we give ole Tacos Y Mas 9 of 10 Böners. We had a few patio beers before calling it a night.
