A Fun Lunch on the Riviera Nayarit in Sayulita Mexico

Oct 042011

Beachfront Restaurant for Lunch

I had been working in Sayulita on the Riviera Nayarit in Mexico all morning, and called my girlfriend to see if she wanted to have some lunch. It was around 1:00 in the afternoon, and my girlfriend and I were both really hungry.There are a lot of good and different restaurants, and plenty of great taco places, however, I wanted to try somewhere that I had not eaten before. I was looking for some fresh seafood. I knew of the Captain Cook Restaurant, and that it was located right on the beach, and had wanted to try their food. I really love eating at beachfront restaurants.

Enjoying Seafood For Lunch

Captain Cook has a lot to choose from on their menu, specializing in Seafood like mussels in white wine sauce and every fish you can think of! They have the usual Mexican cuisine of course, like tacos and burritos and cheviche, but they also have great appetizers like crab cheese puffs, stuffed Portabello mushrooms and spicy wings. A large variety of salads and mention yummy looking burgers as I saw one the other day when discovering the restaurant.

I decided on the Red Snapper, which you can order a variety of sizes and weight, which are in kilos. It’s fun because it comes on a large platter that you can share with friends. I also ordered a mixed seafood cocktail, which had octopus, shrimp and scallops. My friend ordered the coconut shrimp. We both had yummy lemonade. It was still a little early for us to be drinking, especially on a work day, however they have a full bar with a happy bartender, and a good menu of drinks.

A nice thing about the menu at Captain Cook Restaurant is that it is written in English and Spanish! So, if you speak English, and are a bit rusty on your Spanish, its a wonderful thing! Click on a picture to go to the Riviera Nayarit Picture Gallery.

We ordered lunch, and while we sipped on our lemonades our server brought us some chips, crackers for the seafood cocktail and salsa. They wait staff was very friendly, and spoke good English as well. They were professional and polite.

Our food arrived in an appropriate amount of time, and it looked delicious! The Red Snapper looked cooked to perfection,and my friends shrimp were big and plump. They both came with salad and my Red Snapper came with rice as well.The waiter also brought out some fresh tortillas.

It was fun sitting out on the beach under an umbrella watching the surfers. They also have plenty of room inside the restaurant with nice wooden tables and chairs that look out over the beach and ocean.
I tried my friends coconut shrimp, which happens to be one of my favorite way to eat shrimp, and it was delicious and not over cooked, and the oil tasted clean and fresh.
We took our time eating and chatting. It was a delightful lunch filled with yummy seafood flavor, and I ate every last bite. We left happy with our stomachs full.

Whether you are on your Mexico vacation, or if you live in the neighborhood, come enjoy the beachfront restaurant Captain Cook and enjoy some lunch or dinner with a seafood flair on the Riviera Nayarit in Sayulita Mexico.

Undiscovered Central Riviera Nayarit

Attractions, Chacala, Pueblos No Responses »

Oct 032011

Uncover the Treasures of Central Riviera Nayarit

This lesser known but not to be neglected section of the Riviera Nayarit has much to be discovered and is probably best geared to adventure travelers seeking to explore the Pacific Coast of rural, historic Mexico. Some of these tourist attractions include archaeological sites of ancient Aztec ruins, such as the Altavista Petroglyphs near Chacala and other ruins in Las Varas.

While Central Riviera Nayarit is still a relatively undeveloped tourist area, some towns like Chacala and Platanitos are growing in popularity for their exotic nature and pristine beaches of all shapes, colors, and sizes that offer varying ocean conditions for different vacation activities. A hidden natural attraction near Platanitos is the lovely Laguna La Mataiza Lagoon that flourishes within a supportive ecotourism environment.

Other towns in the area are slightly inland along the lush tropical hills and valleys of the Sierra Madre Occidental Mountains and rainforests, such as Zacualpan and Las Varas. Primarily agricultural towns with tropical fruit orchards, vegetable farms, and tobacco fields, they also feature some combined cultural and natural attractions like the caves of La Cueva de La Tigra containing ancient Indian cave drawings.

On your Mexico travels, explore the cultural treasures and natural wonders of Central Riviera Nayarit north of Bahia Jaltemba Bay along the Riviera Nayarit.

Bountiful Beach Bays of Riviera Nayarit

Attractions, Pueblos No Responses »

Sep 272011

Cruise the Beach Bays of Riviera Nayarit

If you enjoy all that goes with vacationing or living near the ocean, then Mexico’s Pacific Coast is the place for you. Coined the Mexican Riviera, it spans kilometer after kilometer (mile after mile) of dazzling gold beaches framed by beach bays and coves of all shapes and sizes suited to all kinds of activities.

While there are hundreds of bays on the Pacific Ocean, some of the most dynamic are located in the tropical paradise of the Riviera Nayarit, part of the Mexican Riviera. Mother Nature has bestowed each of these beach bays with varying ocean conditions that match certain water sports and beach activities better than others.

Among them is Bahia Banderas Bay, the largest natural bay in Mexico and one of the ten largest in the world. This vibrant bay is teeming with tropical fish and sea life that live among underwater rocks, caves, and coral reefs, making it wonderful for snorkeling, diving, whale watching, and sea turtle sightings. Other towns along the bay provide the best conditions for sailing, sport fishing, kiteboarding, and surfing.

Slightly further north are the more authentic Mexican beach towns of Bahia Jaltemba Bay. Home to some breathtaking long beaches and smaller beach coves with island views. Portions of this bay have calm, clear, aqua sea water and soft, light, gold sand beaches, which are ideal for snorkeling, fishing, swimming, and beach sports. One of the towns holds the largest open-air market (tianguis) in the region once a week.

Continuing north beyond this bay and the town of Chacala are the natural wonders of Bahia Matanchen Bay. The towns and beaches along this bay harbor incredible biodiversity, such as marshes, mangroves, jungles, rivers, beaches, wildlife, and historical sites making it ideal for sightseeing, birding, boat tours, and conservation. Its beaches are known to have some of the best waves in the region for surfing.

Uncover the hidden treasures of the Riviera Nayarit through its bountiful bays on your next Mexico vacation.

Shop Tianguis in La Penita de Jaltemba

Jaltemba Bay, Play No Responses »

Sep 202011

Tianguis Outdoor Market in La Penita

For the first time, we had the pleasure of visiting ‘tianguis’ in La Penita de Jaltemba, and what a pleasure it was! Tianguis (pronounced tee-ang-gees) is Mexico’s version of a swap meet or flea market but offers more than just practical items, including fun things like bright green river turtles, colorful fish and birds, genuine and costume jewelry, new clothes and shoes, Mexican arts and crafts, and of course, all kinds of fresh foods and snacks. After all, it wouldn’t be Mexico without the tasty treats!

Practical La Penita

La Penita de Jaltemba is a rustic beach town along the Riviera Nayarit, a recently designated tourist region that consists of beautiful undeveloped beaches and charming beach towns, framed by tropical rainforests and the rolling hillsides of the Sierra Madre Occidental mountains. Just about 30 minutes north of Sayulita and 30 minutes south of Chacala, La Penita (as it is called) rests along peaceful Bahia Jaltemba Bay on the Pacific Ocean and is one of many beautiful beach coves in the region.

Being an authentic Mexican town that provides practical services for its residents and neighboring communities, it’s less of a traditional tourist town with all the bells and whistles but still welcomes and accommodates travelers from all over the world, and the Tianguis in La Penita is well known. As the largest recurring outdoor market in the Riviera Nayarit, it’s the most popular open-air market in the region drawing locals and vacationers from the south beyond Nuevo Vallarta and the north beyond San Blas.

Tianguis Market Details

Along with the warm, friendly people of La Penita, the tianguis is an enjoyable few hours of shopping, socializing, snacking, and listening to live music. Running from 7:00 or 8:00 a.m.-ish to 1:00 or 2:00 p.m.-ish, the entrance of the market starts at the lovely, tree-lined town square (zócalo) extending south and paralleling the beach. Vendors line both sides of the long cobblestone street with colorful umbrellas and tarps, offering much-welcome shade from the sunshine, while smiling at visitors who admire their wares.

With high season (November through April) right around the corner, the vendors are gearing up to provide all kinds of special traditional items, such as authentic handmade pottery, woven baskets and hammocks, wool rugs and blankets, leather and beaded items, painted woodcrafts, hand-embroidered clothes and purses, Huichol Indian art, organic Nayarit coffee, and even the basics like eyeglasses and sunglasses, vitamins and herbs, pots and pans, glassware, and cleaning supplies.

During the winter months, there are twice as many items available, so La Penita Tianguis is a great place to shop!

Shop at the La Penita Tianguis every Thursday morning in La Penita de Jaltemba along the beautiful Riviera Nayarit, Mexico.

Breathtaking Sunset Sailing Trip from Sayulita

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Sep 072011

Sayulita Sunset Sailing Cruise

Pulling into the Marina Riviera Nayarit in La Cruz de Huanacaxtle, just 15 minutes from Sayulita, we walk up the first dock on the right to a 50-foot schooner – more accurately, a traditional trimaran – that reminds of days of old when pirates would sail the seven seas. It’s as long as its sails are tall and has a cabin (main salon) lined with rare Rangoon teak wood panels, uncustomary on those modern fiberglass boats.

Two steps lead up to the boat and a hand reaches out to help us aboard. Looking up, I’m greeted politely by a thin, gray-haired man with a strong handshake, welcoming us to his pride and joy: Sayula 1, the first boat ever to operate out of Sayulita. He’s a bit rough around the edges, and I imagine him wearing a black patch over one eye with a yellow sash around his waist and a long sword at his side. Could he be a pirate? This man of the sea is an original with 25 years’ experience sailing the ocean blue.

Sail Away

Once we’re all aboard, a low rumble breaks the sound of rolling waters, and we begin to glide back from the dock as if floating on air. Passing more contemporary boats in the marina on our way out to sea, feeling the soft sway of the boat and smelling the fresh ocean air, we sense the history of this sailing trimaran and realize we have stepped aboard a legend. Before long, the marina is behind us and the wide Pacific Ocean draws us in.

Port side (on the left), we begin to pass colorful buildings of all shapes and sizes in the towns that line Bahia Banderas Bay on the Pacific coast of Riviera Nayarit; behind us, San Pancho, then Sayulita, Bucerias, Nuevo Vallarta, Puerto Vallarta and finally the open sea. Starboard side (on the right), we ride near the land, passing Punta de Mita in the distance and the rolling hills of tropical rainforests in varying shades of green peppered by rock barriers that extend into the ocean.

Breathtaking.

Sailing On…

The land begins to fade in the distance as the ocean grows wider and the rolling waves draw us out. With the wind in our sails, we follow the distant shadow of the land and continue starboard when rounding a bend north of La Cruz, a lovely beach cove opens up to a small gold beach where seagulls and pelicans perch on rock beds welcoming us. Anchoring the boat a short distance from shore, we swim to the beach and relax awhile having this slice of heaven all to ourselves.

If only we could stay here forever, but alas, we are hailed back to deck and climb aboard to enjoy some snacks, drinks, music, and friendly conversation. We float for a while and then head back in the direction we came, spotting a dead sea turtle along the way: a tragic loss to nature. We mutter sadly about her death and are quiet for a time as we journey back to the marina. The ride is calm and smooth as the sun sets on a lovely Nayarit day. Hues of red, orange, yellow, and purple fade into gray as we say good-bye – for now.

Take a boat tour aboard a traditional trimaran for a Sunset Sailing Trip from Sayulita, Mexico, in the Riviera Nayarit.

Saving Sea Turtles in Trouble

San Pancho 1 Response »

Sep 032011

- By Desiree Bilon

Endangered Sea Turtles

Although Olive Ridley might sound like the name of a children’s storybook character, it is the actually the name of a species of sea turtle in trouble. The Olive Ridley takes it name from the grey-green color of its heart-shaped shell. Even though this is one of the most abundant species of turtles in the world, it is still considered an endangered species on the Pacific coast of Mexico where the Riviera Nayarit is located.

The second smallest of the sea turtles, after the Kemp Ridley, Olive Ridleys weigh between 75-100 pounds (34 – 45 kg) and reach 2-2 ½ feet (0.6-0.75 m) in length. Mostly omnivorous, this turtle lives off a diet of crabs, jellyfish, lobster, and shrimp. Commercial fishing, loss of nesting habitat, and climate change are among the human-induced threats to turtle population levels worldwide.

The Olive Ridley has a number of natural predators. In San Francisco (San Pancho), a small town one hour north of Puerto Vallarta on Mexico’s Pacific coast, the domestic dog is the largest predator, digging up turtle eggs. Human poachers are also known to gather turtle eggs while the female is depositing them into the sand, only later to resell the eggs – considered an aphrodisiac in Mexico. If the eggs do remain in the sand, fly larvae pose the greatest threat to the nests. Once the turtles have hatched, ghost crabs become the new predators, going after the baby turtles and tucking them into their sand holes.

Sea Turtle Rescue

Frank Smith, a US expatriate, who has dedicated his life to turtle conservation, founded the Grupo Ecológico de la Costa Verde, A.C. in 1992. The “group” built the first marine nursery in San Pancho, Nayarit to help increase turtle numbers. Sea turtles, even though diminished in population, play a key role in oceanic ecosystems. They are vital in maintaining healthy sea grass beds and coral reef, which provide habitat for other marine life; help balance marine food webs; and help facilitate nutrient cycling from water to land.

Frank stays up every night until 4:00 am and then sleeps until noon. From the end of June until mid-November, he is out collecting nests. Two teams, 3-4 people each, take turns searching for nests. One team goes from 10:00 pm until 1:00 am and the next team goes from 1:00 am to 6:00 am. They look for turtle tracks in the sand, approximately 2-feet wide (about 0.6 meters wide), and then follow them up to the nest sites. Once the female has finished depositing her eggs, and leaves, the team retrieves the nest.

Sea Turtle Nurseries

Two types of nurseries are used in San Pancho. One is the beach nursery where eggs are buried into a fenced off area in the sand, simulating a more natural habitat. The second is the “box” nursery. By replicating commercial hatcheries, carefully selected sand is placed into a styrofoam box and kept in a semi-heated room. The eggs are placed into the sand in neat rows, as opposed to a bunch of eggs dumped into a hole. Survival rates in the box nursery are successful, around 89%.

Due to lack of space, not all the eggs can be kept in the box nursery at the same time and some have to stay on the beach. While susceptible to attacks from dogs and fly larva in the egg stage, artificial lights pose a problem for the new hatchlings, born after 45 days.

“When they emerge to the surface, they look for the bio and chemical luminescence of the waves to guide them – it’s like a flash of lightening for them. Artificial light behind the beach attracts the newborn turtles and they head up the beach in the wrong direction. When the sun comes up it kills them within an hour.” Frank explains and urges people on the beachfront to turn their lights off.

You might see Frank on the beach, driving his dune buggy along the sand at sunset with passengers, the baby turtles.

“We only release 60 hatchlings in one spot. Then we go 400 feet down the beach and release another 60. We don’t release any in the same spot for a week to avoid fish predators,” Frank assures me.

Over the past 20 years, with the help of Grupo Ecológico, the Olive Ridley population in San Pancho has increased from 200 to 1,170 nests.

For more information about visiting or volunteering, visit Grupo Ecológico de la Costa Verde, A.C.

Join the special residents of San Pancho on their mission for Saving Sea Turtles in Trouble in the Riviera Nayarit, Mexico.

[Photos courtesy of Grupo Ecológico de la Costa Verde.]

A Fun Journey to San Blas in the Riviera Nayarit

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Aug 312011

On the Road

As we are currently living in Lo de Marcos in the Riviera Nayarit in Mexico, it was not a very long drive on the 200 road to San Blas. We had not driven through San Blas on our way to Mexico from Colorado, and since we had our friend Conor visiting, we thought it would make for a fun trip with a bit more authentic Mexican flavor of the Riviera Nayarit in comparison to some larger and well known cities.

We figured that it would take us about two hours to get to San Blas from Lo de Marcos. We took off around 9:00 P.V. time, so as soon as we got to La Penita, it was only 8:15! The hour difference in the time zones starts at Lo de Marcos, going south towards Puerta Vallarta. (We are on PV time). So, we were off to an early start! lol!

Just past Las Varas is a small town called Zacualpan that had a really interesting saying on a rock with a large rock painting above it as you entered the small town. It was about lovers, of course! Mexico is so very passionate about love and life! We went into town and down to the town square. Every pueblo has a town square. And in the town square is where you will find life in the town.

I started talking to a gentleman about which way to San Blas, and he started to tell us (in Spanish) that the road ahead was severely flooded, and it would be two to three hours before we could cross. Then he saw the jeep, and said we could probably make it. I wanted to see the flood and get some pictures, and thought that we could simply turn around if we had to, and I ended up getting this video instead. I’m not the best at videos yet, as you will surmise, but you will see what the summer rains can do. The flooded pastures were literally turned into a raging river. It was a bit scary at one point where the water really started slamming higher on the truck in front of us. Yikes!

So, Leaving Zacualpan and coming into San Isidro was an adventure for sure! We stopped after that and bought some very delicious banana bread and a fried coconut ball and away we went onward to San Blas. There is nothing better than fried coconut sugar!

Pueblos of the Riviera Nayarit

As we came over the mountain just before the San Blas valley, we were able to see the valley with the orchards and other crops, along with the beautiful coast line below. Driving is a fun way to get around Mexico. There are so many small towns (pueblos) to see and interesting culture to absorb. Some of the streets get over grown due to the heavy rain season or flooded. Everything grows so fast here in Mexico.

These small pueblos have some of the same qualities; the small stores and shops with cobblestone streets. Some of the folks are cooking whole chickens and carne for tacos outside on their grills for lunch. It feels very friendly and inviting. Families… lots of family are working together and supporting each other. It is their culture to take care of each other, and to live together. The parents take care of the children, and then the children take care of their parents. There are mostly family run and owned businesses in the smaller communities.

Some small towns are geared more for fixing and repairing; buying your work supplies such as La Penita. Other pueblos are for vacationers, that are filled with restaurants and tour companies, and places to stay like Sayulita, which is huge for weddings and fun music and is also known for its “hippie” energies, while Chacala feels a little more calm and private. Each of the pueblos has an authentic Mexican flavor of their own, making it easy to find the right pueblo for your vacation or retirement that will be sure to meet your needs.

Tacos and Swimming at the Beach

As we drove into San Blas, the road split. It seemed like a one-way street, and so we went with the flow and veered right. The road ended up doing a tear shape loop and came out on the other side of the split when we left.

San Blas is a pleasant looking pueblo with a large town square. There is a large cathedral church there with shops, carts and restaurants along the perimeters. There are a lot of small art galleries and different clothes and jewelry shops. Conor found a really cool Mayan vortex type of tee shirt, and I purchased a really cool pair of beaded yellow daisy earrings. We walked around town for a while. The market was busy and there were several vendors selling their goods like fresh shrimp and fish.

We decided that it was time for lunch, and I found a carne taco vendor cart along side of the town square. The tacos were very tender and yummy!!! We all were quite happy with filled bellies.

We really wanted to get to the beach, so when we were headed out, we stopped at a restaurant on the beach and had a margarita with some chips and salsa, and watched the surfers surf some good-sized waves. We decided to continue on our journey and ended up turning off of the road onto a dirt road that had restaurant after restaurant alongside the beach with covered parking under palapas. I drove to the end of the restaurants that were open and we came to this beautiful spot with big waves to swim in. The beach was flat and the water was warm. We had a blast.

Then, the ice cream man came by and we all got some delicious ice cream afterwards! There was also a mother Mary sighting in this small cove, and so erected upon the rock was Guadalupe.

We are blessed on so many levels indeed to live and breathe in the Riviera Nayarit, Mexico.

La Penita Vacation

Attractions, Jaltemba Bay No Responses »

Aug 092011

A La Penita Vacation with Ghosts

- By Susan J. Cobb

La Penita Hilltop Ocean View

La Penita de Jaltemba is a charming beach town but not in the touristy sense. Its Pacific Ocean edge is marked by moss covered, wave-battered remains of large houses, victims of Hurricane Kenna , which in 2002, swept away a way of life, along with bricks and mortar. What remains are ghosts: a pair of seahorses atop two pedestals mark the entrance to what was once the malecon, a seaside walkway that residents are assured will be rebuilt “someday.” There is one, and only one, restaurant directly on the beach. The bright parasols of Las Brisas draw locals and tourists on Thursday morning market days. The food is good and they stay.

To walk south along this beach requires climbing up and over the ruins of spacious patios, skirting the footings of what were once walled gardens. Sand-smoothed fragments of tile, stone, and glass provide materials for local mixed media artists. Photographs are best taken at sunset, when light and shadow lend charm and intrigue to what may look harsh and shabby at midday. This is “the real Mexico,” travelers say. The boats drawn up on shore are not for excursions but for local fishermen.

La Penita Hilltop View North

To walk north on the beach is to end up in a place of more ghosts. El panteon viejo, the old graveyard, melts down to the shallow beach at the north end of town. Crypts and stones tilt at odd angles. What secrets are hidden in the sand? The graveyard sits at the foot of a cuesta, an outcropping of black lava rock, a solid base to four or five elegant vacation homes entrenched high above, escaping the waves but not escaping the ghosts. The inn at Casa de los Amigos welcomes paying corporeal guests. Could there be a better place to read a mystery novel or begin writing one?

On the north side there stretches at least 7 kilometers (4 miles) of unobstructed palm-fringed, golden sand beach. At the end, hard up against the base of el cocodrilo, the snout-nosed landmass that crouches at the northern end of Bahia Jaltemba Bay, is Boca de Naranjo. Here there are more ghosts. The frayed and sun-bleached remains of a dozen or so beach palapa restaurants scatter this remote section of beach. Once a nice place to sit for hours, drinking Pacifico beer and watching whales pirouette and play off shore, a development company evicted the restaurants with plans to build a resort there – someday.

Rincon de Guayabitos Ocean View

If you go by foot, take water, a hat, and sunscreen, since you can easily lose time when ghosts are involved. My teenaged nephew found that out several years ago. His Sunday morning excursion from our home in Rincon de Guayabitos (I’ll-be-back-in-an-hour-or-so-Aunt-Susan) turned into a rite of passage. Was it ghosts that drew him on and on, enticing him to hike all the way to the base of el cocodrilo? He returned late in the afternoon, sunburned and dehydrated, but as he confided later, with a new perspective on life. Going and coming he had contemplated the ghosts of La Penita.

Things here today can vanish with a breaking wave. Nothing lasts forever except the memories. Instead of returning to college the next semester, my nephew joined a carnival and traveled through the States for two years, living “full out,” gathering memories that would last a lifetime. Back into his studies now, he still counts that day on Bahia Jaltemba Bay as a pivotal time. Walking with ghosts can sometimes bring the living to life.

For a unique experience, take a La Penita Vacation on the reminiscent shores of Bahia Jaltemba Bay in the Riviera Nayarit, Mexico.

San Pancho

Attractions, San Pancho No Responses »

Aug 062011

A Song for San Pancho

San Pancho Beach

Maybe you haven’t heard of the Mexican town called San Francisco, Nayarit, affectionately nicknamed ‘San Pancho,’ but the popular Mexican rock band Café Tacuba feature a video about this lovely beach town accompanied by their song, “El Aparato” (on YouTube).

If it’s worthy of a professional video and song, it’s also worth a visit. Located on the Pacific Coast of Mexico in the Riviera Nayarit, San Pancho is a quaint town with pristine beaches, tropical nature, and a tranquil lifestyle.

Just a 15-minute drive north of Sayulita, a popular surf spot, and 45 minutes north of Puerto Vallarta, its charm and beauty will steal your heart away.

San Pancho Summary

San Pancho Sunset

Only 40 years ago, this town was just a sleepy fishing village consisting of four extended Mexican families totaling about 100 residents. When it became an official town in 1975 by founding father and former Mexican President, Luis Echeverria, it began to grow, attracting nationals and foreigners to its shores, eventually reaching the current population of nearly 2,000, many who are relatives of the original families.

More than a few things make this town special: its secluded location alongside the deep blue Pacific Ocean with sparkling gold beaches surrounded by tropical rainforests and fruit orchards in the peaks and valleys of the Sierra Madre Occidental mountains; fresh fish and seafood caught by local fishermen; colorful sunsets melting into the ocean; and the friendly local characters telling fascinating stories about the town and their lives.

San Pancho’s hidden location in the tropics of Mexico and its natural lifestyle lend themselves best to nature activities both on land and by sea, such as hiking, mountain biking, four wheeling, and horseback riding across the rolling hills and lush jungles; and water activities such as swimming, fishing, kayaking, and some of the best snorkeling, diving, and surfing at nearby beaches.

Multicultural Community

San Pancho Girl

Thanks to its diverse community and increasing foreign population, this little authentic Mexican town has some big entertainment of its own, such as a 9-hole golf course centered amid fruit orchards (Las Huertas Golf & Beach Club) and a polo field (La Patrona Polo Club) with an art gallery, restaurant and lounge with music and is the place where social events and equestrian shows are held.

Community is what defines this peaceful beach town, and with an increasingly growing international population of Americans, Canadians, and Europeans, this brings with it increased employment and education opportunities for the locals.

In addition to the opening of shops, restaurants, and bars in town, the EntreAmigos Community Center teaches new skills to local families so they can achieve success in their evolving town.

San Pancho deserves the attention of the tourism industry for its attributes and contributions to the splendor of the Riviera Nayarit and for creating new opportunities for its Mexican residents. Over 200 Canadians and Americans have discovered its charm and tranquility for themselves by investing in second homes and vacation homes, while travelers are just starting to catch on. Why not discover it for yourself?

You too can Sing About San Pancho after visiting the beach town of San Pancho (San Francisco), Mexico, in the Riviera Nayarit.

Kool Kiteboarding Bucerias Style

Bucerias, Play 1 Response »

Jul 262011

Kiteboarding (Kitesurfing) in Bucerias

Sitting quietly on the sparkling gold sand of Bucerias Beach in Mexico, I’m mesmerized by two young men bouncing off and twisting above the water with a small board attached to their bobbing feet while gripping an apparatus connected to a sail above them. The two young men, one fair and one dark, both speaking fluent Spanish, looked to be simultaneously challenging and instructing each other.

It was looked like dancing on water. Graceful and powerful. At the time, I didn’t know the name of the sport, but it was so captivating that I decided to investigate. (Many of you probably already know what it is.)

The sport is called kiteboarding or kitesurfing and it’s an extreme water sport, not for the faint hearted. Basically, this is how it works: A kitesurfer or kiteboarder slips his feet into the bindings or straps of a small surfboard while holding onto grips of a navigation bar attached to a large kite or sail that pushes and pulls the rider across the ocean surface. Skilled kiteboarders do more than just propel across the water, demonstrating jumps and spins to show off their talent.

Kiteboarding Competition (Kitesurfing Race)

On May 21 – 22 2011, a kiteboarding competition was held in Bucerias, Mexico, where some of these talented young athletes were able to show off their techniques and maneuvers. The second annual Wind Festival 2011 (Festival Del Viento) is a freestyle race and tournament aimed to promote kiteboarding and the town of Bucerias as an ideal location for wind sports for its fantastic wind conditions. In windy season, from January through June, it’s common to have excellent kiteboarding conditions up to 5 days a week.

Freestyle is the most common style of kiteboarding so the race and tournament highlights this form although there are a few others. Freestyle uses a standard kite and board, whereas wake-style uses a flatter board with bindings, and wave-riding uses a special board for riding the bigger waves. Variations of these styles have evolved to include freeride, jumping, and cruising.

Kiteboarders – 132 – from across Mexico gathered for this event. The tournament consisted of 3 freestyle categories so all skill levels could participate. One category was called Open Class for intermediate level; another was identified as National Competition for advanced levels; and the third was the Women’s Division for female kiteboarders. For those wanting to participate but not wanting to compete in the freestyle tournament, the event also included downwinder and long distance races.

As a leading kiteboarding destination in Mexico, if kiteboarding is your sport, consider entering next year’s Wind Festival on May 20-23, 2012 . This fun event is a complete sports competition with food, drinks, and a celebratory party for kiteboarders on the last night, so even if you’re not a kiteboarder, this happens to be an exciting spectator sport surrounded by the beautiful beaches of Bucerias!

Ride the winds of Bucerias Kiteboarding in Bucerias, Mexico along the Riviera Nayarit.

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