Tuesday, November 19th
“Travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer”
- Anonymous
An authentic experience is always the great unicorn of travel. Wherever you go, you are always told, “If you really want to experience the country, you need to do (Insert here)”. You save and pay so much money to go somewhere, you want to experience “The real thing” not some manufactured facade designed to take your money.
And what that “real thing” is for some is different for others. It is a phantom that, like a unicorn in the woods, always seems just out of reach. When you do manage to catch it, the moment is always brief. But it is the thing you will remember the most about your trip.
We always call them “RSM’s” (Rick Steves Moments). The famous travel host is always talking about moments of travel that are unexpected like dinner with locals, sunset on a beach, seeing an unexpected music performance, or having a pint in a pub. It is not scheduled or on the tour. An RSM is spontaneous. They surprise you and add richness to the experience. The beauty of an RSM is you can't plan it. The more you try to make one happen, the less it does. You just have to be open to it, stop what you are doing, and let the moment wash over you.
Most of today was a RSM.
After leaving the plastic facade of Puerto Vallarta we traveled south about 8 miles along the bay to Boca de Tomatlan - a small village south of the resort city. We were not completely sure what we would find. We were told it was a ‘fishing village’.
We traveled by car along the steep winding hillsides with the cliff to the ocean on our right and dense jungle to the left. And it is a jungle. Bandares Bay is on the western edge of the Sierra Madre range. It is a tropical climate and the jungle is dense and verdant. You pass Capomo, Habillo, Coconut, Banyan and Banana trees. Giant ficus trees and woody vines criss cross the tree trunks giving the whole scene a mysterious, impenetrable look. It is easy to understand this is the home of jaguars, ocelots, and a host of biodiversity.
Tarzan did not live in Africa. He must have lived here in Mexico.
We arrived and descended into a narrow gorge. The Tomatlan river flows out of the jungle here and meets the ocean. Boca de Tomatlan means “Mouth of Tomatlan”. Where we are at, the river is wide, approximately 75 to 100 meters across. The water is shallow for the most part but the current is swift and surprisingly clear.
There is not much to the town here. There are a couple of thatched roof restaurants with tables on the beach at the point were the river and ocean meet. One could easily imagine Jimmy Buffet writing Margaritaville here, instead of Nashville where he actually composed it.
The two roads here are dirt and heavily rutted. A number of the buildings are in poor repair. There is a large home/hotel on the cliff side but it is sorely out of place here. Boca is mostly a poor community that gets some money from tourism and the rest from fishing and the water taxi business.
The boats you see here are small outboard models with the classic New England style whaler bows. The majority seem to work as water taxis ferrying people to and from Puerto Vallarta. One was carrying children in school uniforms obviously back from lessons in the city. It is hard to imagine your school bus is in fact a boat.
There are local kids everywhere playing in the river and sandbars by the opening to the ocean. Pelicans loiter about in the trees.
And it is this picture that gives the place it’s appeal. There is no internet here, no casinos, no parasailing, no dolphin swimming. It is just the clear water and the cliff sides of jungle. You come here to relax and unplug, not to charge up and party. So it is not for everyone.
To get to our Air BnB we have to cross the river. There is a narrow concrete bride that is in poor repair. Hand rails are blown away, tree trunks are down and jammed into the archways under the crossing. My first thought was just poor maintenance. But that is not the case.
On October 23, 2018 Hurricane Willa struck here -
So it takes awhile to rebuild especially when your resources are limited.
Why is this a RSM? Why does this place qualify as catching the “Unicorn” at least for brief time. I think for us there are several reasons.
It is beautiful here. The confluence of the river, ocean, and jungle is something we do not see everyday. You sleep with your windows open due to no air-conditioning and catch the breeze and hear the sounds of the waves.
Some men are up before dawn taking there small boats to sea to fish for Red Snapper and other commercial fish. Their boats are small and equipment minimal. It is subsistence fishing at best. Most of the fishing we observed involved men wading out waist deep and throwing nets into the water. This effort was to catch bait fish for Dorado (Mahi mani). When the sun hits it just right, you see the net glisten briefly in the air before splashing down into the deep.
It is not easy getting things here. The stores are simple and have only basics. They have no bags for you to carry. There is no way for you to load up with groceries and carry them back across the river. So you have to simplify and get only what you need and can carry.
To travel to the store or beach side cafe, you have to go through a path in the jungle by the river filled with vines on the trail, laundry hanging in trees, chickens, and overly amorous dogs.
It is primal, day to day existence. Daily life is reduced to your basic needs. Your television set is the view outside.
It’s simple, calm, and humble.
It is beautiful.
Today, we not only saw the unicorn, but we rode it.
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