La Manzanilla...swimming with crocs??

We finally arrived at Villas Cristina in La Manzanilla, MX. It was a long, challenging and fun trip to get there; however, to our surprise Villas Cristina would not be our final destination in Mexico. Although Bruce was in contact with the owner of Villas Cristina to try to ensure they could accommodate rigs our size it turned out…they couldn’t. No matter how determined Bruce was, it wasn’t going to happen. After many tries and much frustration, we continued down the road, only about 5 minutes to Boca Beach RV Resort which is where we stayed for the next two months.

La Manzanilla is a small Mexican village on the southeastern corner of the Bay of Tenacatita with a population of approx. 2,000. While in La Manz the main towns we went to were La Manz, Barra and Melaque not only because they were recommended by Bruce and Doris and we really enjoyed them, but also for the bank machines!! Most tourists know the location of every bank machine in these areas, and there is usually a line-up, and money can run out quickly. The withdrawal limit can change each day. It’s really a game to see who can get enough money for the next few days!!

After we got acclimated to these areas and got settled in at Boca Beach, it was time for fun! Boca is a beautiful location. We woke to the ocean waves every morning. Long walks, Merlot running off leash, our fav restaurant was only a five-minute walk up the beach…best margaritas ever!

The first full day Doris, Darcie and I walked into the town of La Manz from the beach! Lots of things to see along the way!!

Each morning, we would go for a walk on the beach and find something different each time. A couple of hours later, it would be totally cleaned up by the local vultures!

Merlot had the best time of his life, I’m sure. He chased birds on the beach into the water every day, totally wiping out on occasion. He loves the ocean; however, drinking the ocean did become an issue! I won’t get into it.

One day Barry and I walked through Boca de Iguanas, the crocodile sanctuary, which is a mangrove forest that is home to hundreds of huge crocodiles, baby crocs, and even some sea turtles; however, I think the thing that shocked us the most is that there was a pool of water “besides the sanctuary”, on the way to the beach, not fenced off, completely open to the public and in it was the largest croc of all!! I don’t know how people don’t get killed. Unfortunately many of the stray dogs do!! So sad!

We visited Tenacatita Bay a couple of times to go snorkelling. I absolutely love snorkelling and this was a fun spot to go. We would bring paddle boards and our kayaks as well so that everyone could enjoy this place however they chose. That is, of course, until we put the kayak through the back window of the truck. Okay, “we” didn’t put it through…it just happened!! Funny thing about Mexico (where we were staying) there’s always a guy who knows a guy!! Back at the campground Barry was given the contact number of a guy who could replace the window. Barry met him and set up a time for replacement sometime between 2 and 5 days. One day a stranger comes to our door and tells us that the window is in and we should call the guy!! Everything gets done eventually. Anyway, we did go back to Tenacatita Bay several times while in Mexico for some fantastic snorkeling.

Darcie, Doug, Fred (a friend of Bruce’s) and I went deep sea fishing! Firstly, we arrived in the dark and forgot about the crocodile in the pool of water I mentioned earlier!! It was in the same area and we had to walk right past him!! We literally helped our guide push the boat in the water (very sketchy!) and we were off!

Watching the sunrise was absolutely incredible. Even if I hadn’t caught any fish the sunrise alone was worth the trip!! Having said that, we all caught something (rooster fish?? Small tuna something, something??). What a great day!

Pokie bowls for dinner!! Barry was skeptical (so was I), but they were really good! Don’t be fooled by the look on Barry’s face…he loved it (okay, love may be a strong word!). Is a picture not worth a thousand words???!!! LOL

We also went kayaking through the mangrove forests that surround La Manzanilla. This was crazy!! The current was not too strong, but certainly kept you moving. Ironically, I was made fun of for going so slow! I needed to explore and totally take in my surroundings. I have to say this was one of the most incredible things we’ve experienced in Mexico. So much fun we went twice!

You see this…this is a tree crab!! The orange, that’s not crazy eyes looking at you, that’s his claws. So freaky!! And they were everywhere. You could hear their claws tapping on the trees as they climbed around.

The first day we went, we saw some iguanas. I thought I was looking at one only because it looked blue, but it also looked like a baby croc! I fought the current to get back to look at it again, and yes, it was a baby croc!!! I got the shot!! Once I’m floating away it hits me that babies have mamas! Thank heavens I didn’t see her. Such an incredible experience.

As I said, we went to the mangrove forest twice. The second time was the day before we left La Manzanilla, and it was crazier than the first. The water was much higher and the current not as strong. We saw a few crocodiles and large iguanas! You really had to look as they were very well camouflaged. I didn’t take nearly as much time for photos as I did the first time that’s for sure! Started getting a little scary. We all agreed, kayaking the mangrove forest was the highlight of our stay in Mexico!

Valentine’s Day was our big “let’s get dressed up and have a fun night in downtown La Manzanilla, and we did!! Doug, Darcie, Bruce, Doris, Barry and I all met at Los Titos for dinner. I have to say the stuffed jalapeños was the best I’ve ever had. From there, Doug, Darcie, Barry and I continued our evening by going to the Rock Bar. It’s a tiny little spot that had such charm. We had never been in town late enough to see it opened, so Valentine’s evening was the time!! So much fun…too much fun! Tequila shots do not taste good at all, but we had so much fun!! Happy Valentine’s Day, Husband!

It was so nice to meet to Darcie and Doug’s girls, Montana and Stephanie who flew in to hang for a week! They are so sweet and fun. What a beautiful family! It was a pleasure spending time with them for a few days.

Barry and I also went to see the release of the turtles at Colima beach! Such a beautiful beach area! It was crazy how it was completely empty other than the beach surfers, which was so fun to watch! We hung out and watched them for a while before we met our group to release the turtles. I had never seen or participated in this before so it took quite a lot of restraint not to push the small children out the way to get closer to the turtles (I’m kiddin’!!!!...maybe!). Very sweet experience.

And finally, we went on a guided hike in Melaque, which overlooked the town. It was not a difficult hike, but a lot of fun. Got some great view, and great pictures, and of course finished with a beer on the beach watching porpoises swimming in the ocean.

Overall, we love La Manzanilla and really enjoyed our time there! Other than the highlights we also went to the market each week and came home with the most incredibly fresh and sweet fruit and vegetables…and cinnamon rolls!!! It was such a great experience. It was time to leave Mexico and we were all ready to get back to familiar ground and cooler, less humid temperatures.

On the way back, we stopped at Jocotepec, which is the westernmost town along the north shore of Lake Chapala. We stayed at Roca Azul! Darcie and I had planned to go paragliding while we were there; however, as we learned more we decided against it. We stayed at Roca Azul for 3 days and enjoyed great food, and quite a bit of pickleball! I swear I will be better at it one day!!

We also stayed in Mazatlán for one night, same RV campground, which we loved!! Crazy enough, someone is knocking on our door just when we're ready for bed after a long day. It was a guy Barry used to work with at Finning! Small world!!

We also stopped in San Carlos at Totanaka RV Park where we stopped on our way down. Merlot enjoyed his last few times on the beach. This time, Sea of Cortez. He sat so still for the longest time just taking it in.

I think the highlight on the way was when we arrived in Nogales, MX….the border town. We missed our exit and ended up at the border in an area where RVs should not go! Doug and Darcie were leading so Barry and I had the experience of watching while they were directed into a different lane to get out of the lane/area we were in. Watching Doug’s 42 foot fifth wheel take out parts of the trees above was painful, especially knowing we had no choice but to do the same! Then, the police escort through the town! Yep….motorcycle leading the way through these small streets of Nogales eventually turning us around and pointing in the direction towards a bridge where we should go. We were so grateful!!

And then, as we approached the bridge, I noticed a sign that indicated the bridge was 3 meters high. We’re 4.1 meters high. Barry radios Doug and we all stop, blocking traffic trying to cross the border. Doug and Barry walk down to the bridge, along with many locals who saw what was happening and came over to help. We discovered not all signs in Mexico are correct!!! With the help of the locals in Nogales we drove slow and we got under the bridge just fine. After a day like that, we were very happy to arrive in the U.S.

We will certainly be back to Mexico but will never drive down as far as La Manzanilla again. Next time, probably San Carlos and Puerto Penasco. Good bye Mexico!! See you next year.

If you want to see more pics click here!