Thursday, January 12, 2012

The jungle/beach hike and the ghost resort

By Aaron
There is a very nice ex-pat named April who has lived here in La Cruz since 1985.  We heard her on the morning cruiser’s net offering to take people on various guided hikes for very reasonable rates, so we gave her a call and set one up along with the crews of Hello World, Panache, and Ventured.  Our hike would take us over 4 miles through the jungle and beaches along the coast, from Boca de Tomatlan to Quimixto.  These small towns are connected by the trail only, and you can either walk, ride a horse, or ride in a water taxi to get to them. 
DSC_1616The start of our hike from the river at Boca de Tomatlan.
DSC_1617Start of the trail…
DSC_1620The bridges steadily decreased in quality from this point on
DSC_1630One person on the bridge at a time seems like a good rule of thumb
DSC_1642Making our way down to a little cove
DSC_1643Didn’t even have to ask them to smile for this shot – this is just what you look like when it’s 80 degrees in January
DSC_1646Arrival at the cove
DSC_1663We also had to hike along the beach in several spots.  Darn.
DSC_1657Jason had some lifesaving advice for me on crossing the next bridge
DSC_1661The trail went on and on along empty beaches…
DSC_1665Be careful which trees you lean against to take a break.  The term “Montezuma’s revenge” comes from this tree.  It’s poisonous and apparently some native Mexicans tried to kill several Spaniards with it but only succeeded in giving them diarrhea for several weeks.  
DSC_1667Onward we marched
Soon we came upon an unusual place… an abandoned resort.  Our guide told us that the owner was coming ashore in a panga full of guests when the panga got overturned by a wave.  The owner unfortunately broke his back in the accident and swore to never visit the resort again.  And he never has. 
DSC_1671Approaching the ghost resort…
DSC_1686The resort can still boast fantastic views
DSC_1678Zack, taking an imaginary soak in the hot tub.  With a bunch of imaginary hot chicks. 
DSC_1685There’s not much left of the resort, but the headboards and end tables are still holding up well
DSC_1689Nicole checking out the ruins
DSC_1688Sadly, not even the hotel bar has survived the elements
DSC_1687And it’s mostly just coconuts meandering the hotel grounds these days
Our guide says that the property is for sale and she has some contacts – she can get you a really good deal!  Anyway, after some time exploring the ghost resort we moved on down the beach, shooting a few postcard pictures along the way.
DSC_1700
DSC_1705
DSC_1674
We eventually came upon another resort.  We saw a few staff, but no guests enjoying the tropical atmosphere.
DSC_1709The non-abandoned resorts looked much nicer
DSC_1710If we were staying here this is where you would find us
DSC_1712We eventually reached the village of Las Animas and stopped at a palapa for lunch.
DSC_1717After lunch we continued on through the jungle.  The movie Predator was filmed here!
DSC_1726A random bar along the trail, this was the Charly Bar and Grill
DSC_1729The hike was to end at a waterfall.  For 150 pesos you can take a horse up to the falls but we walked.
DSC_1734A few more bridges to cross…
DSC_1732It’s hard to tell from the picture, but that last 1/4 mile was pretty steep – I’ll be taking the horse next time.
DSC_1733Nicole is in pretty good shape though and didn’t mind the incline
DSC_1738The end of our hike…  Fortunately we didn’t have to walk all the way back – we took a water taxi back to Boca de Tomatlan.
Many thanks to April for a great hike and for providing us with such a wealth of information that we wouldn’t have had otherwise!

7 comments:

  1. Wow! I can see why she's lived there since '85 - it's gorgeous! And, 80-degrees in January sounds fantastic. We've got 30's with a chance of snow this weekend...

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  2. Wow! That sounds fab guys! I guess we should really listen to ch22 more often to find this stuff out!

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  3. Now there's a firm mattress!

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  4. So bizarre about the abandoned resort! Loved his post (and all of them.)

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  5. So bizarre about the abandoned resort! Loved his post (and all of them.)

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  6. La Cruz looks wonderful, especially in view of the fact that outside of my window I'm looking at 6" of snow and a thermometer that reads 29 degrees F.

    I can't wait to get back to Mexicio in March!

    Have Fun
    Craig,CIndy and Alex

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