Deja vu all over again on the road less travelled

We are in Barra de Navidad, in the state of Jalisco at approximately 19 degrees latitude north, and in only 2 degrees of travel we feel the difference acutely from the humid, warm evenings and nights of Zihua.   We've not only used the sheets and bedspreads, but even a blanket.  The air is fresh and cool as I write this from our 3rd floor balcony at Hotel Delfin, one of the old hotels in the tourist oriented center.  The hotel was nearly full, and we felt lucky getting the affordable room...ask Gene how he feels this morning after a night on a rock hard mattress without his soft downfilled pillow which he so summarily dismissed and left in the car...he'll think twice about that tonight....I think my yoga mat may soften his mattress tonight (yes we are in the traditional Mexican hotel with 2 small "matrimonial" beds...the kind that we used to love when we were first married!).

Driving up the coast is reminiscent of Hwy 1 along the California/Oregon coastline but with fields of papayas, mangoes, coconuts and houses made of sticks.  Rather than spotting the odd deer or rabbit, we dodged the usual burros, vacas and puercos who had wandered outside their fencelines looking for food.  The road is a minefield of "topes", the sometimes unmarked speedbumps that slow traffic in each puebla, school zone and sometimes for no apparent reason at all...it's the passenger's job to be the tope finder so never let anyone say that not driving is a breeze.  Oh, and having a couple of military checkpoints that seemed to be strategically placed along the highway adjacent to what could be a beach to land drugs always adds excitement.  The heavily armed militia treated us with great patience and respect and did not search our vehicle but only waved us through after a short conversation...short, because I usually can't quite understand everything they are saying. 

The state of Michoacan seems to have designated the best beaches as Ecotourist resorts and on the recommendation of our friends Jim and Gaya we stayed in the most southerly Parador Touristica at Caleta de Campos, on our first night.  The view and the solitude made for some good reading as we sat on the edge of the "pool" and had a glass of wine to toast the start of our adventure. 
I'm onto book 2 of the 3  book series, and this trip will give me the time with no household chores to finish these addicting novels.

Yesterday we continued north-westward and after the seemingly endless rural coastline, we crossed into Colima State and immediately entered a modern stretch of 4 lane highway that is the perimeter around the mega seaport of Manzanillo.  The new highway lead us past fields of bananas being grown commercially.  Each tree had a carefully placed blue plastic cover over the ripening bananas and the fields stretched for acres.  We managed to connect back to the coastal route just north of Manzanillo at the familiar town of Santiago and we drove along the expansive resorts that line the coastline along the bay north of the city. 

Nearing Barra, we entered into our 3rd "state", Jalisco, and noted modern changes with townhouse like communities designed for the locals lining either side of the road.   This area seems to be thriving...but we'll know more after a day of exploring today.

Our first evening in Barra found us wandering the streets we knew so well several years ago...some of the same restaurants and bars are still attracting the crowds of Canadian tourists who make this resort their winter getaway.  Our view across the lagoon highlights the mega Grand Bay resort, a playground for the super wealthy who arrive by yacht or plane to golf and stay at one of the most exclusive and expensive resorts in Mexico....only a panga ride away from the real town.  

Back on our side of the lagoon, there is a different crowd here than Zihua...it's a bit rough around the edges here...things are pretty casual, but so far, it seems easy to have a good time here.  That and the couple of Happy hour margaritas and some 70's rock and roll to warm up by as we watched one more sunset in paradise.