On the road to Cuyutlan

Fresh Grilled Fish served to all

La Placita Oceanside Restuarant

Full service - 30 amp, good water, sewer connection, and a hilltop view of the ocean

Sandy and Cynthia - Rancho Buganvilias RV Park Owners

Ocean view as we drove to Rancho Buganvilias RV Park

Our view of the ocean from the window of our RV (Unkown Pueblo)

Boon docking next to Hwy 200 (Unknown Pueblo)

On the road again… We left Zihautanjego and experienced good roads into Playa Azul. We read in the Church’s book about a neat campground about 20 miles passed Playa Azul and decided that is where we would spend the night. Luck was not with us today. The campground no longer existed and we did not want to turn back to Playa Azul. So, onward we went along MX Hwy 200.

The Rancho Buganvilias campground was only 94 miles away and it was still mid afternoon. Well, then came the mountains – up and down, in and out, round the bend -- all while towing the car. Yes, the brakes heated up again and we stopped for about an hour and decided that we will stop at the next Pemex for the night (we found out later that the next Pemex was just passed the Rancho Buganvilias campground).

Sometimes the unexpected turns out to be fun. We drove on to some small pueblo (name we do not know) and we were able to park the RV about 10 feet off the main road in front of a house next to a hotel. Cindy offered the owners 100 pesos if we could park in front of their house for the night. They accepted and we boon docked in front of their house. Next door there was a hotel, small grocery store and restaurant. The restaurant owner invited us to have ceviche and her favorite shrimp dish. In a balcony dining area, perched up high on a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean, we had one of the best meals of the trip and, of course, we were not denied our view of the sunset.

By the way, The Mexico trucks run all night long. Being 10 feet from the highway, we experienced up close the truck noises all night. They would slow down in low gear, and then rev up their engines as the passed through the Pueblo.

The next morning we had an easy drive to the Rancho Buganvilias campground (Spanish spelling) in La Placita. There we enjoyed a revisit with the owners, Sandy and Cynthia. Originally from San Diego, CA, they moved fulltime to their Mexico home and build an RV Park on a hilltop overlooking the Ocean. We just relaxed for a few days, checked out the local color, and have a “do nothing” day. We were only 64 miles from Cuyutlan, but we wanted to arrive there fully rested.

Short stop in Zihautanejo

Our view from tableside at a restaurant in Zihautanejo

Zihautanejo sunset on the beach

Our camping space for the night in Zihautanejo

Lynne had asked me about any other harrowing experiences after reading my Windy Tale blog. Actually, we have had very few “incidents” during our journey. I will recap a few after we conclude the trip. We have been on the road with limited wireless access. As of today, March 6, we are back in the U.S. (south of Austin, TX) traveling north on I-35. No problems on the crossing. I will complete the blog over the next few days.

We reluctantly left fun-filled Acapulco and plotted our course for Zihautanejo. After we arrived in Zihautanejo, I wanted to shut down for the day. It may not have been the best decision. If you are going to spend several days in Zihautanejo, the journey from Hwy 200 to the campground is justified. If you are only spending the night, the winding, narrow, confusing route should not be taken and you better call or email ahead for reservations. Not only did we get lost, but I had to back up a one way street (after stopping traffic to disconnect the tow vehicle) and weave around parked autos until I turned the RV around. We finally just hired a taxi to show us the way and followed it to the campground.

Once we arrived, we found that the campground was full and we were turned away at the gate. Fortunately or unfortunately, we were rescued by neighboring property owner and for 200 pesos he would put us up for the night. I looked at the width of the entry gate into his “yard” and should have turned tail and ran, but I didn’t. With four different people giving me directions through the gate, I still managed to scrape the right rear side of the RV.

Once inside the “yard”, we looked like a 10 pound package in a five pound sack. We had joined a Canadian couple with a small travel trailer and there we were, two diehard campers packed in for the night. The next morning, with the help of five people giving me directions, I managed to back out of the gate without a scrape. I suggest to future RVers, drive on for a few miles to the nice campground located right off Hwy 200 in Ixtapa.

Next stop Cuyutlan, Colima, Mexico!