Sightseeing Trip

We took a four day trip north to the towns of San Blas, Santiago Ixcuitlan, and Mexcaltitan with Emily and Luke. Luke wanted to try surfing in San Blas, but the waves weren't right, so he boogie boarded. Before sunset, we went up on the hill to a fortress and church overlooking the town and the ocean. Nearby, at the cemtery, families were celebrating Dias de Los Muertos at their loved ones gravesites, with food, drinks, and music. Some stay for hours and also special foods and baked goods are made for this holiday which is a joyous occasion. There are contests for the best altars created.

This man had a baby racoon for a pet and another animal in the cage I was staring at, which had a very long tail.


Friday morning we took a early boat ride down a jungle river for three hours, to see birds and crocodiles (Cayman type). After lunch, we returned to our car to find the license plate missing and a ticket on the window. First time in Mexico for getting a ticket for parking in a no parking zone. We just weren't observant enough this day. Drove to the police department to pay the 120 pesos fine ($11) and retrieve the license plate. Good way to collect on the ticket, maybe the U.S. should start this method of collection.


Drove to Santiago Ixcuitlan, a town of 18,000 about an hour away. Visited the Huichole Indian Center and saw beautiful arts and crafts and old photographs of the Indians who live in this state of Nayarit.




Drove a half hour to catch a boat to go to the town of Mexcaltitan on an island, said to be an old Aztec location. Only a few hundred people live on the island, and many are shrimp fisherman. Everywhere the sidewalks were covered with boiled shrimp drying in the sun. It was a cute town, and we visited the museum and ate ice cream, and shaved ice drinks.



Stayed two nights in Hotel Casino, the nicest hotel in Santiago, for 290 pesos a night (includes tax) so it is about $26. It felt like we could have been the only gringoes in town, and a local said very few tourists come here. Victor just had to join this band on the street for some fun.

Sunday we drove half an hour to visit friends in the village of Jicote, where we picked up some more of our belongings we have stored there. We had to gas up in San Blas on the way home so we ate grilled fish and shrimp dinners which cost $30 for four, a little more than we liked to, but San Blas is a tourist town.