To Playa Azul

April 3rd to 4th 2009

The Mexican Pacific coastline is regarded as "world class". Not sure exactly what that means, but I guess it's something to do with this....

It's just a joy to ride the snake along the coast that is highway 200, as it loops and climbs and rolls inland and back to the ocean once more. In the distance, hazy vistas of whats to come as an array of palm lined headlands form bay after beautiful bay....

A child goes wild with the very brightest crayons in the box and the contrast is vivid - primary blue oceans on oneside, primary green lining the road to the other, colours too bright to be true....

And at last we see our Moby as whales are finally spotted off the coast. Too far out for a picture unfortunately, so we watch the watchers....

In one of those perfect juxtapositions, we find the reading material be the roadside just before we find the cabin and hammock by the oceanside. A perfect day ends....

To beat the heat, days start early now and we are up at 6am with the surfers taking advantage of the morning swells. Aquilas del Mar is a famous surf hangout and we meet 3 "dudes" down from Canada spending 6 months riding the big one....

Another day another perfect view....

 

Roadkill is a problem in Mexico. It's been a constant on the ride ever since we crossed the border, mostly dogs and cats, but also the occasional horse or cow. Regardless of size and shape they all just get dragged to the roadside to bloat and putrify in the heat. You just hope you encounter them zooming downhill at 60kph rather than crawling uphill, breathing hard on the fetid air at 10. On the coast, the roadkill is suddenly different as snakes and lizards basking on the hot tarmac meet a flat end.

Iggy Pop....

This is the first Saturday of Santa Semana, the 2 week festival for easter and highway 200 has become a maniacal dash to get to the beach lounger first. Some have started celebrations a little early and beer cans ejected from car windows line the roadside. Driving becomes more erratic as the day wears on and we need to avoid poor iggy's fate. 

It's a good excuse to be off the road early and we stop at Playa Azul, one of the larger beach towns along the route around midday.

Oh how I'd rather be back in Manchester....