Easing into life – not vacation – in Chacala, Mexico

Quent and I continue to try to figure out where we might want to winter for months at a time — hoping to find our perfect warm place to avoid Colorado winters in the future. We sampled Thailand for nearly four weeks this fall (too far — as much as Quent loved the heat and humidity, I loved cheap massages, and we both loved the food, I just didn’t dig being 13 hours ahead of the kids). Quent took his own road trip along coastal towns south of Puerto Vallarta this past spring, and he didn’t find an area just right for us (though he had great adventures picking up hitchhikers and getting invited to a passenger’s family dinner).

After visiting the small beach town of Chacala (pop. 300) last February, I dreamt of returning for a more extended stint. In particular, we were enamored with the beachfront accommodations in front of which we’d parked our umbrella last winter. After some online recon, I figured out what the lodging was, and we booked 4 weeks just where I’d wanted to: in a one-bedroom, second-floor casita with daily housekeeping, good air-conditioning, and access to a large shared terrace under a thatched roof, plus a private stretch of beach in front of the terrace.

It’s the only lodging with this private access to Chacala Beach, and while there are no other guests overnighting in the larger, 3-bedroom casa that shares the strip of sand and the terrace (they arrive November 5), Quent and I are living large in this spacious, empty area. Meanwhile, the beach is packed on a weekend with families and couples. I estimate we are two of maybe a dozen people on the beach (of hundreds) who are not native Spanish speakers. While we appreciate the roped-off space to spread out and not be bothered by crowds and beach vendors… sometimes we WANT the dude with the platter of fresh donuts or the lady with the basket of banana bread to offer us their treats!

Not to mention, the people here on the beach this weekend are having a lot of fun, and we’re a bit removed from it all. Families are packed around plastic tables and chairs — either under a restaurant palapa or out on the beach with their own umbrellas. Coolers being wheeled in are filled with beer, liquor, and soda. We watched one big group make and eat what we think was fresh calamari and a bunch of different sauces and avocado on top of tostadas. It appears as if day visitors purchase at least some food or drink from the palapa restaurants (there are eight along this beach), they can also enjoy sitting for hours in the prime beach location with waves just steps away.

Meanwhile, vendors with ice cream carts walk up and down the beach. There are multiple mariachi bands also strolling around… and lots of competing music coming from speakers that beachgoers brought. It’s a cacophony: kids shrieking happily in the ocean… waves crashing… motorboats zooming by pulling people on big blow-up banana toys… vendors hacking coconuts… guitarists strumming… the jingle of the ice cream cart. I love it.

So, while Quent and I are not exactly part of the local action — we frankly stick out like sore thumbs — we’re thoroughly enjoying it here in Chacala. Servers seem to like practicing their English with us. Martin, who owns a local pizza and coffee place in town said as much. I just had a conversation solely in Spanish with our kind housekeeper, Claudia (go me). Quent’s Spanish is quite good, though when native speakers start spewing words too fast, he can’t keep up. Still, his Spanish rolls off the tongue so much faster and better than mine. (I understand more than I can speak.)

And we’ve settled into a routine here — trying to “live our life in a warm place” vs. “be on vacation.” That means we’re preparing our own food in our casita a lot. We’re trying to eat only one meal out at a restaurant every other day. So far, we’ve stuck to that: sampling ceviche and the local grilled fish specialty at one of the beachfront restaurants (they all focus on seafood); pizza and beers “in town” (e.g. literally a block from the beach); fish tacos and a beef burger with shrimp at another restaurant with an ocean view.

Otherwise, for meals “at home,” it’s cereal or eggs for breakfast; eggs, a sandwich, or leftovers for lunch; pasta with veggies and chorizo or leftovers for dinner. We stopped at a huge grocery store — like a Super Walmart — on our private ride from the Puerto Vallarta airport to Chacala (90 minutes north), so we stocked up on some key items, namely some fresh vegetables (and the necessary fruit/veggie disinfectant wash); frozen vegetables; mayo and ham for Q’s sandwiches; my gluten-free pasta and bread (which is agreeing with me more these days than wheat!); rum, beer, and Mexican wine (it’s not terrible, though one bottle I’m using solely for sangria); plus shampoo, conditioner, moisturizer, and sunblock that we couldn’t fit in our carry-on luggage — YES, we packed carry-on for what will be 7 weeks in Mexico! But we’ve also found the “big” grocery store in town, and it has everything we need for our simple meals.

Our daily routine consists of morning exercise — for me, that’s swimming laps between buoys in the ocean, a hike to an extinct volcano’s caldera, a walk up and down the hills in town, or an hour of yoga. I’ve found 7:30am yoga classes at Mar de Jade, a hotel and retreat center about a 10-minute walk away. I’ve gone once to class — largely in Spanish, though the instructor accommodated me with some English translation! — and I plan to go 5 mornings next week.

Otherwise, every morning, we catch up on computer stuff — doing some work, answering emails, paying bills, whatever. Then Quent’s usually done sitting in front of his laptop for the day. If he’s not out scouting hikes for us, his routine from about 10am to 5pm consists of reading on a lounge chair, either on our terrace or under the palapa on the beach, and swimming in the ocean. On repeat. I’ll usually hop on my laptop in the afternoon, taking a break from reading my book to do some writing. I have a handful of travel-related writing assignments due before November 16, so I’m definitely busy with that. Thank goodness for good Wi-Fi, here except that one day when the entire town lost cell service and internet…

Every evening, we catch the sunset. We have a rooftop terrace above our second-floor apartment that is for our sole use, so we’ll sit in the Adirondack chairs up there and watch the sun sink in the ocean. There is zero nightlife here. None. The beachfront restaurants close around 7pm; they’re really geared toward late breakfast and mid-day meals. Usually we’ll have eaten dinner and we’ll be relaxing in our casita watching Netflix by 8pm. All the better for rising early for the coolest part of the day to exercise outdoors. Temperatures are gloriously in the mid-80s here in the afternoon, with ocean breezes. (Heaven.)

We walk up and down the beach at least once during the day: It takes about 6.5 minutes from one end to the other. On a walk around town — where streets are dirt or cobblestone — I did find the lavanderia, so we’ll take our laundry there on Monday (exciting!). We hired a taxi one morning to bring us to Las Varas, the closest big town about a 10-minute drive away to go to a farmacia. I foolishly didn’t bring enough levothyroxine, a medication I take daily for my lack of thyroid. Here in Mexico, I could purchase my dosage over the counter with no problem! No need to visit urgent care for a script. The pharmacist apologized for the meds being so expensive. It was $30 for 50 pills. No big deal.

We still have 3 weeks in Chacala (of 4 total), then for 3 weeks, we’ll be in San Pancho, where we’d also spent time before. Though this time in San Pancho, we’ll be in a casa right in town, which I look forward to, since we’ll be a few blocks from a yoga studo, the weekly street market, the beach, and a bunch of amazing restaurants. I think after 3 more weeks in tiny Chacala, we’ll be ready for a change of pace. That said, we still have some exploring to do in this village. We’re going to hire a guide to bring us on a hike to nearby petroglyphs and a waterfall (we don’t have a car, otherwise, we’d likely find the trails ourselves). There are a handful of loncherias and torta/taco stands in town we need to sample. And we’re scheduled to go to a dia de los muertos dinner and musical performance on Tuesday evening that’s supposed to be excellent (according to our housekeeper). I found out about it on Instagram — I’ve been following a few local businesses on social media for months!

In other key news, I’m so glad I had my ankle ligament surgery just after returning from Mexico last February. When we were last here in Riviera Nayarit, I was not a happy camper after walking several blocks. I couldn’t walk on the beach without wearing sneakers. I didn’t go on any hikes with Quent. It’s a totally different story now, where walking barefoot and hiking hills aren’t nearly as bothersome. (I forget about my ankle most of the time now — that’s a good thing.)

While the snow hits the mountains back home, I look forward to more good eats, more exploring, more relaxation, and more great weather in the weeks to come.