Sayulita, Nayarit //
I’m shocked by the fact that this town actually wound down and went to sleep at a reasonable hour last night. With hotels, clubs, and bars surrounding us on all three sides, I figured we were in for a rough night. Instead, a lone saxophone player filled the air with a sound so beautiful it lulled me right to sleep.
This morning, to my surprise and delight, it is cool enough to warrant a fleece when I step outside. Our plan was to pack up and move on, but this place isn’t so bad, and I’m good and ready for a day sitting still. Besides, we have a week to kill while we wait for our ferry reservation to come around, and we’re not even sure where we’re headed from here. Although Mark is surprised by my desire to stay, he’s not at all opposed to a break from the road.
Come 11am we’re both feeling anxious to know whether or not TMC received our payment and if our ferry reservation has been secured. The only way to do that is to make a phone call to the Spanish-speaking service center. That leaves us with three options. One, locate a translation service online. Two, walk around the streets of Sayulita in search of a bilingual stranger and see if they’ll take a few bucks to make a phone call. Or three, ask Bonnie back at Rancho Primavera for another favor. Contacting Bonnie is the obvious choice; she’s already familiar with our situation, but Mark and I loathe asking for favors, and she’s already gone above and beyond for us. I grit my teeth and send her a message on WhatsApp. An hour later, I get a reply saying she would be happy to help us out again. Ten minutes after that, the following message pops up on my phone.
“You are all set to go. I spoke to the same woman as yesterday; she remembered the conversation and even said Mark’s name before I did. Best of luck!!!”
I was over the moon to know that we officially had a reservation to take the ferry back to Baja. I thanked Bonnie profusely and told her that I wasn’t sure how to repay her but would take any opportunity possible to pay it forward. I will forever be grateful for the kindness she extended to us, complete strangers.
Mark and I agree that we won’t be surprised to encounter further obstacles when it comes to getting on the ferry, but for now, we’ve done all we can do to give ourselves the best shot. We are both now at ease knowing that all we need to do is wait for our reservation date to roll around in six days’ time.
For a large part of the day, we remained holed up at our campsite. There’s much to be caught up on after four straight days of driving. It’s quiet at our site, and all the campground’s long-term residents are low-key and keep to themselves. What we come to find out is that we found a relatively peaceful little nook within a popular town that is crawling with American beachgoers. Whether we leave the campground at the street exit or the beach exit, there are people everywhere.
Today, we chose the beach route to walk to a restaurant for lunch a few blocks away. By a long shot, this is the most populated beach we’ve ever seen in Mexico. Dozens upon dozens of people lie on their beach towels, vendors walk about trying to sell their goods, small thatched-roof bars sell cocktails outside the hotels, surf schools sell lessons, college kids play volleyball, Mexican tourists blast music from their portable speakers, and in the water, heaps of surfers vie for the same wave. On the street, everything and anything is being sold to ensure the vacation-goers have a good time. Hip restaurants are a dime a dozen. There are fashionable clothing boutiques, ice cream stands, golf cart rentals, bike rentals, surf rentals, coffee shops, and lines upon lines of souvenir stands. There are Americans here that look as though they integrated into this fabricated Mexican paradise decades ago. There are Americans here that look like they just stepped off a plane from Minnesota and are in for the sunburn and hangover of their lives.
Sayulita could not be more unlike anything else we’ve experienced in Mexico. There’s cool, laid-back beach vibes mixed with a lot of self-importance and oblivion. It’s a strange and unique place, and I couldn’t tell you if I like it or don’t. What I do know is that I’m relieved to have a peaceful campsite to return home to.
Even though we have six more days to kill, two nights in Sayulita were plenty for us introverts. I look forward to getting back on the road and seeing what else the state of Nayarit has to offer tomorrow.
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We lived in Puerto Vallarta for 5 weeks and when we visited Sayulita, cracked up to overhear a leathery American tell someone that PV isn’t the REAL Mexico, Sayulita is.
If you travel abroad enough, you will find Sayulitas in just about every country. They feel both comfortable and not, when you are surrounded by businesses that cater exclusively to you, the foreign traveler, in a young, hip, debaucherous sort of way. They are way cooler than your average resort/tourist catering, enough so that its expat residents can feel easily integrated in their own liminal space. I think of these sorts of towns as Backpacker Disneyland.
I’m not knocking them at all (we had a lot of fun in Puerto Escondido’s version) and imo, if it’s in Mexico, it makes up the tapestry of whatever REAL Mexico is. But they are definitely less unique than they think they are and I think those manufactured vibes are what you were picking up on to feel torn about.
*edit: I should say there’s Sayulitas in just about every developing country with a heavy backpacker presence, ie those in Southeast Asia, etc.
I could not agree with you more, that “if it’s in Mexico it makes up the tapestry of whatever real Mexico is”. It’s fascinating to experience, just not the kind of place we prefer to focus too much of our time. “Backpacker Disneyland” feels like the perfect title.
What a great place to people watch! I think 🤔 the guy hauling the debris in his pick-up truck has just as much hanging off the back as he does in the bed! Hilarious 😆 I’m glad your campsite worked out. With so many travelers and spots so close, it could have been a disaster! Great news about your ferry ⛴️ reservation!
There was some great people watching in Sayulita for sure.
Michelle, My girlfriend and I spent several months in La Cruz (officially La Cruz de Huanacaxtle) which is on Bandaras Bay and not too far from Sayulita. La Cruz is much less a tourist destination than Sayulita, except for the traveling sailors who anchor out in the bay or catch a slip in the marina, which is what we did after sailing south from San Francisco. We visited Sayulita several times back in 2014 and it sounds like it is even more the tourist town than when we saw it. However, the changes in Sayulita must still be less dramatic than how Todos Santos has changed since we first visited there in 1991. At that time Todos Santos was a very sleepy little town that pretty much closed up on Sundays and there was nothing we saw catering to tourists. On a visit there in 2014 we couldn’t believe the changes, and not for the better. Hip clothing stores and a shoe store selling alligator boots reminded us more of Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills than the Todos Santos we saw back in 1991. The places you visited on this trip of yours, which we have enjoyed following, are towns which are much more the real Mexico.
Traveling by sailboat sounds like such an awesome and unique way to experience Mexico. I can only imagine how much change you’ve seen over all those years. It’s inevitable but also hard to believe sometimes. Thanks so much for following along, we’re happy to hear you’ve enjoyed doing so.
I’m glad you two found a good place to hang for a few days and catch up with yourselves. I had to laugh at the real Mexico comment you heard. Especially after reading about all your wanderings down there. Safe travels home for you two and your friends!
You didn’t say where you are landing in Baja or where you are going. If you will be driving thru Loreto, make sure and let me know. I’ll set you up with an AMAZING free campsite… on the condition you don’t tell anyone where it’s located. ; )