Travelling to Teacapan, Sinaloa, Mexico

It is so great to be travelling again!  We are headed down the coast towards a place called Teacapan.  Teacapan came highly recommended by some friends, so we wanted to be sure we stopped there.
 

A beach just north of Teacapan, Sinaloa, Mexico

We decided to stop for lunch, and of course whenever we have the opportunity we try to stop where there is a view.  We made and ate our lunch and then went for a nice walk along this gorgeous beach.
 

Just north of Teacapan, Sinaloa, Mexico
 

Teacapan, Sinaloa, Mexico
 

Teacapan, Sinaloa, Mexico

Look at that sunset.  This is Villas Onac.  It was not in our Mexican Camping book and so we went to a number of other RV Parks in the area before we found this gem.  This was by far the most beautiful, cleanest and newest around.  We are so glad we found it.

Villas Onac was inexpensive, had a beautiful view of the ocean, miles and miles of beach, a clean gorgeous pool and patio and it also had these really nice bungalows.  We tried really hard to get our friends Deb and Jim to fly down and join us for a week here.  However, they were in the middle of a lot of things and could not make it.  We miss you Deb & Jim.  :)
 

Teacapan, Sinaloa, Mexico

Can you guess what these are?  Here is a hint: From a distance they smell like 'Raisin Bran Cereal'.  Hmmm, I guess that hint doesn't help much.  They have nothing to do with cereal... they are ??  Peppers!!  Piles and piles of them all over the area.  This small plant was set up to dry these peppers after they have been harvested.  They spread out the peppers on the racks that you see in the background and cycle then through the building that you see here.  This building is actually a large propane (butane, to be precise) fired oven.  After being in the oven, they pile then outside to cool and dry further.  Very cool!  Barry loves hot and spicy food, so he is in his glory in Mexico.  By the way, we are not sure why they smell Like Raisin Bran, but they really do!
 

Teacapan, Sinaloa, Mexico

From the RV Park it is about a 10 minute ride, on the scooters, into the town of Teacapan.  What a sweet friendly little place.

We still enjoy seeing cows, horses and donkeys crossing the road, as they please.
 

Movie clip as we drove into Teacapan with our scooters.
 

Teacapan, Sinaloa, Mexico

By the way, most of the coastal towns main industry is obviously fishing.   We are pointing it out because if you like seafood you can appreciate all of the fresh fish we can buy and eat on our coastal trip.  If you do not like seafood, believe us you will after taking this trip.  In this photo, you see gill nets stored under a crude palm frond roof to protect them from the sun.
 

Teacapan, Sinaloa, Mexico
 

Teacapan, Sinaloa, Mexico

The tiny, well cared for Church in Teacapan.
 

Teacapan, Sinaloa, Mexico
 

Teacapan, Sinaloa, Mexico

The Zocalo (town square) in Teacapan.
 

Teacapan, Sinaloa, Mexico

The gorgeous, palm lined, beach goes on for miles and miles in and all around Teacapan.
 

Teacapan, Sinaloa, Mexico
 

Teacapan, Sinaloa, Mexico
 

Teacapan, Sinaloa, Mexico

The cattle in Mexico are so different from in Canada and the US.  Their colouring is different, for instance this one is a number of shades of brown, just beautiful.  They have bones sticking out all over their backs and rumps.  Their ears are huge and stick up like Tiki's (sorry Tiki).  And they have this huge flap of skin by their chest area.  They are so interesting, we took many many pictures of them.  However, thought we would only include a few of the best ones with this update.
 

Teacapan, Sinaloa, Mexico

This is Raoul, the proud owner of Villas Onac Villas & RV.  We really complimented him on how beautifully he kept his home and business.  It was absolutely gorgeous here, and we would not hesitate to go back.
 

Teacapan, Sinaloa, Mexico

We went for a number of very long, wonderful walks on the beach, it was just spectacular!
 

Teacapan, Sinaloa, Mexico

Tiki loved it here, the waves came in in such a way that he could 'swim'.  Well, we are not sure you would call what he does 'swimming'.  It is more like dipping and rolling.  He lies down, puts his front and back paws straight out in front and behind him, then gently rolls from side to side.  It is hilarious to watch.  And he loves doing it every chance he gets.  If he is hot, he will even do it in a mud puddle (if we let him)!
 

Teacapan, Sinaloa, Mexico

There were crabs all over the place!  You really had to watch where you stepped.  This type would almost completely bury themselves in the sand.  They were large, about 6 inches from claw to claw and a bluish color.

Another type of crab was very well camouflaged and would dig these big holes in the damp sand and scurry back into them when you walked anywhere near them.  They varied in size from very small, less than an inch, to as big as a two or three inches, and they were very light brown.

And finally, there were these really quick, skinny, red ones that would rush out to the water when you walked by.  They were also about three inches or so.
 

Teacapan, Sinaloa, Mexico

See how the waves don't slam into the shore?  They gently roll in, that is Tiki's favourite type!  Barry seems to be enjoying them also :)
 

Teacapan, Sinaloa, Mexico

You can see our coach there in the background.  We were offered a tour of one of the larger bungalows, and of course we accepted.  They are all a combination of white and a bright colour.  They all have a section of palapa type roof, they have a front and side patio and some have an upper patio.  The insides are clean and pretty.  The furniture was hand carved and painted wood, in various flowers.  He bought them in Guanajuato, his home town.  The upstairs, where the bedroom was, had a wonderful Jacuzzi.  They really were beautiful.
 

Teacapan, Sinaloa, Mexico

We know, enough of the sunset pictures already!!  Barry says enough, Cindy says, just a few more, PLEASE!!  Isn't this beautiful!

Notice the clouds.  We are just starting to see a change in the weather.  No rain yet, but we know the rainy season will be coming soon.
 

Teacapan, Sinaloa, Mexico

Everyday that were were here, we would bring our lunch from the coach to this wonderful partly covered balcony area near the pool.  Just look at that view.  We also swam in the pool each and everyday.  It was by far the cleanest pool we have seen in Mexico so far.  We loved it!
 

Teacapan, Sinaloa, Mexico

Psst...Cindy here...I can't resist saying again, what a handsome man I married.  I love you Barry!!
 

Teacapan, Sinaloa, Mexico

We mentioned that there were miles and miles of beach right out in front of the RV Park.  We took note of the odometer readings in each direction.  We were able to ride a total distance of 27 km of beach!  When we were riding north on the beach one time, we got to a point where we had to leave the beach because the tide was coming in.  The sand was too soft in the upper areas of the beach.  Otherwise, we could have gone even further!  Wow, it was just incredible and we had a great time zooming up and down the beach.
 

Traveling along the beach on our scoters.
 

Teacapan, Sinaloa, Mexico
 

Teacapan, Sinaloa, Mexico

One of the times we were out scootering, this front end loader lazily drove by.  The driver said a friendly 'Hola' and waved at us.  We think he was on the way to a jobsite and the beach was much more pleasant to travel on compared to the highway...  We are not sure if we or he was more surprised to see each other.  We make quite a spectacle of ourselves when we go into the small towns on our matching scooters!
 

Teacapan, Sinaloa, Mexico
 

Teacapan, Sinaloa, Mexico

This local fellow was tending to his fishing net.  As we scooted along, we saw many of these fishing nets set up along the beach.  The net would be tied to a post driven into the beach and the other end would be anchored out in deeper water.  As the tide comes in and the water gets deeper, the floats on one side of the net would move the net into a vertical position.  Later, when the tide went out, the owner of the net would come by to collect his catch.  Most of these fishermen used small motorcycles or bicycles to travel along the beach.
 

Teacapan, Sinaloa, Mexico
 

Teacapan, Sinaloa, Mexico

One of our favourite places to visit is the 'Tortillaria', the place where they make tortillas.  We just love tortillas and whenever we find a place that makes wheat tortillas, we buy a kilo (for 7 or 8 pesos, about 70 or 80 cents) and freeze them.  We have found that most tortillarias make 100% corn tortillas and very few make our favourite, the wheat tortillas.
 

The making of fresh tortillas, in action!
 

Teacapan, Sinaloa, Mexico

Ok, more livestock photos...  Barry befriended this great looking bull.  He was able to walk right up to it, take its picture and a movie clip, without it walking off (or charging, fortunately there was a fence between them).  Barry was even able to give it a little rub on the nose. 
 

Teacapan, Sinaloa, Mexico
 

Up close and personal with the big bull.

Teacapan, Sinaloa, Mexico

A day in the life.  These guys lived right out at the southern point of the peninsula near Teacapan and they were a fishing family.  The young guy in green and white stripes could scale & fillet a fish with such skill it was incredible.  The rest of the family and friends watched encouragingly. 

See the guy lazing in the hammock?  You would not believe how many Mexicans have this type of hammock and how often you see them being used.  It makes us smile fondly to see them so relaxed.
 

Teacapan, Sinaloa, Mexico

One fisherman helping another.  The guy in the rear must have run out of gas or had motor trouble :)
 

Teacapan, Sinaloa, Mexico

Yes that IS a huge pig!  And said pig got out of their yard and it was a battle of the wills to get it back in again.  However, these boys were hamming it up for the camera and did not seem to mind the challenge at all.  There was an even larger pig, a black one, in behind the tree lying in the small palapa, they really were huge.
 

Teacapan, Sinaloa, Mexico

Again, this is something we love to see and never quite get used to.  Horses and bicycles are used extensively, especially in the smaller towns.
 

Teacapan, Sinaloa, Mexico

Tiki says "Hello" and wants you to know he is having a great time!
 

Teacapan, Sinaloa, Mexico

There weren't any other RV's at Villas Onac.  However, there were a few other people staying in the bungalows.  We met this really nice family.  Above you see Chaz, Wendy and Jacque.  They were from the Texas and drove down in their van to enjoy a relaxing vacation in and around Teacapan.
 

Teacapan, Sinaloa, Mexico

Nice pool, eh?  Because it was 'off season', the restaurant and swim up bar were not open, but that did not take away from the wonderful ambiance of this place.
 

Teacapan, Sinaloa, Mexico

Isn't that a pretty shell?  If we picked up and kept every pretty shell we have found since we started this trip, there would be no room left in the coach for us.  So, in total, we have picked up about five shells and use them for various things around the coach.
 

Teacapan, Sinaloa, Mexico

Tiki just loves going out on the scooters.  As you can see, he has his very own pouch.  His burgundy harness is clipped onto the back of the pouch closest to Cindy.  The bottom of the pouch is firm and padded so that he is comfortable.  The sides are mesh so that he does not get too hot.  The straps go over Cindy's shoulders and around her waist.  He is as snug as a bug, and loves to go with us.

As you can see he leans into the wind, the hair on his face flows straight back and he watches everything he sees ahead of him with great interest.  Pretty darn cute, isn't he?

Heading north on the beach with the scooters.
 

Teacapan, Sinaloa, Mexico

Some friendly residents of Teacapan.
 

Teacapan, Sinaloa, Mexico

This had to be the largest bulls we had seen to date.  AND one of them was on the wrong side of the fence!! He must have gotten out of the fenced field and no one had noticed yet.  We had to drive our scooters right by it in order to get back to Villas Onac.  As scared as we were, Barry just had to stop and take a picture of him.  (My, what a brave, manly man I have married :)
 

Teacapan, Sinaloa, Mexico

Right beside the RV Park there was a home and property.  The property was covered in a beautiful coconut palm plantation, about 10 hectares.  It was harvest time and this crew was hard at work.  They were hired by the owner of the plantation for this harvest.  It seems that not all the coconuts are harvested at one time, only the ripe ones.  The guys would use a long bamboo stick with a hook on the end to pull the coconuts from the top of the tree.  Then, the tractor and cart would follow and all the coconuts would be tossed into the cart.  From there, the harvest would be transferred into the large truck to be taken to market.

The owners are standing on the right, counting the coconuts as they are transferred.  This harvest was about 5000 coconuts.  They get paid 2 pesos per coconut, about 20 cents.  Then, the harvest crew sells them for 5 pesos to the vendors and they in turn sell them for 9 or 10 pesos to the public.  All of these coconuts will be sold for their milk only, as they have not matured and there is little or no 'meat' in them.  At the market or beach, someone will buy a coconut and the vendor cut the top off with a machete, insert a straw and voila, a refreshing beverage.
 

Demonstration of the traditional way of climbing a coconut palm.
 

Lowering the coconut 'bunch' to the ground with a rope.
 

Teacapan, Sinaloa, Mexico

Ahhhh....
 

Teacapan, Sinaloa, Mexico

There were iguanas all over the place.  Scurrying around on the roof of the buildings, along the grass, along the road.  They are so neat to look at!  We got some really great shots of them, this is by far the best shot.
 

Teacapan, Sinaloa, Mexico

Barry cooking us a nice BBQ supper, with the coconuts his friends gave him at his feet.
 

We are aware of a number of things that will happen in the next few months.  It is going to get extremely hot and humid as the rainy season is coming soon.  Also, the hurricane season is coming and will last until the fall.  So far the weather has been almost perfect.  However, it IS getting muggy and hotter.  Due to the above, our plan is to travel to just north of Acapulco then head inland and up into the interior mountains of Mexico.  It will be safer and cooler there.
 

Click here to read the next segment of this Travel Log Series