After traveling the inlands of Mexico several weeks, I was missing the ocean and the urge to go back grew bigger. I had not expected and wasn’t prepared for temperatures around 0°C and I could not take another freezing night. I found a “Blablacar” to Manzanillo and since the name has come up in the recommendations of a friend, I decided to head there escaping the cold.
I couldn’t really find an affordable place online, so I booked a hostel in Santiago, a few kilometers away. Neither this town nor Manzanillo itself are very attractive. Other than the harbour Manzanillo city isn’t very nice thou the viewpoint at the south-west end of the bay presents a full view of the coastal region. Santiago’s beach is very nice but depending which area you choose it will be swamped by umbrella and tour vendors since many Hotels are situated along the beachfront.
A couple of locals took me to a secluded part south of the touristy beaches where a very different picture presents itself. Very unusual for the pacific and only due to the position within the bay this part had very calm waters, ideal for snorkelling and swimming. Whilst most of Santiago beach is more suitable for surfing. While the overall vibe was not really my cup of tea, the sunsets are most beautiful. On my second night there is experienced one of my favourite ones so far. The sky was rainbow coloured and the sun lit up a few little, defined clouds like fire.
Boca de Pascuales
I wanted to put myself in a quiet little surf town bubble and so I kept going south to Boca de Pascuales. Any other time Pascuales would have only been a few houses and restaurants on a beautiful beach. But when I got on the small bus in Tecomán to get to the coast I got talking to a few people from Sinaloa, north from Colima, that were traveling in quite a large group. It turns out there would be bodyboard championship held this weekend on one of the beaches in the area. The event had attracted many national surfers and so the little village was bussing. In the one bigger Hotel, which the contestants had taken over as their base I got the opportunity to camp on the beach, finally I could use the tent I had been carrying in the bottom of my bag for the last three month. It was only a mosquito net attached to a tarp base which I tied to the wooden shelter on the beach and I could keep my valuables in the hotels office.
Later that day I was strolling along the beach I bumped into a friend I had met traveling San Luis Potosi a few weeks ago, he had met a local associate of the championship and followed him to this little hotel on this beach far off the usual traveller’s track. The town was full of life, and I loved to be dropped in this unexpected community.
The beach of Boca de Pascuales has a singular appearance, the black sand contrasts the lush green lagoon in the norther part of the bay. The calm river is favourable for swimming, and out front the beach produces a beautiful wave attracting short- and body-boarder. The only road makes up the village connecting a hand full of hotels and restaurants from the country road up to the lagoon. To celebrate my first night camping on this trip, it became the only night in weeks for it to rain like crazy. I tried my best to hide my tent under the palapa, but I had no chance and ended up sleeping in the hammock on the terrace next door not to get washed away during the night.
El Paraiso
I decided to stay with the guys and offered to help out with the championship that was going to start the following day on the neighbouring beach El Paraíso.
Thursday till Sunday then I had an amazing time there. I spend all my days on the beach, assisting the judges with the score calculations, watching the waves and some of Mexico’s best bodyboarders. We were eating fresh fish twice a day and it was a lovely, chill group of people to be around. The local ISA associates, who organised the event were happy to have another pair of helping hands and thanked me graciously with free accommodation and food and plenty of good vibes and conversation. Ambitious bodyboarders from all over Mexico had come to compete and welcomed me into their small, fun, and open-hearted community. I was living the dream, getting up with the sun, stepping out the room into a stunning view over the ocean rising the sun, spending hours being mesmerised by the waves and its music.
El Paraiso’s beach is truly a paradise, a long, wide, sandy beach stretches along most of the wide-open bay accommodating beautiful waves rolling in from the open ocean. Besides the zone dedicated to the competition other surfers and fans plenty of space to surf and swim as well. Palm trees stand tall all over the bay, a few restaurants some of which offer rooms to rent can be found next to two little shops along the single village road of El Paraíso.
Saturday night I had to say my fare wells heading off to Zitacuaro. Unfortunately, I missed the finals, but two friends were waiting for me to go see the Monarch butterflies, so I left, I had soaked up all the calm and happiness and was exited to go on the new adventure.
