March 2nd, 2016
Don’t be deceived by the 4-lane highway #200 between Jaltemba and Rincon de Guayabitos, it’s back to 2 lanes, although with a small shoulder. Just follow the signs past Los Marcos and San Poncho to Sayulita. Or stop and chill in any of these cool towns.
Cycling Stats
Start Point: Penita de Jaltemba, Nayarit, Mexico
Destination: Sayulita, Nayarit, Mexico
40.0km trip, 2:57 time, 48.7 km/h maximum speed, 13.5 km/h average speed
Route Description: Starting again on this road it was busy with traffic including many buses. As we get closer to Puerto Vallarta the traffic is heavier and in more of a rush. In some parts you do get a shoulder, but in most you do not. There are many undulating hills and windy roads as you near the coast. The scenery is fabulous and there are many towns and opportunities for food and hotels.
Accommodations: There are many hostels and hotels in Sayulita. We knew it was expensive here based on some feedback from other cyclists we met. We opted for the local beach front campground and it was 150 pesos per person. It included warm showers and bathrooms.
What happened…
Andrew writes:
It was one of those days where you wake up knowing that you don’t have very far to ride. In our case, I had managed to snag a Couchsurf spot in nearby Sayulita that was due to start in two days, so either we would ride to Sayulita or one of the other surf towns nearby. Leaving the hotel was a relaxed, leisurely affair involving breakfast, coffee, books, and a visit to the fruit stand next door. Pineapples are in season and going for $10MX a kilogram. Yakas, our new favourite fruit, are $8MX. Coconuts are going for $10MX each. I think I could see myself converting from meatatarian to fruitaterian, it’s all so yummy!
We finally departed the hotel and were instantly awarded with a great ride through Rincon de Guayabitos and Los Marcos. We had a whole lane to ourselves! This ended abruptly though and it was back to living life in the fast-lane with all of the other traffic. I still think that with the exception of large trucks, everyone is pretty chill with us on the roads. Amanda thinks that trucks are fine and buses are the problem. I hope we never have to get a definitive answer one way or another. As we were cycling along at one point we came to the bottom of a hill and there were five or six separate memorial markers for victims of car-crashes. It was a little spooky. Then, halfway up the hill, Amanda and I ended up pulling over to let a series of buses and trucks pass by. When I looked back I thought that I caught sight of another cycle-tourist doing the same.
Enter Miguel, from Spain, or “Semi” as he likes to be called. He started in Alaska last July and seems to travel at a nice reasonable pace. Even Amanda was impressed at how she could keep up! Chatting by the side of the road just wasn’t safe, so we cycled to San Poncho (San Francisco) and shared lunch together in the shade and swapped stories. Semi is heading into the highlands towards Guadalajara after Puerto Vallarta, but we talked of perhaps sharing a camp spot on the beach in Sayulita tonight.
Amanda and I wanted to check out San Poncho, which seemed to be a really laid back little town, but definitely one full of tourists, and devoid of the typical Mexican trappings. We cycled down towards the beach and it was cool to see about a dozen tents spread out, mostly in the shade. I talked with a couple who were camping and they said everything was pretty relaxed, and there were public washrooms and showers too. They even mentioned that the bugs weren’t as bad as in San Blas.
I think for some reason we still aren’t comfortable with camping out on the beach, especially after our friends further south just had a bunch of their belongings burgled while they slept. We checked out a campground in town but it was all locked up. Instead, we decided to cycle on further towards Sayulita and meet up with Semi.
It was a short ride, and included a great downhill section almost right into town. There were no signs anywhere for the last two days for Sayulita, but I knew that we were getting close when I saw a sign for Subway restaurant. Man, is it ever busy here! There are gringos everywhere we look, and lots of stores cater to that. This is probably the most touristy place we’ve been too outside of the “Golden Zone” in Mazatlan. It’s really a shame, since we have come to enjoy the inexpensiveness of Mexico the last week. When we look to the ocean, we see dozens of surfers. When we look on the beach, it is full of hundreds of people. We don’t see Semi or his tent, or any other tents either. Asking around, we find a place to camp for $300MX, which we think is outrageous! We almost decide to keep cycling and just find a place on a beach south of here, but it’s been my dream to surf in Sayulita, so we’ll suck it up and give it a shot. Besides, tomorrow we’ll be able to stay with a Couchsurfing host, and maybe we’ll learn the ins and outs of this burgh.
The afternoon was spent surfing on our boogie board, and then just hanging out on the beach. Sure enough, come sundown, there weren’t many bugs to speak of, and it was going to be a great night…except for the wedding at the hotel next door which I’m sure will keep us up until all hours.
Amanda writes: Today was a day of confidence. For the second time in a week we met cycle tourists that I could keep up with. The first time was the family of four that were cycling and today it was Semi. It was so nice to ride with someone our speed and then chat and realize he rides similar distances to us. I hope we can meet him again somewhere along the way. He seemed quite interested in our volunteer journey and perhaps he’ll join us in Brazil.
I wasn’t that impressed with San Poncho and was happy to continue along. I was excited to arrive in Sayulita because when we first planned our trip we were planning on spending our rest months here instead of where we landed last year in San Carlos. As we rolled into town it became apparent quite quickly it is a gringo town and while I’m still excited because we’ve heard it’s awesome and there is surfing, it looks like it may cost us a bit to stay here. We’ll see what happens.