Settling in to Chacala

Not one to overbook, we didn’t have massive plans for our first full day in Chacala. Vicki and I did some britework polishing to remove rust from the crossing while Jean went for a kayak. The heat and sun kicked our butts so we only got about 25% of the boat knocked off before we called it a day. The big plans were for zaradeado (constantly marinaded, grilled red snapper). We settled into my favorite restaurant and ordered some drinks and an appetizers (tostada ceviche). Then came the always contested Monopoly deal. I won the first, then Jean, and before our fish arrived Vicki rounded out the winning. Perfect, nobody will be left out. The fish was as spectacular and always and we relaxed in the shade of the palm frowns until the sun began to dip.

The following day’s big activity was a hike to the nearby volcano. We left Strikhedonia at 8:00am for a coffee/wifi stop before the hike at Chac Mool. Caffeinated we hit the road. The first twenty minutes is along the road which isn’t ideal due to the speeding cars but we did find shade, which was nice. Once turned off the main road it was peace and quiet.

Coming up to where the trail splits form the road I noticed a new barbwire fence had been installed. Blerg. We went a bit further and while I was searching for the trail a security guard from the private homes walked down to Jean and Vicki. Fearing the worst (get out of here) I was relieved to hear him direct us to the path in Spanish. A bit of back and forth and we had it figured out. Vicki wasn’t feeling 100% so she took a rest while Jean and I scrambled up a steep slope.

From there we went around a fence, then under a fence, finally hugging the barbwire fence for 50 meters before getting on the old trail. From there it was easy going. My memory was faulty and it was much shorter to the dirt road and the view point of the bay (on one side) and the volcano caldron (on the other). Back to Vicki we headed down before taking the turn to the eco-hotel/restaurant, Majahua.

We topped off our bellies with granola con leche and a fruit plate while taking in the gorgeous ocean view and cool breeze. It felt good to rest. The ladies took advantage of flush toilets and we spent time relaxing and being present. Feeling it was time to move on we hiked down the beach to the Mar de Jade yoga/Buddhist resort. I acted a bit of the tour guide before setting into a hammock for some more relaxing. Detecting a theme? Vicki inquired about information on renting the hotel for a retreat and catching up with family on the Wifi while Jean perfected her rock balancing.

About the only productive thing we did the rest of the day was checking in and out with the port captain. From there it was time for siesta and reading. Duh, I sold myself short, I also knocked out 25% more of the britework polishing, half way there!

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