!Sayulita

Lodgepole guessed correctly! We were in the tourist town of Sayulita in the state of Nayurit in the country of Mexico which, of course, is located on the continent of North America.

We rented Casa Zorro, nestled on a hillside in the north end of town. The previous photo was NOT Casa Zorro. Got you, didn't I?! We stumbled upon this villa while walking along a secluded beach a few miles south of town. Our home for the 10 day visit was nice, but not that nice! Our's did though have a wonderful view of the ocean and each night our lullaby was only the sound of the surf.

Here is the part of the panaramic view we had from our balcony.

This view became very familiar as we walked the half mile to town each day. At night, on our return walk, the warm lights shining in the darkness were just as breathtaking. And we stopped often to enjoy them and to catch our breath from the steep climb!

The north end beach was only a short walk from where we stayed, and as you can see it was not crowded with people. Although, at times, it was crowded with birds that flocked there to catch fishes. It was fun to sit and watch their antics as their cries and the ocean's roar filled the silence. The south beach, right in town, was a bit more congested. Beach chairs, palapa's, restaurants, bars, surf and boogie board rentals filled the space, not to mention all of us touristas. This section of beach was also very safe for swimming and so most of the children played here. We tried surfing, and even successfully stood up on a few of these easy waves.A short walk to the south of town, through the cemetary brought us to Playa de los Muertos, or beach of the dead! This area was a nice place to snorkle. This photo was taken from there looking back toward the town. It was truly a dog's life; lazing in the sun, socializing at will, eating and drinking on the beach. And the dogs were everywhere. They would follow you around like they were your own and then they would see a friend and head off to new adventures. All of the dogs were well fed and seemingly very content. We aren't quite sure what the deal was with this poor little pigeon but the juxtaposition of these two caught our eye. Here was a man bringing his horses to the beach for the day. All of the horses we saw for hire were very well cared for. For about 20 dollars an hour (although everything is negotiable in Mexico!) you could ride. The cabelleros would ride around with their string of horses on the beach trying to catch someone's, usually a gringa's, eye.
While we were there turtles hatched out for release. They seemed so tiny compared to the sea. Good luck little turtle.
The sunset seemed a fitting farewell.
We also took the opportunity to take a boat ride on the Bay of Banderras, by Puerto Vallarta, to snorkel at one of the islands of Las Marrietas and also to view the humpback whales that were mating in the bay. It was amazing to hear the whales exhale as they came out of the water near our boat, and hear the gasp of awe from the onlookers as their tail came out as they sounded. While we got some wonderful video of the whales, (which I can't load due to our internet speeds), we did not get any photos.

We took this trip with some very dear friends of ours, and we all especially enjoyed hiking along the roads, beaches and through the jungle to the neighboring towns and secluded beaches.

Adios Mexico! We enjoyed our stay.