Barra de Navidad, MX

I don't know why they have two valves for the water in Mexico. The temperature difference between them is non detectable.
Even the fancy pants Hotel Belair in Puerto Vallarta had little or no hot water most of the time.
The ride south to Barra de Navidad got off to an exciting start when I got caught in the lobster trap of steep cobblestone side roads in the highlands of PV. When cobblestone turned to a narrow dirt alley I knew I needed a "U" turn. If JoAnn were their navigating, she would have said “just keep going”!
In the process of coming about and while perpendicular to traffic direction, I was feeling the need for a few less inches of seat height when my left toes, being on the downhill side were suddenly assigned full responsibility for keeping the left listing bike from going over on the rough slippery cobbles. What seemed like 10 seconds was enough time to get things sorted and all for the small price of a pulled calf muscle in my left leg.
We had such a good time in PV, I didn’t want to leave but I always say that and always find another idyllic spot up the road a piece.

Mostly great twisties and scenic, the road to Barra de Navidid was uneventful unless you count literally running into a flock of Black Birds, Crows or Ravens an event.
Two large black birds in a flock flapped into my flight path, one careened off the top edge of the wind screen and the other less than a second later got a wingful of the forehead portion of my helmet. That alone is a reason to have a helmet cam.
A Canadian fellow walked up to me when I rolled into Barra de Navidad and asked, “Are you heading down or heading back north“? I thought it sweet he noticed I was a Norte Americano and took the first step, “Heading south still, how ‘bout yerself”?
“I live here…three years now, love it” Blair replied.

I am in the Hotel that Blair recommended at 350 Pesos (~ $30) per night one block from the beach, clean with secure parking just outside the room and wireless internet. How am I going to escape this place? …said while hunt and pecking 15 meters from the crashing breakers which are slowly nibbling valuable real estate over recent years.

Plenty left just down the beach….

A 30 something Norwegian couple struck up a conversation about the motorcycle and told of their rides that included two up camping with out a trailer. Lennart and Mari Lise also like to stay many days at places they like such as here and Barra de Nexpa, a day ride south on the Mexican Riviera. Lennart is heading to PV to do sound on a Norwegian reality show about kids at a fancy Hotel. Crappola TV as he says. Mari Lise has been traveling extensively on her own in Cambodia, Laos, and Ghana working with an NGO as a social worker. They are fabulous people and were privileged to sign the STOC Memorial TAG book as well as share a meal and drinks with me.

Today they are deep sea fishing. I wait to see what sea trophies surface.
Not much is familiar here but I feel comfortable and almost at home. Certainly safe as far as the people go, the danger is not the folks here.
A woman from Saskatchewan I sat with on the beach has been coming to Mexico since the sixties and commented about the violence near the border.
“…Gangs are killing each other in my home town in the bread basket of Canada, you don’t see that in the news”

One of the things I wanted to do while here is find and meet British world walker Karl Bushby. According to the latest updates at his website:
http://www.odysseyxxi.com/
he was holed up for two years in the town just up the beach, Melaque waiting for an extended visa to continue his walk home to England through Russia. A really fascinating story if you get a chance to look it over.
Turns out the Visa has apparently been granted and he got a much needed funding source in the form of a sponsor. Ironically, he is currently in NYC and will be in LA for an interview soon according to his host and fellow Brit in Melaque Dan Patman who co-runs MEX-ECO tours. Dan was good enough to fill me in of the whereabouts of Karl and sign the TAG book.
More pics here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/Digiamo

A great interview here:
http://palinstravels.co.uk/static-51-6?topic=12770&forum=9