Dec. 29 – Puerto Vallarta to Manzanillo

Up early, for us. Waffles and coffee in hotel lobby. Bikes were not molested. Took a walk on the Malecon, took some picts, then, as usual, got lost trying to get out of town on the right road.

A winding coast road became a tight, twisting mountain road: then some more high desert where we crossed many miles of ‘tomato-land’.

I had a little ‘episode’, where we had to stop because I was light-headed and dizzy. So darn hot! I drank an orange-juice, Levi poured some water on my head, I took off my jacket, and felt better after 20 minutes or so.

Passed through Jalisco and into Colima state. Bananas as far as the eye can see. Fantastic mountain scenery. Finally, after hours of hard driving, we reached the coast again. Hot and humid. Burritos and beer for lunch, where we chatted with a nearly naked Canadian riding a 6-cyl. Honda he put together from parts.

Levi and I had a big dust-up over where we should stop; while arguing over rooms not taken and roads taken, on the side of the road outside Manzanillo, a Mexican in a red pickup stopped and offered to lead is to a cheap hotel. He did, but after he drove off we discovered that the hotel he led us to was full, as were about a dozen others that we tried after. In desperation we tried at the Best Western, where they were also full, but the staff, three young people, worked the phones and found us a hotel that had room. Turned out to be a nice place, an a real neighborhood, where we ate in the park and chatted with some friendly locals.

I got stopped by the local police when I was driving without a helmet, but got just a warning. ‘Obligitorio’ I was told!