A visit to San Pancho, Nayarit

click all images to enlarge


Not parking or traspassing! (Limpio=clean)


Greetings from San Pancho!



The travellers inspect murals depicting the history of San Francisco/San Pancho

San Pancho is a very small town, with a stunningly clean and tiny town center (a/k/a El Centro). There are several art galleries, mercados, the usual restaurants, wonderfully architected plazas, and good vibrations all around. There were few people and almost no tourists around. The town is full of interesting plantings, buildings, and sculpture. La playa is gorgeous and virtually empty. There is a ferocious surf. Today the lifeguard stand (a first for me--there are usually no lifeguards anywhere) flew a red flag, meaning "stay very close to shore." The lifeguards didn't even wear bathing suits...just jeans and t-shirts. They eschewed the tower and sat on their All-terrain vehicles. Unlike Bucerias, located on the Bay of Banderas (as is Puerto Vallarta), San Pancho is directly on the Pacific. The beaches, whole gorgeous, are not nearly so swimmer-friendly as the beaches a few miles south, where you curve into the bay.


a section of the San Pancho beach

Up the coast, in between patches of beach and jungle, are some smaller towns and villages. Some have been developed with "resorts" and "gated communities." Most, however, are smaller and more sleepy than Bucerias. Today we traveled by bus to San Pancho (its real name is San Francisco, although I've never heard it actually called that..it seems mainly to have that nomenclature solamente on maps). I've only been as far up as Sayulita (a town known for its surfing) before now.





Senor Daveed sneaks into the resort pool (note the film crew
in the background).

We walked along the nearly deserted beach about a mile to a resort butted up against a small mountain. There was a beachwear commercial being shot and we amused ourselves watching the cute men and women run through numerous takes. It looked like a major motion picture film crew.


Jack tries on a tourist hat

A few hours later, we strolled back up the beach, walked to the highway and caught the bus for the harrowing ride back to Bucerias, passing three cars and semis at a time, and generally staying away from the sheer cliff falling away to our right.


Mexican gentlemen playing dominoes in El Centro. You have to click on this photograph to enlarge, and see these faces that capture the heart and soul of this wonderful country.


Map of the Nayarit coastline

We went shopping at the fruit store and Mini Super, and came home to Casa Andrea. We drank Ron con tonic y limon and caught up on the news (where it looks like Bill Clinton has single-handedly removed the wheels from Hillary's campaign) as I stewed pork shoulder with oregano, comino, garlic, onions, salt, pepper, poblano, and sweet red chilis. Later I tossed in a pound of hominy and some fresh jugo de naranja, and we finished the day with posole, served with cabbage, radishes, limon (limes), radishes, more oregano and onions. Posole is more or less the Mexican version of Pho Bac.

Senor Daveed and Mo strike a winsome pose, in hopes
of being drafted for the swinsuit commercial

We sat at our table by the pool (where we've eaten dinner every night), and drank Pacificos and red wine, and finished off the camarone y chorizo y pollo paella I made last night. And then we settled in to watch The Godfather (or as we we extreme fans call it, One). Fifty minutes in, Keelin, Senor Daveed, and Mo all fell out. I shut it off (after all, I have seen it maybe 30 times) and wrote this. We'll resume it tomorrow night just after the assassination attempt on Don Corleone, as Michael makes his bones and escapes to Italy after murdering Virgil Solozzo and Captain McLuskey.
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Photos from around town in Bucerias

These are photos from around the town of Bucerias. All these photos are taken by Maureen Roberts and one by Dave Hokit. Copyright (c) 2008 by Maureen Roberts. Click all images to enlarge!


The Catholic Church in El Centro. The Catholic Church is at
physical and spiritual center of all towns and villages in Mexico.


Keelin and Maureen walking down Lazaro Cardenas


A green ceramic cow on the balcony of a shop in Bucerias.



A verdant walkway near downtown




Jack rests his feet in El Centro



Tiger sculpture on the balcony
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A 50th Birthday Party In Bucerias (Felice cumpleanos!)

Keelin, Maureen, Trini (the birthday girl), Juan, and Senor Daveed - click to enlarge

By an amazing and fortuitous coincidence, yesterday we got in touch with a family we have spent some time and had dinners with (we go to their casa for posole or carne asada tacos and they come to ours for my paella and gazpacho soup). As it turns out, our friend Trini Lopez is turning 50 today, and they had a massive fiesta Saturday night at her casa with live music. There was an bottomless cooler of Pacifico and Corona cerveza, and they actually served plated dinners (pork tacos, tortillas, refried beans, salsa) and cake to the crowd, which had to number at least 150-200

The Lopez's also hired Banda Vallejo, an 14 piece Mexican brass band. The Banda Vallejo had four trumpet players, three trumpets, a sax/clarinet player, electric bass, electric guitar, piano, drummer, percussionist, and vocalist. They played extremely loud, without even approaching the limits of their amplification system. They had two towers, each with ten big Cerwin Vega speakers--it looked like the Grateful Dead's wall of sound from the 70's.



How did the neighbors react to 150 people partying in the streets with a brass band playing as loud as The Ramones? They loved it. They were all there. We left around midnight, and the party was in full swing (and would be until after 2:00 AM), and the band had one more set to go. Did I mention that many people (including us) were dancing?

Like many things in Mexico, it was a do-it-yourself affair. No liquor licenses, food permits, or block party permits. No. They just pulled a few cars crosswise at either end of the block. The music was loud, the beer was cold, the food was good, and we were the four gringos out of 150 people.

When we arrived Trini and Ishmael sat us right up front, close to them. Jose, Trini's brother, whom we had met once before (at a party they held for us in 2003) was in charge of the bar, and made it a personal mission that anytime one of us had less than two inches of Pacifico left, a fresh one was immediately ferried over.

It was a little strange of course, because few of their friends had ever spent much time around gringos; we were a curiousity to everyone except the Lopez Family. But people warmed up to us, and we had a few conversations in our broken Spanish (with the exception of Keelin, who can actually hold a conversation). I am an OK reader of Spanish, and have a fair vocabularly, but my conversational Spanish is pathetic, and I am usually reduced to a Harpo Marx pantomine routine when speaking with people who know no English. Or, as we often, do we enlist Keelin as our conversational go-between.

It was an amazing once in a lifetime experience--you just don't usually get to party with the locals on their own turf when you travel. What a wonderful group of people, and what an amazing group of kids. To see pictures of some of the babies and kids, jump here to my post yesterday.

comida for Hundreds

Keeiin amd Maureen at the fiesta

Banda Vallejo (click on their video on this page to see them perform.

I had never seen a Mexican Hat Dance before. Ishmael

tossed down his hat between his daughter Erica and Trini

and they performed the legendary hjat dance (you know

the tune---da duh dah duh da duh---duh da da da duh da duh


One glimpse of the party


Trini and her husband dancing

Senor Daveed chats with Trini's brother


Trini dances with her 21 year old Ishmael Jr.

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Cucina de Jorges in Bucerias

Click to enlargeTable setting at Jorge's. Note the ashtray.


As I mentioned previously, a highlight of our Bucerias trips to is breakfast at Jorge's. This is the fourth trip and every time, we usually stop at Jorges for breakfast. When the six children have been with us, they always ordered french toast, "chocomilk," jugo de naranja and hamburgers. We old geezers order one of Jorge's breakfasts: huevos con jamon with beans, salsa, and fresh tortillas, along with a glass of jugo de naranja. Jorge has a dozen variations on fried or scrambled eggs: divorciados (two eggs, one in a pool of red salsa, the other in a salsa verde); huevos con jamon; hueves verde (scrambled eggs with chopped green chili); sincronizadas (eggs, jamon and manchego cheese in a layer, sitting in a pool of his delicious salsa rojo, with the usual refritos, tortillas, and a slice of fresh avocado). The jugo de naranja is fantastic--a tall mug of cold, fresh orange juice.

Jorge's plays host to locals, and a few gringos, and best of all, various police. There are about four different brands of cops here and most of them seem to eat breakfast at Jorge's. Yesterday, we saw three cops eat breakfast and as they were eating, the cooks were frantically (not true...you really never see anything I'd call frantic in Mexico). . .let's say they were steadily filling dozens of Styrofoam containers with eggs, beans, and tortillas. I almost asked, but we had to assume they were picking up breakfast for the prisoners.


A State of Nayarit police truck--click to enlarge

A couple of different times, we have seen a pickup pull up out front, with five cops in the pickup bed with machine guns raised and everyone got out, stretched, and ambled in to Jorge's. This reminds me of one of my favorite William Burroughs passages. "A truck pulls up and the cops of the world charge out."

Thinking about the police truck, I am reminded that there are not a lot of seat belts in Mexico, and that fact always hit home when you grab a cab to or from the airport--as you race down the chaotic freeway you become well aware of the fact that no one in the car is buckled in.


Keelin waiting for breakfast


Senor Daveed awaits his sincronizados



Jorge's sign, created by a local mosaic artist
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Babies and kids in Bucerias

As you probably know, kids are a focal point in Mexico. Far from being seen but not heard, the children are palpably a delight to everyone. And yet they are not spoiled, or rude, or indifferent to strangers. They will talk to you and pose for pictures, and the children from families you know will give you a hug. Here are some of the babies from the 50th birthday party last night. I'll write in detail about the party--and our fun, and strange, evening last night--when I get some time (after I get back from La Playa). In the meantime, I thought the kids and babies would make an interesting sidebar...

Click all photos to enlarge

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Saturday in Bucerias & more photos

First we went to Jorge's for breakfast, and then walked to town to visit the markets. We are having our friends from here Trinidad and Ishmael over for dinner tomorrow night, so we went to town to buy a chicken, chorizo, saffron, valencia rice, etc. for paella. We already have the peppers, onions, and tomatoes. Tomorrow, we'll go in and but camarones and lobster if they have any, and then it will be an afternoon of cooking. I will have to buy a knife, since all the ones in our casa are pathetic; I don't know if I'll be able to find a paellaeria or not--I may just have to use frying pans. We went to the "health food store" where I was able to score a packet of saffron. I also picked up half a kilo of dried hominy, and later a chunk of pork shoulder. So we now have all the fixings for a nice pot of posole tonight. It's amazing how much time we spend marketing for dinners--but we have some incredible meals here (says the chef modestly)...

By sheer coincidence, our friend Trini is turning 50 today, and they are having a gigantic fiesta at her place with live music (I am jonesing to hear a traditional Mexican band with accordion, guitar, and horns, and am crossing my fingers, but I suspect it will be the more usual brass band), food, and cerveza y vino (of course!). The last time we were here, they had a party for us with all their friends and relatives, and they spent all day making fresh tortillas and grilled beef and salsa fresca.

Finally, a couple more photos:




Click to enlarge - Dave tries on a sombrero at a serape and
sombrero stand. I have never seen a Mexican wear either
a serape or a sombrero. . .but I suspect they may wear them
further out, in the boondocks. Mainly I only see sombreros
on 12 year olds on the plane at Puerto Vallarta....


Sunset on la playa - click to enlarge


Juack buying patatas at the fruiteria - click to enlarge
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More photographs from Bucerias

click to enlarge - buying fruit and vegetables for dinner


You don't need to apply for a handicapped permit--just cook
on up with your paint set! - click to enlarge



Casa Linda from La Playa side -- this is the house we stayed in two times
before on earlier visits. Click to enlarge.

A Bucerias baby - click to enlarge

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The Last Weekly Tracking Polls & The Prospect Of A McCain/Clinton Matchup and Love Fest

Pals

The latest weekly tracking polls (from 1/20/08 by Rasmussen Reports) show Senators Clinton and McCain in the Dems lead, and McCain and Romney heading up the G.O.P. heading into the southern primaries and on to Super Tuesday.

G.O.P.

9% Giuliani
19% Huckabee
11% Thompson (oops...he's outta there and his supports are swinging to McCain)
19% Romney
23% McCain

Dems

39% Clinton
31% Obama
16% Edwards
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If Hillary Clinton and John McCain are nominated, this could be the most civilized election ever, at least according to Bill Clinton.

According to CNN, former president Bill Clinton "brushed aside suggestions his wife would prove to be a divisive nominee for the Democratic Party, pointing out how she has successfully worked with Republicans in the Senate," including Senator McCain.

"She and John McCain are very close," Clinton said. "They always laugh that if they wound up being the nominees of their party, it would be the most civilized election in American history, and they're afraid they'd put the voters to sleep because they like and respect each other."

At an ABC debate in January, the two were seen chit-chatting. A Clinton side said "she told the Arizona senator he’d done a “good job” staging a comeback in New Hampshire. He asked that she say hello to Bill Clinton for him."
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Attorney General John Edwards

I have never even considered this prospect. . .but it is a tantalizing one. John Edwards would be an incredible ass-kicking attorney general. In my booklet, he'd be way up there. . .with the likes of Ramsey Clark, and Bobby Kennedy. He would be pro-labor, and pro La Raza, and a genuine force to be reckoned with who would not shy away from the tough fights.

According to Robert Novak: "Illinois Democrats close to Sen. Barack Obama are quietly passing the word that John Edwards will be named attorney general in an Obama administration. Installation at the Justice Department of multimillionaire trial lawyer Edwards would please not only the union leaders supporting him for president but organized labor in general. The unions relish the prospect of an unequivocal labor partisan as the nation's top legal officer. In public debates, Obama and Edwards often seem to bond together in alliance against front-running Sen. Hillary Clinton."
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The Fiesta of our Lady of La Paz in Bucerias, Nayarit, Mexico

It's so great to be back here, and not just for the weather (84 degrees today) or the food, but for the spirit of the people. With a fiesta going on in town, you get to see hundreds of locals having fun. And one thing that has always touched me about the people here are their sweet dispositions and their obvious love of family and friends. In the four times I've been here, I've yet to hear a cross word, or see anyone angry. They take life as it comes. Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to live here as an Ex-pat...one of those overtanned, coupon clipping 50-60-70 year old honkies you see on the margins and meet once in a while on the street returning from the markets.
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Mexico Travelling Partners

I arrive at the beach late (after having to do some work!)


Dave Hokit tries on a pink Puerto Vallarta hat, which the vendor refused to sell him because it was pink!


Maureen Roberts at Cocina de Jorges


Keelin emerges from the Pacific (81 degrees in the water today)

I joined Maureen, Dave, and Keelin one day into the vacation after a work thing in Los Angeles. They were glad to see me arrive, since I am in charge of both comic relief and cooking. I've been here 30 hours and have already cooked two dinners.

It is an incredible callback to be here again with all of them, since we have been here together on vacation twice before. This really isn't supposed to work, but we have taken at least ten vacations together (the Olympic Peninsula 2x, Methow Valley 3x, McCall Idaho, Lopez Island 2x, Orcas Island, and Salt Spring Island) since we met in 1986. This is the first one without our six children. And while we do miss The Youth, we're getting by somehow.
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Back in Bucerias

La Cocina de Jorges --click to enlarge. Jorges runs our favorite breakfast place, an open air restaurant with great eggs, fresh orange juice, tacos, etc. When we first came to Bucerias, it was Cocina de Linda. But Jorge took over in about 1999. He now talks to us in English even though we prefer Spanish. A great local spot where you rarely ever see gringos.

Click to enlarge - A taco stand at the fiesta, this one specializing in tacos made from the heads of cows (or Beeves as Shakespeare

would have said): lengua=tongue (I have had some excellent tongue tacos); labio=lips; carnaza=tidbits (which I assume means

the tasty bits of the headthat are sometimes used to make things like headcheese and scrapple; sesos=brains.

I flew into Bucerias from L.A. (and got bumped to first class) this morning, to meet Keelin and our friends Dave and Maureen. We are staying in a different house than our previous three visits, and as often happens, there is a fiesta in town. As also often happens it is a fiesta dedicated to the Virgin Mary in one of her forms (this one I think being our Lady of La Paz).

The town is full of Mexican tourists and people from nearby villages and towns. There are dozens of food booths, the usual, rickety travelling amusement rides, souvenir booths, hot dog stands, and many taco stands, agua freesca booths, and fruit stands. Different than previous fiestas we have witnessed are about ten drink stands purveying tequila and rum (ron) drinks. Obviously not all are dedicated to Mechicanos...check out some of the names of drinks apparently aimed at the honky/gringo/gabacho audience. Since I'm fried, I'll just add a few pictures and tell you more tomorrow.

The heartbreakingly simple Catholic Church in Bucerias (it's always open). You might not scoff at religion if you walked in on Sunday and saw the place filled with true believers. Click to enlarge.

Click to enlarge - You'd think we were in Puerto Vallarta with the retarded drink names like Adios Motherfu**er and Orgasmo, and Sex On La Playa. This is our fourth trip here, but the first time we've seen the locals get into serious drinking. But in moderation, of course. . .I have never seen anyone drunk here, except American tourists. But you have to admit Adios MF is a pretty good name for a drink. I was tempted!

Click to enlarge - The town square or Zocolo. They also have a bandstand in the middle of the square, and during the festival, there are many (we saw at least ten or fifteen) traditional Mexican brass bands--with trumpets, trombones, tubas, and I even saw a French Horn, along with a couple of drummers. In the town square there were at least three playing simultaneously at all times.

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