Los Cocos to Puerto Vallarta

We hoped to get to Bara De Navidad today but after 4 hours we had enough. Puerto Vallarta has really changed in the past 10 years. There is a four lane freeway into the city, new hi-rise hotels going up ocean side and huge shopping centres like Costco, Home Depot and a mall.

Just on the south end of P.V. we found a tourist centre where a man told us it was another 3 hours to Bara De Navidad. He suggested a hotel called Casa Iguana down the road. It turned out to be really nice. We walked to the ocean and rested at the pool for the afternoon. Our hotel neighbors are from Lethbridge. They said they used Sell off Vacations and got a flight to P.V. for $99 each. The hotel is $75 with two bedrooms, kitchenette, pool and nice restaurant. It's a really quiet place and yet close enough to P.V.

Mazatlan To Los Cocos

Todd is wearing the gas hose around his neck.

View from our motel.

Dennis and Vern told us which route to follow to Puerto Vallarta but there is a new autopista (toll road) which opened recently sending us further south and missing the turn off. No problems except we had not seen a gas station in awhile. We ended up on a really nice "bike" road headed toward the Pacific and San Blas. Headed south and realized we needed gas to make it to P.V. There is a brand new Pemex station waiting to be opened but two tourists from Vancouver told us it's been that way for some time now. They were staying in an ocean front RV park. With little fuel we found a small motel in Los Cocos. Some locals told us we could buy fuel by the gallon, so off we went walking to find some. The first man we asked was kind enough to drive us to the local lemonade type gas stand. We paid $5.00 for one gallon and borrowed the hose. Road the bike back for one more gallon of gas to make sure we could make it to the next large town. The locals are really nice and go out of their way to help. Our motel, El Delphin was ocean front for $50.00. Had the basics plus a pool. Lots of Mexican families at this hotel this weekend.

Mazatlan photos

After our travels down the Devils Backbone we needed a little R&R so we hung out in Mazatlan for 3 days with some friends from Edmonton. Dennis and Dee have bought a condo here in Mazatlan and are doing some renovations. Vern and Sharon also from Edmonton are visiting for 3 months. The entire 6th floor of their condo complex is owned by Albertans. These pictures are from Dennis and Dee's balcony.

This weekend there are alot of Mexican tourists since the kids return to school on Jan 7th from their Christmas break. Not many tourists from the north yet but that will change later this month.

More photos from the "Devils Backbone"

Durango to Mazatlan

This photo is on the highway between Durango and Mazatlan in the Sierra Madre mountains.

There is a 5 mile section called the Devils Backbone. There were no signs on this 288 km road telling you when you were in the Devils Backbone. No need. You knew it. It took us 6 hours to travel this 288 km. We were tired and bums were numb but well worth the experience. Todd said he'd do it again tomorrow. Not me. I will wait until 2010 when the Mexican government has finished building the toll road. Numerous bridges and tunnels planned costing millions of dollars. This toll road will connect the Pacific with the Atlantic. Unbelievable task.

El Saltillo Mexico