Lagunas de Chacahua

I left the Mayflower hotel (highly recommended) at 9am wearing my standard uniform - flip flops, t-shirt and board shorts. In my shoulder bag I had the equivalent of 20 dollars in pesos, sunscreen and a camera. I was heading off to the Chacahua lagoon which was famed for a nice beach, crocodiles and lots of [feathered] birds. I got a bit distracted on the internet after breakfast so started off a little late, but the lagoon was only about 90km away.

I found the bus stop for the Rio Grande bus, paid my extortionate 2 dollar fare and settled down for the trip. The landscape rolled by, I was lost in thought and after about 2 hours the driver says "Terminal". I say "Rio Grande" and in Spanish he says the equivalent of "Ha ha, that is about 70km back down the road mate" (my translation). Slightly down, but not out I cross the road and get a bus back telling the driver to kick me out at Rio Grande. We duly arrive and I jump on a "collectivo" (pick-up truck where the driver starts as soon as he has enough people to make a profit on the trip) to take me down to the lagoon. The trip is short and the we are dropped off beside the boats which take you out to the nice part in the lagoon. Unfortunately it is only me and a local lady who need a boat ride, so we sit down amongst the Boat Drivers of Chacahua. Our driver tells me it will be about 20mins and he offers me a Corona (shocker). 3 Coronas (both of us) and an hour later he decides it is time. So myself, the woman and a freshly arrived couple from Mexico city board the noticeably porous boat (the slightly tipsy "captain" bails out a couple of litres before we start). The woman is carrying an infant and a bag of melons so she looks at me for a second or two before asking me if I could hold her melons (honestly, no metaphors here). Obviously I was not trustworthy enough to be given the snotty child. The captain forgoes a safety drill and doesn't mention where the life jackets are and off we jet into the lagoon.

On the other side I start to realise that this lagoon is an epic adventure as to get to the final destination we STILL need another pick-up truck to the other side of the peninsula. So we bump, grind and rock & roll (all the while with melons on my lap) along the worst "road" I have seen since Cambodia. An hour later we arrive in downtown Chacahua and I ask the lady with the melons (stop giggling at the back) when the last boat back is. She calmly informs me that I had been on it. Seeing the mild discomfort in my eyes she asks would I like a cabaña for the night. I accept gladly and am shown my palatial, sand floored, holes the size of parrots in the walls, mosquito netted, 5 dollar beach bungalow.

I laugh at the dice life throws at us and jump in for a swim. The water is blissful and the waves huge, in fact there are a fair amount of surfers coasting around offshore. I explore the town, which takes all of 20 minutes and settle down at the nearest beach shack for a beer and some food (whole red snapper a la diabla). As soon as the sun starts to set the "waiter" (old dude with a cowboy hat on) hands me the bill and says they are closing. It is 6.30pm. Sunset watched, I walk down the beach looking for signs of life. Nada. So with that I manage to persuade a Japanese & Corsican dude who were speaking Spanish on the beach (very surreal) to part with two beers and head back to my shack. I never thought I could sleep, but by about 8pm I was snoring soundly in paradise.

The next morning I awoke at 6am to a cacophony of birds. The island has no running water, so it was into the sea for a quick scrub and a few minutes later I was sitting peacefully on the beach, drying off and watching the spectacular sunrise.

The place is truly Paradise.

Photos of Chacahua here

ps. from now on I will always have my toothbrush with me when I leave the house.
pps. the journey back took about 2 hours...