…sorry roshan, i think you’re out of the running…peter, the sentra and i are taking you on next!

puerta vallarta is nice, but i was glad to be out of there this morning. route 200 is either a headache, really fun, or somewhere in-between. yesterday, it was plesant with great secenery, although you often get stuck behind trucks who don’t/can’t pull over to the side. then, you get to puerto vallarta, where the entire downtown is covered in cobble stones — that’s not too much fun to drive on. leaving puerto vallarta the road is a bit rough, but then leads into an incredibly fun (if not long) drive along the pacific coast. there are switchbacks, hairpins & straightaways…plus the periodic stray bull or aggressive truck driver (who takes half your lane). best of all, there’s no posted speed limit (or many cops). most of the time, trees & brush block your view of the ocean, but every few minutes you get to see an awesome view of the pacific (at times rivaling california’s route 1). note: this ride is probably awful for passengers.

i ended up somewhere around playa azul (my xo laptop struggles with google maps…so i’m not really sure where i am…but you can see the exact point on the map). it seems like a beach tourist attraction for mexicans, although at least one restaurant had an english/spanish menu. the beach here is great. even though the waves are pretty choppy, the surfers can’t resist & there were about 6 of them struggling to ride more than 20 feet at a time. the cool water perfectly compliments the warm air…every time you try to leave the water, the heat pushes you back into the ocean.

OTHER:
-i’m not sure if it’s the timing, the economy or the swine flu, but so far most of the places i’ve visited have been quite empty. it’s great being able to appreciate the beaches, museums, etc. without other people. (although, it might start to get lonely if it keeps up).
-i wonder how many of the mexican service industries stay in business. in today’s hotel, there are 2 other guests (and ~100 empty rooms). at lunch yesterday, i was the only one there (and there were three people in the kitchen). can my $5 USD lunch really pay for them all?