Wanda blending in at Lo De Marcos.

JANUARY 17

Today we went to Lo De Marcos. We have only been to this deliciously lethargic town once before. A couple of years ago, the only way to reach it was to take the big Pacifico bus to Guayabitos. Lo De Marcos is one town south of Guayabitos. The Pacifico bus station is located in downtown Bucerias. It is a mile walk for us and the Pacifico buses run on a schedule that changes from year to year. We haven’t checked their schedule out this year.

Last year, we noticed that some Compostela buses ran all the way up to Lo De Marcos. These buses run more frequently than Pacifico and are cheaper. This year, we were astonished to see that these Compostela buses now go all the way to Guayabitos. That is good to know, because Carlos, Jeff’s pool guy that took us fishing, boldly stated that the best tacos in all of Nayarit are in Los Ayala, a little village next door to Guayabitos. What a great excuse for another day trip.

Anyway, we caught the Compostela bus to Lo De Marcos. It is 45 miles away and it cost 40 pesos each ($2 US). This section of highway 200 has just been repaved. It is smooth. Along the way we viewed the new mountain highway being built. We have been watching this construction for 4 years. It is extremely ambitious with tall giant bridges spanning tall mountain tops. It is nearly finished and it will be a Mexican engineering marvel. 

We arrived just before noon. The streets were empty of traffic. Occasionally we’d see a pedestrian. The morning breakfast restaurants were finishing up. Some were already closed. Many dinner restaurants were closed until 4 pm or so. The town is the complete opposite of bustling Puerto Vallarta or even Bucerias. The pace is just so calming. One week in Lo De Marcos is prescription to cure high blood pressure.

The streets weren’t totally rolled up. There were still a few places open. We picked up a bottle of our new sparkling mineral water sensation - Topo Chico brand, at a mini-grocery store. It is lightly and naturally carbonated, clean, and delicious. About 1/3 of the sidewalk cafes were open. We bought some delicious banana bread at a tiny coffee shop.

The bus dropped us off at the intersection of Highway 200 and the Lo De Marcos' main street that leads to the downtown plaza and beach. It is about a 1/2 mile from the highway to the plaza.

The plaza.

Above and Below: Lo De Marcos' downtown hotel.

Lo De Marcos is devoted to the sea. Most of the murals are sea-related. The closer you get to the beach the more seafood restaurants you find. And the beach is where we headed for. 

The sand on the stretch of beach in front of the town is not the best. It consists of course sand. It isn't course enough to hurt when walking on it barefoot, but it doesn’t have that pleasant feel that pure fine sand has. As we walked south along the curve of the bay, the sand became finer and more delicate. This is where the swimmers were. This is also where the surfing school was located. About a half dozen students were practicing. Most of the novice surfers struggled, but two of them seemed to pick up the art of surfing rather successfully. Proudly, Wanda pointed out that one of them was female.

Above: The rock formations at the southern end of the beach are very different. To my untrained eye, this appears to be a lava flow remnant. Of course, I am only guessing.

Below: These tiny mussel communities were crammed into several indentations in the rocks.

The Tomatina is a typical beach bar. It is one of many.

We took the main road back to downtown. This is Mexican RV heaven. The road is a mile long and a string of RV parks line the road. Mexico doesn’t have nearly as many RV parks as the US. The only other RV parks that I have ever seen was a small one in Sayulita and a couple in Guaybitos. This concentration of RVers was a novelty.

Lo De Marcos has the most concentrated number of RV parks that I have seen in Mexico.

This converted step-van all shined up impressed me. It is the Airstream of step-vans.

This looks like a semi-permanent RV setup.

I was amazed by these colorful ornamental lily pads last year when we explored Lo De Marcos. They are still here and still gorgeous.

Along the ocean front there are some nice villas.

Having absorbed 5 miles of relaxing walking and poking about town, we looked for a restaurant. The ones that piqued our interest were still closed. At 4 pm, there was some activity at a restaurant that was our first choice. We inquired when they would open. We discovered that breakfast quits at 1 pm and supper reopens at 5 pm. The afternoon is siesta time. We decided to head back to Bucerias and eat there.

This nice looking restaurant became our first choice when we walked through town earlier. Sadly, it was closed until 5 pm.

Not all of the murals in Lo De Marcos was sea-related.

Back in Bucerias we bypassed the Carnival area downtown and headed straight for the swankier restaurant zone north of the new Kissing Bridge. Wanda liked the jungle look of La Postal. It turned out to be an Italian restaurant. We ordered a basil tomato sauce and pasta dish and an Alfredo asparagus pasta dish. The basil tomato was good. The Alfredo asparagus was excellent. Of course, we had to top it off with paletas from our favorite ice cream shop.

We walked the carnival again as we returned home. The frenetic pace of Bucerias was in stark contrast to lazy Lo De Marcos. We enjoyed both worlds.

The walk from the bus stop to our restaurant.

La Postal Restaurant.

Left: Alfredo asparagus and pasta. Right: Basil tomato sauce and pasta.

Our dental journey begins tomorrow. Wanda will be have her gum surgery first. This will put her, and me as I take care of her, out of action for a week or so. Therefore, we will be taking a break from exploring and journaling. As soon as we get back on the road I will be recording it. Until then, adios.

Dave and Wanda

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