A Dirt Road to Somewhere

After last summer's cavalcade of travel, of which patience was wearing quite thin by the time we returned to Puerto Vallarta, perhaps it is not surprising that for the past two and a half months the farthest we've wandered from PV is a small beach about forty-five minutes north of town. But with company in town for a bit more than a week, we decided it was time to hit the dusty trail (that being the literal dusty trail) and see parts of Mexico we had so far not discovered. As it turned out, they are parts that very few Americans have discovered ... not yet.


Hugging the coast south of PV on Highway 200, we passed through the small towns we often visit for lunch, a cerveza, and an afternoon on the beach ... places like Mismaloya and Boca de Tomatan. At Boca, the two-lane highway veers from the coast and heads inland, traversing the Sierra Madre del Sur mountain range. Though paved, the road which links Puerto Vallarta to other resort towns such as Zihuantanejo and Acapulco and eventually to the border with Guatemala, is an obstacle course of downed rocks and large potholes. It is not a road where you set the cruise control. It would, however, be the best road we were on all day.

About an hour south of Puerto Vallarta, at the small town of El Tuito where Highway 200 continued south, we turned off, westward bound. Unlike the tropics, some 25 minutes away at the coast, El Tuito is a foothill town. Cooler temperatures (in the low 70s) and pine trees contrast the 80s and palm trees we left behind. But El Tuito was not our destination. Hector Ochoa, the property manager where we live, had told us we should head west back toward the ocean, to the small towns of Maito and Tehuamixtle. While not a easy road to take, he said, the small beach communities, relatively untouched by tourism, are a real find. On top of that, he added, they are known for their fresh Pacific oysters that they scoop from the ocean right in front of the tiny restaurants that are there. So, with the map in one hand and the GPS programmed for Maito (surprisingly, the GPS was more accurate than the maps, even on one lane dirt trails), we set west.
Along washboard stretches of terraceria (unpaved roads), we wound through Mexico's cowboy country. The towns along the way, places like Llano Grande (Big Plain) and Los Conejos (The Rabbits) were nothing more than a couple of houses, a small school, and maybe a small store. There are more dogs and cattle here than there are people.

Though only about 15 miles from El Tuito, the drive to Tehuamixtle would take more than a hour, slowed by the rough roads and the cattle drive that briefly blocked the way. Even with our California plates on the GMC Envoy, the cowboys were quick with a smile and a friendly wave.

By early afternoon, coming over one final ridge, we saw the ocean. That's when we faced the next dilemna. The road seemed to stop, on a bluff, overlooking the bay, with no apparent way to get to the small town we saw on the beach below. We could see the rustic buildings and lean to shacks, hear the Mexican music playing, and saw a few old beat up cars. There had to be a way to get there. So, back in the car, we headed to where it looked like the road ended. Instead, it narrowed to a one lane rock path, at the bottom of which stood the archway "Bienvenidos a Tehuamixtle."

A small fishing village along a beautiful bay with miles of white sand beaches, it probably looked like Puerto Vallarta did before it was introduced to the world by Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. The lone cobblestone road snaked past colorful homes to the shores where fishing boats were moored. There, two restaurants hugged the beach, and we were about to discover the secrets of the seafood on the Bay of Tehuamixtle.

We chose Restaurant Liz Adriana, where our waitress (perhaps it was Liz) gave us her recommendations. For starters, a shrimp and abalone ceviche, then 15 fresh oysters on the half shell, and for the main course fresh broiled lobsters with garlic butter sauce. It was without question one of the best meals we have had in Mexico. A few beverages, and the entire lunch, lobsters, oysters, abalone, shrimp, came to $890 pesos ($68US) for three of us. The blaring music from the juke box was included, but hey, that's what
makes it Mexico.

Before heading back, we explored a bit more, finding a couple of small hotels begging for guests (just under $60US per night including breakfast). They are clean, yet bare bones. Don't expect cable TV or Internet, though there is cell phone service there now. Electricity has just come to these beach side enclaves, and with it, more development. It is also evident that work is underway to pave the road from El Tuito to Tehuamixtle. As we left, we felt that we had discovered a secret spot that is not about to be secret much longer.

When I did a search online for Hotel Mayto (it is spelled with Mayto or Maito), I found a blog that someone had written in early 2009. He called it, "One of the last unspoiled beaches on the Pacific Coast." And he lamented, "The drive is getting shorter with each trip as the road paving progresses and we are surprised at how many people now know about this place - in just the last two years!" I'm sure he is right .Though not a journey for the less-adventurous, and probably not something the casual visitor who has only a couple of days in PV would do, the trip to Maito and Tehuamixtle is worth it ... now instead of 20 years from now when, if developers have their way, Tehuamixtle will roll off your tongue just as Zihuantanejo does now.