Dec 31

Written by: chris
12/31/2012 

Manzanillo, Mexico

I have been fortunate enough to travel extensively in Mexico so I looked forward very much to returning to one of my favourite parts of the country that I last experienced 17 years ago. Manzanillo is one of the smaller vacation destinations in Mexico and is located about half way down the Pacific coast of the country, north of Acapulco and south of Puerto Vallarta. Because there are only half a dozen big resort hotels in the area, it is easier to get the best of both worlds here: the R & R of an all-inclusive resort on the Pacific Ocean combined with glimpses of the real Mexico, its landscape, people and nature.

Manzanillo: Sailfish Capital

Manzanillo itself is a busy, buzzing city of 150,000 people. It has become Mexico’s biggest port and is enjoying such economic success at present that it is attracting many more people from the state of Colima and beyond. This upbeat vibe is apparent on the streets of the city, with its lively street markets and many restaurants and bars. Many of the streets rise steeply from the harbour up flights of steps and many remain quaintly cobbled. The harbourside plazas and promenades are a fun place to soak up the atmosphere and it is here that the visual icon of Manzanillo can be found: a huge stylized metallic sailfish that reminds visitors the city is the “Sailfish Capital of the World”.

Mellow Mexico: Barcelo Karmina Palace

I stayed at one of Barcelo Hotels and Resort’s best properties in Mexico and it didn’t disappoint. The location of this five star, 324 suite, Aztec-styled resort is ideal. It sits on its own small cove and beach within the rocky peninsula of Santiago. This peninsula divides the Bays of Manzanillo into two: Bahia de Santiago to the north and Bahia de Manzanillo to the south. Each bay has over seven kilometers of curving beach ideal for long early morning or sunset ambles. Behind the hotel is the best local golf course, whose lush greens and fairways lead the eye to the hazy Sierra Madre Mountains in the distance.


The resort has all the facilities and activities you could wish for: interconnected pools and water garden (including a couple of adults-only sections for some peaceful retreats), watersports galore, including a full scuba diving centre, a well-equipped gym and a luxurious spa. The food too was excellent, with a tremendous buffet and three a la carte restaurants. My favourite was the Agave Restaurant which serves local Mexican dishes in a stunning location built out over the rocks where the Pacific breakers crash ashore.

Bountiful Beaches

The Pacific Ocean beaches here vary from the broad, arced expanses of Playas Salagua, Azul and Brisas on the Bahia de Manzanillo to the tiny Playa del Tesoro (“Treasure Beach”) nestled into the cove at the Barcelo Resort. Playa Audiencia is a charming, tranquil cove that was the original site of all the beach scenes from the movie "10," with Bo Derek and Dudley Moore. My favourite is the 7 km long Playa Miramar, the beach that has it all. Anchored at one end by the rugged Santiago Peninsula, individual rocky coves lead to an unbroken strand that was favoured by the Rockefellers in the 1940’s. This beach is great for surfing and boogie boarding. Local fisherman can be seen in their boats or casting lines and nets from the shore. The best local market is about halfway down the beach and at the far end La Boquita is a lagoon opening to the ocean full of locals picnicking and enjoying the beach at weekends. I ran the entire length of this beach in both directions and became lost in a world of surf, pelicans and beach life!

The People

Often after the memories of churches and mountains have faded, remembrances of the people you meet on journeys remains as the real testament of the trip – and so it was with my time here. Do not fret about the headline-grabbing stories you read of the violence in Mexico: it may help to sell newspapers but it does not reflect the experience of visitors. The warmth and friendly smiles of the locals were a real highlight of my trip. From the family fishing on the beach a few minutes’ walk from the hotel, to the mother and her children in a back street of Manzanillo. From the old friends on a park bench in the plaza of an old colonial town across the mountains, to the cowboy amigos sharing a meal in the “Magical Town” of Comala (see below)… All were happy to have their picture taken - and to encourage me in my few words of broken ‘Spanglish’.

Flora and Fauna: Day of the Iguana

Explosions of colour assault the eye as you explore old Colonial towns in the hills. Brilliantly coloured bougainvillea adorns white adobe walls in gorgeous contrast. Lofty coconut palms are climbed by locals for all kinds of coconut treats. As you ascend into the mountains, the vegetation zones change with the elevation from dense rainforest to dwarf evergreens. Bird life is spectacular – many visitors come here just for the bird-watching. It’s easy to lose an hour on the beach watching the pelicans dive vertically into the ocean for fish or snow-white egret stand motionless on the rocks poised to strike. I watched a shy white-nosed coati poke around a backyard in Manzanillo.


But the stars of the fauna world on this trip were the many iguanas I encountered. They are like the Shreks of the animal kingdom: ugly perhaps, but gentle in spirit. Some even let me feed them fruit by hand. Look for them on the ocean rocks, the lawns of the resort – even the trees overhead!

The Waterfall: El Salto

Hidden away off the old road that winds from Manzanillo into the foothills of the Sierra Madre is one of those places that you often see in films but seldom experience in person. Down a little cobblestone drive are huge parota trees, adorned with strangler vines you can Tarzan swing from. A walk past coffee trees, a "chicle" tree (where Chiclet gum comes from) and the "tourist tree" which has red, peeling bark, just like a sunburnt tourist, across an old stone bridge and steps down into a small canyon to where the headwaters of the Minatitlán-Marabasco River fall over 100 feet into a frothing pool. We had the place to ourselves, so after admiring the beauty of the cascades we braved the cold water for that ultimate treat: a hydrotherapy waterfall swim. Bracing!

The Magical Town of Comala

The Mexico Ministry of Tourism created a special program 12 years ago that now recognizes a total of 54 towns scattered throughout Mexico which epitomize the Mexican experience. In Manzanillo’s state of Colima, the little town of Comala is one of these Pueblo Mágico’s and is known as “The White Village of America”. It is everything your imagination believes a Mexican town to be: nestled under a mighty volcano (see below) - narrow cobblestone streets bounded by blindingly whitewashed walls radiate from a central square that is the heartbeat of the place. Here fountains, shady palms, park benches, gardens and a bandstand look out on colonnaded facades harbouring local craft shops and authentic restaurants. Plus of course the church and the town hall. We wandered the streets, bought some local coffee and then enjoyed a memorable lunch with the locals (enchiladas, tacos de birria, barbacoa) under an arcade beside the plaza at Don Comalon listening to the Mariachi band.

Ancient Civilizations

Much of what you see in this part of Mexico is very old by our standards. Both Comala and Manzanillo were founded by the Spanish Conquistadors in the 1500’s. But beneath the surface are signs of the ancient indigena people who lived here thousands of years ago. Not the more well-known Aztecs or Mayas, but proud people who created similar civilizations and who resisted Aztec incursions only to fall to the Spanish guns. I had two glimpses into this fascinating past.


Firstly at La Campana near the state capital of Colima. Here, archaeologists have uncovered just a tiny part of a city that was inhabited between 1100 and 1400 BC. It boasted a complex commercial, social and religious infrastructure, complete with squat pyramid structures, great plazas and a ball court similar to ones I have seen in Maya and Aztec sites. Amazingly, we were the only visitors which allowed a peaceful stroll,soaking up the sights and atmosphere of the site. We were also able to peer into one of the nobleman’s tombs that have been found here – very eerie. The second glimpse into the lives of these ancient people was afforded by a visit to the Museo Universitario Alejandro Rangel Hidalgo at the Hacienda Nogueras. Here a collection of pre-Hispanic ceramics brings to life a forgotten age of shaman, noblemen and a pantheon of gods.

The High Point: Nevado de Colima

The literal high point of this trip for me was an opportunity to take my 18-year old younger son, Tim, to the summit of Mexico’s sixth highest mountain. My wife calls such experiences ‘Boys Adventures’! Nevado (“Snowy One”) at 14,600 feet or 4,450 meters is taller by a thousand feet than its close neighbor Volcan de Colima, which is North America’s most active volcano.

On my last trip here 17 years ago I climbed this peak solo without a guide and was awed, but lucky to summit. I am now older and wiser and a father, so this time I hired the best local guide: Jupiter Rivera from nearby Comala. Tim and I met Jupiter at dawn in Colima and drove up the flank of the mountain on a dirt road that curved endlessly through verdant forest which slowly changed to mountain spruce until we reached the National Park gates and the ‘base camp’ for the start of our trek.



An easy path leads to the volcanology station at around 12,000 feet, but then the trail becomes increasingly challenging. We huffed and puffed across a dusty plateau of pumice stone from a recent eruption with stunning views in every direction. Then the most difficult section: the final climb to the summit up a series of loose rocky gullies. Jupiter had supplied us with climbing helmets for this section and guided us up the best route until there we were on the summit ridge with much of Mexico below our feet and Volcan de Colima smoking just a few kilometers distant. The view took our breath away – as did the altitude. Here at over 14,000 feet there is almost half the available oxygen and we had come up quickly from sea level, so the effect was dizzying. Or perhaps it was the delighted giddiness of a proud father sharing an unforgettable day with his son…

Thanks

This was a very enjoyable and relaxing trip to the real Mexico. It was made the more magical by the assistance of:
Susan at Transat Tours who booked our trip with Transat (www.TransatHolidays.com)
Rick at Barcelo Hotels and Resorts (www.Barcelo.com)
Tino at Tlatoc Tours
And Jupiter at Admire Mexico Tours, the best guide for the ascent of Nevado de Colima (www.AdmireMexicoTours.com)