South to Ixtapa

Hola from Uruapan! This is the first opportunity I have had to report on our travels since we left Melaque last Saturday, due to the lack of internet cafes on the beaches along the coast. Since we "free camped" along the way, accommodations were minimal!

After a great reunion with our Melaque friends we've met these past few years, we departed Melaque with friends/travel companions Lonnie and Kathy Dunham and headed south down the coast along a narrow. winding road.....destination: Maruata.... a sleepy little town known for Lupita's fabulous baked goods, magically created throughout the day in her palapa next to the bay....from cinnamon buns in the morning to pizza made to order for dinner. Her reputation is well-deserved!

Next to the bay is an absolutely spectacular stretch of beach where sea turtles come ashore to lay their eggs in the sand.

Environmental groups are dedicated to assuring the survival of the turtles by relocating the eggs to protected sites where the eggs are reburied and their progress monitored. Once the baby turtles hatch, they are escorted across the beach and out to the surf where they are released into the ocean without having to run the gauntlet of sea birds who feed on them.

Poachers also compete for the newly laid eggs as a source of food and income. It is a nightly race to see who can follow behind the turtles and collect the eggs just as soon as they are laid. Sometimes, if there is too much light and commotion, the turtles turn around and head back into the ocean without laying their eggs.

These little places are being discovered by travelers from up North who aren't always aware of their impact of their presence.

Sunday, we camped at a public beach further down the coast, along with some other travelers. Glenn, a "mate" from Australia, shared his experiences of traveling the past two years around South America....this done in an old "beater" truck with a canopy. We didn't see the interior of his rig, but he seemed to have a good supply of ice cold beer in the back!

We arrived in Ixtapa Monday....a resort town just south of Lazero Cardenas. The next journal entry will give the details of our three days spent in Ixtapa and the cruise ship destination town of Zihuatanejo, located between Manzanillo and Acapulco. LOTS to share!