Villas El Dorado Hotel and RV Park

Steve was hoping to complete the dental implant work that was started in Algodones near Yuma last year but a local dentist said it would take 5 weeks and we didn’t want to stay in Rincon that long.  Therefore, we are making our way north and will go back to Algodones and if it really does require 5 weeks, we’ll decide what to do then.  At least we can camp for free around Yuma as opposed to paying $20+ a night in Mexico along the west coast.

And more on the medical front:  Steve is supposed to get a blood test each month because he takes blood thinners.  His doctor in Colorado Springs requires that he see her first so she can say “how are you” and charge $120.  Then charge another $37 for the finger prick and $45 for the blood tests results.  We walked into a clinic in La Penita and the cost was just under $10.  No doctor involvement and not necessary because if Steve’s levels are too low or too high he is the one that advises the doctor on how much his medication should be adjusted anyway.  Medical care in the U.S. is nothing but a get rich racket for the medical profession.  I used to think it was the insurance companies at fault but not any longer.

Also, I had been sick since March/April and just couldn’t get well.  One of the reasons I wanted to go to Mexico was to hopefully feel better being 6500 feet lower in elevation.  I had been to my doctor in Colorado twice and after a few thousand dollars worth of cardiac tests and then next she wanted a CT scan of my head. I decided to see a doctor in Mexico.  A chest X-ray and blood work revealed a bacterial infection in both lungs.  Wow!  So simple.  A course of antibiotics and for the first time in about 10 months I feel human and have my enthusiasm back.  No more night sweats, no more pain when I breathe deep, no more feeling like I am going to pass out when I walk, no more lack of energy.  Some of these American doctors have gone overboard in presuming everyone is just looking for antibiotics and that a zillion expensive tests are in order.  Or that it must be allergies or “are you depressed”?  Yes, I am depressed.  You would be too if you were sick for months and months.  The cost for the Mexican doctor, tests, and antibiotics was less than $100 and I have the X-ray film and lab results to show my doctor if/when this illness happens again. 

The improvement over where we stayed the past month is 100 times better and we are happy campers again.  There’s more to see and therefore we are walking a lot.

Today we walked to Los Ayala which is the the next town south of Rincon.  It’s up over a hill and about half way there gave us some nice views of the Jaltemba Bay and Rincon.  The weather has been very overcast for several days but today we saw patches of blue so hopefully it will continue to improve. 

Before we started on the trek I asked a tourist policeman if there was a path to Los Ayala and he said no, just the road and he didn’t recommend walking it.  Then right about here where I took this picture an old man who looked almost homeless with rotten teeth and a clear bag of more or less garbage on his back stopped me and said agua (I thought), which is water.  I carry a water bottle around my neck and took it off and pointed to the cup in his bag to pour him some.  But he just kept saying that word.  Another couple that was there said he was actually saying aguas which means be careful or be on the lookout.  I was standing close to a drop off so he was just warning me.  Now I know 10 words in Spanish and will never forget that one. 

The beach in Los Ayala has a more blackish sand but it is still very fine.  The tide was up and came into some of the outdoor restaurants. 

And there’s Tulip at the end.  We get such a nice breeze here and have been staying comfortable.  There are only five sites and we are the largest RV of all.  Two are Sprinter vans and another is a truck camper.  I would say that maybe a 30 foot RV could fit but that is pushing it.  We all have flowers and plants dividing each site and it’s a little paradise for sure.   The hotel, fully booked until March, has about 18 rooms and each one has a front and beach front entrance.

Our only problem is that we rarely have electricity because the power here is 134+ volts.  Several years ago Steve hardwired a surge protector into Tulip and it prevents anything over 132 volts from getting in.  The other RVers have portable surge protectors and just don’t use them.  However, that is a bit dangerous because it’s possible to fry the electrical system in the RV.  There’s an electrician staying in the hotel and he said that happened to him when he formerly traveled around Mexico in his RV.  In the evening when everyone is in their RV using power, the voltage drops now and then and our power comes on.  We do have solar panels and that is helping keep the batteries charged.  We just can’t use the microwave or hairdryer.

The park in Rincon.

There is more color in Rincon than I’ve seen anywhere in Mexico.  Over the Christmas holidays, the town and beach was very crowded with Mexicans on vacation.  Now they are all gone and mostly we just see gringo’s.  And there are now vacancy signs at some of the beach side hotels. 

I posted a question in a local forum about parking at the Puerto Vallarta airport with our small motor home.  One commenter suggested parking at the nearby bus station and taking a taxi.  Sounded good to me and I had the mapping all figured out.  But I forgot that in Mexico, often times you have to get in the far right hand lane to make a left turn so we missed the turn.  We went on to the airport and there was no parking for a motor home because of height barriers into the parking lot.  We figured that out a bit too late and had to do some backing up.  So we ended up letting my mother off at the front of the terminal, where airport attendants were trying to make us leave ASAP.  It all worked out though and she had no problems and a good flight home.

Highway 200 between La Penita and Puerto Vallarta.

Just down the road from the airport is a big Walmart and Sam’s Club which is where we turned left to check out Tacho’s RV Park that was only about 1/4 mile down the side road.  It’s a big park with many big RV’s set up for months of comfort.  Some of them had outdoor rooms bigger than their motor home.  The park had some sites that are nicely shaded and they now have free wifi which they didn’t previously.  We went into the office and got the price list:  320 pesos for one day, 2100 for one week, and 8100 for one month.  The rates for longer stays are reduced more.  Also, the cruise ship port is right across the street from Walmart and a Carnival ship happened to be there. 

Tacho’s RV Park in PV

Normally, the Walmarts in Mexico are not as nice as their other big supermarkets but this one was wonderful.  Very clean and the bakery section was bigger than any of the grocery stores in La Penita.  We filled our basket and our total was just under $40 US.

Next on our list was to check out the Sayulito Trailer Park.  We had stopped in three years ago but they were full.  This time we walked all around the park before meeting up with the owner who is from Germany.  This park really has character and we may try to get a spot after spending a week in Rincon.  For a while, I was following quite a number of websites of people going to South America.  They ALL stop in at this park and we saw two while there who plan to travel the world, one in a Land Rover.   Sayulito is probably 15 miles from PV – great location for seeing the area. 

I took some pictures in the RV park but there is so much shade from all the trees and plants that they just didn’t turn out very well.  What is interesting is how many of the park residents have fixed up their sites with all sorts of ways to have privacy outside and to extend the living area.  It’s nice and breezy throughout the park and fronts the ocean.  Kind of expensive though for pretty small sites.  The owner (I think his name was Hans) had one available on the end by the beach for $27 and another one for $24.  No discounts for longer stays.  And there’s a charge for internet.  We may go there after Rincon for a few days.

RV under a palapa in Sayulito.  I would bet this is someone who rents the space year after year.  People do all sorts of improvements to RV sites down here once they find a spot that they want to return to each year.  Some have put in pavers or concrete with inlaid tile for their patio,, palapa covering, plus nice landscaping.  Sure beats buying a house or condo in this area that normally is just a winter haven anyway.

Sayulito has a German restaurant named El Pretzel.