Chacala

Chacala seems a piece of that elusive paradise we all spent a lifetime looking for. The water is great to swim, the waves soft and inviting. Boats floating down an emerald sea.  The locals are kind to the forest but never servile. The moment you arrive you feel fortunate and bow to come back.

 

Dolphin and whale watching is quite a spectacle. The dolphin is playful, almost like showing off. The whale seems reserved, always at distance. It's amazing to be in the presence of such magnificent swimmers. 

Colibri Cafe

This coffee shop is frankly adorable. Miguel, the owner makes everything from scratch. Costumers constantly arrive looking for his homemade ice cream, perfect for the hot weather. I specially loved the "nieve divina" a combination of red wine and lemon ice cream.

Miguel is also the genius behind one of my favorite sandwiches: turkey and monterey cheese between two big slices of homemade bread, also avocado, capers, sliced tomato, and bean sprouts.  The perfect lunch.

Their coffee is made with a local blend, strong and aromatic, just the way I like it.

Zapotitlan de Salinas

Zapotitlan is a desertic paradise. It shows how nature can be beautiful in more than one way, and also how people can be really proud of their community. The main attraction in Zapotitlan is the Botanical Garden Dr. Helia Bravo, home to thousands of different and rare cactuses. The town itself is very pretty, with the whitest of churches, when you get inside make sure to looked up, the ceiling has an hypnotic painting that leaves you feeling as if you just looked into a kaleidoscope. 

The Botanical Garden can only be described as surreal. There you are in the middle of nowhere surrounded by thousands of enormous and ancient cactuses. You feel alone, yet at peace. Nothing between your tiny figure and raw nature. 

If you decide to stay the night you can do it in one of their cabains. Some of them don't have electric power, which makes this more of an ecologic experience. 

Sabores del Desierto

Right next to the town square there's this very peculiar ice-cream shop. Flavors of the desert they offer and certainly deliver: pitahaya, xiotilla, xoconostle and garambullo. They'no not that tasty, but they do the trick and provide you with one more story to tell about your trip.

 

Ambar Restaurant

A local recommended us this place and we loved so much we ended up eating all of our meals there.

They serve regular food such as eggs, chilaquiles, enchiladas, quesadillas along with some local delicatessen prepared with tetechas, a kind of cactus. Since I love trying new food we order it. It's not that appetizing but very interesting. Trust me. Besides if you ask they put cheese on it, and let's face it. Everything tastes better with cheese.

The prices are really good, the staff are friendly and polite.

We did more than eat. We did a number of things like taking a walk down a dry river looking for some marine fossils, which are characteristic of the place. Then we took a tour to the near town of San Juan Raya to watch some dinosaur prints :)