The flight of the pelican

On December 28th, our destination was the small town, surfer and hippie enclave of Sayulita, about 50km north of PV. Andy and I started the day well-rested, but due to holiday traffic, we made slow progress on our scheduled bus. Masks and heat also added to the exhaustion.

Sayulita with its colorful facades, palm-lined streets, and magnificent restaurants was bursting with tourists... as was the beach. A small town full of batik and 'spirituality', it reminded me of Goa.

Instead of a white sandy beach, the ground was rather coarse-grained brown. The sea must have been quite rich in fish. Fishing boats, seabirds, as well as a few fish carcasses (and occasional flies) indicated this. So, there was no swimming vacation. We looked for a place away from the crowds.

Besides the frigate birds, which soared across the beach like oversized swallows, the pelicans impressed me. Agile and clumsy at the same time, they swam, flew, and hunted in formation, much livelier than in our zoos, where they usually shuffle around a bit lost. Their size, beak, and posture had something primitive about them.

Relaxing makes you hungry, so before the journey home, we treated ourselves to tacos with seafood, a bit pricey for tourists, but really delicious.

The travel guide to be purchased remained on my to-do list. In addition, New Year's Eve planning was pressing. PV was completely booked.