San Pancho, Riviera Nayarit- Eric

Marge and I took a field trip up north to check out the small beach village of San Pancho, also known as San Francisco and I want to say....
Don't do it, Eric.
I was just going to say....
Resist the urge, Eric.
I gotta say, I left my heart in San Francisco.
He did it!
We had been utterly disappointed with San Pancho/San Francisco's neighboring village, Sayulita. The guide books touted Sayulita as the hot spot north of Puerto Vallarta. A laid-back surfing village with a beautiful beach. But success has spoiled Sayulita. Too crowded with recent reports that visitors are getting sick because of the over-whelmed sewage system.
We were advised to try the next town up, San Pedro/San Francisco.
I didn't know where the hippies departed to after the summer of love in San Francisco, California. Now, I know.  They've gone to San Francisco, Mexico.
Also, I didn't realize how few clothes people could comfortably wear in March until we visited San Pedro. Mixed in with the hippies are surfers and artists. Not a bad life for an artist--create art in your home studio, hang out on the beach, sell your stuff at a couple of outdoor markets each week.
Marge and I visited a great outdoor market in San Pedro. She bought a pair of harem pants from a Mexican family and got to practice her Spanish. She looked great in the pants but, unfortunately, they shrank in the wash and she refuses to wear them.
After the market, we hit the  postcard-perfect beach. I spotted a tent off to the side and Marge saw a couple with big backpacks who obviously had been hiking the coast.
We ordered beers at a bar right out on the sand and I studied the lunch menu. Meanwhile, Marge started pushing buttons on her cell phone. Pretty soon, she informed me the bar to our left had received much better reviews so we moved across the sand.
She was right! I had the best strawberry margarita I've ever tasted (I haven't sampled that many) and amazing shrimp fajitas.
San Pedro isn't the only spot we've explored on what is known as the Riviera Nayarit, the coastal area north of Puerto Vallarta.
When we came down last year, Marge asked our personal tour guide (more about her in another post) to show us the town of Bucerias. Marge had read some really good things about it. I guess it wasn't the tour guide's kind of place because she raced through it quickly in her vintage VW van.
On our own tour this time around, we found it a charming place with fun restaurants and interesting shops. Our favorite part was the wide sandy beach, much like the Oregon Coast but sunnier, drier and 30 degrees warmer. The beaches in Puerto Vallarta are nice, but sometimes rocky.
What really endeared the Bucerias beach to us was Otto's reaction. On the Puerto Vallarta beaches he trudges along under the full sun looking for his escape. We even had his fur shaved off, hoping that would help. He looked like a giant chubby Chihuahua. His curly hair has grown back somewhat, prompting Mexican vendors to point at  him and exclaim, "borrego!" That means "lamb" in English.
But when we entered the Bucerias beach, both Marge and I swear we detected a smile on Otto's face. For the first time since we've been down here we let him off the leash outdoors. Otto enjoyed his freedom immensely until he raced up to a little kid and scared the bejabbers out of him. Back on the leash.
Closer to Puerto Vallarta, we've seen the vast condo complexes in Nuevo Vallarta. We decided they are too cookie-cutter for our taste. Besides, one of the first amenities we would look for is not a caged tiger at the entrance gate. Or an $80 fee to play a round of golf on the complex's course.
There's even a more nuevo area than Nuevo Vallarta called Flamingo. They are basically building new condos on spec. Reminds me of Ocean Shores with four-lane highways but no cars.
I don't want you to think that I completely reject the lifestyles of the one percent. I like Marina Vallarta with its fake lighthouse bar and fabulous boats. My plan is to cozy up to one of the residents and become a cabin boy on a fancy yacht. Of course, I'll hold out for one with a helicopter. I do have my standards.