On 18 February we took the overnight ferry from La Paz to Mazatlán. Apart from having our second flat tyre since leaving home while boarding the ferry, we had a good crossing and arrived on the mainland by 9am the following day, having had a comfortable night's sleep in the cabin.
We explored the malecon and the historic centre of Mazatlán before heading south, where our first night camping was on the beach at Isla Piedra, a long drive but a stone's throw across the water from where the ferry had docked earlier that morning. Having parked up on the beach, we had dinner in a beach front palapa restaurant, before settling down for the night. We woke up to a glorious sunrise and spectacular views - something we would be lucky enough to experience a number of times as we journeyed south.
The next day we headed for San Blas, stopping along the way at Mexicalitan, a beautiful little town on an island in a lagoon, miles from anywhere and whose only industry appeared to be shrimp fishing, but whose history suggests it could be the original home of the Aztecs.
In San Blas we stopped at the Stoners Surf Camp, again on the beach. We took the opportunity to take a boat ride up the Tovara River, our first trip into a tropical rainforest. Initially travelling through mangroves, the river opened up revealing a huge array of birds, crocodiles and turtles.
From San Blas we stopped overnight at Sayulita, a lively little town on the ocean and found some camping, again, close to the beach, before continuing on to Puerto Vallarta where we joined Kieran and Jenny and had the luxury of 4 nights in an all inclusive. Puerto Vallarta is a kiting spot, so we then moved into an apartment 10 minutes walk away, camping out waiting for the wind to blow. Unfortunately, we were not lucky with the wind, so despite a great place to stay: great pool; sunshine; beach; pretty town of Bucerias, we made the decision to continue the journey south.
Another beach camp in Arroyo Seco and then rather last minute and unexpectedly, we were offered the use of Felipe's ranch in Tecoman on a lagoon in front of the pacific. This beautiful place was nestled in the banana plantations, with wading birds everywhere and a little boat to row across the lagoon to the beach.
