Troncones Mexico

The Blackboard was an Arts and Entertainment magazine which was published monthly. The magazine recently ceased publication and along with it went the website which contained numerous Travel stories written by Travel Invasion. We are in the process of republishing these stories for your entertainment.

There is nothing like a cheap airfare to get me to try somewhere new. Prices are rising once again and the amazing deals are becoming fewer as the travel industry recovers from the recent 2 year slump. The $400 deals to Bali, Paris or Amsterdam are a thing of the past. Currently the great deals tend to be in the less traveled areas of the world. But for me this is not such a bad thing. Running with the masses really isn�t my style anyways.

For $270 roundtrip from LAX on an Alaskan Air special, I was once again headed to the Mexican Riviera. This most recent adventure took me deep down along the Mexican coastline landing at the Zihuatanejo-Ixtapa airport. Located south of Manzanillo and north of Acapulco, this area was made famous after being featured on the final scene of the Shawshank Redemption. Although the region is still somewhat unknown to most Americans, I wanted a location even more remote. Thanks to some assistance from the Net, I was on my way to Troncones.

My friends Mat and Jessica came along for the four night vacation, with our lodging at a fabulous beach front two story villa known as Casa De La Sirena, which translates to House of the Mermaid. This two year old vacation home can be rented as a whole or as three units. A postcard perfect swimming pool separates you from the sand. The property is surrounded by a privacy wall which also helps to keep out the wild donkeys roaming the neighborhood. The constant sound of the surf provides a very relaxing backdrop.

With really no set schedule, we decided to just do whatever sounded good at the time. We had rented a Volkswagen Jetta from the airport, so would could basically go wherever we wanted. Night one had us at a local restaurant/hotel called El Burro Burracho. It was Superbowl Sunday and we were treated the big game on one end of an open air patio, while the local school kids provided some authentic Mexican dancing at the other end. One success of the evening was when the owner passed a hat around to collect money for the school kids. Within minutes, over $700 had been raised. The owner proudly announced that this healthy sum was the most ever collected in one evening.

Monday we headed out for an hour long drive to spend the afternoon on the beach at a small village known as Barra De Potosi. Lots of sun, good food and loads of people watching left us satisfied. We returned to Troncones in the late afternoon and took a walk over to the Tropic of Cancer Beach Club for dinner. A great meal was offset by a swarm of mosquitoes who treated my ankles like a buffet line.

Up before sunrise on Tuesday morning, I was wandering the empty beach although I was soon greeted by an enormous labrador/great dane mix who decided he would go along for the walk as well. Two strangers enjoying the peaceful serenity together. The afternoon was spent near our house as Jessica took advantage of a horseback ride on the beach while Mat & I decided to rent a boogie board. Here is where the problems began. The waves in Troncones should be called explosions. My first attempt had me spitting out sand. My second attempt had me spitting out water and sand. Frustrated I went back for third and final attempt. I now know what a cannon ball feels like. Mat said he saw my board shoot out from water over 10 feet in the air from what looked to be like a six to eight foot wave, although I was nowhere to be seen. A few minutes later I arose from the water beat up and disoriented.

Mother nature was not being kind We made it back to the house and prepared for a safer experience which included a drive up to a neighboring village to the north known as Majahua. No tourists to be seen, we walked the virgin sand until we reached the Kandahar Surf Club. A beautiful resort which offers stand alone rooms for $100 a night in high season. We stayed for as twin-tailed lobster dinner and then proceeded back to the car under a fully moonlit beach.

Wednesday was our final full day with Mat and I planning a trip to Ixtapa for some Jet Skiing while Jessica stayed behind at out dream villa for some private time with a lusty novel. Immediately after arriving in Ixtapa, we were waited on hand and foot. Down to the water and planted under an umbrella with a bucket of Coronas, the Wave Runner was only minutes away. This being one of my favorite activities in life, I was going to make the most of it. Racing across the ocean at over 50 miles an hour, I was now feeling complete. The only setback was that I forgot to do a sight line when leaving shore and ended up spending 20 overpriced minutes trying to figure out where the hell I had started from.

Back to the house we prepared for a last meal once again at El Burro Burracho. A perfectly cooked $11 filet mignon smothered in mushroom sauce and followed up with a banana flambe�. It couldn�t have been better!

Thursday was flight day, so we packed up and said goodbye to three mile strip of beachside paradise. We drove into Zihuatanejo for some disappointing shopping before making it to the airport for our trip back to reality. Troncones is a place for people who want peace and perfection instead of crowds. Cheap food, cheap beer and very friendly residents will most likely lure me back in the future. Once again I say screw the all-inclusives and seek out your own exotic wonderland. Also make sure and load up on small gifts to give out to the locals. For a few dollars, you will be able to warm many hearts