A few months ago while on a backroads tour…I suddenly wasn’t on the backroads. I came to a sudden stop. A Road? I had traveled this stretch past Guasimas many times, enough times to internally know each turn. Within a few weeks the local government had paved a huge section. As my speed doubled, I sat in shock as practically all the way to Tuito was asphalt!

Last Saturday…I finally got around to attempting to drive my car out of Yelapa to use in Vallarta . Just around the corner, we were stopped by a 10 man crew laying cement and stone. “Roads Closed” he screamed, as he shook his finger at us. Nah… we need to come through… “ok”..that was easy… Around a few more turns, we ran into another crew laying it down and quickly mixing cement. As we continue upward, we clearly saw the writing on the wall… piles and piles of stone…ready to be laid. It is impossible to pave the entire road but within weeks, all the tough spots will be completed and Yelapense will have a good chance of using the road year round instead of just for the dry season. Another day… I will tell you all the story of the new road to Pizota….that’s right! Pristine Pizota got its first cleared trail… that allows car access.

With all this said..water taxi travel still makes the most sense to all visitors of Yelapa and Pizota. These roads take super experienced drivers and the upmost of caution, even if they are paved. Clearly…Life here is changing…

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary”. (Steve Jobs, 1955)

Ana’s Tienda closed their doors, a few weeks back. Ana , Chema and Family offered great prices and long hours…of course that combination often closes a business. They were located in the central village, across from Mimi’s Café. In town.. we now have three main stores…Hortentia, Letecia, and Pity. The three carry a little of everything and have all the basics. When visiting Yelapa it is good to bring specialty items. A favorite salad dressing, a good bottle of wine, chocolate treats and a pound of fresh roasted coffee.. just to name a few.

The trails that run their maze through Yelapa have seen a few changes over a decade. From dirt to stone to cement and then opened to add water pipes and then opened again to fix the water pipes and then opened again to fix the fixes that didn’t get fixed and now reopened to put in sewage tubes…the story will continue. The current project is tough work! Using dynamite to open a trench deep enough for the tubing. Please be careful when walking at night.

It’s not everyday that we get a great sunset in Yelapa. Yesterday, brought this wonderful show of light and color….Yelapa Tip…. It’s usually best to view sunsets from the hotel pier.

Thanks to all that wrote with concern about our latest Hurricane. If you only could be here to see the actual effect… you would laugh. Don’t take me wrong… weather is a beast not to be reckoned with but… rarely do we get the effects of a hurricane in Yelapa. Capt. Patricia Miller Rains makes the point clearly “Mexican hurricanes always spin counterclockwise and usually travel northwest up the coast. Cabo Corrientes and the Moronades Mountains across the south side of Banderas Bay effectively block and shred tropical cyclones that might otherwise enter Banderas Bay at full hurricane strength, and the Punta Mita peninsula at the northwest arm of Banderas Bay narrows the opening. It would take a hurricane traveling due east from a point just outside Banderas Bay (midway between Cabo Corrientes and Punta Mita) to score a direct hit on Yelapa or Puerto Vallarta”. Kenna and few over the past hundred years have come closest.

Tuesday’s Hurricane Andres brought us a drizzle and a whole lotta preparedness. The ports shut down and water taxis were hit and miss… the past few days in Yelapa have been absolutely beautiful!!! fresh , clean and lusciously green. The worldwide news obviously believes to “never let the facts get in the way of a good story”. For those of you who haven’t seen Cheryl’s, very resourceful, Yelapa Weather Page… check it out.

My Dad clicked on the new chat.. off the site and within a minute we were connected. This was a first for us. Our Virtual Fathers Day. Im not that good of a son and barely call my parents monthly.. now…all they have to do is go to the site and I am there..

As many of you know..during the Summer , I live half time in Vallarta and half time here in Yelapa. It really works well for me, I love them both. My Vallarta life includes a 360 degree view of the Church that can’t get any more spectacular. I took these two shots Friday at sunset, while the bands from tonight’s giant concert did the sound checks. Travel tip! Remember to bring a camera when visiting, photography doesn’t get any easier.

Sure… we have 150 plus rentals in Yelapa… but none with the style and feel of Casa de los Arboles. Our friends recently captured some of the casas magic. Take a look…Arboles is great for a group …as it sleeps 10 plus… You can arrange to rent the casa by contacting us here.

It’s been hot, wet and muggy these past few days and we all are waiting for a rain to squeeze out. We got a 5 minute drizzle…I invite you to enjoy in the view.

Two nights ago while sleeping..well, trying to sleep… I kept feeling bugs around me. I thought maybe my dog had passed some fleas into the casa and as I woke the entire casa and outside was crawling with these. Note that this a macro photo and these little side walking guys are tiny. I have seen many a crab infestation in Yelapa but I have never seen so many babies and birthed so fast. The crabs just started to make their moves in the last two weeks. Now don’t go and freak out… I live right off the ocean and that’s why so many are here…you will probably never see them on a visit to Yelapa. Today I worked all morning doing the best to clean them out of the office. Such is life in Yelapa…

Im in the process of moving some things around… please use yelapa@mac.com for all email this next week. Thanks!