Stage 15: La Perula, Jalisco – Maruata Beach, Michoacan
May 21 – 24, 2013
5 hours, No Toll

My Room with a View – Centro Ecoturistico AYULT

“Wherever you are you have everything you need.”

I had finally found it, my perfect beach escape, a simple room at the Centro Ecoturistico AYULT at the Maruata Tortuga Sanctuary. My room was like an eagle’s nest, perched high on a cliff-side, overlooking both the beach and the camping/cantina area. I had found my very own strange jungle/desert/beach paradise, shocked to discover the mix of cactus, palm, and beach. I had a sweet little patio with chair and table; Luna was able to wander in and out at her leisure; I had a good book and sweet fuck all to do but read, relax, and wander the beach looking for sea turtles, their tracks, and their eggs. I had also made a couple friends, my first in Mexico!

One huge error, I neglected to go to the ATM before heading out of Las Varas so I had very little money. ATM’s are not very common in BFM (Bum-Fuck Mexico) and the small town of Maruata had very little in the way of amenities. I lived on Clif Bars and one meal per day so I could afford just one more night. I wish I could have stayed longer!

Our first morning Luna and I were up early and walking the long beach, just south of my rugged small beach. I was surprised to come upon tortuga tracks, eggshells, and a nest hole. Duh! What a dope! It was a tortuga sanctuary after all! Strolling later that evening we were greeted by actual tortugas, not just their tracks. There is nothing quite as thrilling, except maybe encountering the babies in the wild scrambling to get back to the beach before becoming lunch.

After we had our initial discovery stroll, we rolled into a small cantina/restaurant/acampamento (campground). Oddly, there were two men there and one was wearing two long-sleeve t-shirts wrapped around his waist, one front/one back, and no pants. Turns out, they weren’t expecting to hit the beach and it was a bit too warm for jeans and he had no shorts. Alan was a Mexican/Cuban mix with fair skin, blue eyes, and blond dreadlocks. He claimed to be the Guru of Matamoros, his hometown. He was on the job with Chava, an attorney who was in need of some guru-ing. He did give me one very good piece of advice, “you need to work less and hamaca more, you are too tense!” It was hard to hear,  but they became words I was to live by, as much as possible, for the rest of my Odyssey. We ended up hanging out, drinking vodka, talking, laughing, hiking the Dedo de Dios, and swinging in the hamacas before driving to Patzcuaro together.