La Manga

We have started our review of palapa bars in and around San Carlos. The first place we wanted to visit was located in the seaside village of La Manga which was recommended to us by a couple from BC. They told us that the shrimp cocktails and the tacos were far cheaper and better than those in San Carlos proper.

We knew La Manga was located approximately 10 kms north of Totonaka, but were surprised by the small village hugging the coast. The first questions that came to mind were: are the inhabitants here merely as squatters or are they hiding from the police. It reminded us of the interior of Mexico with its tin huts and poor sanitary conditions.

Regardless, we had to continue with the task and tried three different palapa bars. The first one was located on a rugged cliff and had a spectacular view of the local boats coming and going. Neither of us wanted coffee or a Pepsi so we moved to the next palapa bar. This one was located in heart of the community and was right on the beach [remember sand comes into play]. The palapa was closed, but we were not disappointed at all. The third palapa probably was the closest to meeting our criteria, but in reality none of the three could be rated because La Manga appears to be a DRY community! Alcohol is not sold at these places [we didn't know you had to bring your own].

The one and only thing going for La Manga was that it was located on the beach and all the palapa bars had thatched roofs. I will leave it to your imagination as to the condition of the washrooms.

I realize that this review is quite harsh and unfair. La Manga is a relatively non-tourist area and we should respect the inhabitants of the beach and their way of life. It is not our place to critize or to promote changes. After all, it is the true Mexixo that Fred and I love.

Apart from the tour, we ran another practice 5K today and I shaved a whole two minutes from my time. To top it off, we walked all the way back and spent anothet 1/2 hour in the gym - are we getting addicted?