Yelapa from the water.

Well I made it! At last, Yelapa, 12 years since the first time I saw it.  So far it is living up to the fantasy that I yap about.

After a 40 minute boat ride, slamming into the rock-like waves, they spit me out onto the new dock in the village. I walked up the dock, having no idea where the freak I was going. The way I figure it, why start now? More fun when you’re not sure of the ending, right?

Cafe Bahia (cafe bahia photo)

At the top of the dock perches an utterly charming cafe, Cafe Bahia chock full of helpful people ( I count on them to find me :} ) They called Los Naronjos, who said they would send someone to help me in 30 min. Cool. I ordered a beer and a ridiculously healthy concoction, opened the computer and  could have stayed there happily for hours.

Los Naranjos gate

Too soon Michel appeared (like the Archangel Michael) and led the charge up the mountain, with my bag effortlessly on his shoulder, to Los Naronjos. While he was gentle with me, I soon realized that I am going to have to get into shape or rent a burro. Then I would fall in love with her and have to take her home with me. Can you imagine the cats’ reaction? Not to mention my roomie’s and landlord’s. hahaha.  12 min. later and he is introducing me to Maria and Naomi. These amazing young people are working together to pull this gorgeous retreat center together to make it a place of peace and love. I think they could do it faster selling beer and tequila, but that’s just me.

Mi casa.

Michel takes me to my “room”. Shut the front door (but there is no front door)! It is even more awesome than I had hoped it would be. I wasn’t even daunted when he gave me advise on how to deal with scorpions, should they wander into my space. (check your shoes before you put them on and don’t leave your suitcase on the floor open. Ok, I can do that.) I laid in the hammock, read, ate Pringles and listened to the mating screeches of the macaws and thought about never moving again.

Soon I was off to explore. Maria took me to their waterfall, blissfully underdeveloped. Rumor has it that an American drug lord in the 60’s came and bought the property and built a quasi-damn to create a cistern… which is now used as a very cold pool on very hot days. It would have to be as hot as hell out for me to get my ass in there.

Mi Casa

I love this place! It is like a child of the sixties spawned Eden and actually survived the ensuing decades. My “cabin” has a concrete wall about 2 feet thick and hip height. There are curtains on the 2 more public sides that you can close if you want.  I have 2 very single-sized beds; what a man 6 feet tall would do with them is beyond my scope of imagination but luckily I am not, so I am snug as a bug in a mosquito net. Being surrounded by jungle, with nothing separating it from me is awesome… there is a tingle of, not so much fear as edgy excitement. Kind of like zip lining but extended for 7 days.

This morning I was laying in bed, slowly waking up, looking at the jungle and had this vivid vision of a jaguar jumping up on the wall. I held my breath wanting to extend the moment for as long as I could.

Good morning donnae. (Google photo)