A Beautiful Night in Paradise- Chacala, Nayarit, Mexico

Wow! Oh my Gawd! I was just at the beach in beautiful Chacala, Nayarit, Mexico. I actually live here in the winter! it is too amazing! I have been here a month of 2009, busy setting up my house, getting used to being here, and settling in to the routines of life here. I get to be here until mid-March. I am blessed. And a good dreamer!

Tonight I went for a walk on the beach, an hour or two before sunset. It is Christmas time, so the beach is filled with delightful Mexican families from other places. Kids were playing in the water, throwing sand at each other, laughing, dodging waves, and generally moving lots of the energy of the place through their bodies. (When the holidays are over, we will return to our generally empty beach).

The adults were busy with the kids, digging in the sand, letting themselves be burried, or sitting drinking beer and enjoying the delight. The colorful umbrellas lit up the beach like balloons for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. When the sun set, the sky turned an amazing orange, even without clouds, and it was so sweet to watch people posing for photos in the orange light, and generally enjoying the moment.

I ran into friends, and we shared a margarita as the sun dropped below the horizon in a blaze of glory. In the mid-heavens, the half moon was hanging, lighting the way home, a perfect couterpoint to the palm trees, and foretelling of the light to come in the next days. What an evening!

On the walk home my compannion and I were laughing with glee about how smart we are to be here, and enjoy this amazing experience of beauty and spirit. I wish you could be here too, and I'm glad that the

beach is not clogged with gringos (AKA, "internationals") buying t-shirts and seashell napkin holders. Please only come if you want to experience a small Mexican village, with the sweetest people, the warm sun, the fresh seafood, and absolutely no entertainment except counting the waves and walking home in the moonlight feeling smug that you created this dream for yourself and most people haven't.

I was carrying a heavy load of clean laundry from the laundromat as I walked, so I was left behind by my companion. That was okay with me, because it gave me more time to love the moon, love the uneven dirt road, and love the silly little dogs that used to bark when I passed but now are used to me an let me go by without raising the alarm.

This is my third winter in Chacala, and my second in my own home. More about home ownership at the Mexico beach and my in-progress under-construction roof top patio and ramada roof in a future post.

For those of you that don't know, Chacala is a little beach village, 90 minutes north of Puerto Vallarta, in the Riviera Nayarit. The beach is the most lovely half-mile crescent of gentle sand and surf I have ever seen in my many years exploring this coast. It is the perfect place for a tropical vacation for those who don't need any entertainment-- except for counting waves, sipping a margarita or cold beer at sunset, and being with yourself. There is no disco, no parasailing, and no all-inclusive resorts. We do have about six or eight thatched palapa restaurants serving the freshest seafood you will ever find, right on the beach, accompanied by local mariachi bands if you are willing.

Some day this village will be overrun by the development envisioned by the Mexican government, and will contribute millions of pesos to the national treasury. In the meantime, it is a treasure of its own, and I suggest you get here as soon as possible, before it is too late. If you want help making that happen, write or leave a comment and I can help with lodging and transportation.

And if you really want to rock, contact me about my Valentine's Week Romance Retreat in Chacala, February 8~12, 2010. It will be amazing. Check my website for details.

See you here.

Life in the Slow Lane

From Chacala, Nayarít, Mexico

I was working on the internet as usual in the morning yesterday. As the day progressed, I knew when I would take a break, do my beach walk, buy some fruit, and stop to see if the woman at the trinket stand found any good yarn paintings for me in Tepic. I had a plan.

Earlier than the plan called for, a niggling feeling started that wanted me to leave the house. I recognized it as one of those possibilities that Life offers for adventure, so I let go of my project in progress and prepared to leave. Then, more e-mail came, a house detail was crying out, and time went by.

I was aware of a voice telling me I was blowing Life’s invitation, but I let it be, and continued to do what I was doing. In time, I walked out the door, in the flow, wondering what to expect. I have tenants in an upstairs unit here that are here from the previous owner. They are an architect and engineer working at a subdivision of villas behind “The Gate” at Marina Chacala. It was Saturday, and they were preparing to leave to be with their families in another town.

They were waiting for someone to arrive with their door key, so we had a chance to chat a bit for the first time. I asked them if they knew an English-speaking expert that might consult with me about some drainage problems in my back yard. The new neighbor has changed the grade of his lot, and now there is no place for the summer rain (deluges) to drain out of my yard.

After I showed one of them the situation, he said, When would be a good day? What? A good day to bring a machine in here, clean out the dead trees and trash, and then bring in the fill dirt you need? Er. . .uh. . .Tuesday? OK, we’ll be here.

A gift.

The key arrived, and they left to be with their families. And I stood in amazement. And simple gratitude to Life.

I thought, No point in stopping now. I walked into town, and my future neighbor was sitting on the stoop of his store enjoying a beer. I walked past, said Hello (well, Hola, actually), went about twenty feet (well, seven meters, actually) and Life tapped me on the shoulder. Ahem!

Oh! I went back, and we began our first real conversation, talking about his family, his building plans, my drainage, and more. He suggested that now would be a good time to bring in trucks of fill, before he starts building next month, so the trucks can cross his property to get to my back yard. I smiled and said “Tuesday.”

He gave me a tour of the very beautiful home he built above his store, which he intends to rent to Chacala visitors after we are neighbors. I left knowing that everything was in place as it should be in the universe.

The beach walk was great, even if it was ahead of schedule! And the two Huichol and Tepehuano yarn paintings were gorgeous, so I brought them home to grace my walls.



FOOTNOTE: In Santa Rosa, CA, if Life niggled me to walk outside, I would usually find an empty street because everyone would be somewhere else. So I would walk to my neighborhood Community Market, say Hello, and buy some chocolate. I like this better. However! Life does not care about location, only realtors do. Life is here, as us, always saying Ahem! to us through our bodies. I am grateful for this lifestyle that is slow enough and flexible enough that I get to listen.

Thank you, LIFE!



Now, back to that project.

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LATE BREAKING NEWS: Susana from Casa Pacifica just dropped by to let me know her breakfast restaurant, Mauna Kea, opens tomorrow on her rooftop overlooking Chacalilla beach, the ocean, and the whales. She will have great “American” breakfasts, wireless access and phones for those addicted, and flyers, maps, and event information for new visitors to Chacala. Photos to follow—after my first breakfast!

PS: Susana is looking for someone who wants to take over the restaurant. There is a living space on the roof, too. Ready for a new life?

CHACALA: Where I Am and Why I’m Here

I first broke through my fear and resistance about traveling in Mexico sometime back in the early 1980’s. Where I grew up in Southern California there were angry young people from Mexico, and I was afraid of them. I surely did not want to go where there was a whole country full. Wow, was I wrong!

A Spanish speaking girlfriend convinced me to go, and a friend who was living in the state of Nayarít, on the west coast of Mexico, insisted we come visit. The train ride down and the time in the coastal village was the beginning of a life-long love affair with this country and its people.

After many years of vacationing in the beach towns of the west coast of Mexico, and one six-month stay, I met don Miguel Ruiz, Toltec author of The Four Agreements and other books (1995). My long apprenticeship with him meant many journeys to sacred sites throughout Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras. During that time all my travel was devoted to my work with don Miguel, and I missed my beach vacations.

During a six-month stay in Santa Cruz, Nayarít, in 1990, I bought a parcel of land, dreaming of creating a retreat center there. Because of my travels with don Miguel, and my focus on my work at home, the land came and went from my awareness and care for many years. In 2003 and 2005 I added small parcels to the land, and in the last few years began planning for the future. We have been planting trees again, adding many banana varieties, irrigating, and generally improving the land.


In the winter of 2007-2008, I was free enough to “risk” moving to Mexico for the winter. Santa Cruz is a bit isolated and lacks some of the amenities and social possibilities I needed, so I rented a house in Chacala, an hour closer to Puerto Vallarta. I used to say “I can’t move to Mexico until they have high speed internet access.” Well, it is here! I can work from “home.”

Three days before I was to return to California in March of 2008, someone offered to sell me their house in Chacala, and I accepted the offer with gratitude. I returned to Chacala in November 2008, and began painting and upgrading my new house. I love being back in Chacala. The new house has two vacation rental units upstairs—and I look forward to making them available to like-minded visitors. Right now I am living in one, and renting the other long-term, while I bring possibilities to life in the main house downstairs. Check here often to find out availability.

There is a beautiful half-mile beach here, with very few people on it most days

Chacala is a fishing village, so the palapa restaurants on the beach serve fresh fish and shrimp every day (and a cold beer or two if you are so inclined). The streets are not paved, and roosters are the main wildlife.

There are many wonderful small places to stay (and even a larger hotel or two) scattered throughout the village. A program called “Techos” (= roofs) has enabled local landladies to add a second story to their houses, with kitchens and often an outdoor patio. They rent for $45 and up per night.

Chacala is 90 minutes north of Puerto Vallarta, on Mexico’s west coast. It is part of the new “Riviera Nayarít,” a tourist designation recently created by the government. It seems unfortunate that development may come soon and without much vision for its impact on the community, its way of life, its economy, and its future. These things can best be evaluated in hindsight, so I will wait!

But I invite you not to wait to explore and experience Chacala, a jewel of laid back Mexican culture and environment. Be warned, there is no parasailing here, no discos, and no party animals at foam raves—simply a beautiful beach, with gentle surf and the sweet sun, palm trees, and a community of warm and happy people who welcome you to share and enjoy their way of life. We hope you will join us soon.

I invite and welcome dreamers, visionaries, visitors, investors, and hard workers who feel inspired to join me in this dream of now and the future—La Casa de las Aguilas, the House of the Eagles.

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