The Guadalajara out of town bus station is way out in the suburbs. But it only costs 5 Pesos (50 cents) on a city bus for a hr to get there. But I didn’t recognize the bus station as thought it was a shopping center.
Then I realized that we were headed back the way we came so had to walk about a mile back to the bus station with my pack! So needless to say I was a bit hot by the time I got to the bus station/looked like a shopping center. So I went to the first counter and bought a ticket to Melaque for $26 which I felt was a bit expensive. But I had no price to gauge it against and my spanish is still a work in progress. Later when I was walking around I found there was a 2nd class bus for $5 less. Now most of u will think boy is this dude ever tight! Well I wouldn’t say I’m like that but when I travel for months I have to watch my cash! Cuz I like to travel for a long time cheaply than a short time expensively. So it’s doubtful anyone wants to travel with me like I do. But hey in life I’ve also believed in quantity not quality so I guess I’m a loser in both area! So yeah maybe I am tight!
Yeah anyway I was stuck with this 1st class ticket cuz they wouldn’t exchange it for a 2nd class ticket. Crap I’m going to have to learn Spanish if for no other reason than to argue a case for an exchange or refund. But that 1st class bus was really cool. They gave us a bag with a sandwich and a choice of water or drink! The bus seats were so spacious with foot rests that folded back like a recliner. Maybe I haven’t ridden in many buses back home but only in other countries. But this one also had an a/c, tv’s, bathroom and sort of a snack area in the back. But I’m not used to comfort as I flew on US Air didn’t I? So next time I’ll take a 2nd class bus cuz hey I took a 2nd or 3rd class in Africa (cuz that’s all they had) for 12 hrs trips and it didn’t bother me! Heck one time I rode a 12 hr overnite trip to Nairobi to meet someone and have lunch, and took another 12 hr overnight bus ride back, Then caught another 6 hr bus to this island on the coast
A funny thing was I was the only one waiting for the bus to Melaque. So they put me on the bus to Manzanillo. So not having checked a map well everytime we stopped I’d ask is this Melaque cuz didn’t want to end up going pass my stop again. I must have pissed off the bus driver as he yelled something in Spanish like “U idiot we aren’t even close yet so got sit down & quit bugging me”.
Melaque is a small town between Puerto Vallarta and Manizanillo. I learned an important Spanish word to remember when I for a room. I asked this American chick who was walking down the street if she knew of any cheap places to stay (I’m not too cheap to buy a Mexico Lonely Planet book, just forgot)! She said use the word economicos when asking for a cheap room. U can believe I won’t forget that word as have used that for everything now from buying a bottle of water & at an Internet café! But it only seems to work for rooms I guess. But I find when I travel that bargaining for a deal is like a game to me!
So I found a room that was a poor man’s 1 bedroom condo as it has a kitchen (well a bit crude but still a kitchen), living room, bedroom and of course a bathroom with hot & cold water. Oh I forgot to mention a ceiling fan and a stand up fan cuz boy am I using it as it gets a bit hot at night. Oh yeah got a small tv with about 30 channels with English movies. Hey was hoping for something cheaper but guess this was a bargain for 180 Pesos or $16 a night. Hell I wish had travelling friends (acquaintances would do) cuz I have 2 double beds. I had planned to bring my tent to camp on the beach but was talked out it at the last minute. But the room is great & heck this old dude woke me up this morning to clean my room. But I wanted my sleep more than I wanted a clean room! Then remembered I was going for a run on the beach this morning but by noon it’s too warm so will have to wait till tomorrow! So took my Spanish course book and cd to the beach and had breakfast and studied while I had breakfast. So u naysayers I am trying to learn Spanish tho it’s going slow!
Then decided after walking a mile with my backpack that I had some unnecessary clothing. So sent my cold clothes home like hoodie, long pants (cuz always wear shots) and other clothes. But needed to find a box (caja) sounds like baja but with a c. But took some time cuz I was asking for it like us English speaking person say it and not like a Spanish speaker as it rhymes with baja. So it took me 2 hrs to find a box and find the post office but got it sent just before it closed for siesta. But after some thought it occurred to me that hell I had put the wrong address on the box. Heck I had put the correct street, city and postal code but the wrong house number. I had put my old house number on it so heck it would never get to where I wanted to send it. But I thought good thing they have a siesta as the box had still not been sent out. So I could go back and change the address so my money to send it wasn’t a waste.
When a person travels sometimes doing things like mailing a box home can be an all day event. But then to complicate things when you’re an idiot like me u either lose or forget things. On the long weekend before I left I lost my driver’s licence so couldn’t drive until I got a new one. So what do I find while packing to travel but my driver’s licence. When I lived in Seattle I lost my passport so was about to get another one but needed to move and guess what I found in my recliner? Then this summer I lost my mp3 with all my music but never found it. So am always conscious of looking after my valuables but then I forget things like addresses. People keep wondering how I can find my way anywhere and back again let alone to foreign countries. So the way I travel I have more time than money!
But my day wasn’t a total was cuz when it got cooler I did walk about 3 miles down the beach to Melaque\s sister town Barra de Navidad! So having walked it now I plan to wake up earlier to try to run there and back tomorrow morning (if I can get up but maybe the cleaning guy will wake me up) .
So I’ll probably hang around town till Sat or Sun. Then not quite sure where I’m heading for next but it’ll be south.
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