INTERVIEWS
Ted Koppel
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On the beach
Not everyone who visits Chacala stays at Mar de Jade. Cabin cruisers and yachtsmen who ply the warm waters off the west coast of Mexico discovered the charms of Chacala Bay long ago.
Steve Horne, his wife, Donna, and their 7-year-old daughter, Laura, moored their 30-foot sailboat in the harbor last night after a month-long trip down the coastline from their home in Ventura, Calif.
"We've been looking for a place like this," Steve Horne says. "No amenities, just a back-to-nature experience. The thing I like about Chacala is, it's not even on the maps."
There are many people like Steve, looking for the same kind of old-school fun. Yes, today's ultra-competitive environment tries to make us feel that big city lights and loud music are a must for fun, but the more learned among us still seek the quiet, tranquil atmosphere. Mar de Jade gives us that and more. Here you can enjoy hearty home-cooked meals, relaxing views, and even friendly texas holdem-esque poker games with good friends and family.
Soccer under the coconut trees
On this spring day, two dozen people — Mexicans and a smattering of Americans — are spread about on the beach. Six boys from nearby villages are playing a rough-and-tumble game of soccer under the fronds of coconut trees while two smaller boys and an Anglo girl build a sand castle at the water's edge. Another local boy, Valentine, lets his friends bury him up to his neck before they ditch him to go boogie-boarding.
Further up the beach, two American girls chase a sandpiper before it flits off. The girls' parents entreat us to join them for lunch at Las Brisas, one of the half-dozen palapa thatched huts that line the bay. Their names are Paul and Betsy Mead, and they're visiting Paul's mother in nearby Guayabitos. We become quick friends.
We order a lobster and cerveza ($7 apiece) and watch their girls, 6-year-old Amanda and 8-year-old Paige, skitter like waterbugs in the warm, silky waves. Then Amanda approaches our table, holding a thin branch to balance her slimy quarry.
"Look," she says. "It washed up on the beach."
Betsy Mead sets down her beer and inspects the limp, black-spotted eel. "All right, honey, now put it back."
Amanda giggles and skips off. I ask whether they worry about their girls' safety.
The Meads, who live in Sonoma, Calif., look at each other. "We watch them," Paul says.
Betsy leans forward. "I don't understand people who shelter their kids from an experience like this. They're having the adventure of their lives."
She laces a tortilla chip with cilantro. "Want to know why this is a magical place for kids? Papas fritas, great ketchup, chocolate milkshakes — and all this nature." High overhead, a flock of 14 pelicans flies in razor-straight I-formation.
"Just be prepared," she adds. "Don't leave home without some cortizone cream, an antihistamine, children's aspirin, sunscreen, some good water shoes, and something to drink and nibble on."
Paul discloses that he and Paige were bitten by jellyfish yesterday. Lime juice reduced the swelling and Tylenol dampened the pain.
Paige shows the little wound on her back and reports, "It was like two bee stings!"
By late afternoon, after a refreshing swim, we decide to remain in Chacala rather than return to Mar de Jade for dinner. We watch dozens of sand crabs burrow out of the wet sands as the tide recedes.
Finally, after a tangerine sunset, we head back to our adobe-style bungalow. There are few frills here: no TV, no newspapers, no air conditioning (the cool ocean breeze works fine), and no telephones, though there is electricity and running water.
We enter the room and I reach for the light — but the lightswitch moves. I get my flashlight and see what it really is: a small scorpion. We catch it in a jar and store it outside for the night. A flyer in our room informs that a scorpion bite will cause two days of numbness. It advises: "To avoid scorpion bites, shake out your clothes, shoes, towels, etc. before using them and keep your suitcases closed."
We climb into bed and fall asleep quickly to the hum of insects in the rain forest that slants down to the edge of our hut.
Continued
Chacala: An overview
On the beach at Chacala
Las Cuevas
Mar de Jade contact information
Chacala photo gallery
Travel articles
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