INTERVIEWS
Ted Koppel
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Las Cuevas
The next day, a Saturday, we split up. A few guests go horseback riding along a long stretch of white beach to the south, while others go boating through mangrove swamps to the beach town of Guayabitos, still others go snorkeling off the coral beaches of San Blas or Chacalilla, and Del Valle and a handful of students trek to visit a Huichol Indian shaman in the Sierra Madre.
Mary and I set off on foot for Las Cuevas (The Caves), an isolated inlet about 90 minutes' journey. We pass a boy with a machete at a coconut puesto, or stand, before we find the trail that disappears into the rain forest. The brush thickens and jungle birds whistle and twirrhl in the branches above. After a time we enter a meadow which is all that remains of an extinct volcanic crater.
We make a wrong turn and run into a herd of bulls, but they are grazing and don't bother with us.
We find Las Cuevas, a serene cove that is now at low tide, letting us swim in the startlingly clear turquoise waters and explore the dark caves that peer out from the rim of the inlet.
There is one other visitor here, one of the medical students who has the day off from her chores at Casa Clinica in the neighboring town of Las Varas. The free, nonprofit clinic, operated by the staff of Mar de Jade, provides medical care to the families of local fishermen or landless farmers who work in the fruit or tobacco fields. All the medical attention is supervised by a doctor.
Beth Riley, 33, a pediatric nurse practitioner in the emergency room of Children's Hospital in Denver, says of her volunteer work: "It's an eye-opening experience — a cultural education for both us and the locals. We learn about treating patients in a community setting, and they're just grateful we're here."
She rolls over on her blanket. "But today, I'm just working on my tan."
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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