to read - Jaltemba Bay Life

After lunch we decided to follow the downward,spiraling road to the lake. We arrived at thelakeshore area, which had numerous palapatyperestaurants. They were all empty. Welearned that the weekend crowd from Tepic orGuadalajara was the sole source of business.Part of the area surrounding the lake appeared tobe farmland; I could see large agave fields. Wasthis Shangri-La? The area was beautiful, but itwas like many lakeside retreats—away fromtown. How comfortable is life in semi-isolation?For some people, it’s Heaven; for others, Hell.We explored the lake, and then retraced oursteps back to Santa Maria Del Oro. We saw asmoky pallor rising by the roadway as we lefttown. Driving nearer, we saw that it was from thetown’s smoldering trash—including thousands ofplastic bags—all of which was littered across afield that was being scavenged by childrenwithout shoes.So much for Shangri-La.Rafael (left), Me and My Dad, Santa Maria DelOroIn the end, Rafael found his paradise in thesmall village of San Pedro De Lagunillas,Nayarit, Mexico. His motto is “Simplicity.”