June of the Jungle

Feb 23

I’m back in No. America, having met June in Puerto Vallarta where we enjoyed some great ‘catch up’ time in the jungle, and am currently at the Paradise Village Resort in Neuvo Vallarta awaiting the arrival of ALLURE!

JUNE OF THE JUNGLE

If you come here don’t arrive at night, as we did: dodging road construction (aka ‘missing chunks of roadway that take you by utter surprise’) in the quaint town of San Pancho, shining flashlights on non-existent street signs, winding through the shadowy landscape, groaning up dirt roads cut in the jungle – with 10’high walls of clay and roots towering over you, skirting dark bottomless precipices echoing the crash of waves, through thick jungle, past prickles of light in the distance, wondering, always wondering, whether we had failed to see the landmark in the dark, whether we’d missed the sharp left, whether we would ever arrive.

‘Well, we didn’t want to stay in a skyscraper in the city …’ I began and June cut me off: ‘There’s no WE in this! YOU wanted to stay in a treehouse in the jungle!’ and we burst into laughter.

So we arrived, at last, at Tailwind Jungle Lodge, parked the car, read the welcoming note taped to the large wooden doors, and faced the stairs. Many stairs. A multitude of stairs. A cascade of stairs carved in the floor of the tropical forest: rocky, dirt and gravel stairs, leading ever-downward, dodging gigantic palms fronds that flapped in the breeze, and along a path to our home for the next three days.

‘I thought I rented a place with walls,’ I mused, but here it was: a 30’ X 30’ platform jutting into a bottomless ravine amongst the trees; a neat canvas tent with two comfortable beds draped with mosquito netting; leather and rattan table and chairs; a few wooden chests; and a refrigerator strapped shut against skillful foraging animals.

It was an uneventful night and we slept soundly, fueled by a bit of wine and a late night of chatting and laughter. No furry creatures came to visit us in the night (that we know of) and the mosquitoes were kept at bay. Rarely have I been so eager to crawl out of bed in the morning and start writing, but as soon as the dappled light found its way to my bed I was up.

There is an unparalleled beauty in being immersed in nature, as opposed to a mere spectator, and I found the environment both peaceful and inspiring: surrounded by so much greenery; the rustling of the leaves that crescendo and decrescendo with the ocean breeze, and muffle the roar of the waves below; the clatter in the undergrowth of tajones, squirrels, birds and lizards, unseen beneath the dense foliage.

We were enjoying breakfast on our deck amidst this spectacular panorama, when Judy came to get us. It seems the relentless stairs were mere preparation for the hike Judy had in store for us that morning. Our three hour trek took us up and down ridges, around the property, down to the Playa de los Muertes, back up a ridge over boulders thrashed with waves and foam, back down to the private beach, and up, up, up again to the top of the property, with Judy remarking at one landing that we had ‘just 99 more stairs to go’.

It was a great opportunity to stretch my legs after so many days at sea, but more so to see Tailwind and get to know more about the truly lovely family that preserved this parcel and created this natural wonderland get away. Our stay was capped with a casual potluck with Judy, Tiger and Tamara’s family, friends and other guests, a warm, intelligent, fun array of people of all ages and backgrounds, and we had a tremendous time. I will write more about this adventure in a story to be published soon – but for now I can say I heartily recommend a visit here.

Now for something completely different June has us staying at the resort, with A/C, hot showers, flush toilet, big comfy beds and no threat of fuzzy ring-tailed creatures scattering our belongings at night. We’re awaiting ALLURE”s arrival on the San Diego to PV Race – the beers are cold, the limes are cut, and tequila ready! We’ll be here in PV through Sunday and then head north to Cabo by sail. More soon, love to you all ~ Betsy