I went to two small towns by bus over the weekend, Pittilal and Sayulita. The first one, Pittilal, is a charming Mexican town with its own version of 99 cent stores. This means you can buy anything from first-run bootleg DVDs like “I am Legend” (make sure you ask them to try the DVD for you first though because the first two DVDs tested didn’t work) to knock-off perfume bottles like Calvin Klein’s One or Ralph Lauren’s Romance. Better than Chinatown’s prices! Are the scents bearable? Since I am not trying to impress anyone here, it’ll do just fine for now.
Sayulita was recommended by a few gringos in Vallarta. It’s another small beach town off the Banderas Bay, but much further north from Vallarta. You take a local bus to Walmart and then catch another bus that makes the one hour and 10 minute trip every twenty minutes. It’s like going to Jones’ Beach from New York City. Sayulita was picturesque although it didn’t particularly catch my fancy. The town is quite small and all roads lead to the beach. The ocean water seemed a bit cleaner than Viejo Vallarta’s beaches. At least I could see my feet. And the waves were gentler. The shore was quite pebbly and I had to keep my chanklas on in the water but once I was able to float on my back and see the nebulous clouds I was in seventh heaven!
My favorite part of Sayulita was having lunch at a small burrito stand called Burrito Revolution. I shared a Mongo Vegetariano Burrito with my pal Luis before we went to the beach. The owner was playing some jazzy techno ambient music and his burrito maker was serving up the burritos, caliente!
Luis and I talked about the whole “burrito” phenomenon and how it’s actually an American invention—or Tex-Mex hybrid. Burritos, while popular in Texas, California, and New York, are sometimes hard to find within Mexico. If you tell a cook you want a burrito, they might think you meant a small donkey. My aunts still make fun of me when I say “Burree-to!” Burritos are gaining in popularity in areas populated by gringos, though, because I see them made all over this area. The vegetarian burrito I had was very tasty. It had grilled green peppers, roasted onions, Mexican cheese, frijoles, avocado, lettuce, and tomato, topped with orangish Chipotle sauce. Mmmmmmm. I was loving Burrito Revolution!
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Hey that burrito sounds awesome! Sounds like you are having a great time. Keep showing us Mexico, its wonderful!