Sayulita - "Not For Everybody"??

For many years the standard for information for the visitor and local alike in Sayulita has been Sayulita Life. All things Sayulita can be found there from lodging, retail, forums, maps, classifieds etc. Now there is a new player in town and this site has been gaining steam attracting the talents of a few local writers, photographers, business folks, web designer etc. Sayulitabeach.com is the new site and their tag line is that Sayulita is "Not For Everybody" and I feel that they are right.  Sayulita is certainly not exclusive as it absolutely welcomes all people but it does NOT cater to all people. No one is going to hold your hand here, brush the dust off your car or scrape the dog crap off your flip flops.  The new site has much of the same information as Sayulita Life but the new site has a little more color, fun graphics and photos, a little more edge and lot more swagger. They are both great sites so check them both out.

See also a related post from our "Month in Sayulita" blog.  Is Sayulita "All That Great"?

El Iticate

El Iticate is hands down, the BEST taco restaurant in Sayulita.  The only way I can describe it is "a party in the mouth".  The restaurant is closed in the summer so we are usually chomping at the bit for the reopening each fall. If you can call it that, it feels like the middle of summer right now.  The owners, Jorge and Tania, are great.  Tania is also a teacher at the kids school, Escuela Del Mundo.

The location is a great spot on one of the main roads, Jose Mariscal, with the tables in the street so you can watch all the action as it goes by.  Carlos, Alex's skateboard and sometimes surf instructor, is the waiter so it is fun to see him and his always smiling face.

The best taco place in Sayulita

Finally!!! Open for business!  Everyone is stoked!

Trace chatting it up with Jorge, the owner and awesome taco maker, no doubt in spanish

The wonderful toppings for your taco

Arrachera con rajas, an Ozzy favorite

Breaded arrachera, atun(tuna) and arrachera tacos,  my dinner.  Obviously I was starving!  The breaded arrachera and atun are new on the menu this year.  Definately my two new favorites.

Not sure what to say about this, except Trace looks like he was smoking a little while we were eating 

Kids favorite ice cream place, Wakika

After El Iticate we usually treat the kids to ice cream at Wakika and then go to the plaza for more people watching and socializing, and for the kids, running and playing.  There is always someone there that we or the kids know.

This pretty much rounds up a perfect night for us older folk with kids in Sayulita.

"Making Change"

When we lived in the States we basically did every money transaction with a credit card, debit card, online transfer or check.  I rarely carried cash at all and had no reason to because virtually every business was set up to accept payments in these ways.  Here, unless you are shopping at a major chain like Costco, Home Depot or large grocery store these payment methods are not usually accepted.  But, having "cash" is not the solution to all things.  If you have the "wrong cash" you probably won't be able to function very well either.  ATM machines love to spit out 500 peso bills(about $38 US) so that is what many people, especially visitors, have in their pockets to spend.  Most small business, though happy to have your business, hate to see these kind of bills come in to the store for payment unless it is within a few pesos of the actual charge.

 Taco stands, beach vendors, small grocery and retail stores etc will most likely not have change for large bills like $500 peso bills or even $200 peso bills.  Most of these operations are small time and just don't carry a large bank to make change. If they do, they might be cleaned out as far as making change goes for the day.  This inability to make change can effect a lot of things you do like eat, shop and buy groceries.  Certain places will be able to handle a larger peso bill and you might have to go elsewhere if they can't.  Yes, we have made spending decisions based only on whether or not the business would accept a 200 or 500 peso bill.  Usually businesses will make every effort to go down the street to another store or find another vendor who may have change for a larger bill.  I will always ask before I sit down or try to buy something just to be sure they'll take it.  So, if you are out about town I would suggest having a good supply of smaller bills and coins in your pocket rather than just a few large bills.  It will make everyone you buy from very happy to see you.

Yep

Things You Just Won't See in the USA - Crackin me up!

There are so many things about this country that crack me up, (especially coming from the USA with all their rules and government regulations), and things that people do here because many times that is the only way to get it done.  We have mentioned this in blog posts, about using what you have on hand to get the job done.

This is to warn drivers that there is a huge hole in the road. A tire stuck in the hole with a stick, white flag and red streamer.  At least someone cared enough to let others know.  The hole is still there and growing.

Sayulita Scenes

Another great shot by mi amigo, Seani Galloway.  Pre-2012 downtown remodel.  Our grocery store of choice in Sayulita.  No, they don't have everything so you have to know where to go to find things in all the stores in town or just make things work somehow.  Cold beer and liquor?  They have it covered.