Nature

"Let's listen to the silence"; that sentence I have not forgotten. I have always had it present. I heard it during one of those simple events - spontaneous, unexpected - a product of the impressive natural surroundings.

Motivated by the natural beauty surrounding Sayulita, among vistors and new residents, there seem to be many who want to see a conscious development of the town based on a knowledeable awareness of the local environment and the proactive conservation of natural resources.

With its red bark that peels off in papery shreds, the Papelillo (PapeLEEYO), or Paperbark tree, is one of the more distinctive trees in the jungle around Sayulita.

On a walk almost anywhere in the local jungle around Sayulita, one cannot help but remark on the numerous tall palm trees that occur singly or in small groves, their long fronds waving gracefully in even the slightest breeze. One of the most prominent native trees in our jungle, these palms which occur naturally throughout Central American tropical and subtropical forests, have in the past been a valuable source of oil for Mesoamerican cultures both precolombian and modern

If you were to stroll out of town some evening, just at dusk, to enjoy a walk on the road to Carricitos for example, in the orchards and open lands just before you enter the jungle, you might hear the sharp call of a nocturnal bird called a Pauraque, a common member of the Nightjar (Caprimulgidae) family.

While many assume that life in Sayulita is always tranquilo, many families still maintain their rancho in the outskirts of town, their "escape" from the busy-ness of town life. Living in the centro can get exhausting with the blaring sound systems selling the variety of goods for everyday life, the parade of tourists cruising through town, and the hubbub of friends and fellow townspeople doing their daily rounds.