Nature

The following was written 9 years ago for a one-time publication and some may ask what differences are there between a dog's life in Sayulita now and back then?

Visitors to Sayulita will soon notice that dogs play a rather prominent and pro-active role in the life of the town. Indeed, they do have a life of their own, conspicuously woven into the fabric of Sayulita. The town is truly a community of dogs and people, and friend or foe, you can no more avoid dogs than you can people.

One morning in late April about 40 years ago, when Pepe was barely a toddler, his mother Consuelo was inside the house preparing something to eat when she heard a commotion from the front patio, like the voices of children laughing and chattering. Having left the little boy to play alone when she had gone inside, she wondered who had come to play with him. When Consuelo came out of the house to see what was happening, she saw her son disappearing around the corner of the neighbor's house, one arm held high as if taking someone's hand. By the time his mother reached the corner of the house, Pepe was nowhere in sight, nor did she see any of the other children she had heard. Consuelo looked everywhere in the colonia for her son, asked all her neighbors but no one had seen him.

A totally natural and expected part of sitting in my living room, is to watch the geckos run around the top of the wall, darting after small insects, creating sheer entertainment for my two young boys. I have come to enjoy having them in my home, almost part of the multitude of household pets that we seem to have these days.

An astounding phenomenon that occurs here along the Mexican Pacific coast is the nesting of the Olive Ridley Sea Turtle. Of the several turtle species to be found in the waters off of Sayulita, the Olive Ridley is the most common although its numbers are endangered due to nest predation, habitat destruction and fishing nets. As one of the world's oldest creatures, its preservation is essential. Locally, we have both Frank of San Pancho (http://www.project-tortuga.org) and Erik of Sayulita to thank for their tireless efforts to protect nests and hatch babies for later release.

For the last few weeks, there has been a little roadside stand set up in San Ignacio, the town right before Sayulita. The vendor has precariously set up a beautiful display of bright orange fruit that is unlike any common fruit that I see on a day to day basis in the fruit stands or fruit trucks around town. It is known as the "mamey" fruit and you have to try for yourself to see if the flavor appeals.

If you are new to this part of Mexico, and happen to be taking a walk in the jungle of Sayulita, you might see animals a little bigger than raccoons crossing from one side of your pathway to the other. They have long tails held erect, leading many first-time visitors to think they are monkeys. Since there are no monkeys in western Mexico, it can only be the "tejon."

After a vacation away, I always know I am home as I head into the final stretch of the highway past Bucerias, heading towards Sayulita. The roadside pandemonium ends, and the jungle greets me. Towering above, sometimes creating a tunnel-like feel, are the giant Parota trees.