Papaya Breeze in Chamela

We spent just under 16 hours in Chamela – our shortest stop yet. We anchored right before sunrise. The bay of Chamela is huge, and the waves crashing on that long beach make it feel really intimidating in the dark, but it was gentle and beautiful once we could clearly see the shoreline. A rooster crowed as we anchored, but the fish darting around under us still lit up the bioluminescence. They were so quick and could change directions almost faster than the eye can follow.

We immediately went to sleep, as the last few hours of tacking into the bay had been energy-intensive, and slept until noon. We popped the dinghy in the water to go explore. At the north end of the town there is a water inlet where you can bring the dinghy up to some docks. We walked around town, got a cup of coffee and some ice cream to ward off the intense heat. We were melting faster than the ice cream. The goal was to find an ATM, we forgot to get cash before leaving Banderas Bay, then get an afternoon meal, but no luck.

Walking through town was lovely, it’s a very quiet place with dusty roads and few people. We walked to the end of town, and most of all enjoyed the breeze wafting the scent of freshly-cut papaya and coconuts.