December 17 – 20, 2024

I knew Lo de Marcos was a sleepy and chill, fairly authentic Mexican village, but entering San Francisco (commonly called San Pancho) brought all that into sharp focus. Wow. Just wow. Back to tourist reality.

Come and Enjoy

San Pancho is sweet. Sweet as in lots and lots of trendy restaurants with outdoor seating lining the streets, blaring out music or featuring a singer/songwriter perched on a barstool, guitar in hand. Sweet as in they even have professional signs pointing us to the nearest spa or Italian restaurant.

Sweet as in twinkly white lights strewn above the street. Sweet as in hundreds of colorful flags waving in unison in the breeze high above the main tourist route, strategically woven back and forth, back and forth.

Sweet as in upscale clothing shops, with their corresponding upscale wares. Wares such as a cute gauzy shirt that is marked at $160 or a lightweight jumper marked at $240 (that’s in US dollars).

Sweet as in a patio with dozens of massage tables, mostly full of sunburned patrons getting an impromptu massage. Sweet as most everything in town seems to be tailor-made to impress the tourists and ensure their pleasure.

That being said, the town is quite appealing, as long as you know what you’re in for. It’s lively and there’s lots of restaurants and fun shops to choose from. I’d heard it’s a real foodie place, and it seems to be.

There’s lots of vegan options throughout town, as well as unusual and gourmet options. There’s always music in the air, even at 3 am, along with yoga studios and luxury boutique hotels.

The People

Yes, there’s a definite shift in the demographic here in San Pancho. Gone are the days of Lo de Marcos, seeing mostly locals, along with the occasional 60+ couple, walking the uncongested streets.

During the day, here in San Pancho, the streets are crowded with tourists of all ages. There’s lots of young families, Mexican, American, Canadian, and more. But, from the looks of things, the streets are full of 90% out of towners.

White Hippie Dude

And wherever we are in town, we always see an old, white, hippie dude. He’s in his 40’s or 50’s, deeply tanned, shirtless, and often shoeless. His shorts are well-worn, maybe even a bit tattered. He has longish hair, sometimes in a man-bun. He looks like he belongs here, lives here, and he probably does. He usually has a well behaved dog trotting alongside him, unleashed. The dog also has that same comfortable, confident, “yeah dude, I live here” look.

The old white hippie dude may very well be a surfer, or a retired surfer. The surfers certainly add their own cultural impact to the town, adding significantly to the chill vibe and casual tone.

The Night Scene

But at night, the beautiful people, mostly young and hip, come out. Night people are dressed to be seen, while still maintaining that casual-chic beach vibe. People on a mission to get to their destination – a bar, a restaurant, or the shops.

Tuesday Market

We arrived on an early Tuesday afternoon. It was perfect timing to visit the weekly Tuesday market, full of quality local handicrafts, with prices to match, as well as some local food vendors.

We immediately knew (again) that we weren’t in little Lo de Marcos when we spotted an all gluten free treats seller and lots of vegan goods. But what really put it over the top was the specialty, beautifully decorated, and expensive natural dog & cat treats with their very own booth. That really screamed, “Discretionary income required…spend your money here!”

Intro to the Beach

After the handicrafts market, we lazed at the beach for a couple of hours.

The beach seemed to be an identical blueprint of the beach just 8 miles north in Lo de Marcos, except add in a few hundred loungers with umbrellas (available for rent), lots of signs and fanfare, and open-air beach restaurants full of patrons having a beer, and some nachos. It’s a beautiful beach, litter-free, a couple of miles long, with nice waves.

Those Waves

And just like in Lo de Marcos, the waves were huge, probably 4-6 feet, and just beautiful. Most of the people we watched entering the surf scared us. It’s evident they had no idea how to safely enter large waves. We aren’t experts by any means, but we do know that once in the ocean there’s a good area to hang out in, as well as a bad area to hang out in.

The good area is the location where you can easily meet the wave as it’s almost at its crest, and dive under it. This allows you to somewhat control the situation. Diving through the wave, so to speak, and coming up just as it has passed by. Or, alternatively, if you are a smidge further out, you can just bob over it.

Then there’s the bad area. The area that Steve overheard a man call the kill zone, as in, “Let’s get out of this kill zone”. That’s the area where you are almost certain to get pummeled by the wave, the place where the wave is coming down on top of you, and you are going to be having some salt water going up your nose, if not worse. Some people make it to the kill zone, and decide that’s a good location to stay for a while. This is always a mistake.

The Australian Expert

We spent a lot of time cringing and wincing as we sat on the beach and watched sea-farer after sea-farer enter those high waves with not a clue as what they were doing. It’s not only scary, but dangerous.

So imagine our surprise and delight when one man, along with his daughter of maybe 10 years old, boldly entered the surf. We could immediately tell that this was different. There was no hesitation, only the confident and continual entrance into the sea. He, and his protege, elegantly dove under each wave as they made their way out to the optimal location – not too far – not too close, definitely not in the kill zone.

This guy had the moves. He knew how to read the waves. He’d bodysurf the tube of the wave. He’d do a flip-move to stop himself. It was like watching the Olympics of riding the waves. He was amazing. We saw him coaching his daughter, who was unafraid, and a quick study too.

I couldn’t help but compliment him as he walked by us, heading in for the day. He had decades of learning to read the waves, growing up in Australia, then moving to Hawaii for 15 years.

He’s a surfer that has surfed all over the world. He described that one must be like a cat when out in the waves, i.e. a cat always knows which direction is up and down, and lands on its feet. He had such respect for the ocean and was also surprised by novices heading into the large and powerful waves. He explained that riding the waves is like a dance, and mother nature is leading.

And yes, for those wondering, Steve went out in those waves too, but he knows how to dive under and bob over, as well as how to time the re-entry to the beach. Even so, I kept a close eye out and worried, just a little. I, myself, stayed safe in my Tommy Bahama beach chair, shaded by the umbrella.

The ER Visit

Yasminas

Our last night in San Pancho we decided to go to a fantastic, and beautiful, plant-based restaurant, Yasminas. After a delicious meal, Steve suddenly passed out cold. You never know how you will react in an emergency situation, but I, apparently, scream. Loudly.

It was really frightening. When Steve regained consciousness it was quite the scene, with probably 8 Spanish-only speaking waitresses and cooks surrounding him. Everyone was trying to help, but the language barrier was making things chaotic.

The Daybed

The restaurant happened to have a lovely daybed full of pillows in the foyer. One of the sturdier built waitresses and I helped Steve over to it so he could rest and recover. He still wasn’t himself.

We were on display as people entered and left the popular restaurant. Patrons exiting, who had heard my scream and witnessed the commotion, walked by and wished him good luck. I’m sure many thought he was drunk and just passed out! But he hadn’t had any alcohol all day.

At this point I assumed it was just some fluke that Steve had passed out, and that he would be rallying at any moment. I swear that’s what I thought, which is why I then took his picture for the blog. If I knew he wasn’t going to be feeling better, I wouldn’t have. But since I did, I might as well include it here.

So, when he kept feeling off, we decided to take a taxi to the private hospital, St. Luke’s, in the next town over (Sayulita).

St. Lukes Hospital, Sayulita

The receptionist explained that the doctor didn’t speak English very well, which was unfortunate, since that’s one of the top reasons we had chosen St. Luke’s. It was also unfortunate that their policy didn’t allow me to go back with Steve when the doctor examined him.

I was getting upset and explained that Steve was unconscious for 30-45 seconds, so how would he explain what had happened…since he was UNCONSCIOUS! But they held strong to their policy and I waited in the waiting room.

Compassionate Care

The receptionist/aid woman did speak English, and told me her shift was just ending, but she’d stay on until Steve’s exam was done, to act as interpreter if needed, which was very kind of her.

The doctor did a thorough exam and decided Steve was likely dehydrated. He talked to me at length (his English was good enough, after all). I was surprised by his extreme empathy and the time he took with me. And the total bill was a whopping $75 USD.

The doctor gave me an emergency card, just in case Steve relapsed in the night. Back at our apartment, a few electrolyte drinks later (now I always bring those when we’re traveling), and Steve was feeling much better. It was a long night.

Pros

Stupid questions with good answers:

Me, asking at a beachside restaurant: Can the quesadillas be made with corn tortillas?

Answer: “Yes, we can do that.” pause…. “That would be a taco.”

lol

Foodie Finds:

Found wonderful gluten free bread and treats at the Tuesday market that helped sustain us our entire stay in San Pancho.

Ate at an amazing restaurant, Su Pancha Madre, where everything is made with a Sope – Mexico’s answer to a english muffin made from corn (sort of). Had the Sope with Shrimp & Mole – was excellent!

Fruteria Emiliano:

For all the town’s touristy ambiance, there are small pockets of real-life with real locals tucked in here and there. One such place was Fruteria Emiliano where we purchased our guacamole supplies. It was just us and maybe 8 locals buying fruits & veggies for their families.

The produce was bountiful, beautiful, and fragrant (think fresh mangos). Only Spanish was in the air and not a tourist in sight. So nice.

Cons

Noise

Lots and lots of noise. Loud music from a far off bar at 3 am. Loud music blaring at 10 am from a neighboring home. Loud construction noise from our own Airbnb, where apparently they are working on another unit.

We are right in town, so that’s definitely part of the non-stop noise equation. It’s ok, it’s only 3 nights.

Umbrella Woes

Once again, we had free use of beach chairs and an umbrella courtesy of our Airbnb. On Day 2: Umbrella malfunctioned and broke. Day 3: New umbrella provided to us, but it went airborne in a gust of wind. Thankfully, Steve handled the situation without further incident.

San Pancho, Mexico