A Rapturous May 21, 2011

The town of Choyudo has a reputation of not wanting gringos. About four years ago a Kino snowbird was going to move his trailer there but the locals threw a fit. We don't want no stinkin' gringos and so the deal fell through. Is it that the townfolks didn't want their little pueblo to become another ex-pat community or resort town? Or does something more sinister go on there? We did have to pass through two checkpoints - one federales and one local police - on the road from Hermosillo to Guaymas so it makes you wonder.

Tastiota and Choyudo are two towns on the coast south of Calle Doce and north of San Carlos, about a two-hour drive from here if you don't get lost on back roads or get stopped at a gate to a shrimp farm and have to backtrack.

Off the main road we drove through a rapidly expanding shrimp farm to reach the town. I'd been there four years ago and don't remember passing all those shrimp canals. The coastal desert along the Sea of Cortez is being scored by canals, arid land replaced by water. What is worse for the environment? Farming for shrimp or trawling for shrimp? It's probably a wash.

Tastiota consists of about 12 houses and sits at the entrance to a shrimp farm. It is not on the beach but on a lovely inland waterway. There is no taco stand, no little grocery store, no church. Just those dozen or so houses.

Back through the canals we made our way to Choyudo. As soon as we reached the town I thought I could see living here. Which is probably what a lot of gringos think when they encounter that little town which is probably the reason for the no-gringo policy. It is lovely. Houses built on hillsides, bougainvillea everywhere. It has a Mediterranean feel.

 We came across this amazing jelly fish. Never seen nothing like that on a Kino beach.

 The only restaurant: Palapa Los Delfines.

The clam and scallop station.

 Some nice touches: the pico de gallo in the glass, the corn tortilla warmed on the grill (so unlike the soggy corn tortillas they use for the tacos here), the fish nice and crispy, and mustard on the tortilla rather than mayo which was a tasty change.

 Their son and nephews look to be responsible for some of the seafood.

 They'd just caught this little deflated puffer fish.

 One straw, two mouths, one good breath and voila! puffed up!

After lunch we sat on the beach and finished the last of our beers. I kept checking the time. I didn't want to miss The Rapture. I figured the massive earthquake and subsequent armageddon would strike elsewhere and I'd have to read about it on the internets. Or maybe it was happening right here and I'd been transported to Choyudo heaven.

I was trying to come up with a Mexican equivalent of "Don't Californicate Oregon." How about something like "No ChingadeCancun Choyudo."