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Sporting a long nose and quick bright eyes, he kept touching one of my sandals with his sharp-clawed paw, as if begging for food. I finally tossed him a morsel of meat, which he gobbled with delight. The waiter described the animal as a "tacon" - racoon in English. I learned later it was a coati, the Latin American cousin of the northern racoon. Farther up Mismaloya valley I came to El Eden, a resort and restaurant thrust into the limelight when "Predator" was filmed in the nearby rainforest. One of the movie props, a destroyed helicopter, now rests outside El Eden as a tourist attraction. For the adventurous who are in good physical shape, a long hike or horseback ride to a waterfall at the back of Mismaloya valley begins at a trailhead near El Eden. A professional guide is required since it is easy to get lost in the dense rainforest. The round-trip hike takes 8 hours (not counting stops) and you will see hawks, parrots and other wildlife as well as brightly-colored bromeliads. The tropical jungle gives way to pine trees at a higher elevation. The waterfall consist of seven cascades with a drop of nearly 6,000 feet and from the top there is an exquisite view of Mismaloya bay and the encompassing Bay of Banderas. Swimming is available in the river or waterfall pools. The more sedentary can visit Yelapa to see what Mismaloya beach looked like decades ago. Located several miles south, Yelapa is a relatively undeveloped artist's village that can only be reached by boat from Puerto Vallarta or Boca de Tomatlan. The boats leave each morning with afternoon returns. Yelapa has no telephones and no electricity outside of one small hotel and restaurant, which are powered by a generator. The bay is much more pristine than Mismaloya, but has the same dramatic look of jungle cliffs reaching to the sea. A 115-foot waterfall is a short hike inland where a hillside cafe overlooks the waterfall pool. Mismaloya is
located about 10 miles south of the Puerto Vallarta, the much larger and
more popular tourist town. The drive along the picturesque coast highway
takes less than half an hour.
Carry the bottle of raicilla and follow a foot-path into the rainforest near El Eden in Mismaloya valley. Two or three drinks later you will be ready to view the jungle from a whole new perspective. If you can still focus your eyes, you might even be able to see the alien creature who chased Arnold Swartzenegger in "Predator," a film shot in this very location. Of course it was fiction, but under the influence of raicilla, reality will seem like fiction and vice-versa. Be sure to take a designated hiker along in case you pass out in the jungle. It's full of carnivorous critters and if you're alone, they might mistake your prone body for their next meal. Manage to stay conscious and you could see parakeets, snakes, iguanas, scorpions, wild orchids, etc. Don't reply if any of these animals or plants speak to you. It's only the raicilla talking. The raicilla hangover has three stages. First you're afraid you might die. Later you're afraid you won't die. Then comes a period of mourning for deceased brain cells. Mismaloya bay is good for a refreshing swim to clear your head. The water is so salty its buoyancy will keep you afloat without moving an arm or leg. This is called the dead man's float, which is what you might be doing if you drank too much raicilla.. To contact
Bill Click Here.
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