It starts with the name La Majahua. Say it out loud. [La Ma-HA-wah]
It feels good, doesn’t it?
I actually went to La Majahua before I went to Troncones because I got dropped off at the highway by the combi from Zihua and I hitchhiked. Daniela from Lobo de Mar picked me up and she drove me all the way to the Troncones Point Hostel. And I eventually went to sleep.
And when I woke up, I walked to the nearest town, which of course was not Troncones, it was La Majahua. And right away, when you get into La Majahua, you feel like you’re in a different place, maybe a different time. It’s that sentido del pueblo, that feeling of a small Mexican village. You know, the people all up and down this coast are warm, and all over this country [people] really are warm.
La calidez del Mexicano no tiene igual en el mundo, no?
But there’s something really special about a small town like that. And after that first trip, I felt like I knew half of the people there. And I was just chatting my way through town and greeting everybody that I saw, and getting to know the dogs. Most of them were cool. There was only one dog I didn’t like. And after going there about two or three times, I felt like I really knew the majority of people. They at least knew my face. I probably knew their name. I probably knew something about them. And I wound up staying at José’s place, the three-story building, the skyscraper of La Majahua. Spending a couple nights there was great. I mean, it allowed me to feel like I was a little bit more a part of it.
And just a couple of little vignettes. You got Yela’s store. Wonderful family. Just so, so warm and welcoming. Good food. Incredible prices. And when I first went there, they had a batch of like four little puppies. I just kept going back to play with the puppies. Even if I wasn’t going to buy any food, I just stopped in. I chatted with them and I played with the puppies. And there was no sense of, “Hey, what are you doing here if you’re not spending money?” You know, it’s community. It’s connection as being a part of a little town, a little village. So, I love that kind of stuff. These are experiences that you can’t have in a lot of places in the world. I mean, you have to get to one of these small villages that’s a little bit off the beaten path. And in a country like this, where you have this incredibly warm and wonderful people.
[A change on camera: Let’s go this way. I can’t keep staring at the sun.]
I also love that their children would be around. And one of the little girls had a bird on her shoulder. A very loud, squawky bird. Just charming. You know, these things are charming. Every time I’m walking to Majahua or driving through Majahua, when I get to José’s restaurant, I stop, I get out of the car, I get off the bike and I say, José, José, like that. And usually, he’ll pop his head. He’ll be up on the third floor in the restaurant and he’ll pop his head out and we’ll chat. And sometimes he’ll say, “Come up”. He’ll give me some watermelon or whatever he has, and we'll just sit and chat and hang out. And of course, I'm a customer. I love eating there. The huachinango, the red snapper, is probably the best that I’ve ever had. And it’s definitely, so far, my favorite fish that I've had along this coastline. Sergio, his chef, he’s money.
So, a couple other little vignettes. I needed to wash clothes while I was there. And, you know, if you walk through La Majahua, you won’t see a laundromat. But I just started asking around and people were like, “I think there’s this lady that washes clothes. I don't remember which house it is, but just go ask”. Go ask. And so, I’m just walking down the street and like, “Does anybody know who washes clothes here?” And after asking a few people, eventually somebody said, “Go to that house over there, the one that has the mezcal sign and mezcal tastings”. And, yeah, sure enough, the lady said, “Well, I can’t do it today, but bring your clothes tomorrow and I’ll wash them”.
I mean, just these little experiences that you're not going to have in a big city or even in a small town. You got to go to the village. And then you have some of my favorite toes-in-the-sand restaurants along this coast, where you’re sitting right there by the water a little plastic table [with] a Corona or a Victoria on the table, some excellent ceviche or maybe a mojito, and it’s right in front of such a beautiful beach.
[I think I know Robbie’s José as Jesús.]