Before we came to Mexico I assumed that the entire country was either desert or coastal. Discovering Mexico�s diverse terrain�mountains, jungles, pines, plains and more�has been an absolute delight, and one of the things I love best about living at Lake Chapala is that this area is like the hub of a wagon wheel with many other fascinating and beautiful destinations just a few hours away: Colima, Guanajuato, Puerto Vallarta and Michoac�n, to name a few.

Just recently my mom and dad suggested we go to the state of Colima, a few hours away, and check out a place they found on Google Earth with a waterfall. There are rivers and springs all over the place spilling beautiful waterfalls off the rocks.

We all piled in the car: my husband, Joel, and our three kids and Ruby the Great Road-Trip Dog. If you�ve traveled in close quarters before, you�ll know this was an adventure in itself. Let me just say that after an hour on the road, the kids weren�t the only ones saying, "Are we there yet?"!

We finally found the road up the mountain that took us an hour away from the beach and as the car began to climb, the temperature steadily dropped until it was 10 degrees lower than the sweltering coast�whew! The road was a two-lane black snake cutting through the green of the trees. If you go, you'll feel like you've gone back millions of years in time. Around every turn you expect to see a dinosaur right out of "Jurassic Park." Getting there is half the fun--driving through jungles and tropical rain forests, on a winding mountain road where you cross the river several times. You'll pass several little Mexican pueblos, or villages (with speed bumps), so don't be surprised if you see people riding burros, and keep your eyes peeled for cattle, dogs, goats or pigs in the road. It was spectacular scenery and by now we were excited to be there.

Let me save my readers some time by telling you right now that I will not spill the beans about where this is located because I am doing my part for this pristine gem in the jungle-y, green mountains with a cool breeze and a camping spot with fresh-water swimming pools. For the sake of future generations who will stumble on this beautiful place by accident and be in as awe of it as we were, though, I will call it Jurassic Park.

As you turn right down a cobblestone drive, you'll see huge Parrota trees, adorned with strangler vines you can swing from (if you're the Tarzan type). There is a 10-peso charge per person (one USD or Canadian dollar) that goes to benefit the poor through DIF, which is a government-sponsored, social assistance program for Mexican families. This included the use of the park and pools for the whole day and camping. This place definitely appeals to my frugality!

Our Jurassic Park looks like a well-kept jungle with many different types of trees and flowering shrubs. The most prolific are the coffee trees (beans change from green to red-brown to black). Colima coffee has won awards world wide for their rich coffee beans. Behind one of the small stands selling Chiclets is a living "gum" tree. If you ask to see it, you'll get a sample of raw Chiclet gum. (Not very tasty, but interesting.) Another tree of interest is the "gringo tree." This tree has red, peeling bark, just like--you guessed it--a sunburned tourist!

Page 1 of 3 :: First | Last :: Prev | 1 2 3 | Next