San Sebastian townsite. Worth the visit.

Nine visits to Puerto Vallarta in 15 years and I’d never ventured beyond a few blocks from the beach.

On my recent trip this summer, I joined a day long tour inland to the colonial village of San Sebastian, a 90 minute drive from the coast in the Sierra Madre mountains.

Glad I did.

Yup, it was touristy. The tour bus stopped several times at places aimed at separating us from our money.

• A roadside tequila manufacturer. Nothing better than getting a tequila buzz on at 0945. Didn’t buy. Only because I’d already exceeded my duty free booze purchase limit earlier in the week.
• A roadside coffee roaster. The coffee was superb. Bought some for a coworker.
• Stop at a hacienda once occupied by movie director John Huston of Night of the Iguana fame. Nothing here to buy. Lots of history though. Huston kept another home on the coast called Las Calestas. I understand why Huston loved Mexico so much.
• Several hours in San Sebastian. Lunch included. Stuff to buy. Nothing I wanted.

Still, this turned out to be a memorable day for good reasons:

• Seeing the Mexican countryside and people going about their daily business.
• Learning more about the history of this amazing country.
• Witnessing entrepreneurial spirit in a remote part of a country with its share of economic and crime problems and related poverty.

I’m about to embark on a short trip to Los Cabos. Excited about seeing a part of Mexico I’ve never visited. The more I see of this country, the more I want to see.

Townsite.

The church in San Sebastian. Amazing interior.

Hacienda once occupied by director John Huston.

On the road to San Sebastian.

The tequila producer.

Central square in San Sebastian.

Huston’s hacienda. Now a hotel.

An amazing river valley on the way to San Sebastian.