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Wednesday, May 23, 2012

TPThursday: Reality Travel–in Mexico

Our favorite trips are those to places that are off the tourist map; places like Mascota, Mexico.   They are places that fascinate just by their very being. Join us on a walk through this town up in the Sierra Madre Occidentals, the mountains that are a backdrop to Puerto Vallarta.

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Mascota, is a municipal seat and has regular bus service from Puerto Vallarta and Guadalajara. Many of them are old but colorful.  The road from Puerto Vallarta is a paved, two-lane highway.

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It’s a town in the heart of agricultural lands, where cowboys ride their horses into town for real. I decided it felt way too touristy to photograph them as they approached so I took the coward's way and waited until they passed.

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It was as normal here to see a load of hay stacked high in the back of a pick-up truck, as it was to see the truck’s bed loaded with children and adult family members coming into town from the ranch.

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It’s the kind of place that tourists would likely criticize for having ‘nothing to see’ but travelers wouldn’t be able to resist its charms.

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These photos are reminders that every town we visit has a story.  I’ll show you some of the treasures we found here next week.


For now w it is Travel Photo Thursday so drop by Nancie’s Budget Travelers Sandbox for photos of other interesting places in this big old world of our.

13 comments:

  1. Cool! I like those Mexican cowboys and the old trucks. Sounds like an interesting town to explore!

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  2. I also often take the coward's way. I find it rude to point a camera into someone's face without asking for their permission, and will only do it with a small point and shoot if I'm sure they don't notice me taking the shot.

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  3. Mascota looks right up my alley. Touristy places are fun, but it's also nice to see the REAL parts of the country :-) Great photos :-)

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  4. I love these off the beaten path places where one can really observe how the locals live and it's not overrun by tourists. Looking forward to seeing more pictures.

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  5. Love the cowboy culture. I love off the beaten path places too and I've never heard of Mascota, which makes it even more appealing.

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  6. I thought Mascota might appeal to my TPThursday blogosphere friends. It is the kind of place you can wander freely, be welcomed warmly, buy locally made honey and roasted peanuts for souvenirs (no tee-shirts or postcards - yet!) Thanks for stopping by today I'll show you more next week.

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  7. I did a bike trip starting in Puerto Vallarta and hit all sorts of little towns over the course of 10 days. It never ceased to amaze me how many people they could pack into the pickup trucks - and the ones I saw were off to work in the fields. It looked like a tough way to make a living. I did find the Mexican people to be very courteous drivers and always friendly.

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  8. Nifty! Never heard of this place before.

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  9. I like out of the way places too! It would be cool to see coyboys riding down the street. Had a good chuckle at your comment about being to touristy, I do the same type of thing :)

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  10. I like little towns like this that are off the beaten path. Sure, they might not have huge appeal to tourists but there's always a lot of life there. Glad you made it there, Jackie, so we could see it through your eyes.

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  11. Very cool! I like that picture with the two guys on their horses on the street. Kind of what people imagine to see in Texas :)

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  12. You are right! Every town does have a story!

    If you have time this week, please link up with Friday Daydreamin' - this is the perfect post!
    Thanks!

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  13. I take the "coward's way" sometimes, too. What a great shot of the cowboys on the horses. Actually, looks to me like there's plenty of see in Mascota.

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