When I was talking with Doug the other day he mentioned that Penny had purchased some indoor-outdoor carpet for the larger palapa in their back yard. (For any of you not familiar with them, a palapa is an open-sided beach hut with a thatched roof.) This got me to thinking that Pat and I once saw a palapa in Yelapa. I’ll try to clear this up for you. Yelapa is a settlement in Mexico that is located on a beach that is a couple hours boat ride south of Puerto Vallarta. You take an excursion boat that has nice bench seats and a canopy to protect you from the sun. It’s a beautiful boat ride on a blue ocean with varying shades of green in the jungle on shore. Your boat pulls up to a dock and as you get off you can see dozens of palapas scattered along the beach. Many of the palapas contained people selling trinkets and tourist stuff. However, the specialty of the place was pie! They offered coconut, chocolate and lemon meringue that was “to die for”. Another special activity was para-sailing. As you were lifted above the height of the tallest trees in the jungle you could see a beautiful waterfall. So, along with all the sights, thrills, and pies you also got to enjoy the sight of a palapa in Yelapa.

Dave Thomas
June 20, 2011