On Day 3, we packed up and headed further south to Barra del Tordo.
Unfortunately we ran into problems. We originally planned to stay in a resort called Villas del Tordo but… hmmm…
There was no one home!
What I mean by that is the place was empty except for the groundskeepers and their families. We opted not to stay as we had run short of provisions and the restaurant was closed but more importantly the road to and from the place was very poor for driving in our big van so going back & forth to the store was not an option.
We then checked out another resort in the area, El Paraiso, but it was closed. Literally. Originally a fancy golf resort that now looked like a ghost town. The economy and police action against drug trafficking has not been kind to the state of Tamaulipas. Not only were these resorts closed but several developments in Las Pesca had been stopped & abandoned mid-construction. We later learned that the military and police had taken over several resorts during the police action and, despite the ending of such action, the economy continues to struggle as tourists are regularly warned to stay away further hurting this area and the people living here.
On a happy note, we found a camping spot right on the beach on the Gulf.
Our host, Clauderio, was fabulous. He offered us the spot & dinner and only asked for un propina (a tip) in exchange. He made us a fabulous dinner of fresh snook filet, papas (potatoes), arroz (rice) and chips/salsa. Muy bien!
Interestingly though we weren’t sure he actually owned or managed the place and may have been a squatter. We had obviously arrived at this beautiful spot in the off-season as there were numerous beach shops and palapas that were closed for the season and the whole place was empty except for a few individuals that lived year round there.
But squatter or not, our host was fantastic! Not only did he make us a great dinner and provide us with a beautiful camping spot, but he also called a friend (actually his ex-brother-in-law) to assist with English as he spoke some but wasn’t fluent. Honestly his “little bit” of English was way better than my “little bit of Spanish”… by a long shot! He told us that he had family in Chicago and Houston and had lived in the States himself for several years.
We ended up boondocking that night which is a fancy term for dry camping or doing with out water, electric & sewer. This is not a problem for our Roadtrek as we had fully charged batteries and a beautiful ocean breeze to keep us cool. At first we were hesitant as the area was all but abandoned and our fancy camper stuck out like a sore thumb but eventually we relaxed, opened up the back doors to let the breeze flow through the camper and retired for the night.
After a stressful and disappointing day, Clauderio and his oceanfront/beach camp site was a site for sore eyes. My only regret… I got so caught up in the experience, I forgot to take a picture with him.