Our first full day on the island meant we needed a tour. We hired a taxi and asked him to show us all around. Remember, there are no paved roads and there are no roads without potholes… large ones. Let’s say it was more of a serpentine tour as our guide wound around the biggest holes, if no one else was on the road, and if there was, we went through them. It wasn’t too bad, if you held on tight and didn’t have to pee.

It seemed the east side of town wasn’t quite as busy and we soon learned why. This was the rich district with beautiful resorts, exclusive beach areas and very fancy restaurants. Oddly enough, the east side also bordered the mangroves, which meant stale water and mosquitos. Not sure why they chose that side for the mansions, must have been funded by the makers of bug spray. It appears most everyone favored the less expensive, but equally beautiful and yummy. We too chose to stay on the west side… it suited us.

On the very west end of the island is Coco beach. It sported a fair amount of sea grass and a few local bbq tents for food with drinks in a cooler. We understood why the signs pointed campers in that direction. Along this route, we found a very old motorhome set up as a cooking area for a restaurant with the owners living inside. We also found a large old 5th wheel trailer where a family resided. It made us look at each other and go … hmmmm - could we?

One of the favorite tour stops was Villa Casablanca. It was a very large building that appears to have long been abandoned by humans, but not by Iguanas. A large rockery surrounded the property and the Iguanas were in abundance. The sun was hot, the rocks were hot, they weren’t moving. You could almost walk right up to them and they may then saunter off just so you knew they were alive.

The tour concluded back at the beach and off we went to find a palapa, lounge chairs, and good food. That’s where we spent the rest of the day. Fun events were planned after dark.

Be sure to check out more pictures in the gallery.