Zacualpan Swimming Holes

About a month ago, while in the state of Colima, we ventured off the beaten track to the small town of Zacualpan.  We were hoping to ride our bikes in the mountainous area, while using the town as our base.  We drove into town, and as we normally do, found a parking place in the sun (for the solar panels) near the town plaza.  Pretty quickly, we noticed people staring a little harder than usual.  Even the kids were congregating around the truck in an uncomfortable way.  They didn't seem curious... just scared and confused.  We tried to ignore the stares and greeted everyone with friendly smiles and lots of "buenas tardes".

We rode our bikes around the area on miles of bumpy, brain-rattling cobblestone streets.  Our riding paid off when we discovered a fantastic, secluded camping spot at a nearby spring.  Many rocks had been hauled in to create pools.  Various structures, like picnic tables and a bridge, surrounded the pools.  Normally, a place like this would cost money, but somehow, the area has been secured as public land. For anyone looking, it's called the "Zacualpan Balneario".

We rode back to the truck and waved goodbye to the interesting vibe of Zacaulpan.  You can imagine our delight when we discovered that one of the impossibly crystal-clear pools had a large cement slide built into it.  Apart from discovering a rope swing (which we didn't), this was the best news EVER!  We spent 2 nights here (alone) as the camping and swimming were too excellent to pass up.

Pictures from December