Going south from Puerto Vallarta is our favourite direction because of the mountains and lush vegetation. We have gone south to Mismaloya and Boca on this trip and most trips in the past. We only went once to the Puerto Vallarta Botanical Gardens which are about 15 miles south of the city.
Today we wanted to get away into the mountains for a few hours. In all honesty, the Caribbean may have beautifully coloured water, but I love how the mountains extend right to the beaches of Mexico's west coast.
Buses for Tuito leave from our very own street. The buses leave from the corner of Aguacate and V Carranza and cost 28 pesos or less than $US 2. We boarded as soon as we got to the corner and left within five minutes of sitting down.
The small town of around 3200 people is on Highway 200 heading south. It took our bus about an hour and fifteen minutes to arrive in the authentic Mexican town. We got there about noon and our only plan was to find a place to eat our packed lunch of egg sandwiches and totopos.
First we walked by the church, which interestingly is not right on the central plaza as in many towns. We got there right during the hour of service, so probably one quarter of the population were inside!
We walked on some side roads. At the moment there is construction around the central plaza. I think they are getting a new water or sewer pipes and the roads around the square will need to be resurfaced.
We ate near the bandstand under the shade of some trees. It was very relaxing. The town was cute, clean, and quiet. As we sat on the return bus, watching the pine trees change to palms and as we came down 2,000 ft in elevation to encounter the crowds of Puerta Vallarta, I was a little sad at having left.