Retire Early
Lifestyle
Retirement; like your parents, but way cooler
In 1991 Billy and Akaisha Kaderli retired at the age
of 38. Now, into their 4th decade of this
financially independent lifestyle, they invite you
to take advantage of their wisdom and experience. |
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Chacala
Malecon and Harbor
Chacala, Nayarit, Mexico
Billy and Akaisha Kaderli
Many beach towns in
Mexico have a malecon.
This is a walking area alongside the ocean where, in our experience, people
meander, walk their dogs, or do a morning jog. Sometimes there are sitting
areas or wrought iron benches surrounded by bronze sculptures, flowering
plants, and trimmed palms. And other times there are shops, park amenities
like skateboard areas, and exercise equipment.
It is not unusual for a live band to show
up or a single musician wanting to practice their instrument while gazing
out to the sea.
So... when we heard that
Chacala had a
malecon,
we were really looking forward to seeing it.

A uniquely painted house on our trek
to find Chacala's malecon
From the beach we could see places cut
out of the hillside that looked like a pathway leading to a jetty at the
end.
Since there were no signs, we wandered in
that direction and asked locals where we could find their
malecon.
Puzzled looks greeted us.
Some looked up from their cell phones and
shook their heads.
Others simply pointed in a direction that
basically led "nowhere."
One person suggested "The place where the
fishermen dock?"

A little opening on the lumpy trail
Their confusion caused our confusion, and
to be honest, I would have given up.
"Whatever" is what I would have
said.
But Billy is very persistent and he
wanted to see this non-existent malecon and take photos of it.
I wandered behind him a few steps,
carefully placing my feet between huge tree roots and broken boulders.
At one point the chunky trail opened up
and we saw this little bay with families enjoying their privacy and their
access to the ocean.

Afternoon picnics
Somehow we stumbled upon some dust and
pebbles that cleared out enough for people to get to the beach. A cove for
locals to enjoy!

A little cove with Chacala beach in
the background
Expecting a level concrete walkway just
like we have seen countless times, we completely missed this "natural"
version.
A little secret hideaway with a hint of
enchantment.
Yes. That's what it was.
No bicycles, no skateboards, no joggers
with dogs on a leash.
Just waves lapping along and families
enjoying the peace.

The fishermen's jetty
It wasn't long after that window to the
sea, when we came upon the place the fishermen dock.
Chacala
is a fishing village and harvesting seafood is a respected profession. Since
we have been eating in the local restaurants, we have appreciated this
amazing freshness of seafood. Fish on
the grill smothered in garlic butter, fresh crab tacos, and sweet shrimp
that crisped in your mouth when you ate them.

A close up view of Chacala beach from
the jetty
The jetty provided a different angle in
which to appreciate Chacala beach
and the surrounding hillside jungle.
Here you see the palapa
restaurants where
Chac
Mool and
Chico's are located.
To the left and mostly out of sight is
the town itself, and in the middle-right is
the
campground, and outside of the photo frame is where
Mar de
Jade is located.

Fishermen standing in their boats at
day's end
Here you see a grouping of fishing boats
moored to the pier. Fishing nets are piled in some boats and a few fishermen
are arranging things securely so they can go home for the day.

Panoramic view of Chacala beach and
fishermen's jetty
Here you have the full view of where we
were. The open sea is, of course, out to the right of the photo.

Fishing net piled high on shore
A couple of fishing nets with their
floats are piled high on the dock.
Kind of peaceful.

Family picnic cooler
Families were grilling fish from their
coolers like this one.
Life is very connected to the sea here in
Chacala.
If you would like to walk Chacala's
malecon, stand in front of Chac Mool and look out to the ocean. On your
right towards the hill is a tiny path where you can begin this walk all the
way to the jetty.
It's not a long walk, less than 10
minutes, actually. But if you meander, it can take you half an hour or more
as you enjoy the views.
For more stories and photos about Mexico,
click here

About the Authors



Retire
Early Lifestyle appeals to a different
kind of person – the person who prizes their
independence, values their time, and who doesn’t
want to mindlessly follow the crowd.
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