Sayulita was once a hidden beach village off the beaten path until Pinterest, Instagram and Bachelor in Paradise took over. It lies just 25 miles north of Puerto Vallarta along Riviera Nayarit and the Madre Occidental Mountain range. It’s not only a small and sleepy beach town, but it’s home to some beautiful artisans, great beaches and surf. Not to mention it’s next to Mexico’s version of the Galapagos, the Islas Marietas. We had a long weekend to explore this colorful town and knock the islands off of our bucket list.  Here’s how to do it all in one day (because you can #SiSePuede)…

Guanajuato is an old colonial city, college town, and the birthplace of the famous muralist, Diego Rivera. This city is full of history, color, culture, food, and fun. It is built on a series of tunnels, originally designed to prevent flooding, which nearly wiped out the city twice before. The underground tunnels have since been transformed into actual roads, leaving very little surface space above ground. We haven’t stopped thinking about it since we left, and hope to return back soon, especially for Dia de Los Muertos. This is how to do it all, and do it right traveling to Guanajuato in just one day…

It was nice to start the day off early, and I am feeling more like myself. But unfortunately our albergue didn’t have any gluten-free options for breakfast. We decided to get breakfast at a bar in town, but of course they were not open at 7:30 AM and it was 12 km to the next town. Oh well, I I thought... It will water for brekky. In addition to the lack of calories, we didn’t realize we would have to scale a huge hill. Karma for skipping out on walking 40k? I will say arriving at the top in time for the sunrise was something unbelievable. To top that off, there was a pop-up bar with coffee, bananas and other items. It was hosted by a guy named Javier, who speaks Greek! He overhead my mom and I talking (luckily we didn’t say anything too awful), and inquired within. He said he was confused because my mom looks Greek, but I apparently don’t? #someonepeedinmygenepool Anyway, he was a sweetheart. Turns out he had met his ex-girlfriend a few years back while traveling in Greece. They fell in love and he decided to move to Greece. He lived there for a year, but became homesick and had a bunch of projects going on here. So, he decided to end the relationship and head back to Spain. Now he has a Spanish gf.

We thought our very mediocre hotel would’ve a least included breakfast, but alas, we paid an extra €12 extra for some empty calories. How do you say BS in Spanish? It was 10K to the first town, and the trail paralleled the road the entire time. I can’t stand when the Camino parallels the road or the highway, as it takes away from the Camino charm. In the town of Villa Franca, we met up with other peregrinos and headed up towards the mountains. Inclines are never too exciting, but we ran into Noah, from DC, who we had not seen since the first day. He told me that our friend Ana was probably already in Burgos, and thought that he too would walk the full 30 miles to get there by today. He introduced me to a couple of his Italian friends, who spoke limited English. I love being lost in translation on this Camino... Communication seems to fluctuate between hand gestures and laughter.

No sleep last night. I mean, maybe 2 hours? Our room smelled of farts and BO. If that didn’t keep you up, it was the immensely loud snoring that ear plugs couldn’t cover. If you ever do the Camino, BRING EAR PLUGS. So two hours of sleep later, and prior to having to walk 15 miles to Estella, our ‘breakfast’ at the albergue was just as good as the sleep. A croissant, orange juice and coffee. I explained that I’m celiac (soy celiaca), and was offered an apple instead of a croissant...errrr. Being gluten free on the Camino is much easier than being vegan, but sometimes it sucks just as much. Especially when it’s too early for any markets to be open.

We got some great sleep last night, thanks to the awesome hotel we stayed in. We decided to explore Pamplona this AM, because it’s Pamplona ! It’s a medium sized city, with a lot to offer. Something I noticed was a lot of cute hip dads with their babies... Machismo-ness (real word) is so last century. We got to eat at Bar Gaucho aka Pinxtos heaven for brunch (most are naturally gluten/dairy free). I believe my future ex-husband, Anthony Bourdain paid a visit there. Nonetheless, it was the most highly recommended place to dine. Each pinxto was roughly €3 each, completely worthwhile. Getting out of the city was a pain, as there was some sort of ‘Old Pamplona’ festival.