San Sebastian del Oeste

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By Cohen,Bob

For a little over three years, I have intended to make the 64 kilometer drive up the mountain to San Sebastian, just never got around to actually doing it. I have heard stories of how beautiful and serene the town is, nestled over 4,500 feet high in the Sierra Madres. The downside is hearing about how difficult it is to get to by car, due to poor dirt roads, flooded when it rains and full of potholes and hairpin turns.

Recently I received a call from a friend that asked me if I wanted to go the next day. It was Tina's car, and she has made the drive often, so I had no excuse to say no. Little did I realize until ten minutes before we left that we were going with another friend and it was a two day trip, which meant I needed to bring my only sweatshirt, among a few other needed items.

We left at 8:00 a.m. and the drive up the hill was surprisingly smooth with the brand new road almost completed that will go directly to Guadalajara, going through Talpa and Mascota. There was just one stretch where construction was not complete and we had to wait for 15 minutes while crews allowed oncoming traffic through the single lane before we were give the right of way.

I didn't mind the wait at all, as we were climbing higher into the mountains and the change of terrain was absolutely stunning. The mountains were green and full of splendor with dramatic views of the valleys beneath. The signage was basically good, but a right turn instead of a left and one could wind up heading to Talpa instead of our destination. This is where the road ends going up to San Sebastian, but continues on to Talpa. Continuing on for the last few kilometers the terrain changed once again and greeted us with tall pine trees.

We drove into town, and the architecture was much different than Puerto Vallarta, with residents and those who lived there years before used their own materials for construction that allowed buildings and structures to stand for over 250 years. Arriving at a lovely town square, I had a feeling that I was very far away from everything. I could tell you it was bustling, but with a total population of 599 (one young woman I saw was pregnant), a few people were milling around.

Actually San Sebastian was once a thriving gold and silver mining town populated with about 40,000 people. This past January was the 500th anniversary of the municipality. Actually the mines were basically responsible for the start of Puerto Vallarta, or Las Peñas as it was called then. Salt was brought up from the few huts in Las Peñas by mules to the mines and used in the smelting process. The silver and gold was shipped by mule to Guadalajara and Mexico City to Veracruz, where once a year it was shipped to Spain. Some mines are still there but not active.

We stayed at a *hacienda*, just three blocks from the main square, a magnificent two story, five bedroom house, and the three bedrooms downstairs were completely separate from the two upstairs. I had the feeling that only three streets from town, once again I felt like I was somewhere else. The silence was serene, a big change form the bustle of Vallarta. In the early afternoon, we walked into town and found some tourists that arrived by jeep on a tour. There is also a small plane that flies in daily, an eight minute flight. The downside of the tours, in my opinion is that after two hours, they leave and the magic of dusk and the evening; an experience not to be missed.

At dusk, it was time to put on the sweatshirt and as the evening progressed the temperature got cold, close to 45 degrees of fresh clean air. We ate dinner in a lovely restaurant, serving traditional Mexican dishes and we were the only people there. The same after dinner, as we spent a couple of hours in a lovely café, sipping the famous and delicious San Sebastian home grown organic coffee and scrumptious postres, while listening to some wonderful music. At 11:00 p.m. we made our way back to the *hacienda* with a much needed flashlight.

Arriving at the *hacienda* after a wrong turn led us down the wrong path, we backtracked and sat out on the front porch watching the millions of visible stars, in a serene, peaceful and picturesque setting. There was an ample amount of blankets and falling asleep was extremely comfortable. The next day we were given a walking tour by Tina, and we saw the history of this old and tranquil town.

My suggestion is to bypass the day trip and spend a night to experience the culture of a small Mexican pueblo. There are ample accommodations and the prices are extremely reasonable. We left in the early afternoon and it felt like I was gone for a week. For those that believe in a Higher Power, that power just might have a second home in San Sebastian.