My first trip to Yelapa was with my brother in 1983. We arrived on the Sarape, and were greeted by a man named Valentin. We rented rooms from Valentin in the village, in a place called "El Caracol", which was right next door to the family house. Over the years he has become a good friend of mine, and a few years ago I decided to help him fix up a house (casa) of his in the village. When I first started to finish the casa, there was a cement floor, a cement post and beam structure, a bathroom, a palapa (palm leaf) roof, and palapa walls. I brought in bricks, and cement from El Tuito, by single axle dump truck, via the road. I removed the old wall structures, and had it walled in with red brick. I did not complete the arches, as these will be done next year. Each year when I take my vacation in Yelapa I contract the local trades people to build a little on the casa, always leaving it in a liveable state for Valentin when I return to Canada. Casa Estela has a beautiful view of the beach, and it is a very quiet location. | |
