Touring Mexico with Zenler 2023 - Part 4 San Pancho

David Zenler Author

Jul 17, 2024 |

In the last article on touring Mexico, we were in Sayulita on the west coast now we have moved 7 Kilometres to a hippy town called San Poncho...

Welcome to the next instalment of the Travelling Mexico as a digital nomad blog series. In the last blog we were in Sayulita now we move just 7 Kilometres up the coast to the hippy town of San Pancho, known for its variety of cuisine and cultures it is supposed to be quite different.

Before we get into that there are a few points I want to make about working whilst on the move. That you might find interesting from an observational point of view.

Motivation to Work as you are away

Now I am only travelling for two months and I'd already done a lot of work before I left, just to take the pressure off whilst I'm away. But even I who am very time and self-managed am finding it hard sometimes to get to it. I find setting expectations is a good idea and also time if you can. I try to work mornings or late evenings and set specific goals. If you can adhere to certain work schedules you'll then be on track.

Not really a true digital nomad

So a true digital nomad would normally be staying in the same location for longer and backing up their online work with other work. They are usually working for accommodation or if they are really successful hiring an apartment. However, I think what I am demonstrating is kind of extreme, as I am getting a lot of different results as we are hopping around so much.

Covid has not made it easier

Catching the Delta variant of Covid has not made it easier and although I have not had a test it is definitely the delta variant. Where possible I keep in well-ventilated areas and also wear a mask in shops. There are no strict guidelines in Mexico and I have heard coughing a lot, especially in the hostel in Sayulita where I think I picked it up from. We have had to do our own form of self-containment and assess risks to others as we go.

Date stamp: 14 January 2023 -The Travels continue onward to San Pancho

Just 7 kilometres away is the town of San Pancho, we got an Uber at 11 straight to the Hotel Casa San Pancho. Must say this hotel is an amazing fusion of Mexican and Indonesian styling, it's fresh light and airy.

We have lots of greenery and a swimming pool, which is right outside our room by the way!

Should be the perfect place to finish our recovery. Most of the guests are American which feels weird as we're used to a more mixed culture, but everyone is friendly and have smiles from ear to ear.

After check-in in we went for a walk down the beach. The town is vibrant and built off one main road which makes it virtually impossible to get lost. This main road leads to the beach, funny most roads have countries or city names such as Africa, Pakistan, Saigon etc

The beach is amazing and one beach leads to another totalling three, it's also a lot less busy here.

A common custom is to watch the last rays of the sun in the evening, everyone gathers on the beach and claps as the sun goes down, this happens each evening.

Date stamp: 15 January 2023 - San Pancho perfect chillout location

One thing to note in San Poncho is that the shops do not try to hard sell anything to you. It's very chilled and relaxed and is probably the most peaceful place we have stayed thus far. We are really beginning to love the Mexican people, they are all so friendly and chatty. Some do not even care that you can't answer them in Spanish, they continue to speak to you even after you say no comprende.

Spent a really relaxing day watching another storm surge come in. Even if I was capable no chance going in the water, there were big waves with powerful rips everywhere.

Date stamp: 16 January 2023 - Catch up on work and schedule our flights to Puerto Escondido

Last full day we spent most of the day enjoying the swimming pool and loungers, before heading out for dinner. We also did some pre-planning for the next 6 days travelling down the west coast past Acapulco (we were going to stop here but it would waste too much time and would bean an additional £500 in Flights) to Escondido and Oaxaca area.

Date stamp: 17 January 2023 - Back to Puerto Vallarta

We are heading back to Puerto Vallarta this morning to spend one night before we catch our flight in the morning to Escondido. We will need to fly back to Mexico City to get the connecting flight out again. Shame we can't just fly down the coast but it seems everything goes back to Mexico City which is a bit of a drag!

See you again for the next instalment...

Categories: : Zenler Digital Nomad/Stories