A Long Bus Ride

Being honest, this wasn't our best effort.

Daren and Marcy asked us if we wanted to go into Old Town Manzanillo to look around and see what is in that area. We agreed and then also decided that we would take buses all the way into the big city and back. 

Our first view of the blue marlin of Manzanillo.

We got up early and purchased tickets from Melaque to the main bus central in Manzanillo. I think they came to 140 pesos per couple one way. We also made a decision to take the Coordinados Bus lines in and then to make a judgment call for the return ride after we visited Old Town.

The bus pulled in on time and we loaded up. Our bus was surprisingly full and so Linda and I got two seats just a little back from the halfway point on the bus.  We didn't notice the air conditioner located just above our seats. Daren and Marcy found seats just behind us.

Linda and big blue!

Our journey began.
The Coordinados Bus Lines is a mid-range bus company that serves the folks who prefer not to pay for the first-class busses like are offered by Primera Plus, for example. The busses tend to be a bit run down and also make more stops while in transit.

By the first stop in Barra de Navidad, I was about frozen from the air conditioner blowing directly down upon me. Linda was slightly off to my side and she was fairing far better. We continued on and proceeded to stop at multiple small pick-up points along the way. Oh, I almost forgot. Coordinados Busses run movies and music videos at full volume as they travel across the countryside. On this trip, we were blessed with one of the thousand productions in the "Fast and the Furious" franchise. Imagine Vin Diesel in Spanish at full volume.

The old town area of Manzanillo.

On we traveled. We entered the outskirts of the big city and passed places we recognized. On we went. The sights were new, but we also knew that we would arrive at the Bus Centro and it may be a new destination for the two of us. (Our last bus visit was about 15 years ago) We arrived!

We climbed off the bus and everyone headed into the nearest bathroom. Once comfortable again we walked through the terminal and caught a chicken bus for the final leg into Old Town.

Mexican warships on display.

Our driver knew that we wanted to get off in Old Town and when we reached the stop he shouted and we obeyed! The next hour was classic tourist stuff; walking aimlessly toward the big Blue Marlin that designated the center of the Port of Manzanillo. We took photos and then walked aimlessly into the heart of Old Town proper.

Food was our next directive and so Linda and Marcy looked on their phone and found us a restaurant that we could refuel at. Chantilly's was located on the main road and we were able to get seats out in the shade for our meal. We had a nice lunch and spent quite a bit of time talking and eating.

The tourists at the Manzanillo sign.

We finished our meal and walked back onto the streets. By this time everyone was about ready to find our next chicken bus back to Bus Central. We returned to the drop-off point and immediately caught a bus headed back to the main bus terminal. The trip back seemed much faster then the trip in and we climbed off the bus on the sidewalk in front of the terminal.

At the ticket booth, we had to make a choice. We could purchase tickets on the first-class Primera Plus Bus which would be leaving in an hour and 25 minutes, or we could leave immediately on the Coordinados Bus that was waiting just out the door. The ticket lady reiterated the fact that the first class bus wouldn't leave for an hour and a half when we said we wanted tickets on the Primera bus. This caused us to rethink our choice and make the biggest mistake of the day. We chose the Coordinados Bus.

Another perspective.

We boarded the bus and then it proceeded to stop at every little spot between Manzanillo and Melaque. It filled to the max and the driver had to do walk-throughs checking tickets. IT TOOK FOREVER to get home (1 hour, 50 minutes). Oh, I forgot to mention that the movie was "Thor - Ragnarok" at full volume.

We are beat!