I wrote a travel article for SurfGirl magazine last year, after a pretty amazing, life changing trip to Mexico. I haven’t shared it since but wanted to tell you the story behind my journey.

Here’s how I travelled around Mexico solo:

“You’re travelling around Mexico solo?! Have you even been there before?!”

From the day I booked my flight and excitedly told people about my trip to Mexico, this was all I heard. When I landed in Mexico and spoke to the locals, even they thought I was mad. But I’d already committed. I had 6 weeks, no plans, and a goal to learn how to get barreled.

The magic of Sayulita

I started the adventure in the magical town of Sayulita after flying from Mexico City to Puerto Vallarta. It’s a magical town. The streets are lined with poms poms, woven hearts and local artisan treasures. Taco stalls sit on every corner and the margaritas are cheaper than water. With all my senses on fire, my first week there was bright, colourful and undeniably a little bit wild!

Surfing in Sayulita

The surf’s forgiving here. Sayulita’s home to some of the best longboarders in the world, including Lola Mignot and Joel Alcantar. Sharing waves with them was a dream; stylish and gracefully dancing on the sea to the music that reaches the line-up from the bars that fringe the beach. I could’ve stayed here for the whole 6 weeks.

Sayulita’s so much fun. It’s safe, it’s friendly, and there’s plenty of waves within easy hitchhiking distance for all levels of surfers. However, I had bigger sights on my horizons; I wanted to get more lost and find my barrels.

Staying in Sayulita - my travel tips

But before I leave Sayulita, let me give you a few of pieces of advice:

Buy your pompoms here, you’ll only find them in Sayulita and closely surrounding areas. They’re made by the Huicholes, the Mexican tribe native to the area of Nayarit, Jalisco, Zacatecas and Durango
Buy a hat, and beach umbrella on day one. You’ll spend whole days on beaches in and out of the sea. Shade is your best friend
Learn a bit of basic Spanish if you can - it goes a long way
Use the local buses, they’re cheap and easy
Seek out the paletas (traditional Mexican popsicles)
Leave space in your luggage when packing
And finally, don’t drink the cheap tequila - you’ll thank me later!

Leaving Sayulita

Through a friend of a friend and some far-fetched Facebook connection, I found a ride to a place 4 hours south where I was promised barrels. Not one person advised me to go by myself, in fact quite the opposite.

Locals frowned on my sunny smile. Travelling south meant leaving the safety of the tourist hub and travelling through narco and unstable territory. I was stoked to have found a ride but first, I had to make it to Guadalajara where my lift was leaving from - a town five hours inland.

Hitchhiking around Mexico

I began hitchhiking and have so many different stories to tell.

One which I’ll never forget was when a lorry pulled over on the highway. Two men in the front asked where I wanted to go and I smiled and explained in Spanish that I had a stop about 25km north that I need to get to.

A mountain of papayas

They welcomed me aboard and as I went to climb into the front of the truck they wagged their fingers, “no, no, no, atras”, “in the back,” they said. They opened the back of the truck and parked me and my board on a small mountain of papayas, and shut me in the dark. I later found out it was two and a half thousand papayas!

When they dropped me off, I waved as they continued on their journey. Maybe I’d see the papayas in Sainsburys soon!

The Mexican Ace Ventura

After a couple more missed buses, some trekking on the highway and a lot of thanking the lord that I’d packed lightly, I made it to Guadalajara and met my ride. He was, I swear to god, the Mexican version of Ace Ventura. How I got blessed with his company I have no idea!

We set off early Wednesday morning on the journey south, drinking beers and sharing stories. It was only a week ago that he’d driven a similar route, had a gun put to his head and his truck stolen, which is why we were in this tiny car. We had Waiena, Niwa and Matilda in the back - our Mexican streets dogs and trusty travel companions.

As we ventured south the palm trees got bigger, the land got greener, and there were no buildings in sight. We passed four road blocks where armed men met us, but Ace Ventura made his way through with no problems at all. Then, before I knew it, we’d arrived at what I didn’t know at the time would be my favourite place in the world.

Surfing with sharks

We set up our hammocks in the pallapa, sank some beers and waited for the morning. At first light we surfed. Ace Ventura put something around his ankle before we paddled out. I asked what that was about – he replied it was for blocking sharks! Seriously though I thought ‘what the hell is he on?’ But low and behold when paddling out, that’s when I saw the first one.

I’m British, so seeing sharks isn’t something I’m used to, know how to deal with, or something I’ve ever dealt with before. Freaked out, the locals assured me that they were harmless and reminded me that we’re playing in their home. “This is where they live and they don’t really have any interest in us.” Well I guess they didn’t – and in 3 weeks I spent surfing 8 hours a day in their waters, I never got bitten. I saw 4 sharks in total.

We sat in the line-up with our feet up on our boards. Once, I sat outback and whilst tying my hair up left my feet dangling in the water. In my head I thought “Hmmm what a cheap shot it would be if a shark came and got me right now while I’m trying to do my hair.”

That was the closest I came to one. The fin came towards me almost in slow motion and as it neared me, it whipped around in the other direction hitting me in the leg as it swerved off. That was close enough for me, but I stayed out there and kept surfing. The waves were too good!

Meeting Miles

Travelling alone opens up a whole new world to meeting people - it’s often overlooked when travelling with a friend or in groups. About three weeks into my trip I met Miles who taught me how to get barrelled. We shared adventures together and it was amazing to have someone who wanted to explore as much as I did.

We hitchhiked to remote beaches, jumped in the back of gas vans to get to new places, and found incredible cabinas in the middle of nowhere. We stayed and drank mezcal, smoked weed gifted by our hosts, and surfed alone.

Getting barelled

On my last day, we woke at sunrise and made our ritual morning coffee. The sky was alight and there was a pink rainbow over the river mouth. We had the most mind blowing surf - a little chilly in the offshore winds but I got my first two proper barrels (on purpose!). That was all I wanted from my trip! I was on an all-time high.

But the evening surf for me was the most magical. The water was like butter; smooth, perfect, the purple sky illuminating the sea. It was one of the bigger surf days we’d had - well overhead and super hollow, but I didn’t have any fear at all. It was magical out there. I’d seen my first whales here a couple of weeks before but never experienced anything like what happened in the next few moments.

Surfing with whales - the highlight of the trip

Miles paddled over to me and told me to put my head under the water and listen. Seriously? But I did it because I trusted him. The sound was unreal. It made my skin prickle and my tummy turn. It was the whales - a mumma and a baby. So clear. They were talking to one another, I couldn’t believe it. It was so clear. So loud, so emotional. It was the most amazing things I’ve ever experienced, I can’t even find words to explain. A moment that really made Mexico the trip of a life time for me.

Finding the magic of Mexico

Mexico’s an incredible country. One of the most beautiful I’ve ever travelled to. The locals are so kind and warm. It has a bad reputation and it’s not always easy, but sometimes if you go where people tell you not to, that’s where you’ll find the magic!