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| Puerto Vallarta |
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| Puerto Vallarta |
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| Puerto Vallarta |
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| Puerto Vallarta |
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| Puerto Vallarta |
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| Puerto Vallarta |
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| Puerto Vallarta |
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| roof top Palapa |
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| roof top Palapa |
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| Birthday dinner |
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| Birthday dinner |
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| Birthday dinner |
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| Bucerias |
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| Bucerias |
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| Bucerias |
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| Sayulita |
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| Sayulita |
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| Sayulita |
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| Sayulita |
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| Sayulita Lady made me take a picture of this after I took pictures of her bike |
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| Sayulita |
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| Sayulita |
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| Sayulita |
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| Sayulita |
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| Sayulita |
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| Sayulita |
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| Sayulita |
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| Sayulita Best tacos. Fried shrimp or fish |
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| Sayulita |
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| Sayulita |
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| Sayulita |
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| Sayulita |
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| Vista Vallarta resort |
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| Best breakfast! |
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| Octopus cocktail.. It was a bit too authentic.. ha |
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| Drink of choice at Buzzos. |
We arrived in Puerto Vallarta around 4:15 local time. Our neighbors who frequent the area told us how to get a cheap cab. When you leave the airport, you take the pedestrian bridge over the highway instead of the cabs that are inside the airport.
It was hot. So hot. We were trying to get to the bridge but we were fresh meat and the taxi drivers flocked us. I asked the cab how much to Bucerias and he said $30. Ok, never mind crossing that bridge, I need water! Our Casa caretaker offered to pick us up for $60, so I figured I was getting a decent price.
It took about 25 minutes to get the the Casa. What we saw out the windows of the taxi where nothing we were used to. Once we arrived, I called our caretaker who was to meet us and let us in, get us our keys. He was not there. He arrived 10 min later. He did not have our keys! He was very sorry, but he left them at his house in La Cruz, 10 minutes north. He asked if we wanted to go with him. Why not? Let's start the adventure! Baldo stopped at the OXXO (Chain mini mart) and purchased us two beers to drink while he drove.. There are no open container laws and as we learned later in our trip from an expat is that there are no DUI laws either! I still have not fact checked that but we saw many drunks getting into cars.
La Cruz was a small town that was all locals. It was very rustic. Baldo found the keys and got us in soon after. The place was big. 2 bedroom casa with a roof top Palapa. The view was great from the roof, and the deck off the master suite on the second floor also had a small view. There was one other casa in front of ours and one behind ours.
We changed and headed down the beach to find dinner. It took 20 min to walk to the main town in Bucerias. We were getting very hungry so we picked a place and grabbed a table right on the beach. The sun was setting. The food was great! We had arrived. Vendors hassled us as we ate. A stray dog begged for scraps.
After dinner we wandered around a bit, found a store to buy some beer, 81 pesos for a six pack. Then we found the taxi stand. We were informed that you always negotiate the price before the taxi leaves. I usually asked as soon as I got in. I never had an issue. The fare was always either 50 or 60 pesos.
Tuesday am we woke and had some coffee and tea that we brought from home. I began my day by taking a morning swim in the bay.
We walked into town for breakfast and came upon a place called Ladybug. A nice english speaking lady came out and started explaining their menu, she introduced us to the owner who was sitting outside. She was an expat from Canada (of course). We decided we were ready to eat so we went in. The food was pretty good. The owner came and talked to us about her restaurant and the weekly diner specials. It was mostly french cuisine.
After we were ready, we decided to go to the Mega store and stock up on beer and snacks. We walked to the taxi stand and got our taxi to Mega. Mega is a huge grocery store comparable to a Walmart which they also have close by. We were told that Mega has more North American food. I thought North American was a funny term, but soon I realized why they use that term.
We bought beer, eggs, cheese, yogurt and snacks. There was a fire across the street and the Mega was filling with smoke. No one seemed to care. It was a controlled burn. It is a common way to clear land in Mexico, just burn it. Also we noticed that there were two leaks in the roof of Mega. 5 gallon buckets were placed to catch the drips.
There was a Mc Donalds inside! We looked at it after check out. It was only Mc Donalds ice cream.
After we got home from Mega, we had a beer on our Palapa on the beach. We met the couple staying in the front casa. Fernan and Jeanette. French Canadians from Montreal. English is there second, or maybe third language. They were fluent in Spanish as well.
The water in the bay is warm, like bathwater. The waves are mostly gentle, an occaisonal set of 2 footers would come in. It must have more salt content too as we were very boyant. I could float on my back with ease and did. Bobbing along like a hunk of drift wood. Fine sand with some small rocks at the surf line and some smashed oyster shells.
For dinner we walked to town on the road this time, and found some fun things on the way. We were not sure where to eat. I wanted to go to a stand, but B wanted a sit down dinner. We spotted a thatched roof restaurant across from the water and on a public square that looked like it had been under construction for some time before the worker left and never came back.
As we were walking to the restaurant, a Mexican man approached us.. "Hola my friends" he said.. of course you know me, yes? No. I am Miguel, this is my restaurant. Please come in. I said, is it a Canadian restaurant? referring to our breakfast. "We are from Seattle " Oh Seahawks! yes, please come in. Before we could get in the waiter was shoving a plate of food in our face. Huge prawns that did not even look real, a cryopack steak and a fake looking lobster were on the plate.
The waiter came and again showed us the big prawns.. He offered to make us a meal for two with steak and pranws. We orderd a beer and stared at all the Canadian football and Canadian hockey team jerseys that hung from the wall. We were starting to realize we were in Canada south.
After a beer we were ready to order. We ordered the Caesar salad, prepared table side. A quesadilla and a shrimp stuffed avacado. The waiters face went cold. His persistant upselling did him no good.
He came out and made our salad, he didnt look happy about it, but he did it meticulously. He explained that since it wa s a slow night, he could take his time. Oddly, he squirted Frenchs Yellow Mustard in the salad preparations.
The salad was good, if not a little bit mustardy.
The bill was 500 peso. I had 550 peson in cash, but wanted to give him a decent tip so I gave him 700 pesos. He did not bring back change. I finally asked him for 100 peso back.. ugh.. We learned that it is very helpful to have exact change, but you never can because they don't give you change!
After that adventure, we headed for Puerto Vallarta. We boarded one of the white vans. We were told to stand on teh side of the road and they will stop. They did! We got in, it was full of people, the driver never said anything to us, so we sat there. wondering where we would end up. Many locals also use the vans. I thought they were for touristas. Finally we were the last ones in the van and the driver indicated we were at the end of the line. In front of a Mega Store in Nuevo Vallarta. Now what?
We stood there for a whole wondering what to do next. We watchted buses come and go, but didn't really know where they went. Finally a bus stopped in front of us. I said "zona Romantica?" Si, get in! We clamored aboard the rickety bus. We rolled into PV, but we didnt know where we were. Finally the bus stopped and said we were there. We got out and walked around. It was a big city compared to Bucerias.
We had to use the facilites first. We saw a sign for a bano. It was in a parking garage, downstairs on level. In front was a table with a person behind it. 5 pesos. Ok, I dolled out 10 pesos, she gave us each a wad of TP and on our way we went. At least it was clean.
Now we needed food. We wandered around aimlessly, ended up on the beach. No, too expensive on this beach, back up the way we came. I saw two ladies in a cart that sold cups of fruit. I ordered a mix fruit. She asked me twice if I wanted chili on it. YES for god sakes. I am NOT a Canadian! ha. She took a cup of mixed fruit, dumped it in a bag and poured seasoning all over it, then squeezed a lime on it. She shook it up and handed it to us. YUM! Spicy fruit! I love this place!
We found a Tex Mex place named Jonnys. Not our first choice but it had to do. We had a nice table where we could watch the action unfold on the busy street. The food was amazing of course. We really never had bad food anywhere.
Next stop was the vendor stalls. B wanted a hat. She got a hat. I don't know if she really wanted it, but I bought it.
We checked out the beach. What a busy area. There is a dock where teh fishing boats pick you up. Two big Tunas freshly caught were on display. We ran into our neighbors in the next casa!
Finally it was beer thirty. B had never been to a Senor Frogs before. We walked in and immediatly were the victims of their shenanigans. They moved a sign next to me that said "Sex Machine" with an arrow pointing to me. Then they came up behind B and slapped a baloon hat on her head.. Then they made me an elaborate baloon hat. Then they sat there and waited for a tip that was never going to come.
We drank our beers and go the heck out of there. Bad call. It was 1 in the afternoon but they were on 100%. I'd hate to see that place at 10 pm!
We decided to take a cab back to the Mega store. We wanted to get some water anways, so we got off there and walked around another Mega store. We left and crossed the street to wait for a van we hoped. No van came. We got into bus. It was hot and crowded. The seats were so close together that I could barely get in. And the sun was beating down on me. We rode the bus to Walmart where we had to change buses. The next bus came a few minutes later and took us back to Buerias.
On the way back we stopped by Buzzos, a little bar/restaurant close to our place. It seemed like a locals hang out. The bar was full so we grabbed a table. Then it started. Karaoke at 5 pm. It was really, really bad. Finally a singer took over and sang strange 70's rock and roll tunes. We had a beer and left.
Thursday am we needed money. We took a cab to the HSBC.. My Columbia bank card would not work in the ATM.. We asked for help, they watched me try over and over and said sorry. We headed out to the next bank, on the other side of the highway. Our trip guide cautioned us that the drivers on the highway have "little to no regard for pedestrians". . this was our first attempt to cross on foot. We followed some locals and made it.
The next bank, same problem. uh oh. An expat came in and tried to help. He said he has lived there for 7 years, has a wallet full of US bank cards and credit cards because you never know what will work or what won't. He asked if I contacted my bank to tell them I was going to be travelling. Well, I did ask them what the fees were for getting money out, they told me 3% on top of the ATM fees. sigh but my bank did not say I couldn't use my card there... ugh. One last thought, my Chase account that has a little money in it for emergencies. This qualifies. The expat offered to stay, but I told him we were ok, I had a little US money on me to get home if needed. The Chase card worked, but I didn't have much money in there. Enough for a day or so.
This is B's birthday so we wanted to have a relaxing day.. We spent a lot of time on the beach sipping Pacificos. Dinner was at a great restaurant on the beach.
Friday we headed down to the banco again, I transfed some money. This time we used the white van to get there. We wandered down towards the water after the bank and found a completely new part of Bucerias! The art gallerys! On the way down the hill, I saw a piece of tile fall of a wall. Why? What made it fall. OMG, and IGUANA was right there! I nearly screamed, I was not expecting that! We see the cute little geckos aroind, but this was a big ol Iguana.
We found a nice place for breakfaast, it was a jazz bar!
The art gallerys were cool, we wandered in and out until we came to a pedestrian bridge. On the other side was the part of Bucerias we knew already.. We vowed to come back and buy some crafts later
ON the way to the banco, our driver was from LA and he told us to we should check out Sayulita. We were going to go to Punta de Mito, where the Bay of Banderas meets the Sea of Cortez and the Pacific Ocean. Apparently Bill Gates bought a resort there. We thought we would drop by and say hi to a fellow local if he was in town. But this cab driver sounded pretty convincing and we love to take unsolitied advice from complete strangers. On to Sayulita
We had to get across the highway again, but we made it. Shortly a green bus came along and we climbed aboard.
The bus drove North through Bucerias and we saw the turn off to La Cruz. The bus turned inland We went up into the jungle. Every 3 or 4 miles there was a pull out with a food stand or fruit stand. in 30 minutues the bus pulled into a big parking lot and shut down. We were there.
We walked towards town, not really knowing even where the beach was. The place was packed, it was a surfer town. Many youth hostels line the streets and many North American shops and stores appeared. We found the beach.. As soon as we stepped on to the sand, a man approached us, asked if we wanted an unbrella and chairs for the day. I believe he quoted $20 for the service. We declined and started walking along the beach
The surf was decent, many surfers were on the water. They were setting up for a Paddle board competition. We walked to the south end of the beach, it was a bit gentler here. I waded in to cool off.
We decided to check out the shops and find lunch and cerveza. We found a quaint shop ran by a woman from Chcago. She had many nice clothes items here. Bronwen bought a handmade shirt from her. As we were leaving, we asked for a lunch recommendation. She actually walked us a block from her store, and pointed to a taco stand. We took her advice. Shrimp or Mahi, fried in batter! It was soo amazing! We got beers from the store next door and sat and ate our feast.. Bronwen was craving chicken too, so we ordered her a piece from another stand, grlled over coals. She said it was good.
Time to leave this funny hippy town. I loved the energy here, it would be fun to spend more time, but the trip is coming to a close and we have more beach time scheduled! We wandered back to the bus, after stopping off to pay 10 pesos to use the bano again. We had to wait a while for a bus and traffic was very slow on the way back. We got home and went to the beach.
Later that day we walked down to happy hour at the Vista Bay Resort. It is a few resorts down South of us. A short 5 min walk. While enjoying a beer, we noticed an Iguana pop out of a planter box and causually walk along the patio. Everyone was reaching for cameras and video.
Saturday, our last full day. :(
we decided to go back down to the vendors, but first breakfast. We went to a small stand for breakfast. It was probably the best breakfast we had. I had shrimp omelet and B had Ham and cheese (Americano Omlete). They also had fresh juice, so we ordered, I don't really know what I ordered, but it was super good.
After breakfast we went to deal with the vendors. We saw some really cool crafts, plates, vases, masks.. It was impressive, but nothing that jumped out as must have. We picked up some opal earrring, some crystal earrings, a key chain holder and some hand made Christmas ornaments B picked up some Frida Kahlo magnets and a book bag. I did not like any of the shirts or hats they showed me. I wish I wuold have bught a Sayulita shirt, but oh well. We were done after an hour of haggling. One thing I could get used to, but it would take a while to learn the prices. They know them. They know the breaking point for every item. I tried to get them to take 120 pesos for the key chain rack, and they would not budge below 150pesos. I walked away. They let me walk away.. Wow, ok I guess they know. At another stand, same thing, they held firm at $150 pesos. I bought it.
After shopping we sat a while in the shade and drank some flavored water. It was waaay too sweet. We met a nice lady from Regina. I commented that she was the first Canadian we had met from BC! At least we can connect with BC. Alberta? I don't even know where that is!
We then decided to get a little more beer and go home and hit the beach. We picked up a 12 pack of Tecate and they gave us two free cans for some reason. We gave it to the guy at the taxi stand. Tip with cerveza.. Why not?
Last day of beach. We brought out the boogey boards, even though there was no surf. We floated on them for hours.
I went up to the casa to get more beer and a caretaker we had never seen was there. He didn't speak much English but told me to be very careful in the water. What? We've been here all week.. He went o to say warn of Sting Rays. We had seen several dead on the beach. They are pretty small, but I have heard that barb going into your foot or leg is extremely painful. Yikes. I didn't tell Bronwen, figured we would take our chances on this last day. No problems.
That night we went back to the beach for one final dinner. It was saturday night. after the sun had finally set, we saw fireworks from Nuevo Vallarta and as soon as those were over, we saw fireworks from somewhere south, Punta Mita perhaps?
We met a nice couple at the table next to us. She was from Guadalajara and her partner was from France. Interesting combo. I thought we might finally meet another American!
We hopped in a taxi and asked to go to Buzzos. The driver did not know where it was. We tried to explai, but he did not speak much english and he was getting increasingly annoyed. I had him turn down a dead end and when I realized it, I said forget it, we will walk. We were only a few blocks away.
Buzzos was rocking! It was all Mexicans tonight. We ordered a big bottle of Pacifico with two glasses. This is what everyone orders here, I don't know why but we tried it.
We wanted a bumpersticker they are on nearly every car in Bucerias, but they are all out. So we bought a shirt.
We met the party next to us, the man to my right, Juan Carlos, had lived in Chicago for 7 years. he and his two friends spoke perfect english. They worked in customer service, perhaps at a Hotel. Clearly they use English a lot
We had an interesting talk that migrated towards politics. For the second time in the trip, I appeared to insult the locals by bringing up religion. I assumed that everyone was Catholic here. He said he was NOT Catholic, he was Christian. Ok. I have to lose that question, cause it doesnt go over well here. The last time I brought it up it was because a vendor was selling Buddahs. He reacted about the same, with a reounding NO, but then said that only 50% of the country is Catholic.. heh. We were here for Ash Wednesday, I'd say slightly more than 50% bared the marks, whatever they call it, on their foreheads. But whatever. none of my business and Puerto Vallarta was VERY gay friendly. We saw gays openly being affectionate and saw gay bars. Maybe its the new Pope.. :)
Almost had another money incident too. I asked when we sat down if they take credit cards. Oh yes, visa/mastercard.. When the bill came, they no longer took credit cards. I had a 200 peso bill on me and that was it.. the bill was 160 pesos! Thank god I resisted the urge to buy a round of tequilla for our new friends!
Sunday morning. Our flght leaves at 4:15, despite the fact that USA changed their time to Daylight time and Mexico does not change until April. It seemed logical that our flight would leave an hour earlier, since we are not on same time zone. .Nope. I still don't fully understand how that is possible, perhaps the flight from the States left an hour later? Oh well.
We had to check out at noon. We hoped it would be Noon Mexican time. We spent the morning on the beach, I took one last am swim, as I did every day. and we went to eat whatever food we had left and pack.
Once we were all done, we decided to crack a beer and sit up on the roof top deck. Sure enough, at 11:57, Teresa showed up to clean the place. :( its time to go. We went and said good bye to Fernan, Jeanette was not around at the time. They both were sad we were leaving, they liked us as we didn't bother them! Neither drank and we did get a little animosity over our beach partying, but not much. We are better than a house full of kids splashing in the pool all day! ha ha. I guess the house was rented by 4 women before us who got kinda rowdy a few times.
I snapped a few last pictures and then actually filmed the drive out of Bucerias.
The airport was a different story. First my bag got pulled aside at the Xray.. sob, I left a bottle of hot sauce in there and it was over 4 ounces.. DANGIT, oh well.
Then, we had a few beers at the airport and had some Sbarro pizza! When it came time to board, at the gate I was stopped and pulled aside where they again when through my entire bag and swabbed me and all my stuff with the explosives detection stuff. sheesh..
we landed in SF a lttle late. We had a one hour layover to get through customs and immigration AND as it turns out, back through security. The flight attendants urged us to deplane as fast as we could, as two 747s landed at the same time. Wow, I think thats over 1000 people deplaning and going trhough customs.
The line was super long but fast. We got through in 30 min. 30 to spare, maybe we can get some food. nooe, anotehr security gate. She looked at my boarding pass and immediatly grabged her radio and asked me to step aside.. Ok, what is going on here?
5 minutes later a TSA agent showed up to give me a thorough screening. For the third time today, my bag was rifled through. She also emptied my wallet and checked every nook and cranny of it. A man came and took my passport and left.. I was concern3d, but they assured me he would be back with it. I was sure I was going to miss my flight. When it was over I hurried to re pack and re dress and get to the gate.. Thankfully it was not boarding yet. I ran to the nearest bar and downed some vodka. .TSA owed me a drink in my opinion, but I had to pay for it!
Finally home at a little after midnight on Monday. Luckily we both took Monday off. Monday we had a big breakfast since we didnt each much Sunday and then for lunch we went for Pho. We both missed Asian food. We saw one Chinese place in Bucerias, long closed. I am sure we could have found some in Puerto Vallarta if we had to.
I learned a few things. One, although it is PC to use a local bank, it didn't do me much good in Mexico where the card simply would not work. On that same note, we should have brought more cash. In fact we learned that there is a bank in Burien who exchanged Pesos at a good rate.
I never did learn how to make a phone call. That would be a good skill to know
We are already planning for my 50th birthday trip. I hope we can go for two whole weeks. Then we can travel even farther.
