I
was reading the paper one morning and was appalled at the number of articles
covering violence in Mexico. Drug dealers were kidnapping Americans,
holding them for ransom, cutting off their heads, and dumping the bodies in the ocean. It was about this time that I received a call from an old friend in
the Bay Area (San Francisco area) telling me that he found a killer deal on a
vacation trip to Vallarta, Mexico, and he wanted to get several couples
together and have a reunion to commemorate old times. This was to be a relaxing
vacation in which we could sleep until noon each day, lie around the beach all
afternoon, and eat great food each evening. He emphasized that it was Restaurant Week
in Vallarta and all of the restaurants had specials that were to die for. When
he told me the price, I said to count us in because it was time for another
RonnieAdventure!
We
timed our flights so that everyone would get to the Vallarta Airport at the
same time; but when I checked my email after landing, I discovered that their
flight was going to be almost two hours late. There was also a warning in the
email to kill as much time as possible getting through customs and under no
circumstances were we to go outside of the terminal. Apparently, the local hawkers
stand outside of the terminal’s front door and try to sell you everything from
bamboo dart guns and shrunken heads to hand-made knives and machetes, and all
other types of paraphernalia.
After
taking as much time as possible to get through customs, we found that their
plane was still not expected to arrive for another 90 minutes, so we hung
around the airport lobby and were
hounded by people making time share presentations (they are the only hawkers
allowed in the terminal). We finally agreed to listen to a time share
presentation in exchange for tickets to Rhythms of The Night and a VIP taxi
ride to the hotel. We didn’t purchase a time share, but the VIP taxi turned out
to be a really great deal because we exited the terminal by a side door into a
private parking lot and missed all of the fiasco in front of the main
terminal door. The hotel turned out to be very modern (except that one elevator
that didn’t work the entire time we were there and the water kept going on and off without warning) and we
had specular views over the ocean from the balcony. Every time I ask the hotel manager when
they were going to fix the elevator, he always responded “Mañana.” When we
checked out, he was still telling people that were checking in that the
elevator would be fixed “Mañana.” (One of the hotel maids told me that the
elevator had been broken for several months.)
Sunset from Hotel Beach
Sunset from Hotel Balcony
Sunset from Hotel Balcony
Hotel Palapas
Early Morning Beach Stroll
After
lying around the beach the next day, I got a little stir-crazy and decided that
I would have to find a RonnieAdventure! I asked the hotel
concierge how I could get to Puerto Vallarta (we were staying in Nuevo
Vallarta). He said that he could get me a taxi for about $35 (American) and
when I told him that the price seemed a little high, he said that I could probably
negotiate a lower price with the cab driver. I then asked him how much it was
to catch the local bus to Puerto Vallarta and he responded, “Senior! There is
no bus that goes directly to Puerto Vallarta; so you should take the taxi.” I
finally convinced him that I wanted to take the bus and he gave me directions
on how to make the changes to get on the El Centro.
Getting
up early the next morning we had no problem recognizing the converted school
bus that took us to the change point where we caught the El Centro bus. The
buses on the El Centro line were also converted school buses, but they
exhibited a little more deferred maintenance and artistic beauty. Fortunately
the bus didn’t have any windows so the exhaust smell was survivable. We finally
arrived in downtown Puerto Vallarta and had a great time just walking the
streets (The main street along the ocean front has been converted to a pedestrian walkway with lots of beautiful outdoor fountains, statues and art work displayed along the beach.), visiting various historic structures and the naval museum, and looking at all of the
tourist trinkets. The ride home was uneventful, and for part of the trip we
were on a modern bus (with air conditioning) that was nicer than most buses found
in US cities.
Water Taxi
Sand Sculpture Along the Beach Walkway
Fountain along the Beach Walkway
Sculptures Along the Walkway
Puerto Vallarta Cathedral
Puerto Vallarta Cathedral
Our
trip to the Rhythms of the Night show (about an hour’s boat ride down along the
coast – there are no roads in this area) was great and we were treated to a
fabulous dinner in the evening along with an elaborate show that was
choreographed with input from a former employee of Cirque du Soleil. Not to be
missed!
"Rhythms of the Night"
One
day while wandering down along the harbor, I was approached by a local person
that offered to sell me some discount tickets to any of the area attractions
and tours offered by the many tour companies. I explained that I was looking
for something a little different and more exciting, so he told me that he had a “cousin”
that owned a boat that we could rent for a day and the “cousin” would act as a
tour guide and take us up stream into a swampy area (called the "Jungle") that contained lots of
birds, crocodiles, and other animals. This sounded like my type of trip, so we
agreed to meet the next morning on the dock. I wasn’t sure if he would actually
show up, but on the agreed time he and his “cousin” pulled up in an old blue
open boat that looked like it was Navy surplus from WWII. As we boarded the little
boat, I could not help but notice the newer large, fancy, diesel-powered tour
boat parked next to us that was also loading passengers. After getting about
100 people on board, their captain and crew went through emergency evacuation
procedures and how to correctly put on a live jacket. I asked our boat owner if
we had any life jackets in the boat that we should practice with and he said
that we didn’t need any life jackets because if the boat sank the crocodiles
would eat us before we could get to shore anyway. Really makes one feel safe!
After the large tour boat left, the boat owner had to start the old 50’s Evinrude
motor by pulling on a hand crank on top of the motor. After several pulls, the
engine started in a large cloud of blue smoke and sounded like it was about to
come apart. The boat owner assured us that the boat and motor were in good condition and
he said that he was first going to give us a tour around the boat harbor bay
before we went into the jungle. We were pleasantly impressed by his knowledge of
the local plants, birds, and animals. As we traveled up the canals we were also
impressed by the large mansions along the way. It was interesting to note that
many of the estates were fenced on the river side to keep the crocodiles out of
their backyards. We even managed to see crocodiles lying right next to the
fences. The fences seemed to work for the crocodiles, but they certainly didn’t
work for keeping out the Iguanas. Some of the yards were covered with Iguanas
enjoying the nice green grass and lawn sprinklers. As we traveled upstream past civilization, the
waterway became narrower, and narrower, and in many places we had to follow a
path that had been carved through the tree branches hanging over the water.
The boat owner cautioned us to keep our heads down and to watch for snakes that
sometimes fall from the trees into the boat; but fortunately, we didn’t gain
any additional passengers on the trip. The trip turned out to one of the
highlights of our vacation.
Jungle Tour Passage
Iguana
White Egret
Pelicans
Blue Heron
Crocidile
After
we returned to the boat dock, we asked the boat owner about a trip to Los Arcos
(large rocks on the south side of the bay that are known for a place to go
snorkeling). He said that his boat was too small to cross the bay, but he had a
“cousin” that had a larger boat that we could rent to take us snorkeling at Los
Arcos. We agreed to meet at the boat dock again the next morning.
The
“cousin’s” boat turned out to be much nicer and crossed the bay with no
problem, but the “cousin” that owned the boat was not of the same caliber of
person and it was not the greatest trip. One of the nice things about the trip
is that we were accompanied by some dolphins along the way that liked to do
tricks. Snorkeling turned out to be a disappointment, as the water was not very
clear. (Apparently that is a good as it gets in Vallarta, which explains why
most people that visit the area do not come for the snorkeling.)
Los Arcos
Fish
Dolphins
The
rest of the vacation time was filled with sea kayaking, riding boogie boards, enjoying
the beach, swimming with the dolphins, and trying to figure out how to use my new camera. The really great
experience, however, turned out to be the food, which was really outstanding.
Our two favorite restaurants were the Fajita Republic where they served
scrumptious fajitas and Le Kliff that had gourmet food and killer views. (At Le
Kliff we even had a small animal (I think it was a coatimundi) that kept coming
by the table to beg for food.) Unfortunately, the two restaurants are located
on opposite sides of the bay. We could walk to Fajita Republic, but we were not
sure how we were going to get to from our hotel (located in the State of
Nayarit) to Le Kliff (located in the State of Jalisco), because taxis cannot do
a round trip across State lines. However, our concierge assured us that he
could help and for a few dollars we were able to hire his “cousin” that made
the round trip in his personal van, saving us a lot of money when compared to two one-way trips. It
is nice that everyone in Mexico has so many “cousins.”
Fajita Republic
Le Kliff
Sunset from Le Kliff
Sunsed from Le Kliff
Uninvited Diner Guest
Sunset from Le Kliff
Sunset from Le Kliff
There
were a lot of thing that we did not get to see and do, so I guess they will
have to wait for the next RonnieAdventure! By the way, we did not ever see any
drug dealers, violence, or kidnappers and we never felt that we were in any
danger at any time! So much for what you read in the newspapers!
