Day 8 - How Do Geese Do It?

I didn't need to flap at all. It still feels a little tiring getting home. Of course, if we'd paid twice as much, we could've taken a non-stop, direct flight on WestJet. Yet, this way we can go again, so it is definitely worth this temporary discomfort.



We were waiting in PVR for our flight at 2:40 pm local time in the photo above. Now, we are in Los Angeles waiting for our connecting Alaskan Air on these Delta tickets. I just paid $11 for a hamburger in the place near our gate.



It already seems days since we were on the Malecon, although it was only hours ago.

Day 7 - The End Is Near

A week can surely whip by. At least, this week has seemed to pass very quickly. Alas, I guess vacations always do.

On our last full day in Puerto Vallarta, we just spent a lot of the day walking around (and up and down) the old city, the romatic zone and malecon. This really is a perfect place to hang out during the winter. The days are warm, but the evenings cool off enough so that air conditioning is not really needed. I do so sort of picture myself as a Hawaiian shirt and sandals sort of fellow. I'd like to ensure that over the next few years that becomes a part-time occupation. If a pineapple will grow there, then it's a place I'd like to be.

We love Vancouver but I'd surely not mind putting off tomorrow evening's departure from Mexico for a while longer. Keeping with the theme of being blue, I will just add seven pictures to fill out the rest of the blog entry.

Day 6 - Saturday in Town

Today's entry is a glimpse of Puerto Vallarta in just ten images.

Day 5 - Say, Sayulita

We'd heard mention of Sayulita, Mexico. We knew that it was just a ways up the coast from Puerto Vallarta and that it is considered a surfer hangout. So, we took the day to find out for ourselves.

We took a bus to the Walmart / Sam's Club as the Sayulita buses can be caught from there. That is very near the cruise ship terminal, our initial exposure to the area in February of 2008. From there the bus travelled north through Bucerias and on to our destination. That was a longer ride at one hour and fifteen minutes. The trip now costs 30 pesos (about $2.40) each way.







We liked the town. I can understand why some people head north directly from the airport and spend their whole vacation there. It seemed a little weird though. It obviously started off as a backpacker-type of destination but quickly got a little posh. It's a weird mix of dirt streets and upscale restaurants. If the town were one's first exposure to the area, I could see instant love. We would much rather say we visited it and stay back in good ole' PV.

Day 4 - PV Botanical Gardens

We have done lots of travelling in the tropics where the flora explodes in variety. Just walking along the streets here we've seen things such as jackfruit trees just like the ones we know from winter in Sri Lanka last year. We've eaten passion fruit for breakfast too. Many plants and trees were spread around the globe by people. The Portuguese used to trade with their empire in many spots around the globe hundreds of years ago. Of course, a lot of vegetation grows simply because it is suited to the environment. There are strikingly similarly-looking places at similar latitudes.

This was just a long winded way of introducing our main activity of the morning. We went to the Puerto Vallarta Botanical Gardens. It's quite a trip south of town. It cost 20 pesos (about $1.75) each way and took at least 45 minutes for the bus to retrace some of the same Highway 200 we took yesterday. We passed the towns of Mismaloya and Boca. The bus dropped us right off at the entrance to the gardens.





Later, we will walk some more. We will go all around town during the evening hours again. I love this t-shirt weather in December. We've put on so many miles this way, I fear I will have to toss my sandals at the end of this, far-too-short week!

Day 3 - Do the Zoo!

There's something about a vacation that allows one's body to sleep late. We had nearly 10 hours of sleep last night and didn't get up until almost 9:00 again! It's okay things get going late for tourists.

We decided to re-visit the Puerto Vallarta Zoo today's main activity. It's south of PV in Mismaloya. We love that bay where the movie, that began it all, was shot. It's possible to walk from the bus stop up a rural road. We love the zoo as it's up a jungle-clad hill. It's definitely not wheel-chair accessible, but we are still moderately mobile!

We paid about 8 bucks to get in but made sure to buy a $4 packet full of treats to feed the animals. It's encouraged and I was licked by a giraffe as personal proof. Getting up the hill and back took a bit more than an hour and a half. After we walked down to the bay before catching a bus back to town. The road has been improved but it is still a scenic drive along the hillside coastline.

Day 2 - Walking Familiar Steps

We slowly got into the groove here today. Getting up at 9:00 seemed a bit decadent but considering it was just 7:00 by our internal clocks and the fact we slept little the previous night, it was completely rejuvenating slumber. We woke up and ate breakfast made in our room's kitchenette. Jay even cooked oatmeal as we brought a lot of groceries last night. The fridge here is a lot fuller than the one back in New Westminster.

We know Puerto Vallarta's old section and Romantic Zone very well by now. We cut across the River Cuale and found a vegetable and fruit market we'd visited during a previous trip. We also walked both directions along the Malecon. A while ago we walked down to a large supermarket one the other side of the Rosita Hotel. It was so absolutely pleasant outside. Being from Vancouver, I love feeling the strong rays of sunshine. Why do people ever choose to live where winter temperatures can dip below 60F? It got up to the mid-80's today but will fall back to 65F tonight. How does one spell, P-E-R-F-E-C-T?

I missed partaking in any of the many $1 beer-or-margarita happy hours this afternoon. It's still early, we will find some place for me to have a drink during this evening's strolls around this piece of paradise.

Day 1 - Flying South

The day got started very early. Here, we were waiting for an N19 (night bus) at 1:30 am on Columbia Street to head to downtown Vancouver. We needed to catch the N10 to the airport from there. During this time of night there are not many other choices. We needed to get to YVR at before 4:00 am for a 6:00 am departure to Los Angeles and our connecting flight.



It was all worth it as by 1:30 pm were in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. It was 3:30 on the clocks here though. It's so nice to be back. I'm very happy.