Our flight to Mexico consisted of a layover in Phoenix. If you are ever there, you've got to try out Matt's Big Breakfast. For it us it was an obvious choice, and was delicious. Then again, since we were headed on vacation, food tasted better, the sun shined brighter, and the grass looked greener.
We had high hopes!
May 17, 2016
This was the first time either one of us has been issued a
passport. Conveniently I realized that I was wearing the same outfit in my
passport photo.
We could feel the humidity right when we got off the plane.
The sniffing dogs made us question everything we had packed.
We did exactly as we were told by our travel agent and
ignored the pushy Time-Share booths and exited the airport. There we were to
wait for the guys in green shirts and tan pants. They were real friendly guys.
Crown Paradise Golden
We got a chuckle out of the name of the resort. It was like
they took all the words in the English language that sound appealing and put
them all in the title of their Hotel. During our trip we could never remember
if we were staying at the Paradise Crown Golden, the Golden Paradise Crown, or
the Paradise Crown Golden. At least the cab drivers knew where we were talking
about and got us safely back to the hotel. We must have not been the first ones
with this issue.
We learned this would be a common occurrence:
don't look at anything too long or you might have to buy it!
The water in Puerto Vallarta is not the turquoise-blue that I've heard about on the Gulf Coast side of Mexico, but it's warm and the beaches were free of kelp and debris.
Soon after checking in this festive cake was brought to our
door. Let the Birthday celebrations begin!
The resort was all-inclusive, which meant meals were
included. A mini fridge in our room was well stocked with water, soda, and
Champaign (no...we didn't).
The beach loungers were comfortable
(except when the pole
comes loose and falls on your head :/)
I learned during my research that Puerto Vallarta's sunsets
are some of the finest in the world. We learned this to be very true.
The top photo was taken through the camera lens. The bottom
photo was taken through my sunglasses.
I see the world through rose-colored lenses.
The one and only seashell we found for Callie.
May 18, 2016
Los Veranos Canopy Tour
I chose to ring in 40 by zip-ling through the jungle. Our
hotel was in a great location. The shuttle for the canopy tour was within
walking distance of our hotel. The walk was hot hot hot.
We bought some ice cream from a man. It looked delicious but didn't taste very sweet. When Matt got to the stick he said, "This looks chewed on!" Wouldn't surprise me.
We loaded up on bug spray as well as everyone else on our tour. Our guide joked, "We aren't trying to kill the ecosystem, people."
Because we had to leave our belongings in the locker we
didn't get any photos of our adventure (and we didn't want to spend $40!) but
the 14 different lines we rode over the jungle were exhilarating! We had to do
a bit of hiking in-between each run. Towards the end the guides offered a
select few to go tandem...upside down. Matt volunteered me and I said,
"why not." It was a different sensation to be see the clouds below
and the tree's above!
It was so refreshing to be able to spend time at
the river and restaurant afterwards.
We swam in the river and then I decided to give the waterslide a try. It spit me out in a sitting position before dropping me 15 feet. My thighs hit the water like concrete. The bruise that ensued was not pretty. Matt went after me and avoided the pain by pointing his toes. He looked like a bit of a dandy but was bruise free.
We had to get used to looking at prices in pesos.
Los Arcos
At Los Arcos Matt walked down to some roadside
shops. I was back on the shuttle when he came back but didn't see him get on.
Instead I heard cheers and clapping. I looked over to see Matt climbing
on....wearing THIS.
Sans Soucis
For my birthday dinner we ate at the French Restaurant at the Hotel. I was confused how it could be a French restaurant because everyone kept pronouncing it SANS SUSHI instead of SANS SUSEE. It was a pretty fancy restaurant. As soon as we walked in the host looked Matt up and down, "Do you have some long pants you could change into?" Ha! I tell ya, you can get away with saying anything if you have an accent. The irony was that a mom and daughter walked in right before us straight out of the pool. They were literally dripping. Matt left to change. He was gone quite a while and came back with a long tale about getting locked out of the room. But honestly I was glad to see him in his jeans and closed toed shoes. After dinner the music changed to "Happy Birthday" and I was brought out another delightful cake.
We ended the day by watching the sunset on from the beach. It was a perfect day.
May 19, 2016
HISTORIC DOWNTOWN PUERTO VALLARTA
We were really looking forward to a day of shopping. We had
a bit of trouble finding Ci Banco to exchange our money (we walked right by it
twice), but were able to trade our dollars for pesos. We walked to the pier and
were met by a friendly shop owner who wanted us to take a cab to his time-share
presentation. We told him we just wanted to do some shopping instead. He told
us that in 20 minutes the town would be taking a siesta and everything would be
closed for three hours. We were so disappointed! But Matt was clever and
decided to do his own thinking. He told the shop owner we still wanted to see
as much as we could. We shopped for hours and never saw one shop close. How
foolish we would have been to believe that guy! We found all sorts of
interesting things to look at. We bought a blanket from an old woman who told
us, "You make my day." Most of our shopping was during lunch as we
sat on the beach. Peddlers would come up to our table and show us what they
had. We ended up with some things we never would have stopped for otherwise. We
enjoyed watching parasailing as well.
This river looks like a favorite spot for the locals.
Our Lady of Guadalupe Church
We only stood in the doorway for a photo because people were
worshipping and we wanted to be respectful. And we have not idea who Lady of
Guadalupe even is;)
Puerto Vallarta is on a hill so the buildings look like they
are stacked on top of each other.
Rhythms of the Night
While shopping we bought tickets for a dinner cruise! The
boat was a party on water: music blaring, lots of food and drinks.
"We are in MEXICO!"
Caletas Island
It was spectacular when the island came into view all lit up
with candles and torches. We were led up to the state of the art amphitheater
for the show. We thought we might choke on bug spray. I don't know how the eco
system survives it;)
The show was full of acrobats, music, and high wire stunts.
It is a fairly new addition to Puerto Vallarta and is part of Cirque De Soleil.
After the show we were led down candlelit paths for a delicious buffet. I
needed to use the restroom and had a whitewashed hut with fresh flowers and
more candles all to myself. We lay in the hammocks for a bit after dinner till
it was time to board the boat.
May 20, 2016
Unique ATV Tours
Our favorite part of the tour was getting to drive through
the humble villages. Locals were out front visiting or setting up shop. I
noticed that none of them even glanced up when we passed. I felt sad to realize
they are so accustomed to the roar and smell that rumbles through constantly.
This excursion also ended at a water feature. It felt
wonderful to cool off and wash off all that dust! I walked up the river a ways.
I saw bright birds, colorful butterflies, and big lizards. I had to jump from
rock to rock to get by in some places. To me this was the most magical part of
exploring Puerto Vallarta.
We were on the tour with a rowdy pack of college boys. I
could hear them splashing and hollering. I walked up to where they were and saw
that they were jumping off the rocks into the water. They said I should do it.
"Sure!" However, once I got to the edge of the rocks, it was a lot
further down that I thought it was and the space between the rocks was a lot
narrower. I hesitated. Then one of the guys started counting down, "Three,
two...." I jumped. It was amazing!
Matt said, "Well I guess I am doing it now!
Moro Paraiso
Our next stop was at Restaurant for some lunch. While we
were sitting by the river, these two girls came out of the jungle. I asked them
their names (yes in Spanish!) One of their names was Alma. We bought some
suckers from them. The restaurant owner said they have lived in the jungle all
of their lives. I was so disappointed I hadn't brought my pass along cards. When
we got home I sent the cards, these pictures, and some stickers to the
restaurant. Who knows if they will get them.
Matt's Birthday Dinner
We walked to the mall that afternoon after we got back. It
was just a regular old mall. It even had a Chili's. Matt chose to eat there for
his birthday dinner. We were too full for dessert but Matt wanted to take some
cheesecake back to the room. He ordered "dos." However, when we
opened the container back at the hotel we saw that the waitress had packed dos
EACH. How were we going to eat four slices of cheesecake?
When left that morning a wedding was being set up outside
our room.
That evening when we got back from dinner it was just about time for the sunset ceremony. The reception party was directly outside our room. It was interesting to watch for a while but the monotone beat of music grew old. We thought they would wrap it
up by 10 pm, okay maybe 11, 12. Nope, it went on till 1 am!
up by 10 pm, okay maybe 11, 12. Nope, it went on till 1 am!
May 21, 2016
I was pretty hungry by the time we got to the airport
because I hadn't eaten a slice of cheesecake for breakfast like Matt had. After
this pizza I pounded down some "pound" cake as well.Matt wanted to buy a sombrero and a poncho while in Mexico. He had success finding a poncho in the market place but no luck with the other. It wasn't till we were at the airport that he found what he was looking for. It is never too early to shop for Halloween.
I started up a conversation with a fellow passenger. Boy she
sure had a different experience than we did. She had flown down to get gastric
bypass surgery. She brought her mother to be her caretaker but her mother ended
up ill and also in the hospital. Her estranged brother had to fly down to
rescue them both. I said, "Maybe this will be the start of mending your
relationship." Either way she said she was glad to be boarding and leaving
behind her trip from H.E. Double L.
I had pictured us sitting around the pool or the beach on this trip. Truth is, we never did sit by the pool. We frolicked in the waves of the
ocean (and I do mean frolic) one afternoon, but there was so much to do in
Puerto Vallarta. We could have spent even longer exploring the city. I
think the excursions we chose gave us a good taste of the city. It was a party!
This trip wouldn't have been possible if Grandma Donna hadn't
driven out from California to be with the kids. Mallerie was too busy with
school stuff and we needed a driver. Though grandma said the house ran itself, her
presence was greatly appreciated.
When we arrived home we unpacked our treasures for the kids and told them about our adventures and tales. And now you have heard them too!
