Puerto Vallarta today – our last port for this trip. We docked just before 9 am, and we were off this ship about 15 minutes later. PV is a “regular” port so no need to wait for the tenders and it is quick to get on and off the ship. It is much warmer and more humid in PV than it was in Cabo and, within a few minutes we are soggy. I wonder, as I often do in warm climates, how the people around me can manage to appear “dewy”, while I just look wet.
Our plan today was to go to the Malecon, which is the main boardwalk in PV. Andrew had done a bit of research and we planned to take the city bus. The cost for the bus is great – a mere 50 cents per person. The trade off is that they are hot and can be particularly crowded. As we were to learn later, Mexicans on public transportation have a different sense of personal space than we are used to. Luckily, despite the size of the buses, the drivers are able to zip them around through rush-hour traffic like they are a scooter, so the ride is only about 10 minutes in each direction.
We got off at the Malecon and shared a fresh donut from a street vendor before continuing on our way. Though it was still early, the Malecon was already quite busy with tourists and many of the performers were already going. We saw a group who spun by their feet from ropes tied to a 40-ish foot pole, men who stacked rocks to look like Stonehenge, and sandcastle artists. There are also many sales vendors both on the boardwalk and in shops and flea markets alongside. We walked to the end (about 2.5 miles) and back, then took the bus back to the area around the ships. We stopped at a Supermercado near the ship and bought more pop to have on the ship.
After we cooled off on the ship for a little while, we decided to head back down to the Malecon for a late lunch. We found a spot on the beach where we had margaritas and shared some nachos while we listened to a terrible singer cover Elvis, Eric Clapton and the Beatles. On the way back to the bus stop, we bought “shrimp on a stick” that vendors grill on the beach. Everyone here is very friendly and we are able to practice our extremely limited Spanish which consists of “Hola! Como esta? Bien, gracias!” Fortuitously, that is just enough to make people smile.
So - two more sea days left to finish off our trip. While the ports are fun, it’s always nice to have a couple of the very relaxing sea days at the end of the trip. We’re looking forward to a couple of days of noting before we head home on Sunday
Which one is Andrew hanging from his ankles? Sounds like a lovely day to end your Port stops with. Have a relaxing two days at sea before returning to real life. Thanks for sharing and letting us tag along.
ReplyDeleteMom Carolyn