The country of Mexico is big with a population of 111,212,000 (2012 census). The language is Mexican Spanish, although much English is spoken, especially in the tourist areas of the country. The best times to visit are from October to May, mostly to avoid the extreme temperatures as we stated already. The currency is the Mexican peso, and the exchange rate today was 21.45 pesos to $1 USD.
Our port of call, and the only Mexican port we will visit, was Puerto Vallarta, with a population of 250,000. It was officially founded in 1851 as a fishing village. Now it is a relaxing vacation spot, as well as the destination for the "spring breakers", college-age kids looking for fun and sun. It certainly has changed since our first visit here back in the early 70's. The high-rise hotel resorts did not exist on Banderas Bay, nor did the night clubs and high-end jewelry stores. Yep, it has been cleaned up and developed into a safe place for travelers worldwide.
Eighteen tours ranging from $40 to $200 were offered here today. Since we have done many of them, we planned a day of walking and exploring…..with the ultimate reward of going to lunch. Leaving the ship at 10am, we made our way out of the port area, and past the never-ending line of eager taxi drivers vying for our business. They always try to warn us that it is way too far to walk to the downtown area, but we know better.
Actually, we noticed that many more folks were out and about on the main street to town. That has to be due to the weather not being oppressively hot. As for shopping, we were on the lookout for a couple of small items. One was koosies or foam-like drink holders for sodas, water bottles, or beer bottles or cans. They do help insulate the beverages and keep them from sweating in the bag. Halfway to town, we found exactly what we wanted at a tiny souvenir shop. We decided to pick them up on the way back.
Passing many very nice ultramodern 5-star hotels on the ocean side, we eventually ended up at the Malecon in the old part of town. This iconic boardwalk has been re-paved and closed to through traffic. Most of the recommended restaurants are located on this street such as Senor Frog's, The Blue Shrimp, and Cheeky Monkey, a name we like. A Hard Rock Café was our usual destination, but it is no longer here.
Of course, all of these restaurants are interspersed with ultra-high end jewelry stores, many of them recommended by the ship's shopping ambassador, Matthew. It is possible to get a good deal in these stores, as long as you know your gemstones and precious metals. A limited guarantee of 30 days applies to purchases made at these certain stores. It is good for repairs or exchanges, we understand.
We witnessed something we have never seen here……..a local fisherman holding court with a bunch of begging pelicans on the beach near the fresh fish market. They stood there at attention, while he taunted the frigates flying overhead, who actually dipped down to snatch fish parts from the man's hand. Interesting how these normally wild creatures can be trained with food. We did not stick around long enough to see the man solicit tips for those who got great photos of his "show". One bold pelican invaded the inside of the fish market, begging directly from the butcher, who tossed him tidbits as he cleaned the catch.
The Malecon is also filled with open-air bronze sculptures, created by local artists, some of which are "out of this world". Even sand art or rock art that they create is a clever way to gather tips from the camera buffs among the tourists. Bet they do pretty well with the numbers of visiting folks we saw today.
One such display that attracts lots of folks is the indigenous Indian pole in the center of town, where a ritual of four swinging natives from the top to the bottom is performed on the top of the hour. These brightly-costumed fellows do this by hanging upside down, secured by ropes hidden under their clothing. The number of revolutions and the timing of the descent symbolizes the calendar, we have read. There is much more to this display, but the exact explanation escapes us right now. Never-the-less, the activity adds to the mystique of Mexico.
Local vendors gather near the central square of the Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe, selling their mostly hand-made souvenirs to passing tourists. Usually seen are dolls made from brightly-colored dried corn husks, pinwheels, little plastic kites with Superman soaring in the breeze, and beaded jewelry. A few elderly ladies can be seen making old-fashioned cloth dolls, sitting next to their display for sale. And of course, you come cross dozens of young men selling silver (or Mexican silver) necklaces, bracelets, and earrings, many set with turquoise stones. They are suspiciously cheap, and might tarnish rapidly, but sure look good for a while. If you are looking for the good stuff, stick to the guaranteed stores.
Finally, we made our way to Rio Cuale, crossing the bridge to Isla Cuale. The restaurant, River Café, is located alongside this river, and is our favorite place to enjoy truly fine Mexican cuisine. It has got to be the best place around here, because it was almost full of guests when we arrived shortly after noon time. Greeted by two lovely ladies dressed in native costumes, we were seated along a railing that gave us a good view of the river. Just as we sat down, friends, Leslie and Handler spotted us yelling "hello". They were there with their travel group on one of their complimentary tours. Seems that we had the advantage of being a table for two, because we were served immediately.
We ordered from a new menu since we were here last May. Nachos with guacamole and fresh salsa was our shared starter. Naturally, we had Pacifico beers, about $2 each. A can of soda was actually more money. Then we split an order of fajitas – chicken, bell peppers, and onions cooked to perfection in a black skillet and served with three flour tortillas. More guacamole, refried beans, and salsa came with it. Mmm…..good. It was well worth the long walk here.
We took our time walking back along the shoreline of Banderas Bay. That led us back to the Malecon, where we back-tracked taking photos all the way back to the ship. We did make that stop at the little shop to buy the koosies and one small fabric purse with a neck lanyard, big enough to fit a room keycard and a few small items. Guess how much? Try $2. Our big buys of the day were less than $10. While there, we asked the nice vendor about the skeleton art pieces we saw on her shelves. She explained that it symbolizes the Feast of the Dead, or Feast of All Souls on November 2nd. Locals will decorate their relative's graves with these figurines, then add flowers, grain, or favorite foods that their deceased relative liked when they were alive. Not a sad day, but a day of parties, she said. Now we just have to re-assure our room stewards not to be afraid of our piece of art……….
Coming back to the cruise terminal, we had to go through the security check. The Mexican authorities are quite thorough by checking all bags and purses, zippers opened. Seems that any beverages are suspect, since our guard looked closely at the soda bottles in the purse. He checked every pouch and zipped compartment. Passing inspection, we were both subject to the wand test with arms up before being allowed back to the ship.
There were cages with some macaws nearby. They were making such a racket, we had to check them out. Aggressive, noisy, and dangerous, these birds looked stressed to us. No way would you put your finger anywhere near these cages, or you might lose it.
At the gangway, the waiter in attendance insisted that everyone had to use Purell before getting onboard. A good habit to do anyway, we complied gladly. No doubt about it, the virus has struck the Amsterdam. How bad? We don't know yet………
Cooled off in the room until sail away at 5:30pm, the all onboard time. Turned out we did not need to cool off, because once we made our way back to the aft deck, it was almost chilly. Clouds had drifted over the area, and it appeared that fog might be on the way. Doubt we would stay back here much beyond the time we left the dock.
Good thing we ran into Bob and Scoop because we did stay longer to chat with them. Right after they went back inside, we spotted at least two whales diving several yards away from the ship. No question they were humpbacks, perhaps a female with her baby. This time we had the good camera, and did snap a few frames catching them before they dove deep. Then we kept a lookout for more, but saw dolphins instead. There were a few tours today where you could see these wonderful creatures, but we have never seen them leaving the bay. Got lucky again.
Dinnertime came quickly as one of us tried to finish down-loading all the photos of the day. Sharing the stories of everyone's exploits today has been the highlight of our nightly meals. We were the last guests to leave the dining room, missing the show unfortunately. A group by the name of 4ever performed in the Queen's Lounge. Advertised as 4 voices to bring you on a trip through music in different languages sounded intriguing. Perhaps they will be on stage again.
Oh yes……the clocks went back one hour tonight….good news. Two days at sea, and we will be back in the good old USA in San Diego.
Bill & Mary Ann
Welcome to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
The flag of Mexico
Pirate boat tour and shopping mall of Puerto Vallarta
Party boat
Banderas Bay – 25 miles long
Treasure hunters
Harbor where we dock
Bar set-up across from the ship
Brick orange hotel
The start of the hotels
Driveway to a hotel
Main highway
Canal to the bay
Another canal flows to the sea
La Isla, a brand new shopping mall
Ultra-modern, upscale shops
Finally finished hotel and resort
Landscaped nicely
A new resort
Fiesta Americana Hotel
Bananas
Skeleton folk art – quite creative
Handmade baskets
Old-fashioned washing machines
The third canal to the bay
Beach resort
Travelers palms
The Sheraton
Crossing the bigger canal
Local shop
The view from a new hotel
This way to the public beach
Chickens on the spit, potatoes & peppers down under
Community square
Typical cafes
There is a Starbucks Coffee now
Balcony dining
Bronze art
A begging pelican
The fish market (notice the pelicans inside)
Pelicans attending class?
At attention – waiting for handouts
A frigate snatched the fish parts
It's the pelican's turn
Frigates
Beginning of the Malecon
The beach on Banderas Bay
Scenic
Small fishing boat
Modern art sculptures
Mexican folk art
Someone had a sense of humor
Store full of souvenirs
Maracas - $1 USD
Landscaped boardwalk
Many nice restaurants
This street is closed to traffic
Indian performer
It was a long climb
The top
Odd character
Places to rest in the shade
Getting ready to spin
Four fellows wraps their ropes around the top of the pole
Taking their time to get it right
Ready to go
Hanging upside down, the slowly descend
Ropes unwind as they spin around
Much symbolism here
They must get dizzy
Flutes and drums are played with their performance
Halfway there
They do this every hour
Small fishing tour
Follow the water's edge
Meandering Malecon
Restaurant with the swinging cow?
Rolling beach boulders
Another bronze piece of art
Scary-looking
Out-of-this world
Store-lined walkway
Cheeky Monkey – a popular restaurant
Iconic statues
For cheap food & drinks – go to Cheeky Monkey
Not crowded today
