Well I have to say Puerto Vallarta doesn’t disappoint. We had a great couple of days enjoying this charming city while parked in a modern marina with all the amenities to satisfy a boat that has been ‘roughing it’ for the past 1000 miles!
Mike and I entertained ourselves Saturday morning with a jungle cruise, really just a little taxi boat ride along the canals that wind through a maze of mangroves. We saw wild crocodiles along the shore, and iguanas and herons in the mangrove tree tops – all within walking distance of our very modern marina berth, and interspersed among beautiful residential estates.
In the afternoon we took a taxi to Puerto Vallarta’s beachside main street and strolled through the streets and marketplaces just enjoying the environment. Saturday night is a big night in Mexico – all the families come out to stroll along the beach or cruise in their cars down the main street. The malecon (basically a beachside boardwalk) was filled with street vendors with food of all description – grilled corn, tacos, strawberry sundaes, cotton candy, carved mangos on a stick, even a cart full of desserts worthy of a 5-star restaurant. Street performers entertained the crowd, and the highlight of the evening were Huichol Indian acrobats, colorfully dressed in native costumes and trailing streamers, who suspended themselves from a very tall pole on the beach and spiraled slowly to the ground maypole style!
However our goal is still further south, so tomorrow morning we are sailing out of Puerto Vallarta’s huge Banderas Bay and heading further south down the coast towards Manzanillo.