A morning in Puerto Vallarta town...and straight back out again.
OK, we’ve been putting this off and putting it off, but today we relented and headed into Puerto Vallarta town to do some shopping.This was torture for poor Robbie who just wants to blast into town to get whatever it is bought, and get out of there again as fast as possible, but that only works when you know what you want. The problem is when you don’t exactly know what you want and don’t exactly know where to find it...you see the dilemma?Happily, I know this little town and so headed to my favourite spots and got the shopping over with as soon as possible.Oh my lord guys. The sellers here are relentless! In fact, at some point Robert turned to me and said, “Veronica, if you ever want to wind me up, just call me ‘amigo’ a few times!”We stopped to find our favourite artist Xaime and bought another one of his little painting. That makes a small collection of four paintings for me and two for Robert. I’ll photograph it for you in a day or two, but you can just see it in a plastic bag behind R in one of the market photos. You’ve read about this amazing artist on my blog before here and here. He doesn’t have use of his hands and paints with his mouth. I’m always so humbled by him and his work.That was our morning. We had enough of town within an hour and headed back to the safety and calm of the resort where we had some lunch and jumped in the pool and sunbathed till supper.
Resort entertainment, a bizarre production
Last night, after supper, Robbie and I walked thru the resort and saw some people hanging ropes, testing laser lights and puffing out clouds of smoke from a smoke machine. And we thought, “A SHOW!”
So we pulled up a chair and waited.
We kept trying to guess what would be going on. R said pantomime, I said variety show....with pirates.
It turned out actually to be the funniest thing ever.Part pantomime, part concert, part acrobatics, part history lesson in a rambling Spanish dialect of which we couldn’t understand a word.
There was an Aztec princess, some pirates, a conquistador or two, a random father dragged on stage who Robert swore was a plant, I didn’t think so, but it was a bit curious how he managed to dance the Gangnam style in sync with the comedian guy in leopard print.There was a charming little something-oodle who chased and jumped and barked and played dead on key, and some amazingly strong acrobatics.
We really enjoyed ourselves, even if the Aztec princess sang like Minnie Mouse on helium. By that time the experience was so completely bizarre that it probably wouldn’t have mattered.
The local wildlife
I have a little story to tell you.Here is a photo around the adult pool at our little resort with all the people happily taking in the sun and beach...exactly as we are,
and right beside the resort is a canal to the sea.
It's a lovely canal but doesn't drain directly into the sea, it drains thru a sand bank.Our room door faces the canal, our balcony faces the pool. It's lovely walking back to the room along the canal because I get so see some local birds...like this cormorant.
And these egrets.
You know me, I love to photograph the local flora and fauna, and I tend to notice mostly everything other people completely miss, like this wasp nest in a palm growing on a little island in the middle of the pool.
So this morning I met the local gardener who was removing some palm seed fronds and I asked him if I could have some. He gave me three. Then I spent a lovely time studying them for a sketch and finishing my book. This is The Perfume Collector by Kathleen Tessaro. Dalyce suggested it and I loved it. Actually, I didn't realise till the end of the book that this is the same author who wrote Elegance, which Robert gave me one Christmas. I loved that book too.
Then I sketched the palm fronds for a while,
While Robert read his birthday prezzy magazines,
And the sellers plied their wares on the guests. (Wow, that's some body art...huh?)
Meanwhile, this great-tailed grackle was keeping an eye on our pool neighbours who were eating chips and tacos.
By this time I was watching the frigate birds and thinking that I needed to go back to our room for a fresh-up.
So I left Robbie reading, the frigate bird flying, and the grackle picking up crumbs, walked back to our room, turned the corner...and...
:OCrocodile on the canal! Ten foot Twelve foot Thirteen feet long! At least!
So I ran out of the balcony saying, "Robbie, Robbie, quick, hand me my camera, come see, there's a crocodile on the canal!!!"I got this look!
So I gave up and went to see again. It looked like the object of the crocks affection was this huge iguana easily four five six feet long, on the deck of the resort next door, right above the crocodile.
So I watched, exchanged surprised glances with the locals, and got my fill of photos. Then I walked back to the pool deck and my second book.Meanwhile, some children started shouting "el crocodilo!!!" at their parents from the balcony on the third floor. Robert looked at me and I said, "see?", and he said, "You paid them to say that!" LOL
Well, I'll tell you something. I'm not much of a runner with my foot all sprained at the moment and took great comfort in there being a good chain link fence between our resort and the canal, but when we returned to our room, there was the huge iguana, inside the chain link fence on the little golf green just outside our room door, munching away happily.
Robert said, "do you suppose the crock ticks?"
Mexico, got out of town
Let me tell you something :DThis is going to belong to my "Well, if you can believe this!" file.Remember last June I stepped sideways and wrenched my right ankle? Well, Wednesday evening I stepped sideways again...this time off a chair holding a suitcase, and wrenched my left ankle. Off to emerg for an X-ray and luckily it's just a bad sprain with a probable torn tendon. (That's what I get for having figure skater's ankles.)That's it. I had enough. We flew off, wrenched ankle and all, and landed in Mexico for the week.
Goodbye Raincoover and hello blue sky.
This time, we chose to stay in the same little out of the way resort in Puerto Vallarta where we stayed 11 years ago just for the romance of it.
I'm happy to report that we have the same warm weather, cool ocean and beach sellers as expected,
the same palm trees, pelicans and frigate birds,
and the beautiful, tropical blooms I love to sketch all around us.
I'm glad we're here and we have this chance to relax.
And today, all afternoon, this beautiful bird was swooping over the pool deck, expertly manoeuvring his huge wingspan between the palm trees.I looked him up and he's a turkey vulture.Think I might sketch him tomorrow.
But for today, we'll just stay in the warmth and the sun and relax under the palm trees.
As the sun sets on our holiday...
...and I have to say goodbye to Puerta Vallarta, I will take another Mexican late March holiday and keep it safe in my heart. We have been spoiled to the max with the warmest ocean, the yummiest foods, the sweetest piña coladas and C's new discovery: Miami Vice: 1/2 strawberry daiquiri, 1/2 piña colada! :DWe've enjoyed our fellow holidayers and had some lovely conversations with what we hope will turn out to be new friends.We've shopped till we dropped and bought a little something for everyone.I've drawn in my travel sketchbook, made beaded bracelets, walked all over the little, hilly streets and peeked into the courtyards. I've loved seeing a golden tan and freckles develop across my child's nose, and dragged her into the ocean laughing and screaming with joy. (Evidence in her latest video up soon...I'll link as soon as it's ready.)Here it is!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qwZ-EVgB8oGoodbye Mexico and thank you once again for the frigatebirds and pelicans, the bougainvillea and plumeria, for the salty ocean, the fresh sea air, the warm days and the fragrant humid nights. X
Resort life
What lovely days we are having. Some of us still have to do some work while on holidays, but the work is minimal and there's plenty of time for resort life. Here the time sort of runs together in a long, uninterrupted line of bliss and sunshine. There's so much food that we hardly register a hunger for a meal, so much entertainment that hours pass by in increments of beach volleyball, arts and crafts, water aerobics, walks, swims, shopping, and suddenly it's evening.I know that to a lot of you, birds like brown pelicans and egrets and frigatebirds and Brewer's blackbirds are common, but to me they're exotic and spectacular to the max and I can't get enough of them. (If only you knew how many photos I've taken but spared you from.)And the lovely people around us. Sunny, smiling faces. We're loving every minute. :D
Puerto Vallarta, above the tourist centre
This afternoon, we walked along the Malacon; the mile long boardwalk, the tourist centre of shop keepers calling out to us, "hey pretty lady, tequila time, your boyfriend won't mind, hey, where you from, come here, almost free..." ad infinitum. (groan)
Small wonder then that we decided to turn to our left, up the small streets, up the stairs, up to the top of Puerto Vallarta, away form the sellers and tourists, to the very top till we couldn't climb any more. We came to see what we could see.
We were on the same level as the crown of the Our Lady of Guadalupe church.
The top of the hill and the only things above us were the roofs, the tulip trees and the blue sky.
Around us are ancient doors...
Tiny streets...
And backyard papaya trees.
Doorstep house cats,
And seed throwing squirrels.
That's the seed pod he chucked at us...lol...he missed :D
We took a good hour mooching around the little streets.
We admired the beautiful doors.
We were sorely tempted to trespass and run across the little bridges.
But, in the end, we took in the sights...
...and walked back down to the river...
...and followed it down to the sea.
I'll link Chloe's brilliant video of today as soon as she's uploaded it to YouTube. Writing blog posts is a lot faster than editing videos. :DHere it is!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5C3qi4ktc94&feature=youtu.be
Viva La Vida, sandias
Overcast day, so a little trip into town. A little walk down the El Malacon boardwalk.
With Chloe's new GoPro Hero 4 Black! Oh she's so excited to the max.
Me, I'm into the magnificent frigatebirds. I love how they hang out on the statues and roof tops here.
C's into her GoPro, but just wait, she's editing a wonderful little movie right now. Hopefully she'll upload it and I'll link it for you. :D
Oh, I'm also into the pelicans.
And picking plumeria blossoms for my hair. And feeling very Frida Kahlo-esque
And the bright, beautiful colours of Mexico.
It's easy to be happy here and enjoy life. Viva la vida!
And viva la never ending supply of limes for the Coronas.
And the watermelons? The sandias? Oh yeah, love those too! :D
Here we go: Chloe's postPlus her youtube for her charming video:https://youtu.be/tJNh8X4OfkE
Ola from Sunday night, which suddenly turned into a Monday morning
There's something to be said about bringing the weather with us.
But we Vancouverites, what do we care about the rain! We don't ever bother with an umbrella in a good old West Coast downpour... so a tropical storm? It's just March lioning it.And then there's that sky!
And that tropical Pacific.
This evening I walked in the warm, wet sand, and let the surf splash up my legs. I watched dolphins playing and pelicans floating, and small birds darting among the palms, until the last of the light was gone.
And then, exhausted from two extremely shorts nights and hours of travel, I slept, and slept, and slept thru the warm and humid Mexican night. :D