Puerto Vallarta 30th Anniversary Trip

Milt and I spent a week in Puerto Vallarta September 26 - October 3, 2009. Our 30th anniversary would be in November, so this was an early trip to celebrate. This is the 4th trip we've made to Puerto Vallarta so we know the town a little bit and really had a great time on this trip.
This is what we planned to do for most of the week, but just like the past trips, we didn't spend much time at the pool. We always say at the end of the time - "wish we'd have spent more time just relaxing at the pool"...maybe next time.
Our rooms at the Plaza Pelicanos were really very nice. We booked a 2 bedroom unit this time, with hopes that Lee and Amber could've joined us, but they were unable to, and so, we had more than enough space for just the two of us ! This is the "master bedroom" which had a huge bathroom attached to it. There was a second bedroom with it's own bathroom....
And, then this is the living area - which was open to the kitchen. The kitchen was never used - except to have some drinks in the fridge --off the kitchen and living area there was a 3rd full bathroom ! Too bad we weren't able to have anyone join us.
Both bedrooms and the living area had balconies that overlooked the pool and beach.

This was taken the second day we arrived - on the Malecon downtown. The Malecon is the local "boardwalk" beach front area in town. Across from the beach along this Malecon are lots and lots of shops to browse thru and lots of restraunts, etc. It is very packed each evening with lots and lots of tourists. On Saturday nights, it is packed with the locals who are out for a fun evening. We were taking pictures of each other, and then this couple stopped and offered to take our picture. The lady took our picture and as she was, her husband said - "you don't realize just how many extra cameras we have at home" We visited with them a few minutes and then they joined us on walking down the Malecon. They were Ruth and Charles Baker who were originally from Dallas, but had recently bought a retirement home in Chapalla, Mexico. They'd driven down to Puerto Vallarta for the week and surprisingly enough, they were staying right next door to our resort - litterally steps away from our lobby entry ! We ended up meeting up with them almost every day and spent lots of time together walking around the town. They were wonderful "travelling partners" for that week. They were agreeable to do just whatever we suggested as they'd never been to PV before and enjoyed the types of restaraunts we did and enjoyed just walking and browsing as well as we did.

This was on a "little walk" we were taking to a restraunt we'd been told about. I have to mention that this time in late September is about the worse time you can be in PV as far as the weather goes - it had to have been in the high 90's and the humidity was about that high as well. We got caught in several rain showers on our walks out in town. And, notice all the taxis you see along this road -- do you think Milt and Charles offered Ruth and I a taxi ride.....this particular walk probably took us a good 30 - 40 minutes in that heat and humidity to reach our Happy Lobster Restraunt !!
Well, the walk was worth it after all - we made it and enjoyed a really good meal. I will have to add that the guys did treat us to a taxi ride back. And that was probably only because it had gotten dark by the time we left and the neighborhood was not one that was very well lit at night !
This is the shopping area along the Cualle River downtown. The array of goods is very colorful and it was always fun to talk to the shop owners. Charles and Milt were just alike in that way, they enjoyed talking to all the locals.
Along the Malecon we would see the artists displays of their work for sale. There are some very talented locals that have beautiful things for sale.
This is the church that is just off the Malecon downtown. It is really beautiful and it is open for visitors to view the inside.
Look closely and you will see 4 men dangling from this pole. It is called Voladores de Papalanta. These Indian men climb up this pole and attach themselves by ropes tied to their ankles. The ropes have been wrapped around and around the pole. Then they descend the pole by starting to go around. As they go around and around, the ropes let out and they end up down on the beach - at which time they have to flip around and end up running around and around as they stop. It is amazing to see. There is also a flute player that is involved in it, so you have this beautiful background music accompanying the "dancers". They do this typically on Saturday nights on the Malecon, but we also saw them doing it during one of the days as we were on a tour and the bus stopped to let us out to have a walking tour at the Malecon.
This is artwork done by the Huichol Indians. You would have to look really close at this, but all the colors you see are actually tiny little colored beads that are put on one by one by hand. The Huichol's do this without any kind of "pattern" to follow, but once a piece is done, the pattern in it is amazing. We are just facinated by this work and love to browse in the shops that sell it. They typically will also have a native there set up at a table working on a piece, so you can see them do the work.
This is in the flea market downtown. On the top floor as you see here, there are several little food market stalls where you can get realy tasty "local" food. Sometimes it is a little hard to understand the owners on the menus they offer, but the food is worth trying.
In the market you see these beautiful pieces. The colors are so vibrant, I love just walking thru.
This trip we went on a bus tour and went south of town a little ways and stopped for lunch at this place - Las Cascades - after the lunch, we walked down to the river where there was this young man diving from the rocks. You can't tell really well in this picture, but he was diving into a really small pooled area and you were amazed that he would hit just right and not crash into the rocks. In 2006, we made a trip here with both boys, Amber and a friend of Johns - Brad Stoelsen. Also on that trip, Milt's cousin Royce Vickery and his wife Cathy met us for the week. On that trip, too, we all took a bus tour and ended up in this same area. At that time, the kids and Royce all joined a young boy in diving into these pools !!! Now that was scary !
The sunsets in Puerto Vallarta are just beautiful. Because of the rainy season this trip, we didn't see them quite as much as we have before, but did still get to see a few.
It was always fun to see the beach vendors selling their wares...they were a little bit pesty, but only because at some spots there were so many of them. Even so, I always think it's fun to see them working.
This is at Los Arcos - just south of town. We stopped here on the bus tour and got a wonderful view of the beach. On the trip I mentioned in 2006, we went to these rocks by boat on a snorkeling trip. So it was fun to see it from the road up above this time.
Milt did lots of bargaining in the market on this trip. This was taken our last morning in Puerto Vallarta when I wanted to go back to the flea market for a few souveniers...
Our "treasures" from the trip...I'd seen the necklace on the left (with more blue than coral) on one of the first days to the market and couldn't decide if I wanted to spend the $15 for it or not. Then on our bus tour at the spot where we overlooked Los Arcos, I found the one on the right and mistakenly thought it was the same as the one I'd seen at the market earlier - and at the stands on the road at Los Arcos, they were asking only $12 for it. So I had Milton get it for me there. And then, the next time we were at the flea market I checked back on the original one I'd seen earlier in the week and realized it was my favorite, so Milt indulged me and I got it too....See, it was a good trip, wasn't it !! ha ha
We did have a really wonderful time. We enjoyed ourselves quite a lot and we look forward to going again. Milt teases me and said he was going to tell everyone that he "left me in Mexico" - we traveled there separately, as Milt flew from Texas and I flew from California. And, the day we left, his plane back to Texas left the airport before mine to California did !