Puerto Vallarta: Port Stop #2
As with every port stop, I snap a quick photo of my first view. This trip, our cabin is starboard, so we often don’t see the most active side of our stop. It’s been years since I visited Puerto Vallarta. For this stop, we broke into two groups. Jess and Lori went on a dolphin excursion and Laural, Roxanne and I made plans to take a taxi into town.
… but first… coffee! Every day begins with a Bailey’s and cappuccino. Mine made it into my stomach… Roxanne’s… well, not really. She accidentally spilled hers. One of the crew came over and cleaned it up. He had such a great attitude! He made a few bucks for his trouble…
Immediately off the ship was a small, covered shopping area. It is nice for those who don’t want to make the effort to go into town. People stood out front selling tours. Inside, there were several types of shops. Many locally made crafts were displayed in each store. We took a moment to look, but we decided we wanted to go down to the boardwalk area.
It was five dollars per person to get a ride into town. The first driver told us $30 and I knew that was too much… so we walked a bit more and got it for half the price. Technically, it should have been even less but maybe inflation hit the taxi business too. Walking down the boardwalk, we noticed lots of statues. No time like the present for a selfie!
We first noticed this man sitting on the boardwalk wall. He wasn’t talking to anyone… just hanging out. As we passed him, we noticed that four or five men were climbing up a white pole. Dressed in colorful, local garb, we soon realized they were entertainers. In unison, they leaned back off the pole and held onto the ropes swinging around the pole. As one afraid of heights, this made me a bit uncomfortable to watch! Shortly after, the man we saw at the beginning, walked around with a hat… requesting donations.
A dog walker caught my eye. She had her hands full with six dogs. It took her quite a while to walk the path because she had to stop constantly for people wanting to pet her babies. They all looked healthy and happy…
Statues decorated the shoreline. Abstract in nature, they included benches incorporated into the artwork. Unfortunately, the bronze heated to a degree it was impossible to sit for a photo. That would have been fun! The artist, Alejandro Colunga Marin, was originally a rock musician. He taught himself the art of sculpting. His pieces, for the most part, had human hands and feet but often the rest of the sculpture had sea creature design. These whimsical pieces are interesting. If it wasn’t so hot, I would have ventured down the boardwalk to see the others… and there are many!
As we walked around the town, Laural noticed a cigar shop. The owner was very nice and honest about the item she was looking for. Her son likes cigars, so she wanted to surprise him with a purchase. She had a specific type in mind… the owner told her it would be cheaper in the United States because it has taxes and tariffs applied. It was not a cigar from Mexico. Lesson learned. Bougainvillea lined the boardwalk… so beautiful!
While we wandered around town, Lori and Jess rode the dolphins! Deciding to skip it because we already did that excursion, was a big mistake. Next time, I will do it. It’s so fun! Seeing the pictures, I remember that feeling of pure joy. Dolphins are amazing species!
Each port stop offers a slightly different experience. From the sounds of it, Puerto Vallarta does a great job!
Dolphin kisses are the best!!!
Roxanne and I headed back to the ship about the same time as Lori and Jess got to town. We had no idea… but the heat was really getting to me.
One last photo on shore… later in the evening we had another great dinner. The service is impeccable, which makes it so enjoyable. What a true vacation!
