Punta de Mita, Nayarit, Mexico

Punta de Mita looked like a nice place and we may go back there someday and spend some more time there.  It had a beautiful beach and marina.
 

Punta de Mita, Nayarit, Mexico

Punta de Mita, Nayarit, Mexico

Near Punta de Mita, Nayarit, Mexico

This was the construction we had to negotiate our way through on the way there and on the way back to the coach in Sayulita.  It was certainly worthwhile.  The next time we go there we'll be able to drive the coach there as they were widening and paving the road.
 

Near Punta de Mita, Nayarit, Mexico

We took some side roads to look around their neighbourhoods and we saw these two beauties.
 

Punta de Mita, Nayarit, Mexico

We couldn't resist showing you some more abandoned vehicles on the side of the road :)
 

Punta de Mita, Nayarit, Mexico

North of Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico

We often include these kinds of pictures so that you can see the changes in the topography.  We had some pre-conceived notions of what we thought Mexico was like, and we have been pleasantly surprised at the diversity of the landscape.
 

Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico

We have now left the state of Nayarit and entered the state of Jalisco.  We are also now entering PV.  Take note of the clouds.  There are tropical depressions and storms happening in both the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific Ocean at this time.  We are keeping a close eye on them. 
 

Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico

We plan to stay in PV for a week or so, so that we can have our mail sent down.
 

Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico

Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico

Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico

It is still beautifully mild even when the sun is not shining.  The weather is getting more and more humid.  Cindy's hair is starting to go curly and a bit frizzy.  When the sun shines it can be quite hot now.
 

Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico

Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico

This was a great area!  There is this island in the middle of a river, right in the city.  You can stroll along it's entire length.  It is an area of restaurants and vendors, and a great place to people watch.  I don't know if we have mentioned this, but there are vendors set up all over Mexico.  You are probably not surprised by this, what may surprise you is that they cater to more than just the Canadian and US tourists.  As Canadians, at this time of year, we are definitely a minority.  Most of the tourists here now are Mexicans.  Typically, most Canadians and Americans travel to PV between October and March.  It's unusual to be here at this time of the year, because of the heat.

We were surprised to see that there are lots of Mexican tourists that travel at this time of the year, and the vendors are set up for them and the locals. 
 

Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico

Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico

Isn't the root system on this tree incredible!
 

Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico

These life-like carvings were made from coconuts.  Aren't they wonderful?
 

Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico

There were a number of places along this small island where you could cross back to the mainland on a suspension bridge like this.
 

Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico

In one of the town squares we saw this little beauty.  You can see her friend running and playing in the background.  They were having a great ol' time.
 

Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico

This is their very beautiful and very old church.  It had an interesting top on the bell tower in the shape of a crown.
 

Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico

Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico

What a gorgeous interior.  Note the marble floor, the gold, the pillars and archways...  Spectacular!
 

Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico

Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico

Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico

PV had a number of really nice statues, AND some very 'interesting' ones...as you will see later on in the travel log.
 

Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico

Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico

Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico

This is the 'main' town square.
 

Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico

This is that same church and you can get a clear look at the crown on top.  Also take note of how narrow some of the streets are.
 

Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico

We took our scooters way up into the residential area in the hills.  The view up there was tremendous.
 

Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico

Who do you think is boss!?!  Well, Tiki is, of course.  Tiki does not bark very often, but he sure let this guy know who was in charge. 

This goat was a resident of the RV Park in PV.  What a hoot.  We met him when we were walking around deciding where we wanted to call home for a week.  For some reason he likes men, and he particularly likes to stick his nose in your butt.  Poor Barry...  Cindy never laughed so hard in her life.  Barry kept shooing it away, and it would like the attention and try even harder.  It was so funny, but Barry actually finally had to throw something at it and yell at it to get it to go away.  Cindy was no help at all, she was too busy laughing and wiping her eyes to help.
 

Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico

Again, we had the pick of the park.  This park was HUGE, 10 acres!!  And we were the only ones there.  Note that there aren't any RV Parks in PV with a view of the ocean.  However, this park was so beautiful.  It was really well established with huge palms, bushes, mango trees, flowers, cobblestone, etc.  Each site had a patio, shade, parking area for car or scooters, etc.  There were large, clean washrooms, a huge pool, a gigantic palapa for gatherings and shade.  It was really beautiful.

However, we could not walk to downtown PV like we could in Mazatlan, so each time we wanted to go anywhere we had to take the scooters.  We're not sure if we have mentioned how Mexicans drive in the city...  For people that are so laid back most of the time, they are crazy, aggressive drivers.  They honk at the slightest hesitation from the person in front of them.  The bus drivers and taxi's are the worst.  You have to be very careful and very decisive.
 

Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico

One day a bus full of students came to the park to pitch their tents and camp for a few days.  We said hello to them as we saw them around.  One night, a bunch of them came knocking on our door to find out more about us.  We had a great time with them, we all chatted and asked questions.  We practiced our Spanish and they practiced their English.  We had pen and paper and dictionaries out.   It was great.  They were funny and kind.  Especially the one in the white skirt, she got quite a charge out of us.  She wanted us to kiss each other.  So of course, we did :)
 

Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico

We had gone to bed, when there was another knock on the door.  They invited us over to enjoy their campfire.  We felt shy but flattered, so we headed over there.  They had music and beverages and they were roasting marshmallows and wieners.  Some were dancing.  It was great.  The same young lady wanted us to kiss again, we did, and then she wanted us to dance.  We had been admiring their dance steps and decided we would give it a try.  We had a great time.
 

Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico

The beautiful marina in PV.  You could walk all around the marina on the boardwalk.  It was truly beautiful, we enjoyed our day.
 

Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico

TEST:  Was your eye drawn to the background or to the foreground :) ?
 

Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico

Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico

Another church in PV.  Notice the ropes on the right side of the church for ringing the bells.
 

Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico

Notice the brick archways and the stained glass.  We love going to look at their churches.
 

Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico

Ok, here is where the statues start to get interesting...
 

Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico

Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico

This is a great sand castle, with such beautiful detail and colours.  The movie 'Night of the Iguana' was filmed in PV, hence the inscription "La Noche de la Iguana" under the iguana.  The middle inscription is wishing the fathers of Mexico a "Happy Fathers Day", or in Spanish "Felicidades Papa".  And the end one is a religious picture, the Virgin Mary, we believe,  with Pto. Vallarta inscribed below it. 
 

Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico

And the statues get even more interesting...
 

Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico

Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico

Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico

Isn't that the cutest little beer truck you have ever seen?  Those are piles of Corona cases...
 

Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico

This is in the older part of PV.  We enjoy strolling around and up and down the streets, off the beaten path, especially in the larger centers.  The contrasts are incredible.  From the glitz and business of the tourist zone to the everyday life of the average resident.  When we do eat out, which is not very often, we almost never eat in the tourist areas.  We head into the parts of the city where the locals eat.  It costs less and it is more authentic Mexican food.
 

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