Wednesday January 20, 2010

More work to ready Bella Donna for the passage. The dingy is cleaned and looks re-markedly good after 6 years and all its been through. The divers come to replace the zincs, lead that protects the aluminum hull by becoming a sacrifice when a voltage leak causes metallic electrolysis. Over time the zincs are eaten away and need to be replaced. Divers also clean all the sea growth including barnacles from below the water line on the hulls. Bella Donna goes faster with less effort when she is clean. These diver dudes are very brave as the water is murky, you can't see more than a few feet. This would not be too bad but there is an occasional alligator in the water.

After lunch a rented car transports the crew to WalMart which is just across from the main port in downtown Puerto Vallarta. Two huge cruise ships are docked just steps from the shopping center. The shopping centers are very nice and modern. The super WalMart is the largest one that I have ever seen. We only buy food that does not need refrigeration because we are going to drive south down the coast to explore. Before we take off we visit Starbucks for a caffeine fix.

On the drive south we pass through old town with its cobble streets. One section just on the strand, closest to the Pacific Ocean, is called the Malecon. It very much reminds us of the Malecon in La Pas with its many statues of dolphins, sting rays and religious figures. One map we encountered shows the exact position of each statue relative to streets and businesses, this makes a walking tour easy by identifying where you are at all times relative to which statue you are near. This is a good thing because street signs are not always on the corners in Mexico.

Once out of town the road climbs to a cliff overlooking the bay offering a panoramic view of Puerto Vallarta and Nuevo Vallarta, where Bella Donna is docked. There are many villas and small resorts where ever there is the occasional beach cradled below the cliff.

We turn around leaving a more extensive exploration for another day. We plan to go to the "Texas" BarBQ at the Paradise Village Resort pool tonight. We quickly unload groceries at the nearest gate to Bella Donna which is right in front of the Jungle Night Club where the sign says "Bikini Contest Tonight". Just our luck there is no dock cart in sight to cart our groceries to Bella Donna; we have to hand cary the hundreds of pounds down the dock. Oh well, didn't go to the gym today.

Minutes later we take off to insure we get the best food at the 6:30 to 10PM buffet. It isn't exactly a Texas BarBQ, but the ribs, tacos, shredded pork, quesadias, prime rib beef and salads make for a good meal. The mexican potato salad is great; it had a lot of vegetables including peppers in a light tangy mayonnaise sauce. Oh did I leave out it is all you can eat and free drinks, not bad eh. The multinational staff treats us to Texas country dancing, line dancing instruction and mechanical bull rides among other things. Don is the only one eager in our party to line up for a ride. Thank God the man at the controls takes it relatively easy on the senior member of our crew,

God Bless Bella Donna