Steve
02/11/2012, Puerto Vallata

WOW....what a week it's been. We've been so busy being tourists with Sharon's family that I haven't had a spare moment to sit down and blog. since my last blog on Monday we've had quite an adventure, I'll try to keep it as short as possible. On Monday evening we attended a "Beach Party" at the Mayan resort, which included dinner, drinks and a show....which Sharon and I actually became a part of. A great time was had by all and as usual Sharon and I took full advantage of the "all you can drink" part of the party. On Tuesday Brian had booked a "City Tour" which took us all over Puerto Vallarta and the surrounding areas. We ended the day hopping off the tour bus in downtown PV and enjoying dinner and drinks overlooking the beautiful Banderas Bay....where Brian saw his first Green flash...and yes, it does really exist, ask Brian. Wednesday evening we boarded a large party boat and headed across the bay to see "Rhythms of the Night", which is a wonderful Mayan fire dance reenactment, in a "Survivor Show" atmosphere. This trip also included the "all you can drink" thing...however, the Rum Punch contained MUCH more sugar than rum. Thursday morning we woke before sunrise and left for our tour of San Sabastian, which is a former silver mining town located high in the mountains above Puerto Vallata. As we made our way to the meeting area in the dark, we both reflected on how happy we were about the watered down Rum punches the night before.
The San Sabastian tour could almost be a separate blog. We started the day stopping at an old Hacienda which is now a Bed and Breakfast, it was the first true Hacienda I've seen and a truly amazing peak into Mexico's past. Next we went to a Family owned coffee plantation where we learned about the process of growing and harvesting the coffee beans. After a nice lunch we walked into the small town of San Sabastian, which at one time was a bustling, however isolated, Silver empire.
Before Kathy and Brian left for home yesterday(pic), someone asked what part of the week they liked best, none of us could really answer that question as each part held special moments. Although many cruisers tend to stick to the non-tourist activities, we feel that it is as important to enjoy the many tourist activities as it is to relax in a remote anchorage. Just our opinion.

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Steve
02/06/2012, Nuevo Vallarta

Sharon's Mom Kathy, and her Uncle Brian arrived to Puerto Vallarta on Friday. Yesterday we decided to sail over to La Cruz for brunch and to visit the Sunday Arts fair. As is typical in the early morning hours there was no wind and we had to motor the 5 miles over to La Cruz. After tying up at the guest dock at Marina La Cruz, we enjoyed a nice breakfast and then strolled around the Arts Fair and through the small town of La Cruz.
Although there had been a nice breeze that had come up during brunch.....it had pretty much died out by the time we were pulling out of the marina. It's always disappointing for people who want to go out for a sail, and we end up motoring around all day. They probably are asking themselves "gee why don't they just buy a power boat?". To tell the truth, I sometimes find myself asking the same question. As we cleared the harbor entrance a slight breeze (3-4 knots) kicked in and I thought....damm it, we're putting up the sails and sailing. So up went the sails and Kathy took over for her first time at the helm of a sailboat. At about the same time as kathy took over the wind almost immediately jumped to 10 knots...then 12 and we were sailing. After about 30 minutes Brian took over (pic) and the wind stayed consistent, maybe even added a knot or two. Steering a sailboat under sail for the first time is not always easy, but both Kathy and Brian did a superior job of holding their course, even while watching some distant whales. So we may have two new crew members....if we can just get them use to living in a shoebox.

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Steve
02/04/2012, any Bano in Mexico

We always get a kick out of the signs here in Mexico. Sometimes a sign in English will have a word misspelled, or maybe they'll have the words in the wrong order, after all there are a lot of phrases in Spanish that are said in reverse of english. Most of our favorite Mexican signs have been involving the most basic of human needs...the bano. Now ya gotta love the fact that the Mexicans seem to take great pleasure in poking fun at what us Americans seem to want to pretend no one needs to do. You have to admit that the following signs are a lot more fun than the blue silhouette of a man or woman.....especially when ya gotta go.
Oh....and please don't pee on the floor guys.

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Steve
02/04/2012, Any Bano in Mexico

When the urge hits....it hits!

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steve
02/04/2012, any Bano in Mexico

This sure beats a plain "restroom" sign.

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Steve
02/04/2012, any Bano in Mexico

Please don't poop on our beach. Taken at Chacala

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