Tourists in Paradise
11 February 2012 | Puerto Vallata
Steve
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.