Today was planned as a trip to Old town Puerto Vallarta. What we got was more than we could have hoped for. We took a bus down the coast to PV got out and walked the Malecon along the water front. We had lunch by dumb luck, in a famous Cuban restaurant and the food was superb if a little expensive. But then we were on the water front with a boat load of Tourists off the cruise ship. We have spent four months in Mexcico for the most part in very small villages and felt like fish out of water looking at expensive jewelry and leather goods.
So Becky and I (Jim) began talking to a local man in a very small booth about our trip what to see in PV. He expected to be talking to a cruise ship passenger and instead was talking to a Yatista. He was very confused at first since Becky and I are not a couple and we each have our own boat!
But he recovered quickly and made several personal recommendations for places to see and places to eat. I was waiting for the other shoe to drop and eventually he said he wanted us to see an all inclusive hotel to recommend for our friends and relatives in return he would arrange for a deep discount on a zip line trip nearby for Denny and I while Connie and Becky come along to swim in a river. We said no once again because we were going to Costco shopping and back to the boat in La Cruz. We had planned to do this by Taxi because we were told by a Gringo there was no bus to costco. So Alonzo says he will drive us to Costco and back to the Marina if we will do his Hotel presentation tomorrow. He called his wife for the car and she was out but could meet us at Costco. So off to the bus and on to costco (there is a bus to costco and he showed us how to ride it)
There are no bus stops he says you just line up where every one else lines up???
On the way to Costco we realize none of us had his membership card... No Problema, Alonzo called his wife and she met us there with her card.
At the store we met his wife and two kids and all 8 of us piled into his car and drove to his home to drop off the family. We were then invited inside to see a typical home.... he gave us each a watermelon from his family farm and then it was off for a 20 min ride to the marina.
He is picking us up tomorrow morning for a complimentary breakfast and presentation about the hotel where we were promised time at the pool and transport to the ziplines. Denny and Connie think I am buying a lifetime mebership to this hotel. I think we traded a boring afternoon of looking at expensive jewelry we didnt want for an afternoon with a local family and some insight into how the locals live and work.
Stand by for part 2 tomorrow.