Back (still) in Puerto Vallarta
01 February 2017
OK, really embarrassed that it has taken this long to write our second post! Seems like a lot has transpired since we left Ventura in late October. I just found out that we can back date posts, so hopefully I can start getting some back stories filled in soon. Such as highlights of our trip south on the HaHa, our inland trip to San Miguel de Allende / Guanajuato and our area adventures in and around Banderas Bay.
So... a little explanation on how we are still in the PV area after first arriving here Nov 18!
First of all, Banderas Bay really does have it all, beautiful marinas that lure us into lazy days where we barely make it as far as the pool or hot tub or a walk along the resort beach. Or maybe not further than the air conditioned mall right behind our dock sporting a Starbucks, Gelato stand, breakfast house, dinner options, and small supermarket. Yes, on certain days we actually peruse the local farmers/craft market for fresh bread, cinnamon rolls, home-made italian sausage, fresh caught jumbo shrimp, delicious fresh fruit, and well, you get the idea. If we are really ambitious, we might hop on a bus or "colectivo" and head into one of the close by towns for some authentic Mexico experiences. Especially the food!! Then of course, there are the numerous festivals, music events, outdoor movies, surf beach towns, cruising seminars... And how could I wait this long to mention the warmth and camaraderie of the local populace and cruising community!
Secondly, we did TRY to pry ourselves away to head south to experience the serene and beautiful anchorages of the Costalegre area. Unfortunately, our great luck up to that point also went south. We had numerous equipment issues: random autopilot failures, refrigeration that would not keep beer (or anything else) cool, a plugged toilet, and a flu bug that made us both sick at the same time. This all happened in a period of about 48 hours between Banderas Bay and Bahia Chamela (pictured above), approximately 90 nautical miles to the south. But the true kicker is that I reached the breaking point with a belly button that could no longer contain my small intestine. Yes, you did read that correctly! It's called an umbilical hernia by the medical types. Long story short; we had to reverse course and return to the big city so I could have an (outpatient) operation to sew muscle tissue from the left side of my abdomen to the right side. I will post the gory details in a separate post for those that just need to know, but suffice to say that Mexican health care rocks! We are now about a week away from heading south again and find some new adventures. Woohoo!