We Have No Plans & We Are Sticking To Them

P.V. is proving to be a really difficult place to leave. First ordering the new autopilot is taking longer than planned and second, friends from previous ports keep arriving and we want to spend some time with them. We just spent the better part of a day with Pam and Scott on Tournesol (Something about the sun in French) and had a really great time. They have a time share just a couple of miles from our dock. We spent the afternoon at their pool/beach/hot tub and condo (see http://www.blindsailing.com/ for more on Pam and Scott). Then we went to our extraordinary dinner place out in the county. For $9.00 US you get more fresh shrimp, lobster and fish and side dishes than even I can eat.

Our friends on Eleytheria (Freedom in Greek I’m told) are due in today. They will be good for at least another week.

We started the day by taking the bus to Paradise Village Hotel & Marina to check on our marina reservations and enjoy a first class resort setting. We took a water taxi back. The bus took 45 minutes - the water taxi took less than 25. We rode back with a crewmember from a 95-foot luxury yacht. He spends the winters here and the summers in the Puget Sound area. We were in a 21-foot open boat with a huge Honda outboard. Neither of the taxi crew spoke a word of English but they could handle that boat. We had to put on life jackets when we went by the Port Captains office, “it’s the rules”. Of course by then we are in the harbor 25 feet from shore doing 6 kms/hr as opposed to 60 kms/hr and a mile out a few minutes before. Cruising is about sailing in warm waters and exotic anchorages for sure but the fascinating people and situations are the frosting on the cake.

Riding the busses and shopping for groceries with they locals is always interesting. We can ride all around Puerto Vallarta 4 pesos (36 cents) each. Often a musician will perform for just the small change that he may be given by the riders. The stores are full of interesting products and people. Vagari is less than two miles from Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club. They have the same lunch deal as Costco. The Hotdog Pack for 35 pesos gets a large hotdog; large drink and large French fries covered with cheese and way too much salt. All the US condiments are available plus some Mexican ones like hot peppers and salsa. A pizza pack is also sold for the same price. We can be lazy, take a bus to downtown stop at Sam’s on the way back, have lunch, take a bus back, see some live entertainment and only spend 4 US dollars a head. Did I mention that the weather is ideal, the people are gracious and the views are magnificent? Yes it’s hard to leave PV.

Continuing on the food theme, our favorite restaurant on the malecon is Victors Place. It’s at least a ½ mile away at the other end of the malecon. This means that we will walk over a mile just getting dinner. That has got to be worth a dessert, right? Great fresh seafood dinners complete with an after dinner liqueur for under $7.00. Beer is 10 pesos and comes with a shot of tequila. You can sit outside on the malecon with a beautiful view of the harbor with the city lights and jungle-covered mountains behind. I’m not sure I remember why we want to leave PV.