Welcome to our Christmas in Mexico Blog!

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We are so lucky to be spending this time here in Mexico!
Happy New Year 2009!

Brown Pelicans

There are hundreds of Brown Pelicans each day that fly overhead, dive into the water, and float on the swells just off shore. They cruise in along the beach, and their juxtepostion above the rainbow of umbrellas is almost comical. They are so prehistoric looking, graceful in their flight, while huge and awkward as they splash down for a bite to eat.

Wandering the Streets

We love just walking around Puerto Vallarta. Whether it is making our way down narrow sidewalks lined with parked cars and tourist shops, or wandering through neighborhoods away from the hotels... we like the experience of meeting new people, seeing new things, and discovering the similarities and differences of the Mexican culture.

Taxi Rides

Casa Isabel is a steep climb up a cobblestone hill. Mostly we walk, but after a day at the beach and an armload of groceries from a local market, we might splurge $4 for a cab up to the wrought iron gate. My favorite part of the ride is always Bruce conversing with the driver, making jokes in Spanish! We also take a cab to locations hard to get to by local bus. We took one over to the Krystal Hotel where we go for outdoor massages. We love hanging out by their pools before and after.

On an early morning walk you might see sidewalk cafes with their wonderfully woven chairs just piled up on the tables, waiting for their day to begin.

Canopy ZipLine Adventure

We spent about five hours today going south of Puerto Vallarta for a ZipLine tour of the rain forest. It was such a blast! We even enjoyed the bumpy open aired bus ride to the Canopy Tour location. It is right on a most beautiful river, with big, huge, smooth boulders and green water. There were fourteen lines that were up to 400 meters long, and way up high through or above the canopy of the rain forest. My favorites were the lines that zipped back and forth across the river. One time, one of the guides rode across the cable right in front of me. In fact, our legs were intertwined. He was challenging me to let go and lean back! I couldn't make myself do it, but it was really so much fun... exhausting and exhilarating!
YEEEE HAAAAAAAA!

Saturday at the Beach

We spent some leisure time on our beautiful balcony before walking into the neighborhoods in search of breakfast. We found a place frequented by Mexicans that was great. One of the specialties of the house was eggs with onions, cheese, and cactus. It was really good. We people watched for a while, as the little restaraunt was set down from the sidewalk. Afterward, we went to a beach where Bruce body surfed and I body watched. It was obviously a gay beach and there were many beautiful guys to check out, as they paraded as singles, couples, or in waves along the shoreline, before returning to the safety of the umbrella packed portion of the beach that they'd taken over.

Day of Relaxation

We each took separate walks this morning. Bruce walked up the river toward the mountain, and I walked down through the open market stalls. We met up to change rooms and hang out by the pool and read.

Our New Suite

We moved to another suite today. It is totally open to the city and ocean. Only a glass window of a wall separates the bath from the balcony patio area. There are lots of plants, a palapa roof, a small kitchen area, and multiple places to lounge. There are three levels, with the main bed on the top level so that even laying down you can see out to the edge of town and the water. We get great internet up here, so I can watch the city lights as I blog.

Little Faces

This little one was selling bracelets on the beach in Sayulita. I asked her to pose for a picture for a dollar instead. Isn't she adorable?
This sweet baby was in front of me on the bus.

Portraits of Mexico

Christmas Day

These are the steep steps we go down to get to the neighborhoods below. So far we have had a different massage each day... One at Venus Spa (Bruce's favorite), one for just me with a guy named Raul who we met on a street we go down, then we both had great massages at the white tents at Hotel Krystal. We spent Christmas Day there, lounging around the pool. Then we hurried in a cab back for the free turkey dinner at Casa Isabel. Everyone got two drinks or a bottle of wine. We sat at a table and watched the sun set with a nice older couple from Canada. The night is calm, the ocean black and glassy, and the fireworks beautiful. The faraway sounds of traffic and laughter can be heard, but they have put on some soft Christmas music so we won't forget what day it is!

Sayulita

My perfect day would pretty much be just sitting in a lounge chair on the beach with a good book. We saw this cool bird in Sayulita, then again on the River Cuale this morning. We need to buy a bird book to identify some of the interesting birds we have spotted. We had an incredible meal on the beach, carne asada and fried prawns that melt in your mouth. The town of Sayulita probably use to be quaint, but it is as though someone decided to leave the dusy cobblestone and rutted roads and put in high end import-like stores with U.S. prices. There were lots of English speaking tourists there. One thing we love about the places we go in PV is that there are many vacationing native Mexicans here.

Bus Ride

We took a two hour bus ride north to Sayulita. Bruce stood the whole way, and I was smashed in a seat with the wind blowing in my face. The bus stopped about every four or five minutes, picking up all kinds of people along the way. My favorite little group was a young family with three little boys. Their hair was all slicked back and spiked like their dad's and their mom had on a bright pink tank top with fur trim for Christmas. I bet they were going to the folks for dinner. They got off at the next stop, a dirt road following along a dried up gully.

The View

From our little apartment, we can see all of downtown Puerto Vallarta, the beaches from north to south. If I lean over the balcony, I can see the mountains to the east and all the little houses and streets below. Every night there are fireworks at least twice. We have a great view of them, even from our bed. On Christmas Eve we had the additional neighborhood celebrations... many loud quick bursts of missal like explosions. It was the first night we closed our wall of glass that separates us from the outer balcony.

Walking Around

We love walking around the old part of Puerto Vallarta. There are so many people to watch. Here is an old guy with a Santa hat and his walker. He was handing out candy canes! I like all the little shops, while Bruce looks a little, then takes a rest at a sidewalk cafe. When I met up with him, he had a beer,a plate of appetizers, and his suduko puzzles. He was a happy tourist!

On the Beach

We walked down the cobblestone streets and uneven sidewalks to the beach. There we found two chairs under an umbrella in front of a restaurant waiting for us! I wolfed down a whole order of chips, salsa, and guacamole by myself... along with a gigantic strawberry daiquiri. The next two hours were a sleepy blur of solicitations of sarongs, tattoos, jewelery, and carvings... I dozed while Bruce held the vendors at bay with "No Gracias," as he continued doing his puzzles in the shade.

Day 1- Doing Nada

Sunrise is at 7:00am and the sky goes from black, to gray, to totally light, in a matter of minutes. We ordered a fruit plate and yogurt from the kitchen, and sauted our own fresh onions, cilantro, zucchini and eggs for breakfast. We watched the sleepy town wake up... cars below moving slow through the streets,like lethargic beetles beginning their day.

Casa Isabel

Our room is on the third floor with a killer view. We walk up several flights of narrow steps, that we can access from a locked metal gate on the street below. There is a large circular opening on each level with its own unique view.

Casa Isabel sits on a cliff, above the beach at the south end of the Malecon, in what is known as the Romatic district of Puerto Vallarta. As we made our way in the cab through the bumpy congested streets of downtown, I kept my eye on the beautiful yellow hotel, nestled high up on the hill.

A Long Day

We woke up in the wee hours of the morning and Patty drove the almost deserted streets and freeway to the Oakland Airport. We waited in a line with sleepy people before we could check in and wait again. We slept the first leg of the trip, wandered the Pheonix airport for a few hours, then headed the last two hours to Puerto Vallarta. We easily hailed a cab... and were off to Casa Isabel.