Excursions in beautiful Riviera Nayarit!

Well it's been just over a week now since I got back from my vacation. When I look back it's clear that outside of the normal bumps of any vacation, it was a very pleasant one! My parents and I flew into Puerto Vallarta at around 4pm on Friday July 1. As we stumbled into the crowded airport and attempted to manuever our way through the throngs of sales people, the kissy faces of a number of Mexican men made me suddenly all too conscious of my "Kiss me I'm Canadian" shirt. Oh well, like anyone would dare try with my Mom nearby (she gives off very protective Mom vibes...I think it may be because she's very protective). Anyway after a run in with a sales man who had briefly convinced us he was our Sun Wing Rep, we managed to slump into a nice air conditioned bus that took us the 20 minutes or so to Riviera Nayarit and up to our Resort "Riu Jalisco". It took me a good part of the trip to realize that the "j" is Jalisco is pronounced "h" like in "jalepeno". Well you learn something new everyday. I knew what to expect of our stay as I have a complusive need to know what to expect before going anywhere away from home, but the resort was even prettier in real life!

For the first time I had a room all to myself and got to enjoy such luxuries as a giant bed, my own minifridge with pop and water, and a personal alcohol dispenser. All of a sudden I could live like Kesha and brush my teeth with a bottle of Jack - which I wasn't really tempted to do though it might have kept me from picking up a bug when I used tap water to rinse out my mouth.

The first couple of days we took it pretty easy. We slept late, had a late breakfast, went swimming, sunned if there was any sun to be had, ate lunch, swam more, ate dinner, and enjoyed the shows.

By the third day we decided to take a bus into Puerto Vallarta to shop around. They base all of their directions on the Walmart for tourists (apparently everyone knows what a Walmart is) so that's where the bus dropped us off. We were hot and tired by the time we got their and decided to go across the street to the Liverpool Mall - a large expensive looking mall obviously created for tourists but enjoyed by the more well off of the locals as well. It was very well air conditioned and the first thing I saw as we entered was a starbucks. I'll admit with some shame that I was happy to see things that remind me of home especially starbucks even though they didn't get my order right. (I blame the language gap). I asked for a Starbucks double shot on ice and they gave me two cups each filled with ice and each with one shot of expresso poured in. When I order that here I get a tall cup with ice, 2 shots of expresso, milk, and a few pumps of classic syrup. After disposing of one and downing the other I shopped around for a bit. My parents and I stopped for a snack at the overpriced food court and then walked over to Walmart to see what a Mexican Walmart would be like. It was very similar to ours but the food was different and it had an extensive liquor dep't near the middle. That night we ate dinner at a restaurant near the Walmart (I had tortilla chicken soup yum) and then took a cab back to our resort. We played a few games of pool in the sports bar than headed to bed.

The next day we met with our Sun Wing Rep and were convinced to try their 3 excursions for the price of 2 deal. It was a good deal but I think 3 excursions might actually be 1 too many. I enjoyed them all but I was exhausted by the time we were on our way home. After breakfast we headed into town for some exploring. It was almost unbearably hot and humid but we still managed to walk a good 5 miles throughout Puerto Vallarta looking at shops, exploring side roads, searching for Geo-Caches (we never found any), and looking for a really cool restaurant built in an avacado tree that we went to when I was a kid (no longer exists). By the time we were on our way back I was getting grouchy from heat exhaustion so we found an air conditioned cab and they took us to the pier where my Mom and I would be heading out for our first of three excursions. It was a night excursion that included a boat ride to and from an island, a show thought up by one of the owners of Cirque Du Soleil that encompassed both cultural history and modern dance, and a nice dinner. The boat ride was relaxing and included some rather colorful entertainment as well as drinks. As the boat pulled up I was shocked to see the island covered in lit candles. We followed the candles up the path to a stage that had been set up to look like a Mayan Temple The show was amazing and the food after was delicious! 

The next day we went to the excursion my Mom had chosen, a 6 hour canopy zipline tour. I wasn't as excited about this one but it turned out that I loved it and my Mom hated it. I thought I would be afraid of the heights but I found them exhilerating while my Mom didn't realize how much the heights would freak her out. It was a long and strenuous adventure but I left feeling pleased with myself for having accomplished something that might have scared me in the past. 

The next day we took a full day excursion through the Sierra Madre's. It included a long day of being bumped around in the back of an open truck, a hike through the jungle to learn about local flora and fauna, a stop at a farm for fresh cut Mexican produce, and hand ground corn tortilla's with three Mexican favorites - guacomale, salsa, and cactus salad, and a nice buffet on a nearby beach. It was fun and beautiful but I was completely worn out by the end of the day and officially done with excursions - literally and figuratively. 

That night I was too tired to enjoy more than dinner and went to bed early knowing the next day would be my last in Mexico. Although I had fun and enjoyed the resort I was definitely ready to go home where I could sleep in my own bed, have less meal options (I was feeling a little buffet'd out), and feel dry. 

Below are a few more pics from my trip - including one of a cute donkey one of the maids made out of small towels and placed on my bed!