Because of the time change, we decided to set the alarm for 10:00. We had a good sleep and were ready for a new adventure. We started the day off at Cafe Du Monde
for our powdered beignets. They were good but were very fried. I don't know how people survive eating all this fat.
Our dinner of Red beans and rice, jumbalaya and crawfish etouffe!
Cabo San Lucas!
Ola!
I love this photo!
The Port!
The famous Cabo San Lucas rocks!
Vicki......don't do it......oh! go ahead and do it! lol!
Here is to Cbo and us!
I loved this Margarita!
Postcards from Paradise!
Puerto Vallarta, Mexico May 13, 2013 Monday
The weather was remarkably tolerant today when we arrived to Puerto Vallarta early this morning. The sun was not out yet, and the skies were overcast, but at least there was a breeze, unusual for here. We kept breakfast light, because our intent was to go out to lunch at one of our favorite places in the old part of downtown. And if the temperature stays down, our long walk there may be pleasant.
When we first came here many years ago, we found a sleepy agricultural village with a few resort hotels. The biggest attraction was the area where the film, The Night of the Iguana, was filmed with Richard Burton, Deborah Kerr, and Ava Gardner. The famous actress, Elizabeth Taylor, came here and had a whirlwind romance with Burton. That alone really helped put this Mexican city on the map for places to be seen. Today, there are luxury hotels, shopping centers, bars, and restaurants on every corner for miles. Even a Walmart and a Sam's Club are across the steet from the cruise terminal. The nice thing about this is that it made our walk even better, since these places have been tied together with paved sidewalks all the way to the old part of town. For the last five years or so, workers have been replacing the old dirt roads with nicely brick-paved streets and sidewalks.
We left the ship by 10am, after hearing an annoucement that we have had the code red lifted.....finally. At least for the next two days, we can go back to normal, and serve ourselves. We will still use the Purell freely, even though the skin is peeling off of our fingers. But we are wondering if this virus is really gone for good. It has recently come to our attention that if we had arrived to the first USA port with this virus present, then a professional team would have to come onboard to disinfect it. And that costs big, big bucks. So, who knows?
Our timing was perfect, getting us to the Fiestamericana Hotel in 1/2 hour. Continuing on, we reached the bridge over the river in another 1/2 hour. That put us at the outskirts of old downtown, the Malecon, and the beach. By the time we reached the Rio Cuale, it was noon and time for lunch at the Rivercafe. What we needed more, were ice cold beers, and two Pacificos were served immediately. It was wonderful sitting at a table, overlooking the river, under a big ceiling fan. We both ordered the Mexican platter with a crispy taco, chicken enchilada, and a poblano chili stuffed with cheese. Refried beans, and guacamole was added to the mix, along with a bowl of chips and a gravyboat full of fresh salsa. We were happy campers, as we ate while listening to a musician playing Spanish guitar.
What was missing, were the dozens of iguanas we normally see here, crawling around the sandy banks of the river, or climbing up the trees or onto the roof of the restaurant. Sometimes, people would throw some food for them, and they would come to eat it. But today, we saw none. Asking our waiter where they were hiding, he said they were mostly gone. Except for some big ones hiding in the trees, he said the rest got picked off by large owls. Never thought of that.
Our alloted hour was up al too quickly, and we had to start hiking our way back. Why is it that going back seems twice as far? Could be due to the beers maybe. We did make a stop at the Fiestamericana Hotel on the way for ice cold sodas and a 15 minute sit down. The rest of the way was a piece of cake.
A strange thing happened on our way back through the Mexican security line at the gate. Our bag got checked, like everyone else's, but when the guard saw the half full bottle of water, he shook it, then examined it. What exactly was he looking for, we wondered? This has never occurred while going through the xray machine on the ship. Guess we passed the test, because he put the bottle back in the bag and handed it back to us. We did not ask why either.
We got back on the ship before 3:30pm, which was all aboard time. Would have been nice if our time was longer here, but it could be due to the tides that we have to leave when we do. We noticed that the sailaway included the buy one, get one for $1.00 drinks. Also, during 7 to 8pm, happy hour was happening in most all the bars. We think that should have been offered for all of the cruise.
Originally, we had made reservations for the Pinnacle Grill this evening, but since it was our last formal (and on a port day to boot), we switched the date with the 15th instead. It was a good choice, because they had one of our favorite entrees.....honey mustard parmesan-crusted chicken and mashed potatoes. The dessert of a lemon torte with a little scoop of vanilla ice cream was really good. Gosh, we are going to miss these great meals when we go back to normal.
Mary Ann & Bill
The weather was remarkably tolerant today when we arrived to Puerto Vallarta early this morning. The sun was not out yet, and the skies were overcast, but at least there was a breeze, unusual for here. We kept breakfast light, because our intent was to go out to lunch at one of our favorite places in the old part of downtown. And if the temperature stays down, our long walk there may be pleasant.
When we first came here many years ago, we found a sleepy agricultural village with a few resort hotels. The biggest attraction was the area where the film, The Night of the Iguana, was filmed with Richard Burton, Deborah Kerr, and Ava Gardner. The famous actress, Elizabeth Taylor, came here and had a whirlwind romance with Burton. That alone really helped put this Mexican city on the map for places to be seen. Today, there are luxury hotels, shopping centers, bars, and restaurants on every corner for miles. Even a Walmart and a Sam's Club are across the steet from the cruise terminal. The nice thing about this is that it made our walk even better, since these places have been tied together with paved sidewalks all the way to the old part of town. For the last five years or so, workers have been replacing the old dirt roads with nicely brick-paved streets and sidewalks.
We left the ship by 10am, after hearing an annoucement that we have had the code red lifted.....finally. At least for the next two days, we can go back to normal, and serve ourselves. We will still use the Purell freely, even though the skin is peeling off of our fingers. But we are wondering if this virus is really gone for good. It has recently come to our attention that if we had arrived to the first USA port with this virus present, then a professional team would have to come onboard to disinfect it. And that costs big, big bucks. So, who knows?
Our timing was perfect, getting us to the Fiestamericana Hotel in 1/2 hour. Continuing on, we reached the bridge over the river in another 1/2 hour. That put us at the outskirts of old downtown, the Malecon, and the beach. By the time we reached the Rio Cuale, it was noon and time for lunch at the Rivercafe. What we needed more, were ice cold beers, and two Pacificos were served immediately. It was wonderful sitting at a table, overlooking the river, under a big ceiling fan. We both ordered the Mexican platter with a crispy taco, chicken enchilada, and a poblano chili stuffed with cheese. Refried beans, and guacamole was added to the mix, along with a bowl of chips and a gravyboat full of fresh salsa. We were happy campers, as we ate while listening to a musician playing Spanish guitar.
What was missing, were the dozens of iguanas we normally see here, crawling around the sandy banks of the river, or climbing up the trees or onto the roof of the restaurant. Sometimes, people would throw some food for them, and they would come to eat it. But today, we saw none. Asking our waiter where they were hiding, he said they were mostly gone. Except for some big ones hiding in the trees, he said the rest got picked off by large owls. Never thought of that.
Our alloted hour was up al too quickly, and we had to start hiking our way back. Why is it that going back seems twice as far? Could be due to the beers maybe. We did make a stop at the Fiestamericana Hotel on the way for ice cold sodas and a 15 minute sit down. The rest of the way was a piece of cake.
A strange thing happened on our way back through the Mexican security line at the gate. Our bag got checked, like everyone else's, but when the guard saw the half full bottle of water, he shook it, then examined it. What exactly was he looking for, we wondered? This has never occurred while going through the xray machine on the ship. Guess we passed the test, because he put the bottle back in the bag and handed it back to us. We did not ask why either.
We got back on the ship before 3:30pm, which was all aboard time. Would have been nice if our time was longer here, but it could be due to the tides that we have to leave when we do. We noticed that the sailaway included the buy one, get one for $1.00 drinks. Also, during 7 to 8pm, happy hour was happening in most all the bars. We think that should have been offered for all of the cruise.
Originally, we had made reservations for the Pinnacle Grill this evening, but since it was our last formal (and on a port day to boot), we switched the date with the 15th instead. It was a good choice, because they had one of our favorite entrees.....honey mustard parmesan-crusted chicken and mashed potatoes. The dessert of a lemon torte with a little scoop of vanilla ice cream was really good. Gosh, we are going to miss these great meals when we go back to normal.
Mary Ann & Bill
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