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The trip to Puerto Vallarta (PV) from Punta de Mita had us motoring under a dull gray sky, a little sleep deprived thanks to large waves throughout the night. We were pleased to spot several whales along the way. Less pleasing was the large dark cloud approaching us but it gave us a chance to make use of that new radar. We tracked the squall's movement and its distance from us, learning that it covered about 3 miles every 10 minutes (definitely faster than we travel). The idea of docking just when a squall hit was unappealing. Fortunately, this one passed behind us.
We'd been slowing down as we neared PV to dodge the flotsam near the mouth of the estuary and in hopes that the marina would finally answer our hails. We gave up, opting for the seeking-forgiveness approach. A staff person magically materialized as we headed for an unoccupied spot, redirecting us into a slip right at the entrance to the dock. Aside from the scramble to switch fenders and lines to the other side of the boat, we found we had lucked into a very convenient location for reaching the one small bathroom for the entire marina!
Marina Puerto Vallarta is located in a rather swanky district, away from downtown. The many vessels (some huge!) are encircled by condos, and businesses catering to a wide range of tourist interests. These establishments front a wide walkway following the water's edge. To get to groceries, the marine store, or to catch the bus downtown one runs the gauntlet of offers of great deals on whale watching, botanical tours, tequila, art, cosmetic enhancements, jewelery, drinks, and many tempting meals. Rocks line the short steep shoreline and provide a popular place for iguanas, egrets and even crocodiles to sun themselves. It was very exciting for us to have crocs only a stone's throw away. Signs prohibit swimming and feeding of crocodiles (we suppose swimming could be doubly bad since it might also violate the no-feeding rule!). One could estimate how long a person had been in PV based on whether they gawked at the reptiles or simply walked by.
Every Thursday a large market appears all along the waterfront. Vendors' tents, placed cheek to cheek, have a hugely diverse range of artisan products. There was some very beautiful and skilled work, and of course things that were less impressive but it was all interesting. Bjarne acquired a hand-crafted skull-shaped bottle covered in lambskin. The artist soaks the leather in acid to soften it. Interestingly, he says it looks different every time so he can't do custom-ordered colours. The market was a good excuse for dinner out, trying a few vendors' wares. Beef jerky and artisan cheese (containing embedded pieces of delicious salami) provided more treats for the next day. The wallet was lighter after this excursion but we did have a few hours of entertainment from it.
Our social calendar was quite stuffed during our stay in PV and we had many experiences of kindness. Roz and John, in the process of letting us wash our clothes, also fed us a couple of times. I managed to talk them into playing euchre one evening (which we had to teach them). Little did we realize how brutally competitive they are with each other. Other than fearing for our well-being if we got between them, it was a very enjoyable evening. We were also invited to swim in the condo pool - a lovely crocodile-free treat on a hot afternoon. Later, another couple asked if we were relatives of John and Roz. These folks had been at the pool and recognized Bjarne's colourful swim trunks drying on the lifeline. It turns out that Marty and John are sailors (racers) from Toledo; they came aboard for a short visit then invited us (along with our mutual friends) for cocktails the next day. Between 6 sailors, there were many tales to be told, and when we left that evening, Marty gave us a delicious zucchini loaf to go. Another kind person, Bob, helped us out with lots of information about PV and by letting us use his water purifier - a neat little portable system that treats water with UV. As if our social card was not full enough, friends from the Bluewater Cruising Association, Don and Heather on Buenaventura, arrived, necessitating celebratory you-made-it-here drinks in our cockpit. There was more social interaction in one week than we'd had in the previous two months!
Sometime during that week we also explored parts of Puerto Vallarta and even got a few chores done.
By luck, or lack thereof depending on which of us you ask, we happened to visit downtown PV on the day of their weekly market. Bjarne parked himself on a bench and listened to a musician while I wended through the crowds for a quick tour of the vendors. Many of the booths and goods were similar to or the same as those we'd seen at the marina market, with lots of high quality handicrafts and art. I enjoyed the vibrancy of the area and, since it was after 11 in the morning, was amused by the long line-ups at the places selling anything remotely like breakfast food. Bjarne and I were well past the first meal of the day and moving onto midmorning snack by then. The area is a high party zone, as well as (or because of?) being the Zona Romantica, a popular spot for gay tourists. Between the clusters of people, one could see a lot of very attractive colourful mosaic work.
On the way home, our pleasant and interesting day took a darker turn. We came across a man being beaten up by 3 men. It was horrible to see them punch and kick the fellow while everyone, including us, stood by watching. Traffic was blocked and horns started to sound so the beaters, considerate of the drivers, picked the victim up and dragged him to the side of the road. They seemed to be berating or scolding him and we wondered if he had stolen something but really, we had no idea what was going on. We considered calling the police but had several concerns: one, we doubted we could explain in Spanish what was happening; two, although we knew how to get to our boat from there we couldn't describe where we were; and three, in a cowardly or sensible manner, we wondered what repercussions there might be for us depending on who all was involved. All in all, quite awful. Fortunately, we had dinner plans that night with Buenaventura which helped remove the bad taste from our mouths.
A nature preserve borders part of the nearby estuary (Estero el Salado). There were lots of informative signs and, along with other things, we learned there are many types of mangrove plants (black, red, and white to name some), each filling its own niche in the ecosystem. We were happy to find some excellent posters identifying various birds and reptiles (helping us to provide the high quality educational material you have all come to expect!). In addition to plants, the park had creatures both alive and formerly alive.
On a different day, we attempted to take our dinghy up the estuary, but before we got very far there was a sign forbidding such adventures. However, even the small section before the prohibited area had a plethora of iguanas and herons scattered through the trees.